Cross country is one of the sports where schools within the same district can now combine as a co-op. The MHSAA passed a rule allowing schools with a demonstrated lack of participation in certain sports the ability to form a co-op.
Chris Henderson has seen first hand the participation issues Sexton and the Lansing School District’s other high schools have in golf.
The Sexton athletic director and golf coach has always managed to get by and find enough players to field a team, but the program has had little depth.
A new rule recently approved by the Michigan High School Athletic Association Classification Committee could reduce those issues for Lansing and for districts facing similar issues in other sports.
Co-op programs, have been approved for baseball, bowling, competitive cheer, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis and wrestling for schools that have a demonstrated lack of participation and are part of the same district or fall under the same governing body. The programs allow two or more schools combine to form a team for interscholastic competition.
Henderson believes this is a good thing for the Lansing School District, which submitted a request this year exploring co-op programs for boys and girls golf and tennis.
“Obviously the purpose for us requesting that is because of participation numbers,” said Henderson, who sees positives and negatives to the rule.
“The advantages is athletic budget, my personal school budget as well as our district budget. Another advantage is hopefully we’ll develop more participation numbers to grow the sports. The disadvantages is we’re losing a sense of individuality. It’s not going to be just Sexton, which I can work with that. The other disadvantage that it poses to us is the whole transportation situation.”
Henderson noted the issue of picking up students from potentially three schools to attend games. It has been an issue the Lansing School District and others in mid-Michigan have navigated with existing co-ops in sports like hockey, swimming and lacrosse. Co-ops have been allowed in those sports because fewer than 250 MHSAA member schools field teams.
Henderson has heard the notion that combining Sexton, Everett and Eastern for certain sports could field teams that are more competitive. But he said that wouldn’t be a reason for deciding to combine teams.
“Personally, my philosophy as an athletic director and as a coach – the competitive advantage is not at the top of my list,” Henderson said. “Is it nice to be competitive, to win titles, to win league titles, to have winning records? Absolutely. That is not my purpose as a coach or with my athletic department. First and foremost, its participation and having these kids stay in something that provides opportunities other than just going home and getting in trouble. It develops those character traits that athletics do for kids, which is work ethic, self-discipline, cooperation and leadership skills that will develop them through the rest of their life. That’s more in terms of where I stand with it.”
The new co-op rule will be effective starting next school year. But Henderson said the district “will not proceed with anything without getting input from our coaches, having meetings with Eastern and Everett’s athletic directors and myself as well as our Lansing School District head athletic director.”
“We will evaluate the situation and participation numbers and see if we want to co-op and have that agreement,” Henderson said. “It will be a slow process for us.”
Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @brian_calloway.
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