Sports at ÁPB are quickly turning into a forgotten subject. As soon as ÁPB freshman walk through the front doors they are on a countdown of two years until they are allowed to play sports.
But this rule hasn’t always been set to only let Juniors and Seniors play sports. Former ÁPB student Arnold Paiz, who graduated in 2012, explains how in his freshman year he was allowed to play sports.
How did these rules change? And what caused students to be put on this halt towards sports?
The Brief Walk Down the Road and the Future
When ÁPB was first built on the streets of Western and 24th the school was in close distance to High School, Ánimo Jackie Robinson. This was the year of 2007, when sports were allowed to be played by any students despite grade requirements.
But when ÁPB soon upgraded to its new location on Beach and 83rd in 2008, the rules towards sports quickly changed with the new location. By 2012 only Juniors and Seniors were allowed to play in sports, this meant Freshman and Sophomores are left forgotten. By the year 2013, sports will be out of the picture for all grades and no student at ÁPB will be able to participate in sports.
The Possibilities
Students at ÁPB have many different ideas on why sports are being cut out as years progress.
Most students believed that it is due to the distance between ÁPB and ÁJR.
“The CIF isn’t going to allow us to play sports because we’re too far from ÁJR, but that wasn’t suppose to happen until we graduated” said junior Steven Martinez.
The distance between ÁPB and ÁJR has caused sports to be left behind, but ÁPB has given sports members Metro tap cards in order for them to get from point A to point B.
Therefore the problem of distance is no longer considered a problem but yet sports are still being cut out. The possibility of problems had converted from distance to budgets.
Budgets at ÁPB have decreased dramatically and certain important activities and objects are being cut out and seen as unnecessary.
Can sports be one of these activities?
“Does taking away sports foreshadow the end of other programs in ÁPB?” asked junior Brandon Zacarias, “I guess that we will just have to wait and see.”
Losing School Spirit
Students worry that soon enough other popular activities will get cut out as sports have been cut out.
Sports bring a more positive atmosphere to ÁPB students.
As soon as sports get cut out, certain school spirit activities will be gone such as the great 6 mile run from ÁPB to ÁJR that SRLA students run.
SRLA students run from ÁPB to ÁJR for the homecoming game, SRLA students bring school spirit by running with the football and bring it to the football players which starts the game.
When sports are cut off, not only will the students that were in sports be affected, but also SRLA runners and any other students that enjoyed homecoming.
“I will be upset when I no longer get to do this run because it was fun running with 60 people to ÁJR and at that time you feel like a team with everyone” said Junior Armando Zarate.
SRLA students will also be losing activities due to sports being cut out.
Other students worry that ÁPB will no longer be the same school it was. due to all the activities being cut out.
“ÁPB will no longer have all the activities that we used to that brought school spirit to everyone. It will all be about education, which isn’t a bad thing but it makes ÁPB look like a boring school that doesn’t have any fun” said Senior Edgar Montes.
Losing the Team
Being an educated school is never a negative aspect, but students will begin to feel more pressure to succeed and never have a way to let go of stress.
Students at ÁPB see no other way but to be forced to move to ÁJR in order to be in sports
“It would be sad if more activities got cut out because this school is already losing sports so we would be forced to go to ÁJR” said Senior Bismark Sedano.
The lack of sports at ÁPB forces student to leave and go to ÁJR in order to be part of a sports team.
Many students that are in sports today are considering leaving ÁPB and moving to ÁJR to continue being on the team. Not only will the team and school spirit be lost but also ÁPB students.
Cutting out sports does not only affect the individuals involved in sports, it will affect all of the students.
