I would like to know the GPA and attendance records of the kids who are taking time off to visit schools make their announcement. I would venture to guess GPAs are above 3.0 with very good attendance. AND overall well-rounded, respectful students. Schools look at the kids not just for athletic ability, but success in the classroom and just life in general. They schedule trips for students all the time to go visit colleges, and guess what... it's always for athletics!!!!! Imagine That!!! Do some checking, you will find students from every section of school miss time for extra curricular activities, be it Band, ROTC, DECA, Choir, etc... So come down off that big mountain you are looking down on athletes from and join the rest of us in reality!

This is the silliest thing I've ever heard....obviously the person starting this thread has never played, or had anyone in their family that has played any type of competitive sports....the kids deserve a day off, a week off, or whatever they choose to relish the moment of recieving a college scholarship....many hours of blood, sweat, and sometimes tears has taken place to recieve such an honor...give me a break and support these athletes and not take away from their day of glory!!

I agree kids should be able to relish their achievements. But would some of you feel the same way if a Governor's scholar who had offers from Yale and Harvard took time off to consider their choice? Or the aspiring musician who was accepted into Julliard? It does bother me that so many athletes get so much media attention, schools set aside time in the school day so these kids can have a big hype on their signing day....yet many, MANY more have significant achievements and nothing much is ever said about them. They'll get their name called at graduation. But, no big hype.

Well, I'll bet you it's not during school hours... and should either need a day to "clear his head" I'm sure there will be some jug to help.

 

Four years my son went to the Band Nationals and all four times he missed a Friday of school.

 

Maybe at your school a lot of high school football players signed with big schools, but Boyle relished the attention Lamar received and rejoice in his being courted and now signed by a program with the reputation of USC.

I agree kids should be able to relish their achievements. But would some of you feel the same way if a Governor's scholar who had offers from Yale and Harvard took time off to consider their choice? Or the aspiring musician who was accepted into Julliard? It does bother me that so many athletes get so much media attention, schools set aside time in the school day so these kids can have a big hype on their signing day....yet many, MANY more have significant achievements and nothing much is ever said about them. They'll get their name called at graduation. But, no big hype.

 

I would love it if they did and love it even more if their school found someway to recognize that achievement.

I would love it if they did and love it even more if their school found someway to recognize that achievement.

The reality, however, is that there is no "value" for the academics or scholars of other types who win awards to the media. Imagine if Manual were to have that kind of hype for each of their students who won scholarships. :lol:

 

I don't disagree that the kid should be allowed to relish their moment in the sun. I do feel such signing ceremonies should occur after the school day is over. I definitely DON'T agree that a kid should miss school to make his/her decision. But that's a parental choice, not a school choice. So, while I disagree with the practice, I defer the decision to the parent, who knows his/her child the best. On the part of signing during the school day, I don't waver. Save it for after the school day has concluded, as all extracurricular activities should be. And I don't equate the signing of an athlete to the band member, or athlete who is representing their school at a competition. The signing is a completely individual endeavor. Just my opinion.

This is the silliest thing I've ever heard....obviously the person starting this thread has never played, or had anyone in their family that has played any type of competitive sports....the kids deserve a day off, a week off, or whatever they choose to relish the moment of recieving a college scholarship....many hours of blood, sweat, and sometimes tears has taken place to recieve such an honor...give me a break and support these athletes and not take away from their day of glory!!

 

And this may be the silliest thing I've ever heard.

 

What's probably the most common complaint about sports today? Without a doubt, it's got to be the constant "look at me, look at me" attitude of the modern athlete. Fans, sportswriters and coaches alike all bemoan the lack of focus on "team" displayed by so many pro, college and now high school athletes. And what are these high school kids saying with over-the-top, during-the-school-day announcement parties? Yep, they're saying "look at me, look at me, look at me!"

 

Yes, it's an important day for these kids, but like they say - act like you've been there before. Many more important days are still to come.

Aren't weekends "days off"?

These kids high school teammates are there when they sign and are important to the kid that is signing.....sounds like watching too much ESPN and not enjoying enough life....go to a signing and check it out before downing kids just being kids!!!

I completely support signing at school. While I think you can do it with all of your classmates as soon as school is over for the day, instead of in the middle of the school day, I don't have that much of a problem with it.

 

However, taking a day(s) off to think about it is extreme, IMO.

This is the silliest thing I've ever heard....obviously the person starting this thread has never played, or had anyone in their family that has played any type of competitive sports....the kids deserve a day off, a week off, or whatever they choose to relish the moment of recieving a college scholarship....many hours of blood, sweat, and sometimes tears has taken place to recieve such an honor...give me a break and support these athletes and not take away from their day of glory!!

 

Obviously you are wrong.

By the way... how this got twisted to not favoring an athlete celebrating an accomplishment is beyond me. My point was soley that deciding and celebrating can be (and in my hunble opinion - should be) done on time outside of what is supposed to be school time.

I think it's people throwing fits over students, student/athletes, etc. celebrating achievment with their peers, parents, school, staff and whomever else is one of the reasons why overall school pride within the student bodies absolutely sucks compared to what it was some 40, 30, 20 and even 10 years ago. Especially in basketball, my goodness, has anybody noticed the crowds or should I say lack of crowds for weekly basketball games and even a good amount of Friday night games? I can understand why the general public might not make it out on tuesday nights, but has anybody seen the student sections these days? Absolutely pitiful, and I'm talking about a few different schools that I've seen are either .500 or almost at 20 win seasons. Why? School pride and spirit is lacking something awful. It takes an act of freaking congress to get Pep Rally's these days. I can remember a time where pep rally's were a weekly or every 2 week event, and monthly at the longest. But, heck no, Heaven forbid little Jimmie and Jane get pulled out of 7th period Sociology class. However will they make it in the world??

 

Making an ordeal out of kids missing classtime to enjoy and support their peers on such an exciting accomplishment as signing with a college (be it drama, academic, athletics, whatever) is a crock. It's about like a coach I talked to the other day that was upset because they had missed 5 off-season lifting sessions due to school being out for weather. I got news for you, if you think those 5 lifting sessions are going to make or break the 2011 season, then you just aren't very good. The same type of scenarios go for the classroom.

By the way. In case any of you are getting wrong ideas. I'm the type of guy that is in favor of a No Pass, No Play rule. Academic-All State and Academic All-State Honorable-Mention are my favorite awards to see passed out at Banquets.

Lamar Dawson has a 3.85 GPA(not that it is any of your business). If he needed a day off because the time was needed to make an informed decision then so be it. My son said attending Lamar's signing in the gym was one of the coolest things he had ever attended. It is a once in a lifetime moment not only for Lamar but possibly for the entire Boyle County community. The fact that he took a day off to make an informed decision tells me how serious he was about making the right choice for his future. Amazing. First people are saying he isn't good enough to play at USC and then USC awards him sacred jersey #55 and now he is getting called out for taking a day off of school to make that decision and that the school decided to have a 30 minute assembly to celebrate that decision. Unbelievable. Happy Lamar Dawson Day to you.