Very well said. It’s obviously disappointing for the kids to miss out on a game, but we can’t forget the kids at Kennedy who now have to miss out on a year or a career.

DITTO, well said, my heart breaks for Kennedy kids too.

As a parent of a BSAL player I am surely disapointed that my child’s senior season will be shortened by one game. However, I will take the opportunity to speak to my student/athlete about why this is a reality. It puts into perspective how fortunate he is to be at a school like SM and how fortunate he is to have the opportunities he has. At the same time, I will ask him to look beyond his own reality to see what those players at Kennedy are facing. Those of us who are blessed to have opportunities to shine must always keep in mind those whose talents get snuffed out by circumstances beyond their control. The bottom line here is that CHILDREN are being left behind and denied the chance to fulfill their ultimate potentials. It is criminal. Blame is not easily placed on one party – that is the difficulty of it. Again, it is a failure of us as a community and a society. We MUST value our young people more.

Coach T from Encinal is correct, he saw this coming. It happens almost every year. It seems as though the NCS and WCCSD is not in tune with this reality. What do they intend to do about it?? Let’s think outside of the box. The Richmond/Kennedy/DeAnza merger for sports is a good idea. DO SOMETHING. Sports is a vehicle to teach young people about life. Many of us have had our lives altered by sports. Not going to the pros or even D-1 colleges, but by learning how to compete, how to win, how to lose, how to be a part of something greater than oneself. When we can’t figure out how to give young people a consistent outlet for their growth and self expression, we deny them the opportunity to be the best they can be. We deny them the emotional, spiritual and physical health to be a productive member of our society. We deny them the chance to live out their dreams. Then we wonder why the murder rate in Richmond is so high.

LET’S BREAK THIS CYCLE OF INDIFFERENCE!! KENNEDY KIDS MATTER JUST AS MUCH AS SM KIDS, OR ALBANY KIDS, OR ST. PAT’S KIDS, ETC…

WE MUST DO BETTER.

If the adults from the NCS and WCCSD can’t figure this out, they should stop taking their paychecks – they simply are not earning them.

Sorry for the sermon, but it breaks my heart when children are forgotten by adults who are charged with being their advocates.

Go Eagles and Oilers! Don’t give up.