Here at Washburn Rural Middle School we have many sports teams like track, tennis, football, etc. but we don’t have a softball and baseball team. Some people think we shouldn’t have a softball and baseball team, but we think we should, and many students at WRMS agree. 
WRMS Athletic Director, Mr. Chesmore, explained why we currently don’t have a softball and baseball team at WRMS. “The biggest issue is that there is nobody else to play, and so it would have to be a bigger decision than just Washburn Rural Middle School and then obviously we don’t have facilities. We would have to rely on the high school to share their facilities.”
Mr. Chesmore is correct that no other middle schools in Kansas have a softball and baseball team, but we think that if we have a middle school softball and baseball team then other schools might create one too.
WRMS PE teacher Coach Carson, thinks we should have a softball and baseball team, because she thinks it’s an amazing sport to play and a lot of kids would be interested in trying out. “Softball is the best sport there is, and baseball is pretty great too. I think we have a lot of kids that would be interested and it would be a great thing for them to get involved with.” Carson even said she would volunteer to be the softball team head coach if we had one. Carson is currently one of the assistant softball coaches at Washburn Rural High School.
Eighth grader Paisley Shelton has played softball for six years and thinks that a softball and baseball team would expand the opportunities available for kids at WRMS. “I feel like it would open opportunities for girls and boys who don’t have the opportunity to play outside of school.”
Based on a recent survey taken here at WRMS 93.1% out of 231 students think that we should have softball and baseball programs. So, about 215 out of 231 students think that we should offer students the option to join a baseball or softball program. 19% or about 50 students at WRMS would choose to not do track if given the opportunity of playing on a softball or baseball team at WRMS.
With this much interest in softball and baseball programs we believe that a conversation could be started about getting these programs started. Eighth grader Kemri Madden said, “I would be so happy if we had a softball team at WRMS.”
