The Jefferson R-7 Board of Education voted to add two sports to the athletic menu.
During the 2019-2020 school year, boys and girls golf and archery will be added. Boys and girls tennis could join the lineup later.
Golf is sanctioned by the Missouri State High School Activities Association, with the girls season in the fall and boys in the spring. Some county schools combine the boys and girls teams into the spring season.
Archery, which is not under MSHSAA oversight, is a club sport, but Jefferson athletic director Jason Dreyer said the school would hire a coach for what is becoming a very popular attraction around the county.
The additions of sports programs was voted on by the school board after Dreyer conducted a survey of sixth- through 12th-grade students. Dreyer said his idea was to add sports that athletes can continue after graduation.
“I took the angle of doing lifetime activities,” he said. “The voting numbers were really high. I talked to the school board and they approved archery for next year and they approved me to register for spring golf for next year.”
To compete under MSHSAA’s guidelines, schools have to submit a list of sports they wish to offer for the next school year by May 15.
MSHSAA charges each school $100 per sport every year.
Jefferson R-7 officials figure it will cost the district $8,214 to offer golf, including a coaching stipend of $3,214 as well as travel, equipment, uniforms, facilities and entry fees.
Dreyer said the boys and girls will make up one team next spring, and if there’s enough interest in the sport, the girls could break off on their own the next school year.
Castle Ridge Golf Course is closest to the school, but since 2002 it’s been used mainly by Union Pacific employees. Dreyer said his long-term hope is for the Blue Jays to use Castle Ridge.
“Right now, that course is up for sale so that’s not a realistic goal for next year,” Dreyer said.
Next year Jefferson could use Joachim Golf Course (in Herculaneum) or Andres at Oak Valley Golf Course in Pevely, Dreyer said.
“I think the kids now and coming up have a high interest in golf,” Dreyer said. “We had 90 kids who said they’d play golf, but we won’t have that many.”
The $2,325 that the R-7 school board allotted for archery all goes to the coach. Because it’s a club sport, students will be required to buy and maintain their own bows and arrows.
The Hillsboro archery program has had great success the last two seasons, with Hawks varsity and junior high teams winning state titles. The archery season runs from November through March, making it a winter sport. Basketball was Jefferson’s only winter sport before.
Dreyer said he reached out to Hillsboro athletic director Ed Moreno before making his recommendation to the board.
“I’m going to sit down with their coach (Dan Gronborg) and see what he has done out there,” Dreyer said. “In our community, archery is going to be a huge hit because we have a lot of hunters and archers.”
District officials estimated that adding tennis for boys and girls would cost $6,014. But before making that move, the district would have to commit to spend $125,000 to $175,000 to refurbish its tennis courts. The report the board considered concluded that there are no other courts available.
Crystal City, De Soto, Festus, St. Pius X and Windsor offer tennis.
While Jefferson officials mull over hiring coaches for golf and archery, the school’s only coaching change for its established sports is in girls volleyball. Tara Fish took over the program last summer after Ashleigh Nagel suffered a heart attack. Fish will continue as the varsity head coach and Nagel will serve as a volunteer assistant.
Under Fish last season, the Blue Jays won 30 games and were runners up in Class 2 District 3.