Mike McGrath, Director of Athletics at Weston Public Schools, confirmed this morning that middle school sports will not be offered this spring for a number of reasons.

“The logistics are very complicated based on the daily dismissal times, as well as teacher office hours in the afternoon, said McGrath by email.

Most middle school sports are coached by Weston public school teachers, and with the current school schedule, it is not possible for them to be available for afternoon coaching and games.

Update 3/4/2021: John Gibbons, Middle School principal, also responded to questions from the Owl. “Middle School sports, while so important, are not feasible this spring.  Lots of reasons, equity, access, conflicts and lack of other teams to name a few issues.  Our hope is to reestablish a full complement of activities in the fall.  This spring, I know rec and town leagues, clubs, will be enhancing their offerings for students, and as you know very well, we have the abundant trails in Weston for hiking!”

While those of us who were looking forward to driving to random small towns on weekdays and picking up marginally communicative teenagers are understandably disappointed, the good news is that there are other options for the athletically-minded. Some day, the Owl’s intern will try to get the data around how many kids participate in club sports that are not even minimally associated with our town. But we want kids to participate with their friends and neighbors, right? So what is a middle school parent to do?

Weston Little League is looking to run a middle school-focused season. Parents are encouraged to go to their site as soon as possible and fill out a statement of interest. This will help them see the number of folks interested. Note that Little League will run this year for the littles as well. Because baseball is an American treasure and go Cubs.

Weston Soccer: Weston will be participating in Boston Area Youth Soccer or BAYS. As opposed to the fall season where middle school teams were mixed up between grades and skill levels, we are back to thrashing other towns. Or being thrashed. Because 10-0 games are normal in soccer. Registration is still possible, though your child may be placed on a waitlist until space can be found. Soccer is not American and Go Palmeiras.

Weston Lacrosse: Weston has a robust town lacrosse group, and they seem very organized. They have already posted practice nights and groups! They will also be playing inter-town games. Registration at some age groups is still possible, and there is a waitlist for other age ranges. For girls, please contact Wink at winkvo@me.com. For boys, please contact Stu at Stu.Salyer@gmail.com.

I do not have an update on options for golf or tennis but knowing Weston, there’s a country club somewhere with your name on it. Track and field interested kids should take a look at Needham options or possibly Waltham. What’s up with Wayland-Weston Crew? I don’t know. If you all know of other local middle school sports options, please send a note over to the Owl and I will update this post.