JOPLIN, Mo. —
It’s a summer of adjustments, planning and waiting for Joplin High School athletic programs.
The devastating tornado that hit Joplin and destroyed the high school on May 22 has left coaches and administrators scrambling to replace equipment, finalize schedules and locate new sites for practices, camps and games.
‘A bucket of balls’
Like many of Joplin High School’s programs, the softball team lost nearly everything in the storm.
“We have a bucket of balls. That’s it,” softball coach Bruce Vonder Haarsaid. “We’ve been contacted by other schools and individuals who are gracious enough to help, but just like every other fall sport, we’re going to be in a crunch.”
The Eagles have two team camps scheduled for July. It’s not clear yet where the camps will be held or where Joplin will play its home games this fall, though Vonder Haar said he and athletic director Jeff Starkweather hoped to map some of that out in meetings this week.
“It’s just going to be a big adjustment,” Vonder Haar said. “We’re used to walking out of Joplin High School and seeing our softball field ... now we’ll have to drive to practice, and not all of our girls can drive.”
Vonder Haar said games against local opponents — Carl Junction, Neosho, Carthage, etc. — will likely all be played on the road. Joplin will be able to host league foes, it’s just not yet clear where the games will be held.
“We’ll get through it and we’re still expecting to have a good season,” Vonder Haarsaid. “We’re ready to move on and look forward.”
Free OSU camp for wrestlers
The NCAA has granted a waiver that will allow Joplin’s wrestlers to attend camp this week for free at Oklahoma State University.
“They first tried to get individual waivers for each kid, but they got a blanket waiver for any kid in Joplin,” explained Joplin wrestling coach Shawn Finch. “I think we’re bringing 10 kids.”
Oklahoma State had requested waivers that would have allowed six Joplin wrestlers who lost everything or at least their cars to attend for free, he said.
“I’m actually working with OSU and Missouri to get their dual in Joplin,” Finch said. “It’s the halfway point between Stillwater and Columbia. Well, Stillwater’s a little closer. It would help both teams with recruiting.”
Finch had to reschedule high school and middle school wrestling camps because of the damage to Kaminsky Gymnasium caused by the May 22 tornado.
“It really messed up our schedule,” he said. “We were supposed to have a middle school camp at each of the three middle schools. We combined it all into one.”
Joplin’s wrestlers have relocated, along with the school district’s administrators, to North Middle School. The high school camp continues on Monday and Tuesday before the wrestlers go to camp Wednesday at Oklahoma State.
“We have something that destroys the whole high school and we move to the middle school without a hitch,” he said.
The team weight-training and condition program, under coach Mike Lawrence, continues at North as well, he said.
‘Starting from scratch’
Most of Ed Miller’s plans for the Joplin boys and girls soccer programs are relatively untouched. It’s just that the Eagles are having to borrow all the equipment necessary for summer camps.
“We don’t have anything left,” Miller said. “It was a total loss. Most of our stuff was in the garage/storage shed up by the soccer field and it was wiped out. Even the stuff inside, down in the cage in the high school, we haven’t been able to get in there to see if anything is salvageable.”
That means Miller and the Eagles are borrowing from other schools for the time being. But by the time fall rolls around, they’ll need their own gear.
“We’re very fortunate and blessed that area schools have been so gracious,” Miller said. “But it’s going to be just like starting a program from scratch. We have to make a wish list for uniforms and sweat suits, bags, socks, goals, nets, balls. We have to get up and running.”
With the help of local schools, Joplin starts its boys camp this week and a youth camp follows. The boys program returns at the end of summer for another week of camp. The girls — who play in the spring — have a week of camp in between.
“We’re just trying to make things as normal as possible,” Miller said. “We’re doing everything we can to give the kids the opportunity to go out and play.”
The camps will be on the FieldTurf of Junge Field. Once the busy fall sports season arrives, a bit more juggling will be necessary.
Miller said the Eagles’ schedule will remain untouched, as far as he knows, but where the games will be played is still up in the air.
“We don’t know a lot yet,” he said. “Once football season starts, we’re not sure if we’ll be at Missouri Southern or (the Joplin Athletic Complex).
“Things are in the works, but it doesn’t happen overnight.”
Tennis
Perhaps least affected by the tornado has been the tennis teams coached by Sean McWilliams.
The summer camps will be held at scheduled, July 26-29 at the Joplin Athletic Complex. The annual camp for boys and girls has been held away from the high school courts in the past because of the numbers of athletes involved, McWilliams said. Camp hours will be from 9 to 11 a.m.
“Otherwise, we’re going to have to rebuild,” McWilliams said, noting that a recent donation from the Missouri Valley Section of the United States Tennis Association has been directed toward rebuilding the school courts.
Sports
Related Photos
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Billie Nguyen of Joplin (top) competes with Seneca's Trevor Sill during a match last season. Nguyen will be a senior this year.
Discussion
June 25, 2011
JHS teams face summer of adjustments
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Miners, Carl Junction split American Legion doubleheader
Joplin's Nate Brummer dives back into first base before Carl Junction's Jaron Hulette can apply the tag during their American Legion baseball game at Joe Becker Stadium.
Bryce Ash’s two-run single capped a four-run fourth inning in Joplin’s 8-6 victory against Carl Junction in the second game of an American Legion doubleheader Thursday night at Joe Becker Stadium.
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