POULSBO — While the debate rages over whether or not to offer varsity football at Kingston High School, the district’s Athletics and Activities Committee has also been hard at work configuring a new middle school league and deciding the sports to go with it.
When the Poulsbo and Kingston junior high schools (grades 7-9) transition to middle schools (grades 6-8) in 2007, they will join the West Sound Middle School Athletic League and subsequently drop school baseball and fastpitch.
Amid what Kingston Junior High athletic director Bob Good noted as a list of reasons for the spring cut, budget constraints and competition availability were major factors in the decision. Of the seven teams in the West Sound League, only two are currently planning to offer baseball and fastpitch.
“If there are two teams already with two more teams in Kingston and Poulsbo and having the same ability, I assume, as the high school does to go out a pick up games elsewhere, it seems to me they would be able to go out and play a full competitive season,†parent Todd Gowin said at a community meeting on the issue Wednesday.
School district officials didn’t seem too responsive to the comment, however, the meeting was slated as an opportunity to gather community input rather than to answer questions, NKSD executive director of student support services Gregg Epperson said.
Karen Byrd, PE teacher at KJH, did say that at middle school’s throughout Western Washington, the trend has been to not offer springtime baseball and fastpitch.
While Poulsbo and Kingston middle schools may join those ranks, they are set to provide most other sports typically offered throughout the year as part of the new league.
North Kitsap has been somewhat the headquarters for the development of the West Sound League, as Kingston Junior High School AD Bob Good and Poulsbo Junior High School AD Erin Murphy were denied membership into the North Olympic League earlier this year.
“First thing that happened was we got kicked out and they said go form your own,†Good said.
And so they did.
The West Sound Middle School League is currently comprised of Kingston and Poulsbo middle schools, Bremerton Middle School, Klahowya’s seventh and eighth grades, Hawkins Middle School (North Mason), McMurray Middle School (Vashon Island) and Woodward Middle School (Bainbridge Island).
Plans are in place for KMS and PMS to offer football and volleyball in the fall; drill/cheer, girls and boys basketball and wrestling in the winter; and track and field in the spring.
“This is more about developing a love for the game, pride in your school and sportsmanship,†Murphy said of middle school level sports having an emphasis on skill development and enjoyment rather than winning percentage.
“What’s really neat about this league is the way its set up will offer more intramurals,†Good said.
In addition to the inter-school offerings — strictly for seventh and eighth graders by Washington Interscholastic Athletics Association rules — PMS and KMS are hoping to enhance their current intramural offerings.
With the West Sound League set up, there will be three weeks without sports between girls and boys basketball in January and two to three weeks between girls basketball and track that will leave school facilities open for intramurals, Good said.
“We’re still learning exactly how it’s going to look, but I know that I’m excited,†Good said.
The AAC will be meeting again at 6 p.m. Nov. 14 in the NKHS PE classroom to discuss its 6-12 grade secondary athletics recommendation under the structure of estimated budget numbers for the 2007-2008 school year. The committee is then set to present its recommendation to the school board Dec. 14 with hopes for a final decision in January 2007.
