A-B

No, this entry is not about that famous brewer in South City. It's about the practice in elementary school sports of dividing kids up according to their skill level. Some places call it "gold and silver". Whatever you call it, "structuring" teams according to skill level is a source of constant discontent.

Now in so-called "select" (private) leagues, structuring teams comes with the territory. Young athletes enter these programs seeking a higher level of competition, so the idea of dividing kids up by their skill level furthers that purpose.

However, in school leagues, it's a whole different situation. "Making an A-team" can be a big deal for a kid, or it can be equally frustrating and disappointing for the ones who don't.

Parents get angry about A/B decisions, and systems to select kids for the A or B team are far from perfect. This past weekend, I heard a story about a parent in a suburban school district threatening to sue the school's athletic association if they ended the A-B split. This particular parent didn't want his son playing with "B" level players.

Rationale for having structured teams in school sports varies. One argument is that if you don't structure the teams, the better players will all go to the select leagues. Huh? Aren't they doing this already??

The main reason it happens is for that great all-time rationale, because "everyone else is doing it". If "School A" has an upper and lower division team, and your school "balances" its teams, then you have a problem competing against the other school. Your team is too strong for the "B" team level, and too weak for the "A" team level. To address the inbalance, the athletic association at your school justifies the decision to structure its teams in order to be competitive with other schools. It's about remaining competitive in the quest to win championships.

However, is that the purpose of elementary school sports? To win championships? It's supposed to be about a lot more than that. However, as long as league rules sanction the formation of A/B teams at the grade school level, the practice will continue. Was your child ever cut?

I wonder what you'd find out if you asked kids what they think about having separate A and B teams?