This school year, the GA athletic team and administration have implemented a new cut policy. It started in the fall sports season with the golf, volleyball and girls’ tennis teams and will continue this winter season with boys’ basketball.
In the past, when there were no cuts for boys’ basketball, the programs became too big. There were several teams of sixteen students each, and it was hard for the athletic directors to find coaches for the teams and arrange practices and games for them. Some of the teams were practicing from 5 to 7 p.m., for example.
In addition to logistical problems, students were not getting the playing time needed to improve their skills.
“I know there are mixed feelings about it and I completely understand both sides,” Mr. Tim Ginter, GA’s Director of Athletics, said. “The policy was born out of a lot of thought and conversation and we think that in the long run it’s going to be what is best for the most amount of kids.”
While it is understandable that students who are cut from the boys’ basketball team will be disappointed, they may have been disappointed anyway if they made the team but did not get any playing time.
Coach Ginter talked about how boys’ basketball teams had sixteen kids each, and only five of those kids could get on the floor at one time. Many kids on the team would get barely any minutes of playing time over the course of the season. This may not have been the most productive use of everyone’s time.
Coaches have to balance their concerns about cutting less experienced basketball players with concerns about skill development and winning games for the more elite players. Just like there are players who want to participate in basketball to have fun and get an activity credit, there are students who play basketball year-round and hope to improve enough to play in college one day.
Also, with fewer kids able to play boys’ basketball during the winter season, it gives them a chance to try out other sports and activities. That could have a positive impact on GA overall because other teams and clubs might become bigger and stronger, and some students might also realize a talent or passion that they didn’t know they had.
The no-cut sports policy has been around for a long time, but the time has come for a change for Germantown Academy. The reality is that there is only enough time, resources, and coaching staff to provide good instruction and competition opportunities to a limited number of students.
In a way, the new cut policy is preparing students for the real world where they don’t get on a team, get a job or win a race just because they want to.