There is a petition to Let Jordie Run.
Jordie, who has physical and cognitive disabilities, is in his fifth year of high school in Amherst NY and has been denied the right to participate in track this year due to a four year rule.
A column in the Buffalo News tells Jordie's story. He is a sprinter, who worked hard to compete, and loves track although he's never won a race. He is in his fifth and last year of high school, but now faces a rule most likely designed for reasons other than the way it applies in this case. His parents say the rule was not designed for disabled students.
The article says:
They have a good point. Are the rules about eligibility written to serve the sport or the student? If the real goal here is the personal development of young people, wouldn’t that be best served by an exception for Jordy?
Learning how to sprint has been a long journey for Jordy, just like other developmental milestones, say his parents. Running has improved Jordy's breathing and leg muscle. He's learned to participate in a group sport, with lessons from being on a team and reaps social benefits from that. It seems like a win-win, until we get down to the fact that there's a four year rule and it means making an exception.
If you think Jordie should be allowed to run, you can sign the petition here.
An athlete spotlight web page on Jordie with a photo can be found here.
5 comments:
Although I love sports and am an avid skier and kayaker, I truly dislike high-school athletics. High-schools pour money into sport programs and yet students often work on antiquated computers, use grossly out dated text books, foreign language offerings are limited to Spanish, and buildings are falling apart. High-school sports are also taken way too seriously. The result is that parents, teachers and administrators forget sports are supposed to be a game. This case is a classic example of how we as a society have lost our way. Surely, exceptions to rules exist if such an exception is desired.
Bill,
Totally agree with you. Thanks for your comment.
Thanks for this posting. I also agree with you and Bill and will sign the petition.
I find it interesting that the attitude of this petition is to is to allow an exception for this student. Isn't the idea of the Disability Rights movement to get equal access and right, not make exceptions?
I have to disagree about your views on sports. We're becoming an increasingly obese country, and sports are an important piece of combating this. Besides that they teach a variety of skills that can't be learned in a classroom and have kept many kids out of trouble (including myself). I always did better in my classes while in season because it made me organize, and schedule my time better.
I read that Jordie was on the honor roll so doing sports was good for him in the classroom too.
All I can say about making an exception for somebody with a disability is that exceptions get made every day for people who don't have disabilities. Should they stop getting exceptions too?
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