The Mendota Township High School Athletic Department is creating a pathway for student-athletes with a new dual-sport athlete policy.

The proposal is set for the rest of the 2025-26 school year and the 2026-27 school year on a trial basis. Prior to the new policy, students were only allowed to participate in one sport per season.

“At the end of the day, it’s a worthwhile endeavor to give it a go and see how it goes,” MHS Principal Joe Masini said. “You can’t foresee everything that’s going to come up. There’s always going to be a conflict that you didn’t think of, so that’s where it falls on a consistent application of the policy.”

In a meeting last summer, there was close to a 50/50 split on support for adopting a dual-sport athlete policy among parents.

In a survey of coaches at MHS, 36.4% were in favor of adopting a dual-sport policy, 45.5% were opposed, and 18.2% said their vote would depend on the specific parameters of the policy.

Guidelines for becoming a dual-sport athlete include a scheduled conference between both sports’ coaches, the athletic director and the student-athlete, where the student-athlete will declare which sport is their primary sport and which is their secondary sport.

Practice and game requirements will be established by the coaches of both sports before the start of their respective seasons.

To consecrate the agreement on a student-athlete’s eligibility to become a two-sport athlete, it must be signed off on by the student-athlete, both coaches, the athletic director and a parent. Once the student has been deemed a dual-sport athlete, they must adhere to a set of rules.

Games of a student’s primary sport always take precedence over those of the secondary sport, but games for their secondary sport supersede practices of the primary sport.

During the season, a student may not change their primary or secondary sport.

The student must attend practices with both sports when possible, but how often and how much time should be devoted to it will be decided upon by both coaches

Approval may be denied because of academic concerns at any time during the season. The student will then participate only in the primary sport as long as all of their academic concerns are addressed.

“It is a lot for a kid to do, but with the right kid in the right mindset, I think it’s plausible,” athletic director Chance Blumhorst said.

If the student is disciplined in the primary or secondary sport for code of conduct or rules violations, the same consequence will be enforced in the other sport for eligibility purposes.

A conflict or disagreement between a dual-sport athlete and a coach that results in a team violation for one sport that denies the athlete’s ability to participate, Athletic Director Blumhorst will evaluate that athlete’s eligibility to participate for the other sport on a case-by-case basis.

If the student-athlete quits one or both teams, they will not have the option to participate in any dual sports for the remainder of the school year.