Monday, December 17, 2007

Confusion with Classic - Lion’s Club pleads with school board to cover Sandra Meadows Classic expenses

By Danielle Parker of Duncanville TODAY

Many attendees of the Dec. 10 school board meeting were not parents, principals or teachers, but concerned citizens who came to support a 57-year Duncanville tradition.

A misunderstanding between the Duncanville Independent School District board and the Lion's Club led to confusion among adamant fans of the Sandra Meadows Classic, an annual girls' tournament hosted by Duncanville High School. During the meeting, both parties took the opportunity to clear up any rumors or misinterpretations.

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Four years ago, the Lion's Club about took over the operations of the Sandra Meadows Classic, in cooperation with the city of Duncanville and DISD. Since this time, the tournament has returned to it's status as a well-known event for high school basketball.

"When we took over the tournament they were down to 27 teams and our competition level had suffered," Steve Martin, tournament director said. "This year we have a full 32 team field from four different states. We have raised the level of this great tournament to be one of the Elite Christmas tournaments for varsity girls in the nation. We have around 100 College coaches and recruiters from all over the nation."

Yet, as the reputation and success of the Classic has increased, so has the list of expenses.

"The cost for this year's Classic has risen tremendously," Martin said. "We are paying $2,745 more this year for officials than last year. We are paying $1,340 for trainers this year that we have never paid before. We lost over $3,000 in sponsorship money when the district had to change insurance carriers. That is over $7,000 in expenses than last year. We will be pleased if we could just break even this year."

The Lion's Club sent a letter requesting all fees for this year's Classic be waived. The board responded informing them that they were able to waive the rental and usage fees for the arena, but due to policy, they could not waive any costs for utility, custodial costs and costs for athletic trainers.

Because there was no board discussion or agenda item, board members of the Sandra Meadows Classic felt the need to speak up.

"The tournament this year is not in jeopardy, but we want to address this for future years to keep the success of the tournament going," Martin said. "We felt like the school district needs to help a little more. No one is mad at anyone or pointing fingers, but we do want to enlighten our board about the history and background. We want to keep Duncanville basketball at the competitive level that it is at now."

Clarification on the board policy was provided at the Dec. 10 meeting, along with a way of provision for the tournament fees.

"We do not want the Lions Club to be out additional money above previous years," Superintendent Alfred Ray said. "We have contacted other potential sponsors who can help offset the cost of the $2,500 utility and custodial fees. We have a strong lead and we are very confident that by week's end we will be able to present a check to the Lion's Club that will cover these fees."

The board reinforced its desire to continue backing the Sandra Meadows Classic and thanked the Lion's Club for the dedication and efforts to keep this tradition alive.

"This district fully supports the efforts of the Duncanville Lions Club to operate the Sandra Meadows Classic," Ray said. "We have been very fortunate over the past years to have a great positive partnership between our two entities. We have worked well together for the past three years, and we look forward to many more years to come and as long as the Lion's Club desires so.

"We have a wonderful opportunity to have a national legend as part of the Duncanville legacy," Ray said. "This tournament has meant so much to this community, our students and our district, and we would never allow the legend of this tournament to dissipate under our watch. That is our commitment and our promise."

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