Albert Lea High School may stop offering gymnastics in partnership with Austin, now that the neighboring school wants to charge for participation – even if the school doesn’t have any gymnasts on the team.

Tuesday, October 03, 2000

Albert Lea High School may stop offering gymnastics in partnership with Austin, now that the neighboring school wants to charge for participation – even if the school doesn’t have any gymnasts on the team.

School Board members and Athletic Director Ross Williams were puzzled by a letter from Austin Activities Director Naomi Hatfield, which said the school wants to dissolve its partnership with Albert Lea in girls’ gymnastics and form a new cooperative to include Hayfield.

As part of the new cooperative, the school will begin charging $526 for a school that has zero or one participants, and $526 for each additional participant.

The letter, however, makes it sound like the fee will begin this year, even though school board members don’t recall agreeing to being charged a fee if they have no participants.

Albert Lea hasn’t had gymnasts for three years, Williams said.

If Albert Lea pulls out of the cooperative, it will be out of compliance with the Title IX law, which requires gender equity in sports.

"I personally don’t have a problem with having Hayfield in it, but I don’t’ think they can change the agreement," said board Vice Chair Marjorie Thorn. "We could still be in compliance (with Title IX) without paying for something we’re not getting."

But if the school agrees to let Hayfield in, Williams said, it will be changing its agreement and opening itself up to the $526 fee this year.

The board directed Williams to find out more about the proposed changes, and to see if the school could allow Hayfield into the partnership without having to pay a fee this year. It could then withdraw from the agreement before next year and find a way to replace gymnastics as a Title IX sport.