School board approves return of sports teams

by Gwen ALBERS<br
| May 1, 2008 9:00 PM

As a freshman, Bonners Ferry High School standout basketball player A.J. Bennett belonged the “C” squad.

As a member of the less-experienced team, Bennett got the opportunity to play instead of sit on the bench. It also gave him the chance to start as a junior varsity player as a sophomore and on the varsity team as a junior. For the 2007-08, the senior was named the Intermountain League’s Most Valuable Player.

Without “C” teams, which were eliminated in 2005 due to a lack of funding, but reinstituted during an April 24 school board meeting, Bennett’s not so sure he would’ve excelled in basketball.

“It just gives you that extra year of playing,” he said. “Some kids who make the JV team sit on the bench a lot.”

The school board voted 4-0 to reinstitute “C” teams for the high school girls volleyball and boys and girls basketball teams beginning with the 2008-09 school year. The board also agreed to bring back “B” teams for the athletic program at Boundary County Middle School.

It was agreed parents and the community would raise the $5,000 for this fall’s high school volleyball “C” team. The money will cover coaches’ salaries and benefits. A similar amount will be needed for the basketball programs.

The board responded to a public request to bring back the teams. During an April 15 school board meeting, many expressed an interest in having “C” teams for students who don’t make varsity and junior varsity squads.

The program costs about $15,000.

High school principal Curt Randall-Bayer told the board during the April 24 meeting he believes there are enough schools with teams within 100 miles of Bonners Ferry. Bayer would like to avoid overnight trips for “C” teams.

“I think 100 miles gets us to Spokane (Wash.) and Moscow,” he said.

School board member Sulet Hiatt supported bringing back “B” teams at the middle school.

“If we’re trying to build the varsity program, we need to start with “B” teams,” Hiatt said. “If we don’t have a “B” team level in seventh grade, we won’t have a “C” team.