BY CAMI KOONS
A Eudora sophomore asked the School Board Thursday to consider supporting the creation of a high school golf team.
Brenten Ormsby told the board a golf team would help students learn life skills, could lead to scholarships and would facilitate the meeting of new people.
“It’s a lifelong sport. You can play it from when you’re 4 years old until you’re 80 years old,” Ormsby said.
Ormsby was joined by Susan DeVoe, a golf enthusiast and school employee. Both conducted surveys to judge student interest and parent support for the sport since funding for the first couple of years would be 100 percent from fundraising.
DeVoe said they found more than enough interest to fill a 12-person team.
“It’s not a numbers thing. We definitely have the interest with the student body,” she said.
School activities director Cara Kimberlin said the cost for the first season is expected to be about $5,500. Kimberlin said this figure is lower than other spring sports.
To start, the focus is on creating a boys team for spring 2020. Interested girls would be able to play on this team, and there is potential for a separate girls team in the future if there is enough interest, Kimberlin said.
If approved, the team would practice at nearby Twin Oaks Golf Complex. Jeff Burey, president of the complex, also attended the board meeting. He said the complex has close to 50 kids taking golf lessons and he believes a high school program will have lasting interest.
DeVoe and Ormsby said the objective of Thursday’s meeting was to inform the School Board of the idea and present the research. They hope to have a vote from the board next month.
“I hope that it’s a big sport,” Ormsby said in an interview after his testimony. “I hope the second year we have the sport, I hope we can go to state.”
In other business, Superintendent Steve Splichal said the district is working with Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center to improve in-school mental health programs. Splichal said he wants a better flow of information from the program, so schools can implement strategies helpful to students’ mental health.
“If I can support them in the social and emotional, they’ll pick up on the reading and the writing,” Splichal said.
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