OSAA athletic plan has few fans in Eugene/Springfield
By Tom Adams KVAL NewsEUGENE, Ore. - If you're a student-athlete or parent in the Midwestern League or the Southwest Conference, look out. Another sports redistricting proposal is in the works. Local school districts say there are some major problems. This new proposal from the Oregon School Activities Association has 2005 written all over it. You'll remember that's the last time league redistricting hit the headlines. The last major redistricting broke up part of the Midwestern League and sent Sheldon and South Eugene packing to the new 6-A Southwest Conference. The early version of this trial balloon has the Southwest Conference expanding to include Bend and Redmond High Schools. For the 5-A Midwestern League, Marist High School, a Eugene 4-A campus, would be added. However, also on the roster is Crater (in Central Point), Ashland and Eagle Point High Schools--all deep in Southern Oregon. That would mean long road trips for students. District 4J spokesperson, Kerry Delf, tells KVAL the potential costs just pile up. "The more cost to the district, the more use of fuel, the more hours on the road -- which can be a safety concern," Delf said. Athletic Director Barry Bokn of Willamette High School attended an all day OSAA session Monday on the plan. He says, "You talked about the train just pulling out of the station. I think that's really where we are at. We just want to do the right thing for kids." OSAA directors will talk about this proposal again next month. Bokn says for the kids' sake, he's hoping some common sense will prevail. He adds there are plenty of alternatives, where schools compete with nearby opponents, even if they are in different classifications. Then in the playoffs, they stick to schools in their classification. Bokn explains, "We save travel costs that way. We don't need to get out of class as early. It's still very competitive." If you're a Midwestern League team on the coast, those costs are just magnified. A case in point is Marshfield High School in Coos Bay, which is used to road trips to the Willamette Valley. Athletic Director Greg Mulkey says, "For us to travel to the Medford area and even more down the road to Ashland or Klamath Falls, is a greater distance than for us to come to the Eugene area." Athletic directors are fairly confident, though, that the OSAA will be more open to changes and that this story will have a different ending. The OSAA meets again Feb. 23 on this redistricting formula. A final recommendation to the committee is due in October. In 2006, the last OSAA plan wound up in the courts. The Oregon Court of Appeals ultimately rejected the case from the Eugene School District. |
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