Man, you guys have it rough! Around here we can pretty much do what we want to. In Primary school i did netball, hockey, tennis, cycling and a bit of swimming and loved all of them. But because of religious purposes i can't play on Saturdays so that made hockey and netball a bit tricky to continue with when i got to high school. I tried it for the first year, but ended up not being able to play any games, so my mom wrote a letter to the principal explaining everything. He invited both of us to see him in his office and ensured us that he will personally see to it that no one gives me any hassles and encouraged me to go on and do my best in the sports i prefer and that i can do. We have 5 cyclists in our school, all on far different skill and fitness levels, so we are also not enough to form an official school team, and that's more than fine with me! But we are asked to give them all the race reports and tell them about the races we do when all the other sports get their time to give their reports. We even got permission to get a stand for the open day so we can show all the gr.7's who comes the equipment, our kit etc - first time in a while that we're going to have a cycling stall, so really looking forward to it! And the best part - when we want to get permission to get excused from school if there's the odd race during the week or we want some days off for traveling (as with SA's)...we get invited into the principals office and drink tea, while we are asked everything about the planned race, our training, bikes, you name it! So in the end we waste a whole period chatting away. He backs it 110% even offering to move our exam/test dates when necesarry. So a massive thumb up to him! In your case i think it's pretty dumb...i understand that they want everyone to participate etc, but COME ON...how many of those guys will really continue doing rugby/hockey and all those other sports once they're out of high school hmmm??? Not a lot i guess... So why shoot you down when you're doing something you love and that you can keep doing 'til you're all old and wrinkly? Most of those jocks will end up only WATCHING rugby games on TV in a semi-drunk state while drinking even more and chewing on whatever they can get their hands on, getting fatter and more unfit as they go along. So in the end...who's going to be the winner? The 120kg guy who USED to play for the first team in the distant past or the lean mean you who will keep on challenging other guys around you on hills and in sprints until you're so old that you have to be helped onto your bicycle in order to go training? As for the team thing...how about a little challenge... Invite your teacher/principal/who ever is in charge to come training with you and some of your buddies on two days; make him ride on his own into the wind on the one day and the other day let him sit slip the whole time and later show him how you guys ride in a paceline while rotating continuously. Then show him a dvd or two of any big race and ask him to judge just how well the guys who are in the same team work together and work for their leader. Might not get your school a team immediately, but might just give him something to think about... Also you can maybe try getting a official letter from the WP schools association to just let him see that there is structure and support bodies for young cyclists. good luck
