Athletic programs on hold at Sheridan, Gillette colleges

With one exception, the athletics programs in the Northern Wyoming Community College District – Sheridan and Gillette colleges – are on hold this year.

The exception, according to Dr. Walt Tribley, who’s president of the district, is the rodeo program. But, he said, the colleges’ other athletic programs are on hiatus this year.

But, he said, that’s true across the United States this year in the National Junior College Athletic Association. All fall sports have been postponed.

He said the Northern Wyoming Community College District this year did remove athletic programs from funding. But, he said, he very much wants to have athletics at the colleges in the future.

To do that, he said, the funding will have to be brought back.

In addition to cutting the athletics programs to reduce this year’s college district budget, Tribley and district trustees also cut the culinary arts and hospitality program. Tribley said students who were already enrolled in those programs will be finishing their course work this fall. But no new students will be accepted.

Also, Tribley said, all athletic scholarships have been converted into academic scholarships so students will still be able to attend Sheridan and Gillette colleges with the complete financial support they were promised.

At the same time, he said, students who wanted to be released from their athletic commitment to the two colleges have been.

Tribley said the decision to cut athletics and culinary arts and hospitality is in no way a reflection on the quality of those programs. He said those areas were simply deemed far too expensive for the revenue that they brought in. He said in particular, the culinary arts and hospitality programs were inextricably linked to the property on Sheridan Avenue, which made them more costly to operate.