The Iowa Board of Education approved emergency rules in June that allows 8th graders to play varsity sports, but the decision to do so is up to each school district.
Webster City High School principal Jason Wedgbury told the school board they need to take a close look at the issue. “I hope you consider entertaining that through a process, a student that’s in 8th grade can be considered for high school sports. I think that’s an important measure because I think there’s negative implications if we don’t at least consider that,” he says.
Wedgbury says the possibility of helping the varsity program, should be considered despite its impact on the middle school program. “I don’t want to take our good kids out of middle school and all of a sudden have a substandard middle school experience,” Wedgbury says. “But, if the program needs a particular position or a student athlete is absolutely gifted and everybody in this body agrees, I think we should keep that as a possibility.”
Many who oppose the new law cite the physical maturity of 8th graders is not enough to withstand potential injuries. Wedgbury says that maturity should be a top priority when deciding to move a student up. “Physically, are they ready? Emotionally, are they ready? Academically, are they ready? Because once we make that decision, you can’t undo it. If we roster them at high school, they’re now a high school athlete. You can’t go back to 8th grade,” he says. “If they’re in 8th grade and we choose that, halfway through the year, somebody gets injured, we can’t move them to the high school roster. And so I think we have to have an informed decision process as we go.”
Three other North Central Conference schools, Algona, Eagle Grove and Forest City, have already voted to allow 8th graders to compete at the varsity level. The Webster City board did not take any action on the issue. Their next meeting is scheduled for Monday, August 10th.
(By Quinn Douglas, KQWC, Webster City)