Trustees grapple with wrestling coach hire
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RONAN – The holiday break was tough on the Ronan wrestling program. It appeared the team overcame its low participant numbers, as they rebounded from only 12 wrestlers last year to 28 during their first afternoon practice Nov. 17, but due to various reasons, the roster dropped to 16 athletes when school reopened Jan. 5. Ronan school board trustees discussed the need to keep on wrestling assistant coach Monty Cheff after participant numbers fell during the regularly scheduled meeting Jan. 9.
According to wrestling head coach Dustyn Azure, a new rule last year ended the practice of pulling people from the stands to help with coaching, and requires qualified coaches to be present mat-side.
“Last month, wrestling had almost 30 athletes, which required Azure to get a new coach” Superintendent Andy Holmlund said. “(With the drop) the need for an additional coach went away.”
According to Azure, wrestling is a lot like football, in that different weight classes, coaches are required to coach completely different positions.
“You like to have a coach for every position,” Azure said.
“It would obviously be an ideal thing, but you’re not gonna find (enough coaches) at every school,” board chair Chris Lynch responded.
“Wrestling, softball, football and speech and drama have all lost some coaches,” athletics director Lucky Larson said. “Softball is down from three (coaches), to two.”
Trustees also addressed liability issues if a student were injured during a meet with a volunteer instead of an active coach.
“If a student is injured, it’s unfortunate,” Holmlund said. “(But) that’s part of the contest.”
“We would have the same liability in speech and drama or softball,” trustee Darrell Clairmont added.
The motion for hiring Cheff for the 2011-12 season was not approved, but Cheff will continue helping with the program as a volunteer. If the Ronan wrestling team grows in numbers next season, there is a chance Cheff will be hired.
Lynch said the board was in a tough position, as they would set a precedent if they hired Cheff. If this happened, parents from other sports would come and ask for their coaches back.
Cheff, a 1993 graduate of Ronan, has been helping Azure as an assistant for four years.
“He’s a great assistant to the program,” Azure said. “He helps kids with schoolwork and on the mat. He’s a great motivator and a hard man to replace. I’m glad he’s sticking around (even though) he’s not getting paid.”
Earlier in the meeting, Holmlund gave his report, stating the district’s budget expenditures are 100-percent aligned.
“We’re 50 percent through the fiscal year and right on mark,” Holmlund said. “Enrollment remains above average with last year’s numbers.”
Holmlund credits a combination of Salish Kootenai College and the expanding of Jore Corporation.
“We’re starting to see a continued increase,” he said. “A trend I expect to continue.”
In other news, the board held a hearing in regards to the Dec. 1 bomb threat called in by a 15-year-old Ronan High School student. The student was permanently expelled from Ronan School District.
