BY ANDY GARDNER
North Country This Week

MASSENA -- Massena will reinstate a cross-country team program that includes modified and varsity levels for boys and girls and a junior varsity volleyball team for girls.

Dak Zaza, a Massena high school teacher who also coaches track, said the cross country program would be in the fall, giving winter athletes a way to get in shape and also offering an individual fall sport for boys which doesn’t currently exist.

“We get really good long distance runners who start to improve and then there's nothing for them to do in the fall,” Zaza said at Thursday's Board of Education meeting. "At the same time for the boys (fall sports) you really have just soccer, and you've got football ... there's no individual sport there."

He said it would not be expensive, bringing about $2,750 in transportation costs for the season, and they would use the John Story Trail to start. Zaza also said he would work as a volunteer coach for the inaugural season.

"It's also a sport that there wouldn't be a big cost to bring this program back. A lot of the cost, we've already provided ... really already bought the equipment that's there,” the coach said.

He said it’s also an economic choice for families, since they will have to provide the runners’ workout clothes and shoes.

"Cross country for a family, it's not a sport that costs a lot of money, just basic workout clothes and running shoes,” Zaza said. "For families in high poverty, their children can compete and be in cross country as well."

Board of Education Trustee Robert LeBlanc, who later voted to approve both new sports programs, said he liked the idea of bringing back cross country.

"Compared to the elite sports like hockey, football ... [cross country teams] don't discriminate,” Leblanc said. “They're going to find a place for everyone.”

"Cross country is going to help our program as a whole. I've had a number of athletes who have come to me and said 'Hey we'd really like to do this,'" Athletic Director Gavin Regan told the board.

Maggie Farrell, who coaches Massena’s varsity volleyball team, said they need the junior varsity squad because the demand to play is well above their capacity.

"Last year was the tipping point ... okay we're cutting way too many kids now,” Farrell said. "We're definitely cutting on all levels.”

She said there is a substantial variation in modified and varsity rules, so the JV team can acclimate players to move to the upper level.

"It's a much different game, so having that transition is very key,” she said. "For the price of this JV team, it's definitely going to pay off in student engagement and just more opportunity.”

She said the price tag would be between $4,100 and $4,500 for the first year, “including coach cost.”

Transportation cost would be low because for most games, modified, JV and varsity would ride on the same bus and play all three divisions in one night.

"I have great parents’ support as far as fundraising ... we already started fundraising this spring,” Farrell said.

Keith Benham, who coaches the Seaway Smash club volleyball team, offered to coach JV as a volunteer.

"In my opinion, it's past due coming to have a JV team,” Regan said. "It's at minimal cost to us ... when I have more students getting cut than make the team, and we have students saying I'm not even going to try out because I can't make the team."