the Cafe
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Short Supply at IR
(bottom) Indian River field hockey players
Indian River High School boys' soccer coach Duncan Smith was new to the type of dilemma he faced on Sept. 22.
With his team scheduled for a home game against Seaford that night, Smith was forced to bench four varsity starters who had missed practice the previous week. To fill their spots, he called up four players from the junior varsity team, which was left woefully undermanned.
With little depth and flexibility because of an unusually small turnout of players, Smith cancelled the junior varsity game and hosted only a varsity contest, which the Indians lost 5-0.
Such problems are not unique to the soccer team, however, as most of Indian River's boys' athletic programs have suffered from a lack of interest in recent years. Fall sports have been especially hard hit.
"They just don't seem real interested in being part of the activities," Smith said of IR's male population. "We just kind of have to go with what we have."
Smith, who returned to IR this season after a year's absence, has 30 players combined on the varsity and junior varsity soccer teams. In his previous four-year stint as coach, he had between 35 and 40.
The football program has also had trouble fielding athletes in recent years, averaging about 30 players per season.
Opinions about the lack of participation vary but Smith believes jobs are now a higher priority among students than athletics.
"I think thatıs really the biggest one (reason)," said Smith, who noted many employers want students to continue working through Labor Day in order to receive summer bonuses. This usually nixes participation in preseason practices.
During the summer, Smith sent letters to 40 prospective players but the most he had for any of his preseason practices was 21. A number of players who were on the team during Smith's previous tenure have chosen not to participate in 1998.
The turnout after the start of school has also been disappointing.
"Each year, we always had a large number of ninth graders come in," Smith said, noting only six or seven freshmen are on the team this year.
Just the opposite is true of the school's girls' athletic teams.
The field hockey program has full varsity and JV squads and the turnout has also been strong for the volleyball team, which is in its first year of varsity competition. The school's state championship in softball last spring has likely helped generate interest in girls' athletics.
But Smith noted sports aren't the only activities that have seen a decline in interest among boys.
He recently took notice of an announcement concerning student council elections and realized only two of the candidates for those offices were boys.
IR Athletic Director Dale Steele noted other Henlopen Conference schools are experiencing similar numbers crunches. Milford and Lake Forest were forced to discontinue their freshman football programs while Woodbridge was not able to field a junior varsity team this year.
"Everybody's having the numbers problem," he said. "I don't know if they (students) are just lazy or not compelled or what."
Distractions for students include cars, jobs and social activities. Academics are also a factor, as some chose to focus exclusively on school and not balance their studies with athletics, Steele said.
He added it is rare to see a group of kids playing football or baseball in the sandlot on their own time.
"I think everybody wants the car, 55 channels on TV and computers. Kids grow up too fast anymore," Steele said. "There's all kinds of things for kids to do. It's our place to get them involved so they don't get in trouble."
Steele, who coached IR's football team for 10 years, winning five Southern Division titles and a state championship, added being a member of the football team doesn't carry the prestige among students that it once did.
IR Principal Lewis Patterson said the popularity of girls' sports represents a vast departure from the attitudes that were held 20 years ago.
"It was considered almost unhealthy for girls to be competitive," he said.
Now, it's the girls' sports that are thriving while boys' athletics suffer.
Patterson believes the problem stems from a combination of distractions that include jobs, car payments, academics and simple apathy. And the problems with soccer are especially disturbing.
"I wish we did have more because I don't want to see a good man like him (Smith) get discouraged," Patterson said. "It may just be a temporary phase we're going through. He will build the numbers back up, I'm confident of that."
Helping matters is a Saturday morning recreational soccer program that has attracted about 180 children. Patterson also believes strong feeder programs in the middle schools will help generate interest in sports at the high school level.
Both Patterson and Smith extolled the virtues of being a student-athlete despite the demands on a student's time.
"I think it would make for a better person by the time they graduate high school," Patterson said. "I think it definitely makes for a more well-rounded person."
Smith played three sports during his high school days and still managed to budget his time and keep up with academic demands. Being a student-athlete forces kids to be more responsible, he said.
"You learn a lot about self-discipline," he said. "These kids learn a lot of responsibility about being part of a team." But that message hasn't had much of an impact on IR's male students.
"There's a lot of them that seem to be apathetic with sports," Patterson said. "I just don't see that eagerness in our kids anymore."
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