TVS Wee Panther FAQ
Who will Coach? It will be up to the committee to decide who the head and assistant coaches will be. There are already several TVS parents coaching their kids in other programs already. So finding experienced coaches will not be a problem. We will also vote on cheerleading advisors.
School Levy If the school levy fails then will this program be cancelled? No, this is not affiliated with Twin Valley Schools, so the outcome of the school levy will have no bearing on this program.
Full Contact? Yes this league is full contact tackle football.
What league will they play in? It depends upon how many players signup this spring. If enough players signup in each grade, we will certainly look at the SWBL - I understand that they are looking for an extra team. We would have to field a 3-4 grade team, 5th grade team, and 6th grade team at a minimum. But if the numbers are low, then we will join the CCC. The CCC has two teams, Reserve which is grades 2,3,4 and Varsity which is 5,6 grades. Both leagues play a full schedule (There was a rumor that the CCC only played a few games, this is not true - we have 6 to 8 games with the 6th game being the first round of the playoffs.) and are full contact. Also there is no limit to the number of scrimmages we can do, so we can pick up as many games as the coaches want. I am thinking that we will most likely end up in the CCC, since we have to compete with soccer for athletes and may not have enough for each grade level.
What is the quality of the CCC? Well we are not going to know until our first game how we stack up against the other teams in the CCC. However, I do know that at the Varsity level Covington, Arcanum, and Bethel have been constistantly beating TVS over the past couple of years. So they can't be that weak. I have heard comments that the SWBL is tougher competition. And we can look at the SWBL if our numbers justify it in the future. However, bear in mind that Dixie peewee football has been in the SWBL and we all know how their varsity teams fared in the 80's and 90's. So competing in the SWBL at the youth level did not seem to give them any advantage. It's not the competition, it's the fundamentals that the players learn from their program.
How much will it cost? It will cost parents $40 per player, plus a game jersey. The game jersey can used year after year. Cheerleading will also cost about $65, but the uniform is theirs to keep.
Equipment Expense? It is going to cost a lot of money to get this started, where will the money come from. The last time someone investigated a youth football program, they gave up because it cost too much. Did some checking and found that it costs roughly $150 to outfit a player. So 30 players can be outfitted for under $5000. That is a minimum. Arcanum, which is about the same size as TVS, had 60 players last season and had two teams in each age group (Varsity, Reserve) in the CCC. So if we have a big turnout like they did, then we will have to raise double the money.
Where will they play? A practice field should not be a problem. It sounds like the town is going to be responsive to our needs. We are looking at the area behind the swimming pool, or some of the open ground by the baseball fields. I had hoped to play games at TVS - either on the practice field or actually on the home field as many other schools allow their teams to do. Right now job one is getting the funds raised so that we can have teams and once that is done it will be time to get serious about where to play games. Job two is nailing down a location to play - we can: 1) persuade the school board to allow us to play at TVS. 2) Play on the area behind the baseball
diamonds
Will we have enough players? I checked on the Ohio Athletic Association site and we have about twice as many students as Ansonia or Bradford. Both of these communities have youth football programs. Even with soccer taking some athletes, there should be enough players to fill out the squads. Here are some numbers from some of the groups I have spoken with: Arcanum 60+ players, Bradford 40+ players, Covington 43 players. So TVS should be able to suit up 40 to 60 players.
How will we raise the money? We will solicit donations from both alumni and local businesses. If we are still short, then we will investigate various fundraisers. Charity Auction Summer 2002 where farm equipment and other items can be consigned or donated to be auctioned off; Sacking groceries at Cub Foods for donatations, Volunteering at Kings Island, Raffle, washing cars, etc. The community was able to donate a good portion of the over $150,000 that it took to build the new track. We are seeking a minimum of $5000. So even in these rough economic times, it should be feasible to raise this amount of money.
Burnout Won't the youngsters burnout on football if they start at an earlier age? Well soccer and baseball start around 5-6 years of age, basketball starts in 3 or 4th grade. I don't hear this concern voiced for those sports. As long as you are doing something that is fun, you will continue to play. Here is my experience - when we grew up, we had 4 boys in the family. All 4 played football - starting with peewee football, continuing thru high school and beyond. After leaving school, we continued to play in football leagues in the Dayton area. The 3 surviving brothers played until we were in our late 20's, early 30's. So burnout was not a factor in deciding to stop. Oh, and I had a sister who played Rugby in college - so we were raised rough and tough.
Who am I? J. Chris Tilton. Presently employed by LexisNexis as a Senior System Engineer. Longtime member of Preble County Youth Foundation - the group that is building the new YMCA for Preble County. Former scout leader. Founder of the Preble County Basketball Association - group that runs the TVS girls program and also the summer league. Former trustee and coach for Dayton Surge AAU. Former football referee. Assisted the TVS Track Foundation by building a webpage, contributing both time and money. Helped coach youth football for Preble Shawnee Wee Arrows.
Chris Tilton
Last modified: Thu Apr 11 10:02:56 EDT 2002