That's interesting. For a number of years, my high school gave out letterman sweaters to athletes who had attained a certain number of varsity letters (I think 6 or 8 was the cut-off). When I started in athletics, though, they had changed it, so that someone with that many letters was given a watch. I only got two letters, so I was a long way off from that, haha.

Still, though, there was an unofficial rule that you only got a jacket if you had more than one letter.

In Junior High School, they sold school pullover jackets. We had a championship football team so their jackets said that on the back, but the regular school jackets just had the school logo or something.

Cheaper than a letterman's jacket but VERY nice to have. Everyone didn't get them, but anyone could.

In high school, I lettered in a sport but the damn "boosters" only gave out jackets to the class of 95 with a sprinkling of junior 96ers. When it became apparent that I wouldn't get a jacket, I went to the local store and got my own damn jacket.

I actually still have my own letter because the people told me it was a little too big for my style of jacket.

One or two of the coaches looked at me sideways when they first saw it, but they knew the boosters sucked and if I had the money, I should be able to wear my own letter on my own jacket.

I like the notion of academic letters which was previously mentioned. I may bring it up to my school's current principal.

It has been awhile since I was in middle school, or even had contact with boys that age, but isn't there a growth spurt that occurs around that time?

In other words, if you bought it this year for Christmas, would your son even be able to wear it in 7th or 8th grade?

I agree 100% with the posters who stated that kids can be cruel and that it might rub some of the older members of the cross country team the wrong way.

The best suggestion was to go to the PTA, but instead of expensive letter jackets (that again could be outgrown) how about the pullover mentioned above? It could say "SchoolName" Cross-Country. They could sell them for all sports/cheerleading etc., with only those truly on the team eligible to buy them. This would be a great fundraiser and also a nice reward for those kids making the team. And... if a growth spurt happens they are much cheaper to replace every year!

I went to a college prep magnet school in Baton Rouge. We had athletic and academic letters, too. The academic letters were highly prized. You had to earn two letters to get a jacket. Students paid for everything, but you could only buy them if you qualified. Ours were navy blue with blue nawgahide sleeves. We had our names on the back and our class year on the sleeve. An SM (for Scotlandville Magnet) was on the front and each of our letters were sewn onto the SM. I had four or so letters, but all I remember are my journalism, science and Mock Trial letters.

At my daughter's school, only the kids who have earned a varsity letter get the jackets and some of them don't even get them since they are so expensive. The jacket itself (with leather sleeves) was about $200. Add on her name, shorten the sleeves (she's short), the school name and Marching Band on the back, school emblem on the one sleeve, chevron on the other, very cool staff with music notes on the back under the school name... plus tax was $340.00! She got her varsity letter for marching band in 8th grade because she was in the high school competitive marching band. I'm glad she got it early and I got her the coat NOW so she can wear it for the full four years. If my camera battery ever finishes charging, I'm going to post a pic of the design on the back because we really like it :)

ETA: Honestly, I think we're giving younger kids more and more and I just see this as a special thing for high schoolers. If it's tradition in your area to get them for middle school, fine, but I wouldn't push the issue, honestly. Besides, our 6th grade sports are "all play", no try outs or anything, so I would see giving a letter for that would be sort of like giving a trophy to every kid.

I think the pullover style jacket would be a good thing for middle school. My cheerleading squad got jackets when I was in middle school and I wore it as much as possible in 7/8th grade, but as soon as I moved onto high school that went into the closet.

In HS, I loved my varsity jacket, as it is starting to get cold now, it reminded me of the days when everyone would start wearing them. At my school only those who received the V letter were able to get the jacket. You had to bring the letter and the certificate from the school stating you lettered in the specific sport to the store. They were a big deal and in my school only athletes wore jackets, no one in marching band or academics wore jackets. I wish it wasn't so horrible to wear them after hs, because that was one warm jacket! I miss wearing it!

http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/l...Picture121.jpg

This is the emblem embroidered on the back of her jacket, with her school name above it and Marching Band below it.

In high school, our daughter was a 3 sport, all 4 year varsity letter earner so we bought her jacket for Christmas of freshman year. It was the kind with the hood that unzipped so the high school's name could be embroidered on it. I sewed on all the applique but the store did the embroidery. It was expensive but no worse than buying a decent coat...and she did wear it all 4 years. Our school system here does not have middle school athletic competition although there are plenty of kids who run around in travel team paraphenalia during school.

When I was in jhs, our school competed against other junior high schools in our school system. We did earn varsity letters based on specific criteria. However, we had them sewn on nylon windbreakers. The nice wool jackets were for the high school kids.

I wouldn't do this for junior high - you're going to be shelling out enough money for it in high school. My poor parents probably shelled out $500 or so for that silly jacket - I think it was $250 or so to buy (and this was 11 years ago when I was a frosh!) and then they had to pay extra to get your name. My school doled out a crapload of letters and patches - class year for being on a freshman team, little letter for being on a junior varsity team, then the big letter for varsity. There were also letters for band, math team, physics team, general academics, forensics...I think I "earned" 6 letters and a lot of people layered theirs but I just wore the athletic ones and then pins for everything else. One of my high school boyfriends was an All-American athlete and his poor mom had it way worse because she was sewing on medals after every meet and patches for conference champion, state champion, etc. Now it lives in my mom and dad's coat closet!