Message to Parents

Dear Parent/Guardian,

We are pleased that your are interested in being involved in the interscholastic athletic program in the Willard City Schools and we hope that your experiences are pleasant and rewarding.
Each year in the U.S. over 4 million students participate in interscholastic athletic activities. All of us are aware of the many advantages that sports participation provides:

1. Strenuous physical conditioning;
2. The development of sports skills;
3. An increase in our agility, coordination, flexibility, speed and endurance;
4. Instruction in discipline and the promotion of our ability to work with others;
5. A challenge, not only to our physical but also our psychological limits.

While the benefits are numerous, it is important that you recognize that each time you participate in athletics you are assuming certain risks. In fact it is nearly 100% certain that all who participate will experience some type of injury during the course of the their athletic career. Many injuries are short term such as sprains, bruises, contusions, cuts, etc. and recovery is quick. On the other hand, injuries may be long term and could result in permanent disability. Certainly the risks are greater in contact activities where chances of injury to the head, neck, and spinal cord are greatest. As a result, each sport activity encompasses certain rules and regulations that are designed to protect all participants. For example:

1. Participants must wear the proper equipment;
2. Participants must be properly conditioned;
3. Proper sport technique must be utilized;
4. Participants must exercise good judgment at all times.

With these thoughts in mind, we urge parents/guardians and students to think about the risks involved before participating in the interscholastic athletic program.
Sincerely,

Michael A. Lillo
Director of Athletics