The Falls School Board next month is expected to consider entering into a high-school level wrestling cooperative with North Woods High School in Cook.
Pete Benedix, who coaches the local youth Mighty Mustangs wrestling team, told the board offering the sport for high school students will not only keep kids in his program, it may put more students in desks at Falls High School.
“There are about 12 wrestlers from Fort Frances who wrestle through the rec department,” Benedix said Monday. “Their parents have stated to me that if there is a high school program that co-oped with North Woods...under the immigration laws...those kids would be put in our school to continue wrestling under what’s called the F1 status.”
An F1 status is the official U.S. government designation and authorization of a student’s stay in the U.S. as a non-immigrant student.
As the school district deals with a declining enrollment, Superintendent Nordy Nelson told The Journal he was unfamiliar with the process of Canadian students enrolling in an American school and couldn’t comment on whether implementing the wrestling program would be beneficial to student enrollment.
Meanwhile, Benedix said officials at a recent North Woods School board meeting unanimously voted to establish a wrestling program with the option for other schools to co-op.
But Nelson said nothing would happen on the local level until at least next school year.
“Really, it takes a good deal of time,” he said of two schools forming a co-op. “You need to get the school boards together, the athletic directors together and the superintendents together for sit-down time to work out all the different arrangements. I would think it takes several months...It doesn’t happen overnight.”
Benedix said a growing concern among the local wrestling athletes and their parents is that the children are competing from 4 years old into eighth grade and, without continuation of a wrestling program must stop their involvement in the sport.
“I’ve already lost several kids,” he said, adding he sees potential with the wrestlers he coaches.
During the last five years, Benedix said the Mighty Mustangs program has attracted about 50 kids who have a significant number of wins opposed to losses under their belts.
“We’ve had a pretty high success rate,” he said. “Last year, I had five state champions and the year prior to that, I had six state champs.”
And cost, Benedix said, would be minimal.
“I have not been and will not be compensated for (coaching) the youth program,” he said. “As far as the sport of wrestling goes, it’s pretty cost effective.”
In addition, Benedix said North Woods coach Marcus KnifeChief has waived fees “as far as being paid for the next two or three years. That’s not even an issue for us because we have a passion for the sport.”
But Nelson said a coach’s salary is a decision made by the board.
“Individuals can not just decide on their own that this is the way it’s going to be,” he told Journal staff.
Board Chairman Darrell “Boxer” Wagner asked Benedix how transportation would work should the schools join in a co-op.
“I have about $6,000 in our account right now, and whatever is needed to help out with the program on getting (students) down (to North Woods), we’d help out with that,” Benedix said.
He added practices can be held off-site and he owns a facility to accommodate that.
“I just want to give these kids an opportunity,” he said.
Wagner told Benedix the issue would be on the next month’s meeting agenda and Benedix said he would in the meantime, gather additional information for the board.
Prom changes
Also, Monday, Cory Netland, the board’s student member, asked board members to consider changing the age of those who can attend prom.
The board took no action on Netland’s proposal.
The school has a policy that prom attendees can be from another school, but must be juniors or seniors in high school.
Netland, however, proposed the board allow students who are out of high school to attend prom if they are up to age 19.
“(Raising the age) can increase the want and desire for kids who want to attend an event like this,” he said.
Netland said he surveyed 80 students to see if they would support his proposal. He reported 50 students responded yes; 28 said no; and two gave a different answer.
In addition, Netland said he talked to officials of five different schools in the area, all of which said they have a policy that prom attendees must be under the age of 21.
Netland said the prom committee is also in support of his proposal.
“It will bring money for the prom committee itself,” he said of students who may want to bring someone older to the event.
He continued that included in his proposal is a requirement that students and their dates fill out a permission slip to attend Falls High’s prom.
