MONROE — At the Monroe Board of Education meeting March 9, a decision to participate in the Beloit Memorial Girls Hockey co-op for 2020-22 was tabled after board members decided they need more feedback from females participating in the program.

Monroe resident Gottlieb Brandli spoke during the public comment period and called it a “gender equality” issue that he feels is happening regarding boys and girls high school hockey.

“We feel there is a big gap in gender equality in the girls and boys programs,” Brandli said. 

The board was provided a sheet, created by Brandli, that gave the distances from Monroe to the Beloit and Janesville rinks, which is where the Rock County Fury team practices. He said trying to get his daughter, who will be a freshman next year, to practice means she would regularly arrive more than 30 minutes late. He also provided mileage for the costs of driving to the rinks and factored in “lost wages.”

“If the co-op is signed, we as a family cannot afford to put our daughter into hockey, and into a sport she loves,” Brandli said.

He noted that the Beloit and Janesville rinks are 30 additional miles of travel for practice in comparison to the Monroe rink. He said the high school athletic fee for hockey of $1,000 is much less than they would spend if his daughter played for the Fury because of the incurring costs. 

If the board were to approve the Beloit Memorial co-op, then any girls in the program would not be allowed to play on the boys high school team. If they don’t agree to it, any girls interested in the program would have to play on the local high school team, which is currently all male. 

Athletic Director Jeff Newcomer said MHS has been involved with the Beloit Memorial Girls Hockey co-op for at least the last seven years. This year, the Rock County Fury girls team featured MHS junior Anika Einbeck, two players from Albany, Alyssa and Haley Knauf and one from Brodhead, Brooke Teubert, as well as from Sarah Edler from Lena-Winslow and Anna Malone of Orangeville. Einbeck, Edler, Malone and Alyssa Knauf will all return next year. The co-op also includes players from Clinton, Janesville and Milton. The Fury made it to the state tournament and fell in the semifinal round to the Madison Metro Lynx March 5. 

The boys high school hockey team is also a co-op, and players travel from several different towns, including Lena, Warren, Orangeville, Dakota, New Glarus, Argyle and Freeport to practice in Monroe and travel to play all over Wisconsin.

The WIAA form is due April 1 for approval; the board will likely make a decision during their March 23 meeting.