SCOTT CITY SCHOOL BOARD WRESTLES, REJECTS REQUEST

SCOTT CITY - A few concerned parents tried to pin the Scott City School Board on the issue of wrestling Thursday night.

The group spoke at the board meeting, urging the school district to reinstate the wrestling program, which was discontinued at the end of the season during the last school year.

But their efforts came up short. The board members, while sym~path~etic, told the parents the issue was moot.

Wrestling was stricken from the Scott City High School roster at the end of last season for financial reasons, leaving several boys troubled over the board's decision.

"I've been wrestling since the eighth grade," said Scott City senior Bronson Senn. "I couldn't compete until my freshman year, but I wanted to get that extra year in just for the experience."

Senn placed first in his weight division at the district tournament last year.

"I hate to see a program like this dropped just because of a budget cut," Senn said.

Senn's classmate, Chris White, shares his sentiments. "I placed in every tournament I wrestled in last year," White said. "There's no feeling in the world like when the referee holds your hand up and declares you the winner."

About 10 parents sat in on the meeting, patiently awaiting their chance to speak. When given the go ahead by the board, they made a heartfelt plea for the team.

"We'll help out where ever we can," said Gary Senn. "We've still got time to get this going."

Doris Jansen, whose sophomore son, Billy Cobb, wrestled on the team last year, offered to coordinate efforts to raise money to support the team by soliciting private donations and holding fund raising events.

"If you don't reinstate wrestling this year, it's going to be even hard~er trying to start it again next year," Jansen said.

Board member Gale Dale explained to the parents that the board voted unanimously to end the program last year after three years of deliberation.

"We don't want to have to cut any programs; we want the students to have every opportunity this school can give them," Dale said. "But, increasingly, schools our size are forced to make these kinds of decisions."

The Scott City School District has been undergoing changes due to a restricted budget and increased costs.

"We're about to launch the second phase of a massive renovation," said Bob Brison, superintendent of schools. "We're going to improve the lives of about 920 elementary school kids; we have to put that before the desires of a few parents any day."

The wrestling program wasn't the only program that was cut from the school lineup.

Brison said that over the last two years, the school has eliminated elementary school teaching positions, a high school language teaching position, an assistant principal, a cook, the school newspaper, the driver's education program and a part-time math teaching position.

"Times are tough," said Brison. "Especially for a school of our size."

The school eliminated the wrestling program as a matter of financial necessity. Though admission was charged, the school averaged about $300 per year revenues for the three years the school sponsored the program.

The closest school in Scott City's division to compete against was 90 miles away in Flat River.

"We just couldn't find anyone to compete against without driving 100 miles," Brison said. He continued, saying that 11 schools rated Class 2A (like Scott City) dropped their wrestling programs over the last few years.

Brison, Dale and other board members also pointed out the low levels of community interest, the absence of a coach (until the regular coach could return Jan. 1) and the difficulty in constructing a schedule at this late date.

"I'm not against wrestling - my son was a wrestler," Brison said. "We were just spending more on a per-participant basis than in any other school program."

Paula Woods, whose 16-year-old son was on the wrestling team last year, was one of the leading advocates of reinstatement of the program.

"Wrestling is one of the only programs where all the kids get to participate," Woods said. "In basketball only five play at a time, in football most kids sit the bench, but in wrestling, those kids get to go out there and compete, no matter how bad they are."

When the board laid the issue to rest, Woods said, "We've done all we can do. Until next year, that is."