Petition from Friends of Oyster River Football

A member of the group "Friends of Oyster River Football" sent along the following, with a request that we post:

Hello!
We've started the petition "Oyster River School Board: Approve a Self-funded Football Program at Oyster River High School" and need your help to get it off the ground.

Will you take 30 seconds to sign it right now? Please have ALL football supporters in your family sign this petition separately. You can also leave a short personal message where indicated.

Here's the link:
http://www.change.org/petitions/oyster-river-school-board-approve-a-self-funded-football-program-at-oyster-river-high-school

Here's why it's important:
There is great demand for a high school football program in the Oyster River Community. The proposed ORHS football program will be completely self-funded and will include mandatory coaches training, a safety 1st culture, baseline cognitive testing on every player-every year, and the best available equipment. OR School Board and decision makers, let the kids play football at ORHS!

Don't push away or dismiss OR football players and their families. Unlike soccer and cross-country, football does not discriminate against different body types. Many kids that would otherwise have no fall sports opportunities at ORHS can and will play football. Football accepts tall kids, short kids, large kids, small kids, everyone. OR School Board and decision makers, give our kids of all different body types a chance to play a fall sport.

As a team sport, football teaches important life's lessons including the value of hard work (work ethic), teamwork, time management, and being accountable to one's teammates. Kids that play football and other team sports have greater self-confidence and perform better in school. OR School Board and decision makers, please don't deny our kids an opportunity to gain these benefits.

Opponents of football emphasize the concussion risk in football. Many activities have concussion risks. In fact, for ages 8-13, the risk of concussion from leisure sports like bike riding, playground, skiing and skate boarding are 3X greater than the risk from all organized team sports combined (75% vs. 25%). For ages 14-19, the risk of leisure-sport related concussions is still greater than that from organized team sports (53% vs 47%). Within organized team sports, the risk from hockey is 20% greater than the risk from football. If the school board cannot accept the concussion risk from football, are they also going to ban hockey, bicycling, skate boarding and skiing? OR School Board and decision makers, please don't try to micromanage our kids' lives. Let them play football!

The proposed football program will be self-funded. OR tax payers will not foot the bill. OR School Board and decision makers, please let the kids play football!

Thanks very much!

Friends of Oyster River Football