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Waterford athletic directors report participation gains, new sports and a move to the OAA
Summary
Athletic directors told trustees participation is up across fall and winter seasons, highlighted new programs (boys volleyball, girls flag football), stronger middle-school offerings and a league move to the Oakland Activities Association to expand competitive opportunities.
Athletic directors Shane Hines (Mott/Mason) and Allison Lisonbee Sartorius (Kettering/Pierce) told the Waterford School District Board that student participation in sports has increased across multiple seasons and grade levels and that the district has added new offerings to broaden access.
Presenters reported a net rise in participants: retention and participation metrics showed increases (examples cited in the presentation include roughly a +70 overall participants increase and a +72 retention increase year-over-year in one data window; fall participation rose by 37 and winter participation by 27). The district added boys volleyball and piloted girls flag football (a state-level pilot), both of which drew student interest; the flag-football pilot was noted as fully sponsored in partnership with the Detroit Lions and the NFL, and the presenters said several student-athletes received social-media recognition from the Detroit Lions.
Directors highlighted academic performance among athletes, noting that 28 programs last year had cumulative GPAs above 3.0 (21 above 3.2 and 12 above 3.5) and that multiple teams and individuals earned all-district, all-region, and all-state recognitions per coaches associations and media groups. The district also described expanded middle-school programming (competitive cheer, dance, bowling, coed swim) and an elementary run club that culminated in a full track meet. Directors emphasized partnerships with Parks and Recreation and local venues (Lakeland Arena, Century Bowl and others) that support off-campus competitions.
The presentation included an explanation of the district's league change: Waterford moved into the Oakland Activities Association (OAA) from the Lakes Valley Conference; the OAA has more member schools and separates teams into divisions (red/white/blue/gold) based on enrollment and other considerations, which district staff said provides more suitable competitive placement and opportunities for programs to move between levels.
Board members praised the work, noted the role of community partners, and encouraged outreach to alumni and continued tracking of retention data.
