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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Coaches’ sacrifice play will preserve Friday sports

West Valley announced in June that middle school sports budgets were being cut to save money, a move that had been discussed for some time. The district’s coaches, however, had other plans.

Over the summer, when it came time for coaches and extracurricular activity directors to negotiate their contracts, they came up with a plan to all give up a day’s pay in order to keep middle school sports on Friday.

“We discussed the importance of after-school athletics for the kids in the district,” said West Valley High School football coach Craig Whitney. “We felt it was one of our top priorities. Those kids chose to be in an after-school activity. We wanted the five days.”

The coaches all believed it was important for students to practice five days a week, not just four, because losing three days in a row would likely impact students’ skill levels. “Ultimately that affects the coaches at the high school and it affects the programs down there (in middle school) immediately,” he said.

Their plan was well received by the district from the beginning, Whitney said. “They were very open and it was a good conversation,” he said. “I think there were some wide eyes from our district administrators that we would be willing to make that concession for those kids and those programs.”

The proposal was a surprise, but a welcome one, said Superintendent Polly Crowley. She was impressed that the coaches and activity directors would show solidarity for an issue that only directly affected a few. “It was just clear that really wasn’t going to work for them,” she said of the plan to eliminate sports on Fridays.

Since the district has eliminated after-school activity buses on Fridays in another cost-saving move, students who can’t attend Friday practices because of transportation issues won’t be penalized, Crowley said.

Crowley said she’s just pleased that the district was still able to save money while keeping Friday sports. “They weren’t really arguing with our need to make cuts,” Crowley said. “This really shows what kind of heart people have.”

The coaches and activity directors will give up a day’s pay for each activity or sport they coach for one year, Whitney said.