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Resident Brad Webinber tells council rec center’s "premier" teams leave others uncompetitive
Summary
At a Wyoming City Council meeting, resident Brad Webinber urged action after describing the recreation center’s practice of placing top players and coaches on a single "premier" team, saying the structure produces blowouts, humiliates children and drives some families away from recreational sports.
At a meeting of the Wyoming City Council, resident Brad Webinber told elected officials the Wyoming Recreation Center’s system of separating youth teams into "premier" and "non‑premier" rosters has created a harmful imbalance that undercuts recreational play and community values.
"The rec center has created a system of inequality among our kids teams by structuring them into premier versus non‑premier teams," Webinber said from the public‑comment microphone, arguing that the model concentrates the most experienced players and highest‑quality coaches on one team while leaving other teams uncompetitive.
Webinber described repeated, lopsided losses for non‑premier teams and said the results produce humiliation and attrition among young players: "Because of these blowouts ... many wanted to quit mid‑season," he said. He gave the example of a girls’ basketball division in which one roster held 13 players while two others had seven and eight, and said opposing coaches were sometimes asked to ease scoring because contests were so uneven.
The resident said he and other parents have contacted recreation staff — he named Chris Bitmore and "Alex at the rec center" — and that staff "have listened politely and, to their credit, offered transparency to the selection process, but few meaningful changes" have followed. Webinber said he coached a non‑elite team last fall and called the pattern "unsustainable," warning the practice "will kill rec sports in Wyoming."
Council members thanked Webinber for bringing specific examples to the meeting and signaled they would follow up with staff. A councilmember told Webinber the council appreciated his preparation and said officials would continue conversations with recreation leadership.
Context and next steps: Webinber framed his comments as a call for fairness in youth programming, noting that families who pay the same taxes and recreation fees deserve equitable recreational opportunities. He asked the council to consider whether the recreation center’s roster and coaching assignments reflect the city’s stated values for youth development. Council members acknowledged the concern and indicated staff would revisit the issue with rec‑center leadership.
The transcript does not record any formal referral, motion or vote directing staff to take a specific action on the rec‑center policies; council members verbally thanked Webinber and pledged follow‑up.
