MCPS Trades Friday Night Lights for Saturday Morning Swims
Buried in the details of the Montgomery County Public Schools 2024 operating budget is a change that swaps Friday Night Lights for Saturday morning swims. Aquatic programs will replace football in the budget and at the county’s 30 high schools next year.
The elimination of football from the school system’s physical education budget comes in recognition of gender and racial diversity issues inherent in the sport. Half of county students – the girls – are excluded from football programs. Racial disparities between team and school populations are also stark. County officials say that whereas 43.1% of the county population is white, at least 61% of high school football players are African American, Asian, or Hispanic.
Beyond achieving greater racial and gender equality, MCPS board members say the new emphasis on aquatics gives county students more opportunity to excel in sports. “Marylanders like Michael Phelps, Katie Ledecky and Jack Conger have dominated aquatic sports for more than two decades. They are the legends of swimming, the G.O.A.T.s. How many Maryland football players can you say that about? None.” said MCPS board member Kendra Morris (District 6).
Of the more than 32 million MCPS slated for physical education programs in 2024, nearly 58 percent is earmarked for aquatics, including 17.5 million for construction of new aquatic facilities. “Priority one is putting pools in schools,” Morris told the Montgonion.
Pool construction has already begun, with Damascus High School expected to open its Flaherty Aquatic Center in time for August team practices. The outdoor facility on the site of the former football field includes an Olympic-size swimming pool heated year-round by solar-powered generators.
Other high schools converting gridirons into lap lanes this summer include Quince Orchard, Gaithersburg, and Sherwood. A timeline for the rest of the county has yet to be announced, but Morris says MCPS expects all 30 high schools to have on-campus aquatic facilities by 2026.
While Montgomery County residents overwhelmingly support the move to aquatics, one group is surprisingly unenthusiastic – swim team parents. Chip Winchester’s son, Jarrod, is on the Wootton High School Dive Team. “Jarrod made it to regionals last year. What’s going to happen when the size of the team quadruples, and how is he supposed to compete against all the Asian kids?” Winchester lamented.
