By Andra Bryan Stefanoni
astefanoni@joplinglobe.com
WEBB CITY, Mo. —
If Sydney Philpot gets her wish in spring 2013, she’ll be suiting up for soccer as an incoming freshman with some 60 other girls — a first for Webb City High School.
Her mother, Christy Philpot, grew up playing soccer in Columbia, Mo.
Upon starting a family in Webb City, she helped to establish the Webb City Soccer Club as an opportunity for local youths.
She now serves as president of the board for the independent, nonprofit organization, as well as the southern district’s representative in the Missouri Soccer Association.
“I have three daughters, age 6, 10 and 13, who play,” Philpot said. “Together with other parents who saw the value in it, we came together and built a program.”
It started as a recreational program with 250 to 300 boys and girls age 3 through 14, then grew to include traveling teams and 350 to 400 youths, and includes both spring and fall seasons. They use the fields at King Jack Park.
While there is a boys program at Webb City High School, the opportunity for girls to play ended with junior high.
Sydney Philpot, who plays the position of goalie for her traveling team, will start high school next year, so her mother began spearheading an effort this fall to create a program for girls.
“A few years ago, we had 68 girls total in first through eighth grades in the league,” Christy Philpot said. “This fall, we have 110 girls. We doubled in four seasons. There definitely is interest there.”
She presented the idea to Superintendent Tony Rossetti and Athletic Director John Roderique, both of whom were supportive and encouraged a survey of girls in eighth through 11th grade to quantify interest.
Sixty-six girls responded that they would play if given the opportunity. To field a team in soccer requires 11.
“The district was very open to questions and looking into it, and the number of girls who turned out to survey meetings was wonderful,” Philpot said. “Even if we only have half of those girls come out for the team, we still would have enough for a varsity and a JV team.”
Philpot said it would be a win-win for the district and the soccer league.
“If we have it, I can continue to build our rec program, which can then feed into the high school program,” she said. “And it will give the girls another sport in the spring; right now they only have track.”
It also would bring Webb City in line with other districts, Rossetti said.
“I think we’re the only school in our conference that doesn’t have it,” said Rossetti. “If we get this, it will be our largest girls’ participation sport that we’d offer; right now it’s softball.”
He puts recurring operational cost estimates at $15,000 for transportation, stipends and necessary equipment.
“When you consider we might be serving, say, 40 kids, that’s pretty nominal,” he said. “We know the correlation between student success and being involved in either extracurricular or co-curricular activities. By providing our kids this opportunity, we can get more of them connected, grades get better, dropout rates decrease; there is just overall satisfaction and getting connected with their school.”
Said Christy Philpot: “It’s time.”
Board vote
Superintendent Tony Rossetti said he most likely would bring the proposal to add a soccer program for girls for a vote by the Board of Education next month; if approved, it would start in 2013.
