Brian McCauley
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Paola athletes have proven they deserve a girls’ tennis team
Editorial
By Brian McCauley, bmccauley@miconews.com
Paola High School girls will have to wait at least another year before getting their own tennis team.
The USD 368 Board of Education voted 4-3 Monday night to not approve a request for a girls’ tennis team for this fall because of increasing costs and a tight budget.
The close vote is no surprise, as it is always a difficult decision when weighing the benefits of adding a program for students with the negative effect it would certainly have on the budget.
Still, let’s hope that vote sways the other way the next time the issue is raised, as Paola girls have proven their desire to create a team and make it successful. More girls than boys tried out for Paola’s co-ed tennis team this spring, with the final roster being about split in half.
If Paola would offer a girls’ tennis program, it would join league schools Spring Hill, De Soto, Baldwin and Gardner-Edgerton. There still would not be enough participation to consider girls’ tennis a league sport, but that is bound to change as interest continues to heat up and more schools jump on board.
There’s no doubt that the cost involved is a big deterrent for the school board. Equipment, tournament entry fees, maintenance and other issues all come with the addition of a new team, and they all are big additions to the budget.
But one of the most attractive selling points for Paola is its schools, and money toward new opportunities for our youth is always money well spent.
Board members, Monday, asked to see the request again next year, and it’s hoped that the interest in a girls’ tennis team will be just as strong if not stronger at that time.
Let’s give our female athletes the opportunity to go head-to-head against other female athletes. More importantly, let’s give them a team of their own.
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The USD 368 Board of Education voted 4-3 Monday night to not approve a request for a girls’ tennis team for this fall because of increasing costs and a tight budget.
The close vote is no surprise, as it is always a difficult decision when weighing the benefits of adding a program for students with the negative effect it would certainly have on the budget.
Still, let’s hope that vote sways the other way the next time the issue is raised, as Paola girls have proven their desire to create a team and make it successful. More girls than boys tried out for Paola’s co-ed tennis team this spring, with the final roster being about split in half.
If Paola would offer a girls’ tennis program, it would join league schools Spring Hill, De Soto, Baldwin and Gardner-Edgerton. There still would not be enough participation to consider girls’ tennis a league sport, but that is bound to change as interest continues to heat up and more schools jump on board.
There’s no doubt that the cost involved is a big deterrent for the school board. Equipment, tournament entry fees, maintenance and other issues all come with the addition of a new team, and they all are big additions to the budget.
But one of the most attractive selling points for Paola is its schools, and money toward new opportunities for our youth is always money well spent.
Board members, Monday, asked to see the request again next year, and it’s hoped that the interest in a girls’ tennis team will be just as strong if not stronger at that time.
Let’s give our female athletes the opportunity to go head-to-head against other female athletes. More importantly, let’s give them a team of their own.