Making the grade: Athletes and Academics

By Bruce Bourquin - Sierra Vista Herald/Review Friday, April 18th 2008

TOMBSTONE — With a new building, a new athletic director and a new principal, Tombstone High School has put together tougher new policies in terms of academic eligibility by its athletes.

Before 2008, as long as students did not get a grade of an ‘F’, they were still eligible for sports and other activities.

Those requirements are a little tougher in today’s classrooms and playing fields.

“Our kids are required to keep a 70 percent in every class,” said Tombstone High athletic director Mike Bunnell, who is also the head coach of the varsity softball and varisty girls basketball teams at the school. “Teachers turn in grades to me every week. The first time any of them fall under a C, they have a week to get it back up. If they’re still academically ineligible in the second week, they can’t play but they can still practice, until they get their grades back up.”

Many students at Tombstone High have four classes from 7:50 a.m. until 2:55 p.m.
“What we do is we offer tutoring between 3:30 and 4:30 p.m. Our teachers offer  tutoring at lunch for an hour. Our kids do a great job of taking advantage of that.”
Earlier concerns have gone down a bit among parents, family members and other people in the community.

“Everyone was worried that the academic ineligibility would go up,” Bunnell said. “It’s dropped by about 15 to 20 percent. Most of our athletes take the hard classes, the advanced placement ones. They’re in the 3.5 to 4.0 range.” One of those students who play sports is Yellowjacket senior Wacey Haygood, who has spent three seasons playing on the varsity baseball and varsity football teams.

Haygood said he has earned mostly B’s and C’s for an approximate total grade-point average of 2.80. His courseload consists of English 4, his toughest class, United States Constitution, History and Drama.

“Last year I was ineligible once in football,” Haygood said. “It was tough. You feel like you’re letting your team down, because they’re one man down.” Haygood plays in the outfield and has been a starting pitcher from time to time. He finishes most of his schoolwork before he gets home. “Normally I don’t have homework, I finish it in  class,” Haygood said. “Getting off a long trip, coming back home can be tough on your legs.”

For the past two seasons, Haygood also practices roughly eight to 10 hours a week with the Cochise County Cavaliers, an amateur football team that has played from January 19 through April. “Last year I wouldn’t do so well on tests,” Haygood said. “I’d get A’s and B’s now.”

All the practice time can take its toll on any high school student. Haygood normally practiced with the Cavaliers from 6 to 9 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He also practices with Tombstone’s baseball team from Mondays through Fridays from 3:30 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. and has games on Tuesdays, Thursdays and some Fridays from 4 p.m. until around 6 p.m.  

If the baseball games are at home, he made it to football practices. If they’re on the road, or he has a lot of homework, he’d cut football practices. “The only thing that’s tough is if you have a report,” Haygood said. “If you have practice until about 6, you don’t want to stay up too late, because you have to get up at about 6 or 7  in the morning.”

Haygood said the tougher requirements have put him into a better mode of time management.“You have more credits to pass,” Haygood said. “You have 28 credits to pass ... I really have no time to party or anything like that. I really don’t have that much time.” With just 309 students enrolled, THS teachers have an easier time of keeping tabs on students.

“The thing at Tombstone is  the teachers all know them,” Bunnell said. “The small school atmosphere helps. I’m keeping track of every sport. I know who Joe Blow is. The average GPA among athletes was in the 2.75 to 3.0 range. This year it’s about the same, which is pretty good.

“Unfortunately,  girls’ GPA is higher than our boys. Our average girl who plays sports has a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Our average boy has about a 2.5 to a 2.75 GPA.” The difference between the students who earn high grades and those who tend to struggle on occasion can sometimes be obvious.

“Those kids who are very good, they use their time wisely,” Bunnell said. “They’re working hard, they attend tutoring classes if they need it ... all our coaches stress academics first. I think our eligibility’s one of the toughest in the region. At some other schools, some allow one  ‘F’ or don’t allow two F’s or they’re not allowed to play.”

Bunnell added that some incoming freshmen from middle schools do not understand how serious eligibility can be. These freshmen can come from around the state or even around the nation — Tombstone often gets at least a few who are sons or daughters of military servicemen and women.

As for working a part-time job, it can get tough for at least some students.

“I think that’s really hard,” Bunnell said. “Now they have to juggle two or three things at once. I understand that in some cases kids have to help provide for their families. I think more parents have to step up in that regard. I think we lose kids that way who said, ‘I’d love to play.”