County, Ringgold Youth Sports Association at odds over gym use
Catoosa County officials are butting heads with the members of the Ringgold Youth Sports Association over the use of a county gym to the point where certain teams are locked out of practice pending an investigation.
On Tuesday night, May 2, RYSA President Earl Epps spoke out to the county Board of Commissioners against allegations that he’s been allowing a team not part of RYSA to use the Poplar Springs gymnasium illegally.
Epps claims the saga began on April 12 when County Manager Jim Walker texted him saying that a couple of the commissioners had questions for him about his travel basketball team known as the “Thunder”.
Epps also claims new Parks and Recreation Director Travis got rid of me,” Epps said. “I found that to be inappropriate -- first of all for the county to get involved with our board, and second, for him to be meeting with our board about board matters.”
Epps says the last week of April was when business really picked up, as he was told on April 24 that practices were cancelled for that night and that the locks had been changed.
The next day, Epps said, the county requested his keys to the old locks, at which time he discussed the matter with commissioners Jim Culter and Ray Johnson.
“On the 27th, I was told by Mr. Barbee that our Thunder kids
would no longer be able to practice or play in county facilities, and that all practices were cancelled for that night,” Epps said. “Twelve teams lost their practice for that week. These are kids of our county who play in our leagues currently. ... It’s just wrong.”
According to County Manager Jim Walker, the whole ordeal was initiated by concerns from members of RYSA that Epps was allowing the Thunder team to use the gym. Walker even took the time to read an email reply he sent to a parent who inquired as to why the players had been locked out of the gym.
“In the email, I apologized for the inconvenience and explained that members of your RYSA board of directors contacted the county approximately three weeks ago to lodge
formal complaint that Thunder basketball was a separate organization with separate financing outside of the regular RYSA league,” Walker said. “Our preliminary investigation concluded that the RYSA league teams have an agreement with our county to practice in our gyms. Thunder basketball teams do not have such an agreement. It would be illegal per the Gratuities Clause of the Georgia Constitution for the county to allow Thunder basketball to use our gyms for practice without a formal contract and without some reciprocal benefit for the county. Your association President on one day claims that Thunder is a separate organization, but on other days claims it is part of RYSA. To eliminate this confusion, we have asked for a complete audit and review of RYSA’s financial books and the financial books of Thunder basketball. We’ve also asked for the
names and addresses of all Thunder players and participants. We cannot move forward without this audit. The county has an obligation, and we cannot and will not allow our facilities to be used illegally. Again, this entire issue was brought to us by your board members.”
The issue got a little more clouded when several parents and Epps chimed in that all the Thunder players are in fact registered through RYSA.
“A group of our league teams choose to travel together to play in tournaments on the weekends and raise separate funds outside of RYSA to pay for that travel and trips,” Epps explained. “All our players are all register through RYSA. ... The only difference in all of this that’s been singled out is the name that’s on the front of their jerseys. How does the county justify locking these kids out? How can they lock these kids out of the gym when
they’ve participated in this league most of their youth sports lives? What’s changed? It’s basically the same parents, the same facility, the same kids, I’m the same person. ... Why are the locks being changed? This is just a bunch of adults hurting kids.”
With more than 25 sports parents in the commission audience, many scoffed at the idea that a board member would have made such an allegation.
“Do you care to name the board member,” one lady asked.
“It’s a lie,” another yelled.
Commission Chairman Steven Henry says the county is simply doing its duty to look into the matter, to make sure all the teams in the county get to use the facilities under the same rules.
“I just want y’all to understand, we’re not trying to stop anybody from playing ball,” Henry said.
A couple of parents
spoke out against the coaching tactics of Epps and others. Parent Matt Williams said his child was told not to smile during competition, while Bret Sullivan claimed Epps got upset with his daughter when she played a pickup game with another team.
“I’m sorry, but what our kid does on a Friday night when RYSA doesn’t have a basketball game, is not RYSA’s business, and not Earl’s business,” Sullivan said. “She can play where she wants to play, and shouldn’t feel threatened and feel like she’s going to get kicked off the team because she went and helped another team out.”
As it stands now, the Thunder players are still unable to use the facilities until Epps and RYSA meet the requirements of the county’s investigation. Walker has asked for the name and address of all Thunder players,
a request Epps claims will prove that all the kids are actually registered through RYSA to begin with.
“All the Thunder teams are registered under RYSA, but the select raise their own funds outside of RYSA to travel and play in additional tournaments,” Epps said. “You play in the league during the week, and then you travel on weekends to tournaments, which is completely separate finances and completely separate everything, but it’s the same kids that are registered through RYSA. You can separate it and make it two separate leagues, but it’s still all RYSA kids.”
County Attorney Chad Young and Henry agreed that all Epps and RYSA need to do is get the player information to Barbee so the county can look it over.
“That’s all we’re asking for, and all this could be over,” Henry said.