Tuesday November 09, 2004
The Hutchinson News
Nickerson-South Hutchinson USD 309 OKs combining wrestling squad with Haven's
By Dave Stephens
Nickerson High School's wrestling team will have to go more than the extra mile to pin its opponents this season.
In an agreement with Haven USD 312, Nickerson-South Hutchinson USD 309 approved a cooperative agreement to allow wrestlers from the two schools to merge their teams. The measure comes at a time when Nickerson's wrestling team has only four members and no coach.
Details of the plan still have to be ironed out between the two administrations, but with wrestling practice scheduled to begin next week, USD 309 Superintendent Jerry Burch and Nickerson Principal Kevin Abbott urged the board to move quickly.
"We need to provide something for the young men in our district who want to wrestle," Burch said.
Board member Lori Dohrmann questioned part of the agreement suggesting USD 312 would receive all gate receipts from home meets - to be held in the Haven school district. Abbott, however, said the agreement was fairly standard.
"We're the ones that have the problem; they don't need to let us join," Abbott said. "It's obvious that some sort of financial obligation is probably not out of the question."
The question that does remain to be settled, Burch said, is how the four students from Nickerson will be transported to Haven for practice each day. Options speculated on included having the district transport the students in a school-owned vehicle, having the students or parents transport themselves, or develop some kind of mileage reimbursement program.
"I think part of the biggest issue we have is that three of the boys are just freshmen," Burch said, implying they would not be able to drive themselves to practice.
Copyright 2004 The Hutchinson News
