The Mineral Point School Board met Thursday morning to discuss the fate of fall sports.
Video link: https://youtu.be/8UMrPJI7upE
Superintendent Mitch Wainwright stated the SWAL held a preliminary meeting earlier in the week in which a 4-2 vote was taken to move football to the spring. The conference would be meeting again on Friday to formalize a decision on fall sports, after receiving input from their local school boards.
He stated Mineral Point is concerned about its multi-sport athletes this decision would impact, and would recommend playing in the fall, “even though due to the pandemic, it makes sense to postpone.”
A motion was made to play high school cross country, football, boys soccer, and volleyball, as well as middle school cross country and volleyball, in the fall, following the WIAA guidelines. That motion failed by a 3-3-1 vote. Larry Steffes, Gary Sullivan, and Nate Chambers voted yes. Aaron Dunn, Joni Heisner, and Everett Lindsey voted no. Andy Busch abstained.
A motion was then made to play high school cross country, boys soccer, and volleyball, as well as middle school cross country and volleyball, in the fall, following the WIAA guidelines. That motion failed to receive a second, so it died.
A motion was then made to play high school cross country, boys soccer, and volleyball in the fall, following WIAA guidelines. That motion passed 4-3 with Busch, Lindsey, Steffes, and Chambers voting yes and Dunn, Heisner, and Sullivan voting no.
A motion was then made to move high school football to the spring and follow WIAA guidelines. That motion failed by a 3-3-1 vote. Dunn, Heisner, and Lindsey voted yes. Steffes, Sullivan, and Chambers voted no. Busch abstained.
A motion was then made to move middle school fall sports to the spring and follow WIAA guidelines. That passed 4-3 with Dunn, Lindsey, Heisner, and Busch voting yes and Steffes, Sullivan, and Chambers voting no. Athletic Director Vickie Dahl stated if the middle school Southern 8 Conference votes to play in the fall, there will be no spring season for Mineral Point Middle School athletes because there would be no one to play. Superintendent Wainwright also clarified that middle school cross country is a club and might stay in the fall.
To clarify further regarding high school football, since no action was taken to move it to the spring, by default, it will be played this fall. You can read more details about high school fall sports at: https://mineralpointschools.org/2020/08/mphs-fall-sports-announcement/
(This begins the meeting video)
Other business:
— The Board voted unanimously (with Dunn absent) to eliminate the stone accent wall inside the new addition of the elementary school at this time, and will revisit it later. (Go to the one hour, 16 minute, 30 second mark).
— The Board voted unanimously (with Dunn absent) to approve the 12 members of the Ad Hoc Reopening Advisory Committee as presented (with an additional community member without students currently in school to be added later). (Go to the one hour, 28 minute, 15 second mark).
— The next regularly scheduled Board meeting is set for Monday, September 14 at 6:30 pm.