09-29-2003, 07:22 AM
|
#1 (permalink)
|
|
will always be an Alyson Hanniganite
Location: In the dust of the archives
|
Sports as parental priorities
Quote:
Parental split lets twins play in Council Bluffs, IA
BY CRAIG SESKER
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
The same day a western Iowa couple became legally separated, their attorneys sent a copy of the decree to the state high school athletic association.
Was their separation an action to make their twin sons eligible to compete in athletics at their new school?
The day after Kurt and Caroline Stamp of Persia, Iowa, became legally separated, the Iowa High School Athletic Association granted the couple's sons, Luke and Mike, eligibility at Council Bluffs Lewis Central.
Hours after the IHSAA ruling, the Stamp twins, sophomores who excel in wrestling and baseball, competed in a football game for Lewis Central.
The Stamps declined to comment for this story, but a judge's decree in the separation said "both parties feel that the current living arrangement maximizes the opportunities available to their children."
Kurt Stamp, who owns a farm near Persia, rented an apartment in Council Bluffs this summer so the boys could establish residency there after spending their freshman year of high school at Neola Tri-Center.
Caroline Stamp and the couple's eighth-grade daughter still live on the farm, and the girl attends Tri-Center.
Mike Larsen, a teammate of Kurt Stamp's on Tri-Center's 1976 state tournament baseball team, said he was surprised to learn of the separation. Larsen's son, Bryan, was a teammate of the Stamp twins on Tri-Center's baseball team.
"I have known Kurt and Caroline all their lives - I can't believe anybody would go that far," Larsen said. "What does a kid go to school for? Education or sports? My wife is my best friend. I would never do something like that to her."
Kurt and Caroline Stamp were granted a legal separation Sept. 11 in Pottawattamie County District Court in Council Bluffs. Later that day, an IHSAA official said he received a copy of the decree from the Stamps' attorneys.
After the IHSAA ruled them eligible the next day, the Stamp twins played in backup roles in Lewis Central's football game at Adel ADM.
The twins, who enrolled at Lewis Central in August, were ineligible for the school's season-opening game against Council Bluffs St. Albert on Sept. 4.
Iowa's open-enrollment rules do not apply to this case since Luke and Mike Stamp did not apply in time to be eligible for the 2003-04 school year.
The IHSAA's transfer rule states in part that "it must be certain parents have made a bona fide change of residence, meaning that all of their household goods have been removed from their previous residence and transferred to their new residence; that the parents actually reside day and night in their new home; that no attempts are made in any way to circumvent the meaning of the transfer rule."
The legal separation by their parents on Sept. 11 allowed the Stamp twins to gain eligibility, said Rick Wulkow, assistant executive director of the IHSAA. The association grants a transfer student eligibility "if he is living with one of the parents as a result of divorce, separation, death or a change in the parents' marital relationship."
Kurt and Caroline Stamp, both standout athletes at Tri-Center in the 1970s, have been married 24 years. Kurt Stamp filed for legal separation on Aug. 26. The Stamps were granted joint custody of their children.
The boys live with their father in the apartment in Council Bluffs. Kurt Stamp has agreed to pay $1,000 a month in support for his wife and daughter.
When contacted to be interviewed, Kurt Stamp said: "This is bull--, it's bull--. I can't believe you guys are doing this," before hanging up.
Kurt Stamp was represented by Curtis J. Heithoff, a Council Bluffs attorney. Caroline Stamp was represented by Frank W. Pechacek Jr. and Trent D. Reinert, also Council Bluffs attorneys.
Attorneys for the Stamps did not return phone calls to The World-Herald seeking comment.
In the "petition for separate maintenance" that was filed in district court, Kurt Stamp, the petitioner, stated: "There has been a breakdown of the marriage relationship to the extent that the legitimate objects of matrimony have been destroyed, and there remains no reasonable likelihood that the marriage can be preserved."
But the judge's decree states the Stamps "do not wish that their marriage be dissolved at this time."
Court documents show the Stamps requested a waiver of the usual 90-day waiting period so the separation could be immediately finalized. It was granted by District Judge G.C. Abel.
The Stamps are involved in a large farming operation and a seed corn business. The decree states the Stamps "have agreed to work together to continue their farming and seed corn operations and are confident that their businesses will continue to thrive."
Lewis Central Football Coach Duane Orr said the Stamp twins have "fit in real well" on their new team.
"It doesn't seem like anything has had a negative effect on them," Orr said. "Luke and Mike always have a smile on their faces. I don't know much about all the hoopla this has created.
"They are outstanding young men and unbelievably coachable with tremendous work ethics."
This is at least the second case in Iowa in which athletes have been permitted to transfer after their parents legally separated.
The parents of Oskaloosa wrestling brothers Brandon and Brady Graham legally separated last February, just a week prior to the district tournament. That allowed Brady Graham to move with his mother into the Southeast Polk district and gain immediate eligibility.
Both Grahams qualified for state, Brandon for Oskaloosa and Brady for Southeast Polk.
Luke and Mike Stamp excelled in wrestling and baseball as freshmen at Tri-Center.
Both qualified for state in wrestling in Class 1-A, Mike at 135 pounds and Luke at 119. Lewis Central has one of the state's top Class 3-A programs.
In baseball, both Stamps played key roles on Tri-Center's Class 2-A district title team.
Luke Stamp led the Western Iowa Conference in hitting and was an all-conference infielder. He was the team's No. 1 pitcher. Mike Stamp was an all-conference catcher.
The Lewis Central baseball program is one of the best in Class 4-A.
Tri-Center Superintendent Brett Nanninga said in a statement he wished Luke and Mike Stamp the best.
"We were fortunate to have the opportunity to get to know them, work with them, and invest in them during the first 10 years of their education," Nanninga said. "Their presence and leadership will be missed at Tri-Center, but our students will fill the gaps, make the necessary adjustments and successfully move forward."
|
Link to the article in the Omaha World Herald.
The actions of this Iowa couple cross an already-compromised line. Our responsibility as parents is to raise well-rounded men and women, not single-minded professional athletes, for the future of this country and world.
__________________
"I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires." - Susan B. Anthony
"Hedonism with rules isn't hedonism at all, it's the Republican party." - JumpinJesus
It is indisputable that true beauty lies within...but a nice rack sure doesn't hurt.
|
|
|
