FORMAL PETITION TO THE DIOCESE OF ORLANDO

A CALL TO RESTORE THE TRUE SPIRIT OF YOUTH SPORTS

To: Director of Athletics – Diocese of Orlando

Subject: Formal Request for Reconsideration of Youth Sports Regulations Across All Athletic Programs

Dear Director,

We are writing on behalf of concerned coaches, parents, and members of the school communities within the Diocese of Orlando to formally express our concerns regarding the recent changes to the youth athletic regulations.

Our concerns extend to all sports offered through the Diocese, including basketball, volleyball, soccer, and other athletic programs. However, we would like to place particular emphasis on basketball, as this is the sport currently being played and where we are directly experiencing the impact of these regulations.

First, we want to emphasize that we fully support the Catholic values that the Diocese promotes through athletics: faith, respect, humility, discipline, teamwork, integrity, and good sportsmanship.

We understand that youth sports should provide a positive environment where children can grow spiritually, emotionally, socially, and physically.

However, we strongly believe there is a difference between teaching children to be good sports and removing the fundamental elements that make sports meaningful.

Sports are supposed to teach children how to compete, not teach them to avoid competition.

THE PROBLEM WITH THE CURRENT REGULATIONS

We are deeply concerned about restrictions that prevent children from keeping score, recognizing points, and playing according to the established rules of their respective sports.

In basketball, for example, children should have the opportunity to learn and experience the actual game, including:

• Keeping score and recognizing points.
• Understanding fouls and their consequences.
• Learning and shooting free throws.
• Understanding traveling, double dribbling, and other violations.
• Learning offensive and defensive strategies.
• Experiencing the natural flow and competitiveness of a basketball game.
• Learning how to win with humility and lose with dignity.

These are not negative experiences. They are essential parts of learning the sport.

The same principle applies to volleyball, soccer, and every other sport offered through the Diocese.

We cannot adequately prepare children for future athletic competition by teaching them a version of the game that is fundamentally different from the sport they will eventually encounter in other leagues and competitions.

This creates confusion for young athletes and places coaches in an extremely difficult position. Coaches are expected to develop players, teach strategies, and prepare teams while being restricted from teaching and applying fundamental rules of the sport.

THE IMPACT ON OUR CHILDREN

Perhaps our greatest concern is the impact these regulations are having on the children themselves.

We are beginning to see children lose their motivation, excitement, and enthusiasm for participating in sports they once genuinely enjoyed.

Sports should inspire children. They should look forward to practices, games, improving their skills, competing with their teammates, and celebrating their progress.

Instead, some children are becoming confused and discouraged because the experience no longer feels like the sport they have learned to love.

We must ask ourselves: What message are we sending our children when we remove the very elements that motivate them to practice, improve, and challenge themselves?

We want children to feel proud of their hard work, excited about their accomplishments, and motivated to continue developing their abilities.

We should be encouraging children to love sports, not unintentionally creating an environment that takes away their excitement for playing.

Their voices deserve to be heard because they are the ones most directly affected by these decisions.

WHAT SPORTS SHOULD TEACH OUR CHILDREN

We do not believe children should grow up in a bubble where every competitive challenge is removed to protect their feelings.

Children need to learn that:

• Winning is rewarding, but losing is an opportunity to improve.
• Mistakes are part of learning.
• Hard work and dedication lead to progress.
• Competition can be healthy and respectful.
• Discipline and accountability are necessary for personal growth.
• Being a good teammate matters regardless of the final score.
• Respect for opponents and officials is essential.

These are life lessons that will serve them far beyond the basketball court or any playing field.

OUR FORMAL REQUESTS

We respectfully ask the Diocese of Orlando to:

1. Reconsider the current athletic regulations across all youth sports programs.
2. Allow appropriate scorekeeping and point tracking during competitive games.
3. Permit children to learn and play according to the established rules of each sport, with reasonable age-appropriate modifications when necessary.
4. Restore the fundamental elements of basketball, including fouls, free throws, violations, offensive strategies, and defensive strategies.
5. Allow coaches to teach the actual sport and prepare children for future levels of competition.
6. Include coaches, parents, and athletic directors in discussions before implementing significant changes to athletic programs.
7. Establish clear and consistent regulations across schools so that students, parents, and coaches understand what is expected.
8. Schedule a formal meeting with diocesan leadership and representatives of the affected school communities to discuss these concerns and possible solutions.

OUR MESSAGE TO THE DIOCESE

We are not asking for an environment where winning is more important than character.

We are not asking for unnecessary pressure, aggressive competition, or unrealistic expectations placed on children.

WE ARE ASKING FOR BALANCE.

We want our children to enjoy sports, develop their abilities, challenge themselves, and experience the satisfaction of improving through hard work.

We believe that faith and competition are not opposites. Christian values should strengthen the way children compete, not eliminate the opportunity to compete.

The lessons of sports go beyond the final score. They teach perseverance, resilience, responsibility, leadership, confidence, and respect.

Our children deserve the opportunity to experience all of these lessons.

We do not want our children to simply participate in sports. We want them to learn, grow, compete, and fall in love with the game.

We respectfully ask the Diocese to listen to the voices of the coaches, parents, and students who are directly affected by these decisions.

We hope this petition will open the door to meaningful communication and positive changes that benefit all children participating in diocesan athletic programs.

Thank you for your time, attention, and consideration. We look forward to the opportunity to meet with you and work together toward a solution that places the best interests and development of our children first.

Respectfully,

Concerned Coaches, Parents, and Members of the School Communities of the Diocese of Orlando

ATTACHED: PARENT AND COACH SIGNATURE PETITION

We, the undersigned, support this request for reconsideration of the current youth athletic regulations and ask the Diocese of Orlando to hear our concerns and work toward positive changes for our children.