The future of middle school sports

When the school board approved the 2011-12 budget recommendation it approved the elimination of some middle school sports, including boys and girls soccer, baseball, and softball.

Those sports were chosen for a number of reasons. They cannot easily be combined into a 7-12 sport like wrestling or tennis, both of which were combined between middle school and high school for next year. Also, the capacity existed for local sports associations to put in place opportunities for students to play their chosen sport at either the recreational or traveling level.

When the planning process for the budget got underway in earnest, the district reached out to the North Branch Area Athletic Association (NBAAA) and the response was very positive.

We have had several meetings with representatives of different sports and the cooperation between the district and those associations has been wonderful. Everyone involved in the process has been driven by a common goal; do the very best we can to continue to offer kids the opportunities they need to be successful in school and in life.

For those parents who will be making use of the association provided athletic opportunities in soccer, baseball, or softball, I encourage you to keep an eye on the NBAAA Web site (http://www.northbranchsports.org/).

One thing that could be a significant change from participating in these sports at the middle school level is the sign-up process. It is likely that sign-up for NBAAA opportunities will take place well in advance of traditional middle school sports, which occurs just prior to each season. At the association level, sign-ups can take place months before the start of a season to give clubs a chance to make sure coaches are in place, uniforms ordered, fields scheduled, and equipment provided.

The cooperation between the district and the NBAAA is an inspiration, and demonstrates what can be accomplished when interests come together to provide opportunities and save money.

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