To say the timing couldn’t have been worse would be stating the obvious.
While it’s never a good time when an athlete is not allowed to compete, Bronco senior Alicia Hendrickson qualified to compete after this year’s Hibbing Subsection in four track and field events — the pole vault, long jump, triple jump and 4x100 relay at Friday’s Section 7A meet in Duluth.
But instead of competing for another Section title and the opportunity to advance to the Class A state meet at Hamline University for the fourth year in a row, her presence was noticeably absent in those events taking place at the University of Minnesota Duluth.
Though much of the media coverage about Friday’s meet related to what happened, specifically how the teams and athletes competing did, another story that shouldn’t be overlooked is what didn’t take place at the site UMD also plays its football games — namely why Hendrickson wasn’t competing.
Hendrickson, who holds the Broncos’ school record in the girls pole vault, won that event in every meet she competed in this year. This spring it seemed a first-place finish by her in the pole vault was about as likely as the weather in International Falls being cold during the wintertime.
So why didn’t she compete Friday? That’s a question high school principal Tim Everson was less than forthcoming about, even when I offered ample opportunity for him to elaborate with an answer that wouldn’t violate student privacy.
“I can’t discuss that,” said Everson, who cited the Data Privacy Act.
Hendrickson’s mother, Sheryl, who is also an assistant track and field coach, informed me the reason for her daughter not competing Friday related to her receiving a failing grade in a course, which was “above and beyond” her requirements to graduate from high school, taken through Rainy River Community College.
Sheryl Hendrickson also said her daughter was going to be deemed ineligible to compete effective with the state meet — something that could be subject to an appeal — but a decision by school administrators last week following a meeting that included Everson and athletic director Don Rolando found it would be “unethical” for her daughter to compete at the Section meet and possibly take away a state qualifying spot from someone else who would be eligible.
The action not allowing Alicia Hendrickson to compete at the Section meet not only is of interest to student athletes and their parents, it is also a matter of public interest.
Because of that, it has been The Journal’s policy to report suspensions of high school athletes.
Missing athletes can affect a team’s performance. That certainly was the case Friday when the Bronco girls came less than three points short of winning the runner-up trophy. A top-five finish by Alicia Hendrickson in any one of the three field events she qualified in for the Section meet would have made a difference in the team standings.
Fans need to be told why healthy players are not competing. Not providing specifics could unfairly brand them. In this instance, Alicia Hendrickson hasn’t been accused of behavior that would warrant disciplinary action.
The actions of school administrators are subject to public scrutiny, whether done in a cloud of secrecy or in the light of day. Public officials are not immune from being held accountable for decisions that take place out of the public eye.
District residents who “pay the freight” in the Falls would have every right to show up at the next school board meeting and voice their concerns about school administrators who decided Alicia Hendrickson should not be allowed to compete.
Their decision has likely resulted in at least one thing being conspicuously absent at Falls High School — a runner-up trophy from the 2011 Section 7A girls track and field meet.
