These are just a few shots of some of the approximately 900 student athletes in the Union County School District. District Athletic Director Mike Massey gave the school board of trustees an update on the district's sports programs — middle through high school — and the activities of his department at their meeting Monday evening.
“When I started putting these numbers together, I was a little surprised at how many students we have playing sports,” he said.
Massey’s numbers revealed the district has more than 900 students — at the middle and high school levels — participating in at least one sport.
Being able to provide quality athletic programs for those students who participate is a direct result of the support the board of trustees gives them.
Massey thanked the school board for its commitment to athletics and said sports have always been a rallying point for each of the communities in Union County. He added, the district’s athletic programs continue to be a positive rallying point for the county’s residents as it faces tough economic times, scandal and other challenges.
Massey gave the board an update on athletic department activities — from middle school to varsity level — since the beginning of the school year during its meeting Monday night.
His report included several aspects of the department from him putting together a formal budget for all of the school sports programs to uniform rotation and sports facilities.
He hit on five topics — region and conference affiliation; programs offered by the district; finances with a proposed budget and fall expenditures from football, volleyball and the supplemental sports of girls tennis, girls golf and boys and girls cross country; and total purchases for the district’s athletics programs. As part of the report, he also commented on the district’s coaching staff by school and by sport. Massey also offered his recommendations to continue to make the programs stronger in years to come.
Massey informed board members of several changes in region and conference affiliation. The last contract to be signed — with Spartanburg — was taken care of Tuesday.
He updated the board on a change in the football schedule as Chapin is moving into Union County’s class and noted Lockhart will have a softball team this year for the first time in several years with 15 girls signed up to play.
“That’s kind of exciting getting that back,” Massey said.
He also gave the board a list of athletes recently selected for recognition such as being named to All-Region teams or all-academic teams.
Massey and his department are making an effort to put together a formal budget for each of the district’s athletic programs. He presented his first draft of such a budget to board members. Part of that budget is the cost of uniforms.
The athletic director said the department is trying to get on a schedule where new uniforms are purchased for each program on a rotating basis. Massey said new uniforms should be purchased at least every 4-5 years but programs like football that experiences more wear and tear on its uniforms could need a set of jerseys before four years and others like golf and tennis are updated on an annual basis will be evaluated differently.
He said middle school athletic programs already are in “pretty good shape” when it comes to using a rotational uniform schedule but wants to see the high school programs work on getting there, too. Over the last three years, the district has replaced a lot of uniforms throughout its programs.
Massey said the district will continue making sure its athletes go out on the field, court, track or other venue looking first class.
Outside of getting on a more routine uniform rotation schedule, having a formal budget for the department will help coaches see how much they are spending, Massey hopes.
“Obviously, looking forward that’s going to be important,” Massey said.
Luckily, the athletic department has a partner in helping with costs in the Union County Athletic Boosters. Massey reported to board members those booster club members help athletics throughout the entire district at any level.
“We have one of the best, if not the best, athletic booster clubs in the state,” Massey said.
Boosters purchase all awards for student athletes, pay entry fees for teams, contribute to the cost of uniform, pay for clinics and some team meals and help with several other unbudgeted items. Boosters also recently helped update the district’s weight program.
Board member Donna Sanders asked Massey if he and his department are making an effort to get elementary and middle school parents more involved in the booster club. He replied the department hasn’t done a good job with parents of younger students, but it is something he thinks his department needs to work on. He actually had a parent ask him about that recently.
Before ending his report, the athletic director offered a summary and several suggestions to improve the department and its programs. They included:
• Set aside the fund balance from football playoff games for a “rainy day” — or for future needs. He said it might be difficult to do that now because of budget constraints, but Massey said it would be very important for the future.
• Set operational budgets giving each coach more ownership in the amount they spend.
• Continue restricting fundraising to a minimum.
• Limit movement for practice. Massey said with more and more practice facilities to a school’s campus would eliminate the need for students to go somewhere else for practice. He gave board members a wish list of facilities he would like to see including baseball and softball fields on campus as well as the addition of an auxiliary gym at the high school which would help eliminate congestion during indoor practices between teams.
• Get coaches to teach at the same school they coach or at least head coaches. Massey said in a perfect world all coaches would teach the students they coach, but it’s a difficult task to accomplish. By having coaches teach at the same school they coach would make them more available to see their student athletes, encourage them and even recruit additional players. He also wants to see all girls athletics coached by a woman or at least one woman on each girls team.
• Work to strengthen the middle school athletics programs. He said building those programs will automatically build those at the high school.
• Not adding any new programs. Massey told the board with the way the economy is now and the already high usage of the district’s existing facilities, he doesn’t see adding any new programs at this time.
There was some discussion between board members and Massey on a few topics in his presentation but they all appreciated the athletic director’s thoroughness.
Board president Wanda All thanked him for the in-depth report and said she’s never — as long as she’s been on the board — had an athletic department report to the depth Massey gave Monday.
BANNERS IN THE GYM:
During his report, Union County School District Athletic Director Mike Massey was asked by school board member John Rampey why no banners had been put back up since the high school gym was painted. Massey reported it’s been a topic of discussion in his department and at the administration level of how to display trophies, banners and other awards in the gym.
Superintendent Dr. David Eubanks said they recently traveled to Wofford to see how that district displayed its awards. He reported to board members Wofford has a nice display area at the back of its gym where all of those items are presented to the public. Both he and Massey said what Union County will do just boils down to what is decided. No plans have been made yet as to how those items will be displayed.
“It’s not something we’re not working on, it’s just an ongoing process,” Massey said, adding it might even be wise to put together a committee on the issue.
“There’s a lot of history there,” Eubanks said. “It needs to be displayed.”
Rampey said something definitely needs to be done on the issue.
There also was discussion about what happened to the banners that previously were hanging in the gym. Some board members have been approached by members of the public and parents asking what was going to happen to them and if they would be returned to their respective schools or even possibly sold.
Massey said the district has those items secured.
TIMKEN AGREEMENT:
The Union County School District and Union County have worked out an agreement for practice and play at the new Timken Sports Complex set to open in February.
School district athletic director Mike Massey informed school board of trustees members of the agreement at Monday’s meeting. He said the agreement will allow junior varsity and varsity teams to play and allow varsity teams some practice time at the complex. Only one date will be unavailable for the district to use the facility to play — April 10. A JV baseball doubleheader will be played at the Union County Stadium that day instead of the Timken Complex to allow the Dixie Youth program its use for its opening day.
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