Board gives nod to girls hockey
By LIZ ANDERSON
Journal Staff Writer

BURRILLVILLE -- The School Committee gave the go-ahead last night to the idea of establishing a high school girls hockey team for the school year beginning in September 2002.

The board supported a motion by member Raymond Trinque to form a committee to look into the idea over the summer and report in September on how to proceed.

Last month, representatives of an area girls hockey league, Brown University's women's hockey coach and a gender diversity consultant had all urged the School Committee and the town to establish such a program, preferably by next winter.

Schools Supt. Barbara VonVillas told the committee the school system had since surveyed 237 girls at the high school to see if there was interest in forming a team. About half, 111, indicated they would be interested in playing girls hockey.

But VonVillas said planning for next year's budget was already complete, and since creating the team requires other preparation, it was more practical to look at setting it up for the following year.

Doing it earlier, she said, "would be rushing us into a situation that might set us up for failure."

Trinque said the study committee should include people interested in girls hockey, the school athletic director and the high school principal.

Jason Brown, a representative of the regional girls hockey team, the Rhode Island Wolves, suggested the school consider forming a club hockey team sooner, to "provide an opportunity for all the younger people coming up to see they have something to go for."

At the same time as the committee looked to add to the town's hockey options, members also heard from representatives of the Burrillville Junior Hockey League who were angered by the loss of some of their ice time at the Levy Community Rink.

Terri Bisson, president of the group, said they had been told they would lose 3 of their approximately 30 hours of ice time next season.

Bisson said the junior league already has trouble finding enough time for its 300 members to play. She suggested the town take a fresh look at how it doles out ice time at the rink and "focus and prioritize" on groups that serve Burrillville students.

She said a Smithfield group -- against which her league competes -- gets prime ice time on weekends, calling that "like a slap in the face." Bryant College also rents ice time at the Burrillville rink, as do men's groups that serve more as homes to pick-up games for pay-as-you-go players, Bisson said.

About 25 parents of hockey players turned out in support of the request, with several adding their pleas to Bisson's.

Trinque told them the School Committee's subcommittee that deals with policies and procedures is planning to consider policies related to the rink and its use, and that the hockey league's concerns would be considered then.

But when audience members asked if they could participate in that discussion, VonVillas said only that she would look over any materials they provide to her.

The superintendent said the time for public comment on any proposed policies would be when they were brought back to a full School Committee meeting. And she said she had had a bad experience meeting with hockey groups over ice time in the past and wouldn't do so again.

VonVillas said she believed it was too late to change the ice schedule for next year, although the committee never gave the group a definitive answer on whether they could provide the league any relief for next season.