By SHARON KILPATRICK

By SHARON KILPATRICK

Rappahannock News Staff Writer

The School Board decided not to take a stand on changing high school girls’ teams schedules to play basketball in the winter and volleyball in the fall.

The Virginia High School League had asked each school division to respond to a survey indicating whether the division would be prepared to make this change and by what school year, whether it would only change the seasons if the playoff dates for the sports were changed, or whether it would leave girls’ basketball in the fall and volleyball in the winter.

For the local school system there is no advantage in making such a change. With no football team and only cross-country competing for attention in the fall, the girls’ basketball teams have quite a following. « In fact the girls’ basketball teams and boys’ basketball teams, which do play in the winter, are the only teams taking in enough in admission fees to pay for referees, high school principal John Toth said. Profits from the basketball games are used to pay for officials in other sports. The school budget provides only coaches’ stipends and transportation to away competition. Private fundraising provides most of the uniforms and equipment.

For the coming school year Gary Leake, who has been coaching the boys’ varsity basketball team and the Junior Panther team, has also agreed to coach the girls’ varsity basketball team. If both boys’ and girls’ basketball teams played during the winter season that would not be possible. Coach Leake said he has been able to coach the Junior Panther team as well as the boys’ varsity team because the Junior Panthers have a shorter, more compact schedule. v; The whole issue of team seasons was raised in response to criticism that current practices violate Title 9 rules for treating men and women equally in sports.