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Show Sporfstacular WlrlrlL sMtrvey oDimdliLCGtiGdl by Octobers m By Bliis Fullmer In a recent survey I conducted with Roy football coaches of the W.F.F.L., I posed a question about the feasibility of allowing tweleve year olds to play in the 90 pound division, fifteen of sixteen coaches favored the idea of letting the boys play two years in the 90 pound division, if they qualified, weight-wisAt present, an eight year old, just coming into the football program can p lay three years as a 75 pounder, before moving on to the next higher division. Most of the boys play three years in the first bracket, but some of them mature earlier and must move up in their ninth or tenth year, and in isolated instances there are eight . year olds who, because of their size, have to play their first year on a 90 or 105 pound team. A lot of boys never go beyond the 90 pound bracket, because as twelve year olds, they weigh less than 90 pounds. We lose a lot of late bloomers, because they cannot compete with the twelve year olds who have surged ahead in growth and maturity. Roy lost an entire team between last years 85 pound league and this years 105 team. More than 75 boys played 85 pound football last year and now there are 50 of the same players on two 105 pound teams. I broadened my study to include a team in Division II of the W.F.F.L. Coach Kevin Trussell of Pleasant View has 32 boys on his 105-- team, and 19 of those 32 could play ninety pound football, if the rules were altered. His team averages 92.9 pounds per player well below the 0 pound range allowed in the 90 pound division. I initiated a new survey to determine how many boys, presently playing on 105 teams, who in reality, could be playing on the 90 pound league, if they were younger. The two 105 pound teams of Roy served as my sampling, and the results confirmed my suspicions. 19 team and 16 of of 27 players on John Lambrose's 105-32 of Lynn Berrys team players were small enough t' play in the 90 pound division of W.F.F.L. Thats 35 of bu Roy kids who are at least fifteen pounds below the allowed weight of the 105 pound teams they play on. Why not let them have that second year as ninety pounders? Why noUihqpgg the weight bracket to allow both eleven and twelve year olds play in the same division? The Roy players on the 105-team, average 89.1 105-the and players average 88.7 pounds each, pounds. If the W.F.F.L. were to ammend its charter, as suggested above, it would have repercussions that would be felt throughout the league. Imagine, if you will, what it would do to the 105 pound leagues. It would reduce that weight division from the present 50 people to 15. 1 suggest that the same thing be done at that level B team. Young Bybee was an exception to those big kids who must jump one of two divisions to play little league football. The W.F.F L. at one time allowed big seven year olds to sign up a year early because of their size, and the r projected size as an eight year old. Now and the Big Kid they prohil it early sign-upproblem remains. I wonder if we shouldnt let these big beginners play one year, for experience, in the 75 pound division, but perhaps on the A or B team. Arent these kids being discriminated against, because they happen to be bigger than their peers? A lot of football fundamentals are learned in that first year, and an eight year old on a 90 or 105 team, has a tough row to hoe in his initiation to the game of football. The W.F.F.L. is an excellent football program for boys, and perhaps it shouldnt be meddled with, but on the other hand, maybe - just maybe - the changes I have suggested would improve the program, and make it even better. At any rate, I believe that these ideas are worth study and consideration. OVERSIZED EIGHT YEAR OLDS Derek Berglund of Roy, is eight years old and vighs 107 pounds. He enrolled for W.F.F.L. football this . ar, j and was placed on a team featuring boys four years his senior. Derek and his father decided that he could not compete with twelve year olds, even though he outweighed some of them by 35 pounds. He withdrew from football and is now playing soccer. ig man, and could be Young Derek will one day b a great football player. Roys ..e Fosmark faced the same dilemma when he was in his He did not play football until he was in junior high school. Mike weighs 250 pounds now and is starting center at of his late start in Utah State University, m 1 football. W.F.F.L. rules prohibit kids like Derek Berglund and Mike Fosmark from playing little league football, unless they play with older kids. One such youngster, ten year old Mike Bybee began his football career two pre-teen- Page 3 years ago as an eight year old, 105 pounder, on a 105 pound B team. Wien he was nine he weighed in at 95 pounds and continued on the same team. In this, his tenth year, the fifth grader weighs an even 100 pounds and is an offensive guard starter for Lynn Berrys 105-- that is, change the age limit to 13 for the 105 bracket, and make the 120 pound division, and unlimited catchall for every boy above the age of thirteen. Most of the bigger kids, thirteen years and older, are the junior high school teams in the eighth picked up and ninth grades, so very few of the 150 pound boys would even be interested in little league football. - e. 1979 s, s. A 95-10- A f A B I THESE TWELVE-YEAplay in the 105-poun- OLDS of kv R division. d s 105-- team are small enough to play football, but must d OLD Derek Berglund (center) is flanked by typical boys his own age. The to right) Brad Miles, Byron Williamson, Aaron Hall and Brett Mumford (left players between 60-7- 0 pounds. Derek weighs 107. EIGHT-YEA- R weight difference between Lee old Angus (49) and Billy Lambrose. Both are twelve years and play on the 05-- football team in Roy. football weigh THERE IS A 1 .1 ; jt 'it! . Jfl 1 ulio ) I ' i ii l 'U n j it m t ;; i fl.i if ji s I, ti - rr i'l ht . i i . t ylht i |