By KARI BLURTON
Hays Post
The Hays Middle School tennis team could be eliminated and a soccer team added next year if HMS joins a new sports league currently in the process of formation.
HMS Athletic Director Bruce Rupp told Hays USD 489 board members at Monday’s work session that the new Middle School Western Athletic Conference is the middle school version of the Hays High School’s Western Athletic Conference and would provide league stability and prepare HMS athletes for the competition in high school.
Rupp said the addition of soccer is a requirement to join the league because all the schools in the league — from Great Bend, Dodge City, Garden City and Liberal — already have soccer teams.
According to Rupp, cutting tennis and having more flexibility with basketball and football schedules will save the district nearly $8,500 in coaching staff and transportation costs, but said he understands tennis athletes and their parents will be upset with the change.
“The biggest (concern) right now is obviously the budget … there is no way we can add a sport and please the public,” Rupp said. “There are constant complaints about money spent on sports — sometimes it is justified and sometimes not — we just need to look at our league offer, and it currently does not offer tennis as a league sport.”
He added transporting the tennis team to competitions is costly as nearly all middle school tennis teams are in eastern Kansas.
Rupp said there has been a big demand from both parents and students to compete in the soccer at the middle school level.
Currently, 24 athletes are members of the Hays Middle School tennis team and around 55 students tried out for the sport last spring.
According to Rupp, the soccer teams would consist of both a girls and boys team in seventh and eighth grade, and each team would have one head coach and one assistant coach.
Rupp told board members the new uniforms and soccer equipment would be purchased from the existing tennis tennis budget line.
The BOE is expected to vote on the issue a the Nov. 17 regular meeting, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Rockwell Administration Building.