SOUTH WAYNE - After an 11-year hiatus, Black Hawk High School may revive a cross country team next fall if enough students are willing to participate.
The Black Hawk school board approved adding cross country as a fall sport for the 2018-19 school year in December. The last time Black Hawk had a cross country team was the 2006-07 school year. After a 2007 referendum failed, the cross country program was part of the district's budget cuts.
Black Hawk Superintendent Willy Chambers said the perspective of the school board has changed since then and the district has the money in the budget to welcome back a cross country team with a coach and uniforms in the fall.
"I think the perspective of the board is if we have the students interested and we can make it happen let's make it happen," Chambers said. "The board wants to do what is best for the students of Black Hawk."
Kristina Petitjean, a running club coach and former Black Hawk track coach, surveyed middle school and high school students and found that seven of the 77 students surveyed would be interested in participating in cross country next fall. Four of the seven students interested in cross country have competed in football and volleyball in the past. Petitjean said just two students are signed up for cross country right now.
"The board wants us to have at least five," Petitjean said. "We know we are on the edge right now. It's still early. By the end of the school year or the middle of May, we will have to determine if we have enough students."
There are 14 fifth- and sixth-graders based on the survey who would be interested in cross country. The nine girls interested also play volleyball and four of the five boys interested play football.
Petitjean, who also is a third-grade teacher at Black Hawk and served as a cross country assistant coach at Darlington in 2013, plans to make more presentations to middle school students about the sport.
"We haven't had it for so long, I think some of the students don't know what cross country is about," she said.
The Black Hawk school board approved adding cross country as a fall sport for the 2018-19 school year in December. The last time Black Hawk had a cross country team was the 2006-07 school year. After a 2007 referendum failed, the cross country program was part of the district's budget cuts.
Black Hawk Superintendent Willy Chambers said the perspective of the school board has changed since then and the district has the money in the budget to welcome back a cross country team with a coach and uniforms in the fall.
"I think the perspective of the board is if we have the students interested and we can make it happen let's make it happen," Chambers said. "The board wants to do what is best for the students of Black Hawk."
Kristina Petitjean, a running club coach and former Black Hawk track coach, surveyed middle school and high school students and found that seven of the 77 students surveyed would be interested in participating in cross country next fall. Four of the seven students interested in cross country have competed in football and volleyball in the past. Petitjean said just two students are signed up for cross country right now.
"The board wants us to have at least five," Petitjean said. "We know we are on the edge right now. It's still early. By the end of the school year or the middle of May, we will have to determine if we have enough students."
There are 14 fifth- and sixth-graders based on the survey who would be interested in cross country. The nine girls interested also play volleyball and four of the five boys interested play football.
Petitjean, who also is a third-grade teacher at Black Hawk and served as a cross country assistant coach at Darlington in 2013, plans to make more presentations to middle school students about the sport.
"We haven't had it for so long, I think some of the students don't know what cross country is about," she said.
