The Front Row with JASON ELLIOTT May 5, 2010
Not quite time to combine in the Valley
After a much-needed school levy passed last week in Kellogg, at least some of those high school sports were saved within the school district. But after six sports were cut due to its previous failure, some students are already planning on leaving for greener pastures.
WHEN THOSE six sports were cut (baseball, softball, cross country, wrestling and cheerleading), athletes who celebrated some success with the Wildcat wrestling program have already made plans to continue their education, as well as compete at another school.
At least five Kellogg wrestlers have said they are leaving, with a few players in other sports moving up the road to Wallace or Mullan.
Should more cuts be made, more parents may search for another place to raise their kids and watch them get a good education, while playing sports.
If all three schools consolidated in either football, volleyball, basketball, track and golf, any of those athletes that want to get on the field will have to compete to stay there.
Picking up an extra 15-20 kids in volleyball or football could help fill an entire roster in the smaller districts in North Idaho. I have witnessed football teams have only nine players, yet somehow found a way to make it to the state semifinals.
Should numbers continue to slide in enrollment, games will eventually be scaled back, and those rivalry games between Wallace and Kellogg may not happen as often anymore.
AS MUCH as the schools need to bring athletic programs together, it won't happen anytime soon.
When valley teams continue to field competitive teams in the Intermountain and North Star leagues, all three schools join forces during the summer months only when the Silver Valley Miners American Legion baseball team takes the field. With games against Coeur d'Alene, Prairie, Moscow, Lewis-Clark, St. Maries and Orofino, they will face 5A, 4A and 3A teams when they take the field.
If they were to combine in both football, basketball or volleyball, you'd see better attendance, but the logistics aren't anywhere close to reality.
Should they decide to make that decision to merge programs, it is up to school administrators to decide how to make the situation in the best interest of everyone involved.
Does the idea of the three Silver Valley schools joining forced in athletics make sense? Not right now, but a couple years, from now, it might be worth looking into.
Anyone upset the Kellogg levy didn't pass or a sport has been eliminated, attempt to remain as committed to the programs as possible.
If you don't support them now - they could be gone tomorrow.
Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d'Alene Press. He can be reached at 664-0239 or via e-mail at jelliott@cdapress.com.