FCS Board approves gymnastics co-op with Pinckney, Morrice, Webberville
LIVINGSTON COUNTY — Pending final approval from other school boards, high schools in Fowlerville and Pinckney will enter into a co-op with high schools in Morrice and Webberville to combine their girls gymnastics’ teams next school year.
The Fowlerville Community Schools Board of Education approved a measure Monday that allows the district to pursue a joint partnership with the other schools. The Pinckney Community Schools Board of Education recently passed a similar measure.
Morrice Area Schools and Webberville Community Schools are expected to vote on the same co-op agreement in the coming weeks, according to Fowlerville Athletic Director Jeff Finney.
Fowlerville and Pinckney already have a combined gymnastics team, as part of a previously agreed-upon co-op between the districts. There were six student athletes on the team this year. Interest from Morrice and Webberville would likely grow the team’s members during the winter sports season.
Under the proposed co-op, team members from the four schools would practice at the Livingston Gymnastics Club in Howell and compete in the Capital Area Activities Conference with Fowlerville as the host school, Finney said. The team would be coached by current Fowlerville head coach Katie Paquette.
The co-op practice among two or more schools is allowed by the Michigan High School Athletic Association for certain sports under specific guidelines, Finney said. For example, the MHSAA allows the practice for gymnastics, lacrosse, skiing and tennis — provided the combined enrollment of the schools is under 3,500, or under 5,500 for hockey. The MHSAA requires board approval from each school district involved.
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Fowlerville has an enrollment of 771 students as of May, while Pinckney has 621, Webberville has 149, and Morrice has 145.
“It works for some schools with sports that perhaps aren’t as mainstream or have as many (student athletes),” Finney said. “In situations like this, where we want to grow the team, we’ll pull in as many schools as we can while staying under the MHSAA threshold.”
Gymnastics is the only athletic team co-op at Fowlerville this year, Finney said. It's a self-funded program, with student athletes and their families relying on fundraising for most costs, including tournament fees and uniforms.
Finney said Fowlerville may consider joining a co-op for boys and/or girls lacrosse over the next few years, provided there's student interest and they can meet the threshold.
“We want to provide our student athletes with as many opportunities as we can, so it’s something we’ll continue to consider,” he said.
— M. Alan Scott is a freelance writer for The Livingston Daily. Contact the newsroom at newsroom@livingstondaily.com.
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: FCS Board approves gymnastics co-op with Pinckney, Morrice, Webberville
