Last week, the Jim Thorpe Board of Education voted to move its sports programs from the Schuylkill League to the Colonial League.

Judging by interviews with a sampling of the Olympians’ coaches, the move had the backing of the school’s athletic teams.

Perhaps the one sport that will benefit the most from the move is tennis.

“I’m very excited about joining the Colonial League,” said Sam Lux - who coaches both the boys and girls teams at the school. “We finally get an opportunity to play in a league tournament at the end of the season, something the Schuylkill League did not offer because of a lack of schools that sponsored the sport.”

Lux believes the competition will be tougher in the new league, but is ready to prepare his players to take on the challenge.

“There are some strong programs like Moravian and Southern Lehigh. Sometimes we have competed against their players in the districts and they’ve been very good.”

This past season, Thorpe defeated Colonial League members Pen Argyl and Salisbury, but lost to Bangor.

Lux - who was a standout tennis and basketball player during his playing days at Jim Thorpe - isn’t certain about how the league will operate its post season tournament.

“I believe it will be individual singles and doubles and not team competition,” he said. “So that might mean each of the 10 teams is represented in the tournament, and the players will be seeded according to their season’s records.”

Lux described the most significant benefit with Jim Thorpe’s entry into the new league with two words - more tennis.

“Since we currently play an independent schedule, if we don’t qualify anyone for districts, our season would be over in a month,” he said.

Boys basketball coach Jason McElmoyle also favors the move.

“I like it for two reasons,” McElmoyle said. “Jim Thorpe players have never been invited to the Schuylkill League All Star game and at least in recent years, when Pottsville had the best record, the league championship game has been played on their home court.”

Thorpe has been competing against CL hoop teams regularly during McElmoyle’s tenure, having played Northern Lehigh, Palmerton and Saucon Valley this past season.

Asked if he saw any difference in the style of play between the leagues, McElmoyle replied, “I think the Schuylkill League teams are more physical, and the Colonial League teams play more of an offensive-oriented game. We like to stress defense, so we’ll look forward to trying to slow down some of their teams. There are really good teams in both leagues, and the competition level is about equal.”

Baseball coach Joe Marykwas is also on board with the move to the Colonial League.

“It’s good for Jim Thorpe. It’s more of a natural fit,” Marykwas said. “We can build better rivalries with schools closer to us like Palmerton, Lehighton, Northern Lehigh, and Northwestern. I think from top to bottom, there is better competition regarding solid year-to-year baseball programs, and depending upon how the Colonial League aligns their divisions, our travel could be of less distance than it is now.”

Marykwas is looking forward to his program getting more recognition and more postseason opportunities than is currently offered by the Schuylkill League.

“The Schuylkill League is more focused on Schuylkill County schools, and we’re on the outside of a lot of the media outlets that cover the league,” he said. “In addition, only four teams qualify for the Schuylkill League playoffs, while in the Colonial League, six teams qualify.”

Track coach Frank Miller is looking forward to building positive relationships with the Colonial League schools.

“We had great relationships with the Schuylkill League for my 17 years as head coach, but change is good and it will bring us a new energy,” Miller said.

Miller added that there are some top-flight track and field programs for both boys and girls in the CL - particularly Palmerton and Southern Lehigh, with Northwestern, Saucon Valley, and Bangor also being very competitive.

Unlike other team-oriented sports, track is slightly different because it’s more about individual performance.

“It will be nice to see different color uniforms, but at the end of the day, track athletes compete against themselves.”

The board of education’s decision came several weeks after Lehighton also approved a move to the Colonial League. The addition of Jim Thorpe and Lehighton increases the league’s number of full-time members to 15.

Some adjustments will have to be made with regard to scheduling, but it’s evident that Jim Thorpe coaches are looking forward to a new league beginning in the fall of 2024.