More the merrier or option overload? Sports “balancing act” for New Mexico Activities Association

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have more extracurricular options for high school students, keeping young people busy and all?

However, can there be too many options? When is it too much?

That’s what the New Mexico Activities Association wrangles with from time to time when a new sport or activity is proposed for consideration, such as powerlifting and girls’ wrestling in recent years.

That wrangling happened again recently when a group of about 20 schools, mostly from Albuquerque Public Schools, requested boys’ volleyball be added to the activity category under the NMAA umbrella.

“It would have to be approved by our membership through our governance process,” said Dusty Young, NMAA executive director. That process must go through three steps, starting with “a minimum of 10 percent of the NMAA membership showing interest.”

The boys’ volleyball proposal passed the first step, a 9-6 vote in favor by what’s called the commission. However, the proposal died during the second phase when no one on the NMAA board of directors made a second to the motion.

Ultimately, a vote encompassing the entire membership, the third hurdle, would decide the fate of a potential sport or activity.

Nationally, girls’ flag football is gaining traction, an effort spearheaded by the National Football League.

“There are double digit state associations across the country that are now sanctioning girls flag football as a sport, and others are considering it,” said Young.

“We really haven’t had a push from our membership to do that as of yet,” Young said, adding, “If we get that push from our schools, we’ll start to consider it.”

One of the positives of girls’ flag football is that the NFL would financially help get programs started.

“We’ve already heard from the Arizona Cardinals,” Young said. “They would definitely help us get it going.”

However, that financial commitment and guidance from the NFL may not be long term.

“Where administrators are concerned is what happens when that pool (of money) runs out? Then they’d have to figure out how to sustain it,” the executive director said.

Young says the NMAA is always trying to find new opportunities for students.

“On paper, looking at boys’ volleyball and girls flag football, it looks like a great idea because it does just that, provides more opportunities,” he said. “We have to look at other factors.”

Those factors, “cost, logistics, potential title nine issues,” are the reasons boys’ volleyball was voted down.

“Facilities are always an issue,” Young said. “Gym space, tons of different basketball programs, tons of different volleyball programs. Plus, normal school activities like intramurals.”

Another issue that would need to be pondered is the impact on other athletic programs.

“Do we have enough (participants) to support adding a bunch of different new sports and activities or are we pulling from another spring sport?”

Boys’ volleyball and girls’ flag football are generally being played in the spring by states that have the sports.

Some current athletic programs in New Mexico, even among larger schools, have a difficult time fielding junior varsity or C teams. In Valencia County, that includes boys and girls soccer. At the end of the 2024 season, coaches from Belen, Los Lunas and Valencia lamented the shrinking numbers.

“It’s been very difficult to grab a JV the past couple years,” said Eric Gutierrez, Valencia boys coach.

Gutierrez believes priorities may have changed following the pandemic.

“Kids got used to being home, being sheltered,” Gutierrez said.

Other area coaches agree it hasn’t been the same since COVID hit. Plus, the consensus is that a lack of feeder programs in Valencia County is hurting growth in soccer and other sports.

Natalie Kheir, an assistant for the BHS girls’ soccer program, began working last fall to get a league started at Belen elementary schools “to teach fundamentals, to get a love for the game. Our hope is to get enough participation to start a league in the school district.”

“We have to build programs where kids are playing year-round,” believes BHS boys coach Edgar Lopez. “Bigger fields and not just small fields.”

What about burnout among the athletes, many of whom compete in sports year-round?

“A lot of the girls play multiple sports, so they literally go from sport to sport, field to field,” said Jaguars’ soccer coach Kimberly Chavez.

That schedule can be tough to maintain. Some prospective athletes, according to Chavez, also find jobs or focus on college courses.

Other considerations are game officials, who are dwindling in numbers, and the impact on the coaching ranks.

“Schools have had a hard time filling some varsity coaching roles or assistant coach roles,” Young pointed out, saying it may be difficult “to find qualified coaches to teach their kids” if other needs are added to the mix.

During an interview with the News-Bulletin, Young often used the phrase, “a balancing act” when referring to potential new sports or activities with current programs.

“We wish we could add anything and everything that kids are interested in participating in,” he said. “At the same time, we have to make sure the resources are there to do so and do so successfully.”