MONROE - The Monroe School Board agreed Monday to renew a two-year boys hockey co-op with 11 schools - a total that includes two new schools in Belleville and Freeport Aquin - but the number of players will have to remain solid for the program to remain viable.
The Monroe Avalanche finished their second season as a co-op and won six games, which was an improvement from their inaugural season of two wins. However, the Avalanche finished the season playing a couple of games with nine and six players.
Board member Les Bieneman questioned if the hockey program is viable and whether it was a safety risk to play with a dwindling number of players like the Avalanche did at the end of the season due to ineligibility for grades, a couple of players quitting and the toll of minor injuries.
"If you have kids playing the whole hockey game, that is too much," Bieneman said. "The pros don't even do that."
Board member Brian Keith, who also serves as a hockey official, supported the co-op, but agreed that the numbers need to increase to field a team down the road.
Keith said the viable number of players is probably 12 so a team can have at least two lines to skate with.
"I think after these two years we have to look at the numbers and safety has to be an issue," Keith said. "Adding some other schools should help."
The Monroe Avalanche co-op team could include 11 schools including Monroe, Albany, Beloit Turner, Darlington, Freeport, Lena-Winslow, New Glarus, Parkview and Pecatonica in addition to Freeport Aquin and Belleville for next year. However, two of the schools could leave and join a Beloit Memorial hockey co-op that is also battling dwindling numbers.
Monroe Athletic Director Dave Hirsbrunner said if Beloit Memorial opens up their co-op, Beloit Turner and Parkview will likely leave Monroe and join Beloit Memorial.
Hirsbrunner said the Avalanche had only one player from those two schools this year and he wants the district to keep the co-op going.
"It (hockey co-op) was a ton of work to get started," Hirsbrunner said. "Our crowds were great this year and they won six games. I hope it snowballs and we get more kids to do it. I would hate to see it disappear because then it would probably never come back."
Boys hockey became the third self-funded program in the district in 2012. However, the district since then has agreed to fund boys and girls high school soccer programs. The hockey program must raise all of the money required to maintain the sport, with no financial assistance from the district.
"My thing is it's good for the kids even if there are only 12 kids," Hirsbrunner said.
The Monroe Avalanche finished their second season as a co-op and won six games, which was an improvement from their inaugural season of two wins. However, the Avalanche finished the season playing a couple of games with nine and six players.
Board member Les Bieneman questioned if the hockey program is viable and whether it was a safety risk to play with a dwindling number of players like the Avalanche did at the end of the season due to ineligibility for grades, a couple of players quitting and the toll of minor injuries.
"If you have kids playing the whole hockey game, that is too much," Bieneman said. "The pros don't even do that."
Board member Brian Keith, who also serves as a hockey official, supported the co-op, but agreed that the numbers need to increase to field a team down the road.
Keith said the viable number of players is probably 12 so a team can have at least two lines to skate with.
"I think after these two years we have to look at the numbers and safety has to be an issue," Keith said. "Adding some other schools should help."
The Monroe Avalanche co-op team could include 11 schools including Monroe, Albany, Beloit Turner, Darlington, Freeport, Lena-Winslow, New Glarus, Parkview and Pecatonica in addition to Freeport Aquin and Belleville for next year. However, two of the schools could leave and join a Beloit Memorial hockey co-op that is also battling dwindling numbers.
Monroe Athletic Director Dave Hirsbrunner said if Beloit Memorial opens up their co-op, Beloit Turner and Parkview will likely leave Monroe and join Beloit Memorial.
Hirsbrunner said the Avalanche had only one player from those two schools this year and he wants the district to keep the co-op going.
"It (hockey co-op) was a ton of work to get started," Hirsbrunner said. "Our crowds were great this year and they won six games. I hope it snowballs and we get more kids to do it. I would hate to see it disappear because then it would probably never come back."
Boys hockey became the third self-funded program in the district in 2012. However, the district since then has agreed to fund boys and girls high school soccer programs. The hockey program must raise all of the money required to maintain the sport, with no financial assistance from the district.
"My thing is it's good for the kids even if there are only 12 kids," Hirsbrunner said.
