The Tamaqua Junior High wrestling team’s potential involvement at a tournament early next year has again sparked debate.

Since one of the days the tournament falls on is a Sunday, approval was needed for participation of the team at the annual District XI Coaches Association tournament Feb. 18-19.Director Bryan Miller, who serves on the board’s auxiliary committee, made the recommendation to place a resolution on the Dec. 20 board meeting agenda.Before the vote, board President Larry Wittig asked how the tournament is of any benefit. He said he voted against the measure the last time, and will do so again this time around.Superintendent Ray Kinder told Wittig the benefit for the wrestlers who compete in it is that it’s a “culminating tournament for the athletes.”Wittig called into question the tournament compromising the district’s policy. High school Principal Thomas McCabe said he believes the tournament first started being held on a Sunday several years ago.“The students that we have tend to do well at the high school level,” McCabe said. “I think this is unique in the fact that this is a districtwide culmination of the season.”Kinder said the district has seen an increase in the number of wrestlers involved in the program this year.Further, Kinder said the district would not want to allow students to participate on that Saturday, qualify, and then not allow them to compete on Sunday.Assistant Elementary Principal J.J. Fasnacht said the wrestlers strive to excel so that they can be a part of the tournament.“This is the tournament they’re working toward all year to try to do well at because it’s the most prestigious thing they have,” Fasnacht said.In January, Wittig called into question a scheduled wrestling tournament because he said it could interfere with church attendance.Specifically, Wittig questioned at that time why that tournament had to be held on a Sunday, stating that he felt the matter was a “bad precedent to discourage church attendance.”Regardless, the board later that month on a 4-2 vote, with Wittig among those opposed, approved the participation of the wrestling team at that tournament.Also on Tuesday, the auxiliary committee recommended the request of the district’s athletic department for permission to take the high school baseball team for a spring training weekend practice trip to Laurel, Maryland, March 17-19.The request includes an 8 a.m. early dismissal for students participating.All costs are funded by the Tamaqua Baseball Boosters.