Large #WarsawTigers crowd voices concerns over #wrestling singlets and not reappointing girls soccer coach https://t.co/V2TMIDTnAT
— armdrag.com (@wnywrestling) December 12, 2018
WARSAW — It was just after 6:30 p.m. when members of the Warsaw Central School Board of Education hauled in a few extra rows of chairs to accommodate the surplus of attendees that swarmed in for Tuesday's regular board meeting. As the crowd of concerned parents and students sporting "Tiger pride" gear filed in to fill the extra seats, placing hands over their hearts for the pledge to the flag, the tension in the room proved palpable — not all faces were smiling.
"Three years ago, Lance Bush donated championship singlets to the wrestling team," district resident Beth Mann read from a prepared statement as soon as the public comment session opened about 10 minutes later. "On Dec. 22 of that year, the team was informed that one of their coaches, Brad Paddock, had passed away. The coaches told the boys that they wanted to cancel the match that was scheduled in Perry that night. The boys' response was a surprise. They said,'That's not what Brad would have wanted. He would want us to wrestle,' and they did."