After Gillingham Charter School announced Thursday night that its varsity sports would not be participating in the Schuylkill League for two years, on Friday, the league president offered reasons for the denial.
Carl McBreen, Schuylkill League president and Minersville Area High School principal, said the league operates on a two-year cycle and the schedules had already been completed sometime about 2010.
He said schools already scheduled the maximum number of contests that the state Interscholastic Athletic Association allows. During the meeting with the charter school July 16 when their application was submitted, it was suggested they set up non-league contests.
"Their application can be resubmitted for fall 2014," McBreen said. "League members unanimously voted for that reason because schedules are finished for the end of the cycle."
Once Gillingham resubmits its application, a vote will be taken and if it is properly seconded, they will then be put in for the next two-year cycle.
There is no guarantee Gillingham's application will be approved, but this is a process every school must complete to join the Schuylkill League.
McBreen said the school may apply now and that the next cycle will begin in fall 2014, so if the school is approved, varsity teams will be able to participate in the league during the 2014-15 school year.
During the Gillingham board of trustees meeting Thursday, Nicolle M. Hutchinson, director of education and CEO, said although students will not be participating in the league, there will still be varsity teams at the charter school starting this school year. Varsity sports at Gillingham will include archery in the fall, archery and boys' basketball during the winter, and archery and girls' soccer in the spring.
A tournament in Philadelphia for the boy's basketball team has been scheduled against teams from other charter schools and private schools.
Beyond these varsity sports, Gillingham will start clubs, this year creating golf, tennis and soccer, in hopes of adding those sports in the future.
While it already has a varsity girls' soccer team, it plans to add a varsity boys' soccer team next year.
Club sports will be offered to students in grades seven through 10 so the school can build for the future and the teams will be coached by teachers and other people in the community.
Students at Gillingham are also allowed to participate in a varsity sport at their home school district if the charter school doesn't offer it, while students at the school districts may participate in a sport at Gillingham if their school doesn't offer it.