Wrestling Boosters Looking For Transportation Collaboration
By Jessica Wald
A few Wrestling Booster representatives attended the regular Napoleon School Board meeting last Monday, November 11 to discuss a couple transportation options.
Wrestling Booster member Kevin Bitz, said the Boosters are looking to improve the program with a transportation option to get the wrestling athletes from the cooped schools, Kidder County and NGS, together for practices. Girls’ Head Wrestling Coach Chris Weigel said initially there were a handful of wrestlers interested in joining the team, but now the number dwindled to one athlete. He said the Boosters would like to look into transportation options, which they are hoping would increase participation. It was noted the Kidder County Royal Force Team, which is 6th grade and below, usually has more than 20 athletes, but when the athletes enter 7th grade, that number dwindles and both the boys’ and girls’ team could benefit with additional participants.
Board members and administration present at the regular meeting included President Taylor Grunefelder, Corey Schumacher, Derrick Leier, Tori Gross, Superintendent Rich Bjerklie, Elem. Principal Whitney Weigel and HS Principal Chad Berger, while board member Shawn Puklich was absent.
Bjerklie said Napoleon, along with other schools that coop in sports usually provide transportation for their athletes to and from practice, but Kidder County never has. The Boosters said they would like to attend the KC School Board meeting, which was two days after the Napoleon Board meeting, to request a transportation option for their athlete(s).
They also said the Boosters has discussed possibly purchasing a vehicle/van to offer transportation, but requested to use one of the school’s vehicles for the time being, to try it out and see if there would be an interest, before making a big purchase. They said they would purchase the gas for the vehicle and if it would be beneficial and get more involvement from KC, they could look into a more permanent transportation option.
The Napoleon Board agreed how it would be good to get more athletes involved and after several options were presented, they agreed on holding a video conference special meeting at the end of the week, after KC’s meeting, to discuss further options.
Outside of the meeting, later in the week and after several Wrestling Boosters attended the KC Board meeting, the special meeting. . .