In the last few years there has been a rush on the part of private schools and some even home school co-ops to add Football to their athletic programs. Smaller schools like King’s Academy, for whom fielding a full team is for one reason another not an option are joining six- man leagues, and larger schools like Grace, All Saints, and Brook Hill are competing with full squads. There are however a number of private schools in Tyler, like Christian Heritage, who are resisting the move toward football and opting to continue with another fall sport, namely Soccer.
Christian Heritage School (CHS) has been playing Soccer for around twenty- five years now and it has been a part of the school’s tradition and student culture. The school has won numerous state and national titles in that time and thus finds moving over to fall football a difficult change of gears. CHS is affiliated with the international missions organization, Youth With A Mission (YWAM). The organization draws families and individuals from all over the world, whose children are in need of a school to attend while their parents attend the mission’s adult classes. The CHS soccer program has thus benefited from this due to the fact that it has consistently been able to draw students from countries where soccer is less an athletic program, and more of a way of life.
East Texas Christian Academy (ETCA) has also elected to continue offering fall soccer rather than moving in the direction of American Football. But how long will these schools continue to opt out of East Texas’ favorite sport? Some suggest that given the international make- up of CHS it will probably be a while before the school takes the plunge. But with more and more schools switching over, one would think that the field of competitors is bound to shrink eventually. As a proponent of CHS and private schools in general, I would love to see the school take to the football field. I’ve seen first hand how beneficial it can be for helping to produce a sense of school community and richer student life. But suspect it will only happen when the school can support both sports.
Hopefully we’ll see at least a six- man CHS football team in the next few years but regardless let me assure you that Tyler loves you CHS.
For more information on Christian Heritage School visit the following web sites: http://www.chsconnect.org/pages/,http://www.facebook.com/pages/Christian-Heritage-School-Tyler-TX/118634768188552. Also see the following articles located elsewhere on this site: http://www.tylertxdirectory.com/7288/principle-approach-schools/, http://www.tylertxdirectory.com/3295/private-schools-in-tyler-texas/.
Football is Back in 2010
August 9th, 2010One of the surest and most welcome signs that summer is winding down is the reappearance of football. Last night preseason football began with the Hall of Fame game. The Cowboys and the Bengals faced off in what essentially amounted to a scrimmage game on Sunday Night Football. Even though the preseason schedule doesn’t mean much if anything, it was good to see Dallas take the night in a 16- 7 competition. And as a side note I have to hope that all T.O.’s games end in the same fashion. But these early games serve purely as a tide- me- over. The only really important stat in them is the injury report afterward. But it’s good to see helmets being dusted off and fields being chalked in anticipation of the coming season.
The NFL and the NCAA are not the only ones preparing for the coming fall. Local High Schools, both public and private are preparing for the quickly approaching fall. Football has certainly become a more inclusive sport in recent years, in terms of the opportunities available. When I was growing up in private school, the only sport we really wanted to play was football! But due to the many expenses surrounding the sport, small schools found it necessary to substitute more inexpensive less “dangerous” sports into their athletic programs. As private and parochial schools have grown however, so has the demand for the one fall sport that really matters in East Texas. Nearly every school in Tyler with more than one hundred students has at least a six- man football team, and many have full squads.
Football and sports in general, is an important component for schools both large and small. We all remember the lessons we were taught in our perspective sports; perseverance, team work, dealing with success, dealing with failure, the lessons go on and on. As Lord Wellington once said, “The Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton.” But Football and all Sports do more for schools than just help to educate the students, (as if that weren’t enough). Athletic programs are the public faces of the schools they represent. They keep the school’s name in the paper and on the evening news. But perhaps more importantly, the event of a Friday night football game, or a Saturday afternoon tailgating party helps to create a sense of community and culture within a school, for families, students and staff.
Autumn is a wonderful time of year, leaves change, the weather cools, and Football is everywhere! I for one, plan of relishing every moment of the coming season!
Tags: Battle Of Waterloo, Dallas Cowboys Football, Dallas Cowboys Football commentary, Dangerous Sports, Dealing With Success, Early Games, East Texas, Eton, Fall Football, Fall Sport, Football, Hall Of Fame, Hall Of Fame Game, Injury Report, Local High Schools, Lord Wellington, Man Football, Night Football, Preseason Schedule, Private And Parochial Schools, S Games, Scrimmage Game, Welcome Signs
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