Several residents addressed the board about the decision to gut the tennis program at Gridley High School. Photo by SoyKhaler_pixabay

GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) – At the school board meeting on June 26, several residents addressed the board about the decision to gut the tennis program at Gridley High School. Reasons for the discontinuation were given as the team being too small, too expensive and too hard to get coaches according to the administrators at the meeting on May 28.

Once again, speakers took to the microphone to express their opposition. The issue was not part of the agenda for the June 26 meeting, although that had been requested, according to the speakers.

Caleb Stewart, Leticia Stewart, Robert McDowell and Gridley City Councilmember Catalina Sanchez spoke in support of keeping the tennis teams.

Caleb Stewart indicated that the Gridley High School tennis team is not the smallest team at the school, citing the cross country and wrestling teams as smaller. Wrestling is the most expensive team, according to Caleb Stewart.

“It is obvious that you have some ulterior motive for cancelling the tennis teams. This community would appreciate hearing the real reasons, instead of lame excuses,” said Caleb Stewart.

Caleb Stewart continued by saying that with the number of people who showed up at the last meeting about the matter, it should have been on the agenda for this meeting.

“It’s a shame that you’re not doing your job,” Caleb Stewart concluded.

In response to the need for a coach, Robert McDowell, who previously coached the teams in 1999 and 2000, volunteered his coaching services for two years in order to keep the teams.

Leticia Stewart spoke emphatically, “We’ve given answers for every reason that you have for canceling the tennis team. We are really disappointed that you canceled a program without public knowledge. You did not try any problem solving like finding grants or talking with the city to find funding like we are trying to do. Worst of all you have disenfranchised the students who bravely stood up and shared personal reasons of why they wanted and even needed the tennis teams.  You did not acknowledge what they said and by not putting this on the agenda, you have not given them the chance to ask questions and get real answers as to why you made this decision. You essentially told these students, through your silence, that they are not as important as other athletes at Gridley High School.”

Councilmember Sanchez spoke of having played tennis during her senior year at Gridley High School.

“I grew and actually I was a fairly decent tennis player. I was very disheartened to hear that the tennis team was cut without public input. I have reviewed the facility’s planning assessment from 2020 and there was no mention of tennis court improvements that were needed,” Sanchez said. 

Sanchez also pointed to Title IX and possible California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) regulations for maintaining a minimum number of individual sports for those unable to participate in team contact sports.

Former tennis coach, Linda McDowell, spoke with the Gridley Herald about the situation.

“The courts have not been touched since (they were constructed). Their biggest complaint is it’s going to cost too much to maintain them. Of course, it’s going to cost too much. The only things that have been given into it are painting the lines on the courts, occasionally nets and a couple of cases of tennis balls each year,” McDowell said.

McDowell added that she and her husband, Robert McDowell, cleaned up the courts themselves, made sure the nets were regulation height and got the team out there to help.

Linda McDowell said that up to $55,000 in grant money is available for court refurbishing from the U.S. Tennis Association. 

“If we need to, we can go out and ask for donations,” said McDowell.                   

Superintendent Justin Kern and Gridley High School Principal Rikki Lee Burresch could not be reached for comment, as of press time.