Playing Sports for other Schools

Background

Team sports, especially the winter codes, are popular, and in some years well over half of our college students, and several of our primary students have played a winter team sport. Although in 2010 we have seen a drop in demand.

In the Wairarapa, primary school sports are organized by both clubs and schools, and there is usually no problem with our students joining a club. However, at college level, team sports are entirely provided by the schools. This does not work without the support of adult volunteers. There is an expectation that the community of each school provides for their own students where possible, and does its share of the workload. At all colleges in the Wairarapa, no student is allowed to play for any other school without being released from their own school, so that the viability of their own school’s team is not compromised, including this school. Playing for another school is also dependent upon the courtesy of the other school and the relationship our school has with the other school, which in turn is dependent upon the support and commitment we can provide ourselves. Generally the smaller colleges are more than happy to receive our students as they find it more difficult than a large college to make up their necessary numbers.

As a school we see a value in playing sport at a social level, especially for teenagers in an urban setting who do not have meaningful employment. The values of teamwork, exercise, commitment, humility, discipline, respecting the opposition and the umpire, and the social benefits are well accepted. But at a competitive level, we see conflict with the call of a Christian to be meek and lowly, and to seek the joy of the other person or team involved. This conflict is very real at a professional or national level where sport has effectively replaced Christianity as the main religion of the country. We recognise that a coach outside our own community may impart values different from our own.

Students enrolling at this school must realize that their sporting opportunities may be compromised. But we hope that all those who wish to, will be able to be involved with some sporting activity, even though it may not always be at the same level, or even in the same sport, as desired. We also encourage parents to be involved and support the volunteer providers from the other school.

BOT Policy

“Students wishing to play a winter sport must communicate this to the principal by the end of February, and summer sports by the end of term three. Depending upon the number of interested students, the principal will either delegate someone to organize the students to form a team, or he will try to arrange suitable placements on other college teams. Sports placements are arranged directly among the principals of Wairarapa secondary schools and should not be attempted by our parents or students contacting other schools or coaches. Large numbers of students joining a particular college’s teams can cause strain on inter-school relationships.

Students playing on the premier teams of another school are given automatic permission to be released from school attendance to play their sport when requested by the provider school. The parents will have to make a judgment about the effects of the missed schooling.”