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Parents and students press Plainview ISD to start UIL wrestling program; superintendent outlines phased plan
Summary
Multiple community members—parents, coaches and students—urged the Plainview ISD board on April 24 to approve a high-school wrestling program sooner. The superintendent described steps the district plans to take, modeled on the district's soccer rollout, and scheduled an open meeting for interested parents.
Community members urged the Plainview ISD Board of Trustees on April 24 to accelerate plans to start a UIL-sanctioned wrestling program, saying local athletes already compete successfully in club tournaments and that community fundraising and coaching support are available.
A group of parents, boosters and student wrestlers addressed the board during citizen comments, pressing for a timeline to move from club competition to an official UIL program. Booster president Mona Veda said parents have fundraised and recruited donors and questioned why the program had not been advertised or advanced earlier. Several speakers described competitive results—students placing in state and regional tournaments—arguing Plainview has athletes ready to compete.
Superintendent Dr. Sanchez responded in his superintendent's report that establishing a UIL wrestling program is a multi-year process similar to Plainview's earlier rollout of soccer. He said the district needs a pipeline of students at elementary, intermediate and junior-high levels, a club competition period to grow participation, budgeted items (uniforms, mats, mouthguards), and a clear roster of who would wrestle at each level before applying to UIL. Dr. Sanchez said he had met with interested parents and community members and set an open meeting for the following Wednesday at 9 a.m. to begin planning steps, including milestones and budget considerations. He noted the district would need board approval for any budgetary items and suggested partnerships and tournament-hosting could provide fundraising opportunities; Chief DeLaGaza offered volunteer security support for hosting events.
Several speakers also addressed concerns about internal accountability and leadership. Adrian Borrego Navarette asked why responsibility for starting the program had not been clearly assigned to the athletic director and expressed concern about a coach reportedly discouraging student participation by saying the program 'didn't look promising.' Joseph Rios, head wrestling coach at Lubbock Cooper High School, described how Lubbock Cooper built its program from one interested student and modest resources and offered advice on budgeting and program development. Assistant coach Michael Mena described fundraising already done at Wayland Baptist University and offered scholarship-support connections.
Students spoke about the personal impact: sophomore Alani Navarrete and freshman Monica Diaz described wrestling as a pathway to confidence, discipline and scholarship opportunities and asked the board to allow the program to start sooner rather than later. Diaz said she qualified for a state tournament as an eighth grader and that delaying a UIL program would postpone opportunities for current students.
What the board approved at the same meeting were routine business items; no formal vote to start a UIL wrestling team was taken. Dr. Sanchez and district staff described next steps the district would take before submitting any application to UIL, emphasizing it is a phased effort requiring community volunteers, coaches, a sustainable budget and demonstrated student participation across grade levels.
