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Name: Dr. Matt Gilchrist on Nov 21, 2008Comments: My name is Dr. Matthew T. Gilchrist, and I serve both as the head track & field coach for Chantilly High School, as well as a member of the executive council for the Northern Virginia Cross Country/Track & Field Association. I am Fairfax County teacher and resident, and I am an alumni of Fairfax County Public Schools. It is my purpose to address the recent budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2010, specifically as it pertains to the Tier 3 elimination of the indoor track program. I understand fully that these are trying times economically, and that the school board must act in a manner that is prudent not just now, but for the benefit of the uncertain years to come. I am sympathetic with having to make tough decisions, and that everyone may have to make certain sacrifices, but on behalf of the athletes, coaches, and families for whom I speak tonight, I would strongly suggest that to eliminate a complete sport, especially indoor track, is wrong on many levels. First of all, indoor track is the largest participation sport in the winter time, for both boys and girls, and with the exception of boys football and outdoor track, it attracts the highest level of participation of any sport offered each year in Fairfax County. It is the largest sport for females, and also for minorities, many of whom may have limited options for other opportunities to replace track & field. Looking past the costs, which center primarily on salaries, which are amongst the lowest on the coaching pay scale, and transportation, and it is relatively low cost. It is unconscionable for us to believe that 2735 students (according to 2007-08 figures) could possibly have their season taken away from them, and told that they could not compete, simply to save a few dollars. From every angle that we view this, it is wrong. The primary motivating factor for a county program has to be the students, not just the dollars. This is an average of 109 students, per school, who participate in a winter program for which there are few, if any alternatives. There are no club or community track programs in the winter time, and most of the other sports are limited in number. If a student is cut from the basketball team in the winter, he or she can often go to the track team as an alternative, however if there is no track team, it is not feasible for all of these kids to then have another sport to go to. For many students, this is the best, most constructive, and most structured environment that they could hope to be in for 3 hours every afternoon, as opposed to going home and not having the same options for positive social interaction, or opportunity for guided physical fitness. We teach through our physical education departments that a continued commitment to physical fitness is paramount to a healthy lifestyle, physically and mentally. Track and field provides them with an outlet to promoting healthy living, and an alternative to some of the other, less healthy pressures that many athletes face in the streets. Those athletes who commit to track and field are less likely to be the ones who are out drinking or causing trouble on Friday or Saturday nights, because they are either at a meet, or preparing for one early on Saturday mornings. Because track is a sport which thrives upon participation for everyone, it allows student athletes to achieve on a multitude of different levels, both in terms of competition against other schools, and also against one’s self. The process of setting goals, working towards them, reaching those goals, and then raising the bar again helps build a huge sense of self-esteem, regardless of the skill level or physical talents. It is unique in most sports, because on some level, every single athlete, male or female, freshman or senior, can be a winner. I was personally one of those kids who joined the track team at my alma mater, George C. Marshall HS. I did not possess any unique skill or talent, but it was the encouragement from my coach, consistant and never-wavering, that helped build me up physically and emotionally, and made me fall in love with my sport. I can see know, as an adult, that my personal achievements were nothing extraordinary in the grand scheme of the sport, but I know that every time I stepped on the track, I had someone to make me feel like a winner. It is these types of positive relationships that I stress today, and I have tried to emulate for the past 14 years of coaching in Fairfax County. Each winter, the kids come together, like a family and support one another. Their commitment to their sport helps them stay fit, teaches them valuable lessons about teamwork and sportsmanship, promotes positive social relationships and societal values, and gives them the structure that they can also use to promoting solid academic achievement. With their time becoming more regimented, many athletes recognize that their time towards their studies is more limited, and thus they have demonstrated that they are more likely to use their time away from track to study, and not waste it away. I cannot speak for all schools, but I know that each winter that I have coaches, when our school’s honor-roll athletes are recognized, an over-whelming majority of the team is recognized, much more so than most other sports. On a lower level of priority, I could also speak to the diminishing of competitiveness that Fairfax County track & field programs have consistently enjoyed at the state level. We have a rich history of athletes who have been successful at the state, national and even international levels. We have been produced men and women who have broken American records, and competed in the Olympics. We have also had athletes and teams who have been competitive at the highest levels, and to eliminate the winter program would also hamper their abilities to prepare as well for the spring seasons. For some athletes, this could mean the difference between getting college scholarships or not, which for many families, can be a real concern. I am not saying that the primary focus on high school athletics is or should be, on getting scholarships, but as other athletes in other sports can vie for these scholarship dollars, I believe that young men and women in track and field, particularly those minority athletes who may not statistically have the economic opportunities that more affluent families may have, should be afforded equal opportunities to contest for such chances. In conclusion, I acknowledge the challenge that is being faced today, and I am not envious of those charged with undertaking this task. I would urge you to revisit this decision, and understand just who you are affecting, and in what ways. This is not a situation where you are trimming off a few dollars at a spot where no one will really notice or care; you are proposing the elimination of the largest sport in the winter time, and one of the largest each year. You are not affecting just a few odd athletes who have the option to go play with their community club team; you are proposing a sport with a high level of organization, and the opportunity to easily and positively affect thousands of student-athletes every year. You are proposing cutting off not just the competitive experiences, most of which are eliminated from most people after they leave high school, but the venue through which valuable life lessons may be learned. You are not just cutting off a random sport, but you are eliminating the one sport which can accept more or less any student, and one in which more minorities participate than any other. I would hope that it is the mission for this board to serve all of the students at large, to continue that idea of No Child Left Behind, and actually meet the needs and demands of all the students, not just the vocal majorities. I do understand that cutbacks may be necessary, but in the best interests of our kids, make those cut backs through the trimming of budgets, perhaps across the board, and not through the complete elimination of this sport, which has provided so much, for so many, from decades past, up to today.Flag
