THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Saturday, January 25, 1997            TAG: 9701240011
SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A10  EDITION: FINAL 
TYPE: Letter 
                                            LENGTH:   25 lines

WHAT'S TOUGH ABOUT 2.0?

I have kept up with the stories concerning cities in South Hampton Roads instituting a 2.0 grade requirement for athletes. In most cases, I read the headlines with a lot of amazement and a little bit of laughter.

I come from a small town in Northwest Oklahoma. When I was in high school (Class of 1989), such a requirement was already standard policy in area schools. A D in a single subject was enough to put a player on the bench. There was little uproar about the policy. One, it applied to all extracurricular activities (baseball, basketball, football, track, cheerleading, etc.). Two, the community realized that education was the primary purpose of the school, not activities. Three, it gave students an incentive to get good grades.

If this policy is easily accepted in a small school system that could not afford to lose football players due to academic probation, how can it not be accepted here?

HOLLIE R. MORRIS

Virginia Beach, Jan. 13, 1997