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ILLINOIS WATER POLO
2005 SEASON
District 211 Referendum Could Hurt Water Polo: A Players' Perspective
by Erin Bickus
The 2005 water polo season is in action, but for some of the newcomers in District 211, this could be the beginning of the end. Over the past month, students in District 211 schools have been informed on the referendum that must be passed in April in order to keep the schools running the way that they are.
District 211 is $18 million dollars in debt and needs a tax increase on the resident's property in order to keep school programs, academics and athletics running the way that everyone is used to. If the referendum doesn't get passed, every school in the District must make cut backs of over $3 million dollars. These cut backs would be included in all of the aspects of high school including athletics, staff, supplies and summer school fees.
So what does this mean for water polo diehards? It means that there will be half as many students playing polo. All athletics, not just water polo, will be cut by at least half. For some people they may see this as a plus; more pool time, less crowded practices and shorter game days.
Those of you who are on Varsity water polo don't really need to worry about the size of the team being cut in half, you're pretty much a guarantee right? Well, maybe, but what if there is that amazing freshman that comes in and takes your spot or someone steps up and is better then you now? Then what? You can't move down to JV because there is no JV anymore. But even if that doesn't happen, and say you are one of the better players on the team, well lets take a time to think about it. Say there are 15 athletes on the varsity team, and six of those athletes are seniors. They graduate at the end of the year, leaving the team with only nine players at the Varsity level. That means six new players would be chosen to replace those seniors. The question then becomes, where do these new players come from? Six people who do not have that knowledge base or experience of learning how to play on a lower level team would have to start from scratch, meaning that teams would get weaker and participating could continue to shrink if they become discouraged.
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The effect of not having a Junior Varsity team could cause a team to go into a stand-still; young players do not have a chance to improve and a team would have a hard time replacing seniors. Each year, a team will have to start out by teaching new players the basics of the game, minimizing the quality subs that the coaches will have available to put in a game when the starters need rest. With the way things are currently, there is always the option of throwing a substitute in when someone needs a rest or when a coach is experimenting with the JV athletes to see how they would do in a Varsity game. If the referendum does not pass and there are no JV teams, this would no longer be an option.
If the referendum fails, student-athletes at Conant, Fremd, Hoffman Estates, and Palatine will be affected tremendously. Trying out for a sport like water polo will become more competitive, since less players will be allowed on a team. With only so many spots available at the Varsity level, teams will be affected because only inexperienced athletes would be available to take vacant spots, assuming that a team can recruit enough players to join the team year after year.
One thing is for sure for water polo athletes at District 211 schools; enjoy this season as much as possible, and keep your fingers crossed that the Education Fund Referendum passes on April 5.
Erin Bickus is a senior at Conant High School. She has played water polo for three years since Conant introduced the sport three years ago. She will be a regular contributor to Illpolo.com in 2005.
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