Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Wildcat Crew topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Parents and club leaders press board after Wildcat Crew club ceases operations; district clarifies crew is not a PIAA sport
Summary
Community members told the board the Wildcat Crew club stopped operating because of coaching and funding shortfalls; the club's president said families were directed to local rowing clubs. Board members clarified rowing is not PIAA-sanctioned and explained the process to form a school activity.
Parents and the former Wildcat Crew club president addressed the Owen J. Roberts School District board Jan. 26 after the nonprofit that ran the Wildcat Crew announced it would cease operations.
Heather McCraary of East Coventry, a longtime district volunteer and former board member, told the board she was "not okay" with how the crew situation unfolded and urged the board to help secure boats or other resources so students "can continue to row." She said the program generated scholarship and recruitment opportunities and criticized what she described as a series of administrative missteps since 2015.
Cat Balink, president of the OJR Wildcat Crew Club, said the nonprofit made the difficult decision to stop operations after "numerous challenges of finding qualified coaching staff, financial deficit over the last three years when operating, [and] significant equipment repair and replacement cost." She told the board the club informed families early so students could continue rowing with local community clubs and said the nonprofit's attorney reached out to the district and to interested families to assess whether a transition was viable.
"We have always acted in the best interest and safety and well-being of the children," Balink said, noting equipment for crew is expensive: "One set of OARS for one child is approximately anywhere from $500 to $900 per child." She said most athletes had opportunities to continue rowing at local clubs.
In response, board members and administrators clarified that rowing is not sanctioned by the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) and therefore is not a school-sanctioned interscholastic sport. A district official said forming a school activity is possible under district policy and that staff would help students through the paperwork, but to date "no student has ... done any of the paperwork or started any of the process" to create a school-affiliated crew team.
The board agreed to review the student-activity formation process and to work with families and staff about next steps. The transcript records no motion or formal board action to adopt a district-run crew program at this meeting.
