Proposal: add positions to athletics program at school

by Scott Hunter

School leaders seemed open to a proposal Monday to add two positions to the athletics department at Lake Roosevelt Jr/Sr High School proposed by Athletic Director Tim Rasmussen, one needed to take programs to the next step, another needed to catch up to evolving trends.

Girls’ wrestling has gained popularity to the extent that the statewide organization that oversees school athletics tournaments put them in their own state tournament this year, Rasmussen told the Grand Coulee Dam School District directors at Monday’s board meeting.

The trend is firm enough statewide that not making that move could run afoul of Title 9, the federal law that requires equity for girls’ sports. So just as girls’ basketball programs warrant state tournaments, girls’ wrestling needs that kind of equity now.

Lake Roosevelt’s program has always just included girl wrestlers in with the boys’ program, but getting them matches at the many tournaments for them now requires a separate team and coach, Rasmussen said.

“It’s growing by leaps and bounds,” he said.

The last three years, the high school team has included about three girls, he said. But more are opting for the sport at the middle school level. In both levels, the school had six or seven girl wrestlers this year.

“This will allow our Girls Wrestling program to attend quality tournaments

for their season and give our girl wrestling student-athletes the same opportunities to develop

and grow during the season,” Rasmussen wrote in his proposal to the board.

The AD also pitched adding a conditioning stipend for LR’s athletes in in each season. Conditioning advisers would tailor the program to the needs of the athletes in those seasonal sports.

Rasmussen said he’s sure there’s enough local expertise to fill those part-time slots averaging $2,500 in cost for the season and help student athletes stay competitive and minimize injury.

Rasmussen said he’d surveyed other similarly sized school programs to make the suggestion of meeting “what is being done in our league and across the state.”

Board members indicated approval but no vote was taken because it had not been on the agenda.

.