The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

WAITSBURG – Talks regarding a possible football athletic combine between Waitsburg and Dayton will continue. At their Dec. 9 regular meeting, the Waitsburg School Board approved the creation of an exploratory committee to more closely examine the possibility and report back in late January.

Superintendent Dr. Carol Clarke said representatives from both districts had met and realized that each district would benefit from having its own committee to discuss concerns inherent with a combine.

“Not that we are asking for a combine right now, but we want to be sure that we have the support of both boards to move forward with an exploratory committee to look at the logistical issues,” Clarke said.

Board Chairman Ross Hamann said the meeting with Dayton went as expected. He said both schools are experiencing lower numbers of athletes turning out for sports and that Dayton and Waitsburg had a good experience combining for middle school football this season.

“The question naturally building off of that is what does the future look like for the Waitsburg program and the Dayton program? Kids and parents from both communities have expressed a desire to look at combining football,” he said.

Hamann said the most common response from an informal survey of the community is a request for more information, but that there is also some nervousness.

“The nervous part is generated because we just came out of a combine. A combine with Prescott that we thought was going along quite well and all of a sudden things changed rapidly, and next thing you know, we’re out,” he said.

“I think there’s some apprehension based on that, but I also think people don’t want to give up on the idea and are willing to look at it,” Hamann added.

Hamann said the joint meeting included unofficial “buzz” of combining other sports like golf and wrestling but that he, personally, doesn’t want to explore that until he sees how things work with football.

High School Athletic Director Stephanie Wooderchak said she was more concerned about WIAA classification, which must be decided at the January board meeting. She said that, because of reclassification, Waitsburg will be now considered 1B across the board.

The board must decide if they want to opt up to 2B, which would be a four-year commitment. She said they do have the option of opting up in a combine sport and remaining 1B in other sports. That decision will need to be made before the exploratory committee reports back, however.

Hamann said he is strongly against combines that play against each other in one sport and are teammates in another. The split classification would prevent Waitsburg and Dayton from facing one another in other sports, since Dayton is 2B.

When asked, parent Sarah Boudrieau said she had concerns but wanted more information before addressing them. She said she did feel strongly that the athletes should have input and questioned how the exploratory committee was formed.

Wooderchak spoke with Boudrieau’s son, Brandon, and they agreed that an assembly led by Wooderchak, and anonymous student surveys would probably result in more honest student feedback than coach-led discussions. (See survey results in sidebar.)

Several comments were made regarding a perceived lack of sportsmanship among Dayton athletes, including a reference to a rumor that athletic directors in some of the other schools don’t want to play Dayton for that reason.

Hamann said, as a football official, he has heard the same rumors and that he has personally officiated many Dayton games.

“At times they’ve been extremely classy, too. It just depends. I’ve seen our own kids have some bad games and bad behavior as well. So we have to be careful going down that path and making accusations that paint that kind of picture,” Hamann said.

The board unanimously approved the formation of an exploratory committee to identify issues and participate in a joint public work session with both boards on Jan. 27.

Committee members include: high school Principal Stephanie Wooderchak, middle school athletic director Jeff Bartlow, staff member Gabe Kiefel, parent Liz Alleman, students Devon Harshman and Jacob Dunn, board member Ross Hamann, and coach Troy Larsen.

Parents and community members are invited to share thoughts and concerns regarding the possible combine with any committee member.