As officials with Christian County Public Schools look to the future of athletics, four men are searching for answers to an immediate need.
Alongside new football coaches in Hopkinsville’s Dustin Lopez and Christian County’s Ethan Atchley, Colonels Principal Kevin Crider and District Activities Director Kerry Stovall besought permission from the Board of Education Thursday night — to begin the bid process for new weightlifting equipment for all programs, as well as some ancillary practice equipment for the gridiron.
The ask was granted unanimously, 4-0.
Through analysis and inventory from the two pigskin personnel, Crider noted that with 13 physical education classes and a plethora of boys and girls programs needing bars and bells and muscle that swells, there currently isn’t enough to go around.
For football alone, Lopez and Atchley confirmed their programs combined brought in more than 90 aspiring players to the fields this spring — many of them sharing time on their required lifts.
Lopez also noted that his weight room currently has six fair-to-middling weight racks in their program, while Atchley added that the Colonels have zero racks safe enough for girls, and mostly makeshift implements for boys.
Crider said that by 2026, the district will likely need between 16-to-18 weight racks, comparable to Trinity and St. Xavier, in order to prepare for Class 6A competition, and that a jump on facilities upgrades now could pay dividends.
He also directly referenced the Lyon County boys basketball program — and its recent successes — as a key visual of being more prepared physically.
In order to soften costs, Crider suggested bids and purchases go out in three phases, with the district buying up to six unbranded weight racks per phase — depending on the bids. The racks would come unmarked, he said, so that by 2026, they could be outfitted with Christian County Tigers logos and colors. Furthermore, the equipment could either be transferred to the new high school campus, or remain at these locations for future middle school use.
Crider estimated that bids could be returned between $6,000 and $8,600 per rack, and that the total effort in all three phases could cost at least $60,000, if not more.
In other CCPS news:
— Officials closed Thursday’s meeting in executive session, and no action taken, for a preliminary review and evaluation of Superintendent Chris Bentzel. Having just finished his fourth year on the job, Bentzel noted he had five personal goals coming into this year, and he believes all were met with great vigor.
1) The groundbreaking and construction of a new consolidated high school.
2) The maximized square footage of the district as a whole, including the upcoming shifts in population.
3) A responsible budget, with a healthy contingency.
4) The filling of vacancies with a “next man up” mentality.
And 5) a continued improvement of student experiences and student achievement.
