Stafford, CT - September 9, 2024
In a wide-ranging discussion addressing many questions about Stafford Public Schools’ sports programs, Athletic Director Damian Frassinelli stressed that for Stafford’s coaches, building character is as important as winning. Much of the first Board of Education (BOE) meeting since school started centered on this discussion, and a few things became clear.
Character building comes first
Frassinelli said Stafford’s athletics programs are filled with “good coaches, good people, leading some really good kids.” Over and over, the importance of “education-based athletics” came up. This refers to the idea that providing athletic and other competitive opportunities in a school setting benefits students for several reasons. NFHS says, “However, simply offering young people the opportunity to play sports or compete on the debate team during their time in high school does not constitute education-based athletics/activities. There must be an educational component that extends from the classroom to the gymnasium or playing field, or our programs are no different than those in countries where academics and athletics are separated.”
Frassinelli, several coaches, and even Stafford High School Principal Marco Pelliccia told the board about how student-athlete expectations build leadership, encourage community involvement, and earn Stafford an excellent reputation for sportsmanship. Stafford's student-athletes are expected to be good citizens, from the field hockey team raising $1,800 for Play for the Cure to girls’ soccer players raising awareness about intimate-partner violence at the teen level. Football players volunteer their time to help Stafford’s veterans and the elderly by mowing lawns or doing other odd jobs.
Football Coach Brian Mazzone, who teaches English in Enfield, also told the BOE that he created Teacher Appreciation Day to let teachers know how much they mean to students. His players pick a teacher to honor (including the co-op players coming from other towns), write a letter expressing their appreciation, invite the teachers to a game, and allow them to wear the student’s jersey during the game. They also give out a Community MVP Award. This year, the award went to Head Custodian Bill Johnson.
The coaches also spoke about some of their success stories in response to questions about the athletics department’s role in helping kids participate in sports at the college level. Kelly Fields, head of the counseling department and multi-sport coach, said she is also the school’s NCAA liaison. She said that, statistically, just 2-3% of high school athletes go on to play in college. That number goes up a bit for football players because of the sheer number of roster spots available.
Still, Stafford has had a few success stories. Mazzone told the board that he has had 17 kids in nine seasons who went on to play in college. Many other kids get offers but choose not to go on to play in college. “College athletics is not for everybody,” he said. Of course, a lot goes into deciding which college to attend, and students may prioritize specific academic programs, costs, or other factors when making a final decision. He said he was just as proud of the students who decided not to pursue college athletics.
Wrestling Coach Rich Ives shared similar sentiments. He said he stresses discipline with his wrestlers: “Discipline is doing what you should when you’d rather not and not doing what you want when you shouldn’t.” That work ethic has helped several of his wrestlers in their post-Stafford lives. One wrestler who struggled early in his college career is now on the Dean’s List. Another told him that she struggled with anxiety as part of a start-up girls' wrestling program at her college. However, Ives said she told him that she remembered lessons she learned in Stafford: “No one is going to think less of you as long as you are putting in the effort…”
Of course, not all students go on to college, and Ives pointed to one Stafford wrestler who knew he wanted to be a pararescuer in the U.S. Air Force. He was one of 15 people out of a class of 80 who made it, and recently sent his former coach a picture of him hanging out of a helicopter over Somalia, where a village was under attack. According to the wrestler, they saved three people that night.
Budget challenges still abound
These feel-good stories reminded the board and everyone in attendance of how important sports and coaches can be in the lives of young people, but Frassinelli still addressed many of the challenges his department faces.
For instance, in the fall of 2021, the district could not secure transportation for Middle School sports. For that season, Frassinelli got the teams they played to come to Stafford twice, but the increased cost for other districts meant that, in the winter, the other districts were not as agreeable. So, instead of canceling basketball, they created an intramural program with multiple teams in Stafford. Ultimately, this led to more students playing; though some were upset that there was not more “competition,” more students were served by the program.
Budget is also an issue that impacts the programs. This year, the company that provided athletic trainer services for Stafford canceled its contract a year early and moved to a neighboring town. Finding a replacement athletic trainer has been difficult, as Stafford Public Schools typically pay less than other schools. Specifically, Stafford’s stipend for coaches is in the bottom third for their league. He said that a neighboring town typically pays $2,000 more, and that decision is out of his hands. “When you don’t get a lot of applicants, you kind of understand, maybe that’s part of it,” he said.
Budgets impact not just staffing but also facilities. The high school football field is often worn out due to overuse, as it is also home to other sports, like field hockey. Add practices into the mix, and the grass takes a beating. Frassinelli says a turf field could help alleviate this issue, but it’s expensive and must be replaced every ten years. Meanwhile, the track also needs maintenance. He said it cost about $40,000 to resurface but will need to be entirely replaced sooner or later.
Maintenance and upgrades to these facilities come out of the Recreation Commission budget. After the presentation, BOE member Aaron Hoffman asked how they could start the conversation with the town about some of these needs.
Frassinelli said, “You have to show them the upside for the kids.” He pointed out that Stafford is the only team in its league that plays on a grass field and has had to host championship games at other schools because of the conditions of the fields. He also gets regular calls from a semi-pro football team that wants to play here, but he has to turn them down because of the extra wear and tear on the field.
“I don’t know how we get the community to support a budget with more of an increase for a turf field,” he added. While he has looked into grants, he said the ideal solution would be what happened in Suffield, where a generous alumnus paid to install turf. BOE Secretary Erica Bushior later asked if Frassinelli had approached potential sponsors.
He said that he had approached local businesses before COVID and that they had received a $25,000 grant in the past. During the public comment portion of the meeting, Laura Lybarger, former BOE chair, encouraged people to attend Recreation Commission meetings to talk more about these issues. She also said that if the town had a recreation director, that person could apply for grants or seek out relationships with businesses to sponsor these upgrades.
Hoffman also asked if the CIAC has provisions for cost-sharing with schools that send student-athletes to Stafford as part of a co-op program. Frassinelli says that the CIAC specifically prohibits money being a part of these agreements. Essentially, the receiving team has to be unable to field a full team roster, making it eligible to receive athletes from surrounding towns.
“We need their kids to keep our kids safe,” says Frassinelli, specifically of the football team which is part of the co-op program. He says that for Stafford’s athletes to be able to rest and recuperate during a game, they need players from other towns.
Transportation fees are also part of any budget conversation regarding sports in Stafford’s schools. As you might imagine, these fees are unpopular among participants and equally unpopular in Frassinelli’s office. Superintendent Steven A. Moccio said the fees brought in $23,714 across the middle and high schools. The BOE instituted the fees in 2019, and in the 2022-2023 school year, they were increased to $100 at SHS and $50 at SMS. Frassinelli stressed that he has no power to waive fees and that it requires a great deal of time to track and collect the fees.
The fees will remain until the BOE chooses to repeal that policy. While dissolving those fees is on Frassinelli's future wish list, so are many other issues, including new uniforms, practice fields, increasing parent participation in the Boost Club, and more.
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