GRPS athletic directors report growth in participation across middle and high schools
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Summary
Athletic directors reported rising participation in winter and middle-school sports, with strong gains in wrestling, swimming and other programs. Board members praised the staff and discussed ways to support early participation.
District athletic staff told the board on April 13 that student participation in winter athletics and middle-school sports has increased, alongside notable competitive achievements.
Marcus Harris, athletic director at Ottawa Hills High School, highlighted nine all-conference selections across programs, state qualifiers in bowling and swimming, and academic recognitions including a 4.29 GPA for student-athlete Demarcus McKnight. Harris provided participation counts (for example, 20 bowlers, more than 40 girls participating in basketball at multiple levels, and increased wrestling roster sizes).
Justin Walker, Union High School athletic director, said his program saw growth in girls wrestling (from 3 participants last year to 7 this year) and increased numbers in boys swimming (15 to 23), crediting coaching efforts that encouraged students to try new sports.
Rody Larson, middle-school athletic coordinator, reported a two-year increase of 156 middle-school athletes across all seasons and called out specific jumps in track and field (+69), tennis (+28) and golf (+23); middle-school wrestling grew from 9 to 30 participants.
Trustees asked how the board and district can support elementary and middle-school offerings to sustain those participation gains. President Rodriguez and several trustees thanked athletic staff and coaches for their work; trustees also noted that athletics can help students engage with school.
