Wis. school district passes rule against dual-sport athletes

A Wisconsin school district passed a new rule this week that prevents athletes from playing more than one sport in a single season.

School board members debated the issue Monday before it passed by a 4-3 vote. Those who stood against the proposal argued that athletes should be encouraged to take advantage of every opportunity to play sports. One board member in favor of the rule said it’s not fair to excuse an athlete from practice because they have obligations with another program.

According to Wisconsin Dells Events, two high school student-athletes affected by the rule attended the school board meeting. The students wanted to participate in soccer and cross country during the same season, and they even appealed to the board to do so. They were both denied.

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“I don’t really like it,” said student-athlete Lawson Machovec, as reported by Wisconsin Dells Events. “We’re the kids who know how to get our grades up, know how to work hard and continue to do good at both sports and in school.”

This is an unusual step for any school board. Most schools strongly encourage multiple sport participation, assuming that the participation does not interfere with a student’s ability to focus on their coursework. Students can, of course, continue to participate in multiple sports in different seasons, but that’s unfortunate for students who happen to favor sports that run concurrently.

According to the article, the board did discuss grandfathering current student-athletes, allowing them to circumvent the new rule. It did not reach a resolution on that matter.

Read the full story from Wisconsin Dells Events.