Three Rivers Local reports high athletic participation, outlines program and facilities plans
Summary
District presenters told the school board on Jan. 6 that fall athletic participation ran about 50% overall and 30% in middle school, reviewed team records and academic standards for student-athletes, and proposed modest facility upgrades to support growth.
Mr. Sides told the Three Rivers Local School District Board of Education on Jan. 6 that the district saw strong engagement in fall athletics and plans to protect existing programs while exploring new offerings.
"Right now, through the fall, we are sitting at 50% participation," Mr. Sides said, adding that middle-school participation currently sits around 30 percent and that some attrition into winter and spring seasons is expected. "I do expect that to drop a little bit with winter sports...and then through spring schools as well."
Why it matters: The participation levels are central to decisions about adding teams, setting schedules and allocating facilities. Board members and staff framed the discussion as balancing program growth with protection of existing teams.
The presentation summarized recent performance highlights. "Football was 6 and 5 overall, 5 and 2 in league play," the presenter said, and he noted boys soccer finished 10-6-1, one of the program's best seasons. On girls athletics, the presenter said the district pushed toward more competitive scheduling and singled out a volleyball player recognized as conference player of the year.
The district also raised academic expectations for athletes. "We actually pushed that up to a 3.5, and we still had 67 percent of our kids reach that goal," the presenter reported, and he added that "48 of our athletes did have a perfect 4 GPA." The district submits qualifying students for All-State academic awards.
Cross country growth and hosting: The presenter said cross country had six regional qualifiers (the most the district has sent at once), the boys qualified as a team and the district is exploring restoring and hosting meets locally to boost participation.
Facilities and operations: Board members heard about several maintenance projects: crews repaired sinkholes and are filling low spots on the soccer field, aerating and reseeding as weather permits, and the team flagged and protected sprinkler heads after last spring's flood damaged older piping. "It was 15 or so years old. It's starting to break," the presenter said, describing steps taken to protect heads during grading.
Communications and health services: The district newsletter reaches roughly 1,800 recipients with a 44% open rate and a 4% click rate, officials said. The board also heard that the district transitioned to a new medical-provider team (named in the transcript as Jacob Matre and Adam Zinzer), which the presenter described as a smooth handoff.
What's next: District staff will monitor participation into winter and spring seasons, pursue modest facility upgrades for spectator sight lines and signage, and continue exploring options (including community sponsorships and restoring meet courses) to support programs.
