Sunday, February 20, 2011

Golf, bowling may get reprieve at A-C

Golf, bowling may get reprieve at A-C

Golf, bowling may get reprieve at A-C

Posted: 20 Feb 2011 12:45 PM PST

ANNVILLE - The golf and bowling programs at Annville-Cleona High School may get a reprieve from the budget ax.

At Thursday night's school board meeting, a parent of a golf team member and another golf team member pleaded to the board to save the team rather than cutting it and bowling to balance the budget.

A preliminary $19.4 million budget approved by the board last week called for cutting the two sports starting this fall. The budget also called for a 3.42 percent increase in the real-estate tax, to 104.39 mills, and cutting four or five teaching positions and an administrative position.

Cleona resident Lynn Fackler, whose 10th-grade son is on the golf team, read two letters - one signed by parents of team members and another signed by the members of the team.

"We realize times are tough, and as a school board member you have a difficult job to do," she read. "However, we are hopeful you will look elsewhere to balance the budget."

Golf is a unique sport, Fackler explained. Players participate as individuals while competing as a team.

"Being a member of the golf team gives the student a chance to participate in a team sport and embellish school spirit when otherwise they might not want to participate on a fast-paced team," she said. "Unlike many high school activities, golf nurtured at this age becomes a lifelong physical activity.

"Even though the golf team has won no district championships and probably gets little recognition for our district,

it is important for the individual players as well as the team spirit to participate in golf," she added. "What in the fall would fill the void for these students should golf be eliminated?"

Later in the meeting, Kyle Schaeffer, a ninth-grader who plays on the golf team, told the board members they would destroy his dream if they cut golf.

Schaeffer, who got his first set of clubs when he was 5 years old, said he has been looking forward to playing for A-C's golf team since he found out there was one four years ago.

"I would practice in my yard every day hoping that I would be good enough to represent A-C in the golf program," he said. "This past year my dream came true: to play on A-C's varsity golf team. I was planning on playing golf at A-C for all four years of my high school years. If it is cut, my dream, along with many others', will never come true."

Schaeffer asked the board why golf is considered for cutting rather than other sports and activities. He also presented the board with a petition signed by 200 students and staff members who want to keep the golf team.

Board Vice President Gordon Waldhausen said one of the reasons golf and bowling were the two sports that were first considered to be cut is because they are not played on A-C's campus, and they are sports that students can pursue individually.

"What you said, personally to me, was very moving," Waldhausen said to Schaeffer. "I can tell you we will do our best to preserve the programs at this district."

Waldhausen said the district's athletic director, Karen Evans, is looking into taking money from the budgets of all sports rather than cutting one or two.

"The decisions we have to make are very difficult," he said. "Nobody on this board favors cutting any of the valuable programs that we have, and we are looking for ways to preserve them."

bradrhen@ldnews.com; 272-5611, ext. 145

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