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Name: Joe LoRusso on Nov 21, 2008Comments:Flag
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Name: Andrew Gilchrist on Nov 21, 2008Comments: I am a 1990 graduate of George C. Marshall HS and its winter track program and would hate to see this valuable program eliminated. Many of us might not have had the particular gifts necessary to play competitive basketball or wrestle but track offered us an opportunity to turn dedication and hard work into valuable experiences, both individually and as members of a team of like-minded student-athletes. Please keep winter track on the schedule!Flag
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Name: Nicholas Burgoyne on Nov 21, 2008Comments:Flag
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Name: April Falconi on Nov 21, 2008Comments:Flag
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Name: Megan Franks on Nov 21, 2008Comments:Flag
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Name: J. David Buerk on Nov 21, 2008Comments:Flag
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Name: Leah Soukup on Nov 21, 2008Comments:Flag
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Name: Becky Galbo on Nov 21, 2008Comments:Flag
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Name: Chris Dolan on Nov 21, 2008Comments:Flag
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Name: Rachel Herzog on Nov 21, 2008Comments:Flag
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Name: Charles S. Wimberly, Jr. on Nov 21, 2008Comments: As a former Cross Country, Winter Track and Outdoor Track athlete I can attest to the many benefits of participant in high school sports. I would hate to see anyone have those benefits available to them.Flag
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Name: Ethan Rissell on Nov 21, 2008Comments:Flag
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Name: Chris Foley on Nov 21, 2008Comments:Flag
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Name: Karen L Vandecar on Nov 21, 2008Comments:Flag
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Name: Rachel Grochowski on Nov 21, 2008Comments:Flag
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Name: Karen L Vandecar on Nov 21, 2008Comments: I understand that we all need to make sacrifices to cut costs during these uncertain economic times but eliminating a sport that is such a positive experience for so many female students would be an unfortunate mistake.Flag
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Name: Jenna Goffe on Nov 21, 2008Comments:Flag
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Name: Alex Nissen on Nov 21, 2008Comments:Flag
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Name: Jimmy Beyeah on Nov 21, 2008Comments:Flag
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Name: Matt Giorgis on Nov 21, 2008Comments:Flag
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Name: Amy Lutkus on Nov 21, 2008Comments:Flag
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Name: Anonymous on Nov 21, 2008Comments:Flag
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Name: Lily Wang on Nov 21, 2008Comments:Flag
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Name: Darren Tully on Nov 21, 2008Comments:Flag
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Name: Anonymous on Nov 21, 2008Comments:Flag
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Name: Rachel Wright on Nov 21, 2008Comments:Flag
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Name: Kati Geldermann on Nov 21, 2008Comments:Flag
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Name: John Parrell on Nov 21, 2008Comments:Flag
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Name: Cindy Adams on Nov 21, 2008Comments:Flag
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Name: Anonymous on Nov 21, 2008Comments:Flag
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Name: Louis DiValentin on Nov 21, 2008Comments:Flag
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Name: Anonymous on Nov 21, 2008Comments:Flag
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Name: Colleen Scherer on Nov 21, 2008Comments:Flag
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Name: Kevin Dowd on Nov 21, 2008Comments:Flag
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Name: Wes Sun on Nov 21, 2008Comments: This is totally irrational and unfair to just take out a sport with such a great majority of every school involved in.Flag
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Name: Ronald Katz on Nov 21, 2008Comments:Flag
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Name: Sarah Meier on Nov 21, 2008Comments: Keep winter track alive!Flag
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Name: Chris Menzel on Nov 21, 2008Comments: Keep winter track on the budget.Flag
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Name: Heidi Tucker on Nov 21, 2008Comments:Flag
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Name: Natalie Shaw on Nov 21, 2008Comments:Flag
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Name: Kim Sorensen on Nov 21, 2008Comments:Flag
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Name: Audrey Malcolm on Nov 21, 2008Comments: I was not directly involved with track while in highschool, but I have many friends who were. The fact the winter track had the most minorities on the teams means that if this program was cut, they would have no where to go. It would cause many more problems than just the students, it would affect the community at large. Cut winter track, you might as well cut football, or any other sport that students are passionate about.Flag
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Name: Kenneth Wright on Nov 21, 2008Comments:Flag
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Name: Julia Franke on Nov 21, 2008Comments:Flag
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Name: Son Tran on Nov 21, 2008Comments: dont remove winter track from fairfax countyFlag
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Name: Nina Ullom on Nov 21, 2008Comments:Flag
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Name: Jason Johns on Nov 21, 2008Comments:Flag
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Name: Anonymous on Nov 21, 2008Comments:Flag
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Name: Kristy Witek on Nov 21, 2008Comments:Flag