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Letter to the editor: Clarifying football worries
I would just like to take this opportunity to clarify a few items mentioned in the article, “Football group worries it’s losing support” in the May 30 edition of the Eastside Messenger.
First of all, players are not leaving the program because of the $500 pay to play nor did they leave to go to a more “winning” program. The players that have left can more than afford the pay to play fee and many have went to D2 and D3 schools to play, not just Pickerington.
It costs a lot, more than $500, to relocate a family. These players are leaving because of what you get for your $500.
Coach Evans notes in the article that “it’s difficult to develop young players with this kind of loss.”
Reynoldsburg has successful programs at the junior high and freshman levels, yet it drops off at the high school level. Coach Evans has not only lost players the last couple years, he has lost several quality coaches this past year and a few that have been with Reynoldsburg for years. Many of these other communities would love to have a new turf to play on, a bingo to generate thousands of dollars for their programs, a “wish list’ of new this and that, but most of them don’t have any of it and still manage to have very successful programs.
There was also a meeting in early October with a large group of parents and the superintendant to discuss the football program.
At this meeting, it was requested that the head varsity coach position be reopened to find a more qualified candidate. The administration was made well aware that these families would not be returning if changes were not made.
Although having a successful program would fix a lot of the problems as far as gaining interest back and community support, at the end of the day it’s really not about the win. It is about having a varsity program that cares and respects the players, parents and the community that supports it. The losing part of it just makes it not tolerable.
John Fall
Reynoldsburg
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