Western Maine Conference
1st Team Rationale
2009
(Draft 12-5-08)
Rationale:
The Western Maine Conference believes in creating the best possible experience for teams at all levels within the conference. Past practice at the freshman level was based on the premise that all schools that had enough freshman student-athletes play one another on freshman teams. However, over time in order to create more playing opportunities for student-athletes and to fulfill game commitments, some schools with low/declining numbers have asked sophomores to play down. At this time the conference is initiating a change to a “first team” concept whereby schools sponsor a first team that replaces the freshman team and is made up of strictly freshman and sophomores. The expected outcome is to create more playing opportunities for schools with low numbers and more schools participating in a first team conference schedule.
Points of Emphasis:
1. Coaches have a duty to match student-athletes to the appropriate level of competition.
2. The first team will be made up of student-athletes whom are freshman and sophomores only.
3. The expectation is that coaches assign freshman to the first team, when low numbers are not an issue.
4. The conference strongly recommends that freshman student-athletes selected to the Varsity team not be allowed to play on the first team.
Recommendation:
All “freshman” teams are renamed “first” teams.