A need for more space and staff are the main takeaways from the Poplar Bluff R-I athletic program report.
Kent Keith, athletic director, provided a report to the school board during its last meeting, which highlighted both accomplishments of the program and areas he wants to work on.
Keith said his list of desired facilities is more or less the same as it has been in recent years, but he put a little more emphasis on an indoor swimming pool for high school students.
With recent discussion among the city council about the need to reduce spending, Keith said, he’s worried about accessibility to the pool at the Black River Coliseum.
Both the boys and girls swim teams use that facility for practice, he said.
The city council discussed over the summer closing the pool and fitness center while looking at the municipal budget; however, members decided on a hiring freeze rather than the closure.
The discussion still made Keith worried about the future of the facility. If it closed, the district swim teams wouldn’t have another place to practice closer than Cape Girardeau, he said.
During the last year, the boys team had nine swimmers and the girls team had 26. Swimmer Paige Bradley also received two individual awards during last season.
“I’m just afraid, one of these days, they are going to shut the doors, and we’ve got a really strong girls swimming program,” he said. “We’ve brought the boys swimming program back; it is growing.
“We broke some records this year, and I just don’t want the rug yanked out from under us ... I do not want to cut the swim programs.”
Keith said he doesn’t know what the solution is for funding a project to build a district pool, but “I do think this needs to kind of go to the front burner of things we’re talking about.”
His list for facilities also includes additional visitor’s side bleachers and a storage/restroom/concession stand building for Mules Stadium, as well as a restroom/locker room/storage/indoor batting cage to Strenfel Field.
In the meantime, he said, the baseball and softball teams have a portable cage, and it is stored in the auxiliary gym at the high school, but that can’t stay up all the time and can’t be used during bad weather.
Keith also brought up to the board making his position a 12-month contract and adding an assistant athletic director to help address the current workload.
For example, during football season, Keith said, he’s working until past midnight making sure everything gets shut down, the money counted and equipment put away.
He also does that for other sports, such as volleyball.
“The earliest on a school night, you’re talking 10 o’clock,” he said. “If I’m here, I’m going to cover something; that’s just the way I am, but it would be nice to also have somebody to help.”
Keith said the principals help with what they can when it comes to supervising games, but they don’t count money for the books and some other duties.
Other districts, such as Jackson R-II, Cape Central and Farmington R-VII, have additional staff in the athletics area who help with those other duties, he continued.
“I’m not saying I can’t do the job, but as we add more sports and the hours, it does make things tough,” he said.
Keith also recommended getting a full-time athletic trainer to teach a training course and train the athletic students.
Similarly, in the next couple of years, Keith said, he would like to see a sports media class to train students on broadcasting and webcasting games.
This is something he’s talked about with the Poplar Bluff Technical Career Center and said it’s something he’d discuss again, but action hasn’t been taken in that area yet.