The approvals of boys’ volleyball, girls’ wrestling and unified bowling as sanctioned sports by the Colorado High School Activities Association last week are expected to mean big things for Discovery Canyon Campus High School.

More sports. More Thunder.

Because the D-20 school offers fewer sports than its public-school counterparts at Air Academy, Liberty, Pine Creek and Rampart, discussions have involved Discovery Canyon as a host school when boys’ volleyball and girls’ wrestling teams make their debuts in the 2020-21 school year.

“It’s not official yet, but I see those two sports starting out as one district team that more than likely will be housed at Discovery Canyon,” Thunder athletic director and assistant principal Ron Sukle said. “Overall, the addition of these sports gives kids another sport to participate in.”

Having one district-wide headquarters isn’t a new concept; Liberty is home to the D-20 field hockey team, while D-20 gymnasts compete under the colors of Rampart. Boys’ lacrosse for years held its base at Air Academy before massive growth of the sport precipitated a second program at Pine Creek that essentially split the district in half.

Boys’ volleyball received its sanctioning after being denied three times.

“This is huge, and it’s been over two decades in the making with countless hours from so many advocates of boys’ volleyball,” said Nathaniel Hansen, a volunteer parent-coach for the past four years. “This means boys’ volleyball will have a public forum in high schools, allowing more exposure and support.”

Hansen is overseeing four teams comprised of student-athletes across several districts in the Colorado Boys High School Volleyball Association. In the past, teams from Pine Creek, The Vanguard School and James Irwin have claimed club state titles.

Sukle, a former longtime wrestling coach at Discovery Canyon, has seen firsthand the growth of female wrestling.

“When a women’s sport gets into the Olympics, it usually starts to take hold,” Sukle said. “We saw women’s freestyle introduced, and it had such a large following right away. We started seeing girls going out for the boys’ team, and over time, it’s just gotten bigger and bigger and exciting to see that continuous growth.”

Each sport went through a rigorous process, which required an establishment of a pilot season and also had to gain approval from CHSAA’s Classification, League Organization and Appeals Committee, the equity committee, the sports medicine committee and board of directors.

It marks the first addition of a CHSAA-sanctioned sport since boys’ lacrosse in 1998, followed by girls’ lacrosse (1997) and field hockey (1996).

“The additions are an opportunity for a variety of different students,” said Pine Creek athletic director and assistant principal Eric Hulen, alluding specifically to unified bowling from previous work through Special Olympics of Colorado. “It speaks to what athletics is truly all about, and that’s being an extension of the classroom. We’re using athletic opportunities to teach life lessons, and that sometimes gets lost in wins and losses and state championships.”

Doherty High School boys play volleyball in 2017. The Colorado High School Activities Association sanctioned boys’ volleyball forthis academic year.

File photo by Dougal Brownlie