On Monday May 3rd a Times Union article titled "No Losers on a Losing Team" highlighted the Watervliet City School District's softball team and two of our senior captains in particular. While I am sure the piece was intended to be a "feel good story" about an underdog program, there are several inaccuracies in the article that I feel need to be addressed.
The article states that our softball team "has no field to call home." The team has always had a home field here on our district property and has only been displaced for the 2010 season while their brand new field is being constructed as part of a comprehensive capital project that was approved by our voters two years ago.
The article also goes on to state that the annual budget for the softball program is a mere $200. This is a grossly incorrect statement, as $200 doesn't even cover 5% of the coach's salary. In fact, the budget for our softball program in 2010 is $21,000.
The funding of our sports teams has nothing to do with their win/loss record as the article implies. This is why I also take issue with the statement that there was ever any discussion of softball being dropped here in Watervliet. In the five years that I have been Superintendent this has never been suggested and our commitment to this program and our students is evident by the fact that a new field is being constructed to ensure the future of this team.
I do however agree with the title of the article. There are no losers on any of our athletic teams, regardless of record. In fact, there are no losers among the over 1500 students who walk through the doors of our schools in the
No comments:
Post a Comment