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Midland Public Schools reviews robust fall sports season and steps to boost participation
Summary
District athletic leaders recapped a strong fall across football, tennis, cross country and other programs, highlighted community engagement and academic honors, and outlined safety steps (emergency action plans, AEDs, coach CPR certification) and league changes to grow participation.
Midland Public Schools athletics staff presented a broad fall-season recap to the board on Dec. 15 and described operational steps to support student-athlete safety and increase participation.
Athletic directors reported a successful season across sports: Dow High football finished 10-2 and hosted a regional championship; volleyball posted a strong record and earned team academic all-state recognition; boys tennis produced state qualifiers and the district will continue hosting finals at the Midland Tennis Center. Cross country and soccer programs showed increased participation and community outreach, and several athletes and coaches received individual honors.
Presenters emphasized that athletics contribute to student belonging and community engagement through events such as Victory Day and outreach (Miracle League volunteer work). Athletic trainers Kayla Phillips and Amy Mativa were singled out for supporting athletes and following up on medical or social concerns.
On safety and operations, staff described a new emergency action-plan requirement (who calls 911, who starts CPR, on-site AEDs) that teams must file, and said the district proactively certified nearly all coaches in CPR/AED before the statewide mandate. The district reported carrying AED "go bags" for home and travel events.
Kevin summarized SVL league changes, including in-season tournaments for volleyball, soccer and basketball, and noted a continued need for officials and uneven athletic-trainer coverage across regional schools.
Board members asked how to raise participation (currently about one-third of students engage in sports), and presenters suggested options including adding sports (boys volleyball), growing middle-school pipelines, strengthening coach-student relationships, and better outreach. Presenters said financial barriers are largely mitigated by community supports but recommended better advertising of available assistance.
The board thanked staff and discussed targeted strategies to increase middle-school participation to feed high-school teams and to host more regional events in Midland.
No formal action was taken; the presentation is expected to inform facilities, programming and budgeting work ahead of bond planning.
