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WIAA Board of Control approves spring sports recommendations

10/07/2016, 3:15pm CDT
By WSN

From the WIAA -- 

The Board of Control acted on a pair of baseball coaches’ recommendations impacting the season regulations, approved an amnesty provision and passed the 2016-17 operational budget at its October meeting today. 

Beginning in 2017, the first games of the summer baseball regional tournament will be held Tuesday with the regional final to be played Wednesday. This adds another day of rest relative to the new pitch count mandates and the possibility of rain outs, which will allow teams to have their entire pitching staff available for sectionals. In a related discussion, the methods for recording and tracking the pitch counts were presented to the Board.

In addition, the Board approved a baseball coaches’ recommendation to reduce the distance required for traveling to regional seed meetings to 80 miles from the host school beginning in 2017. The former mandate states 120 miles from the host meeting site.

The sports of track & field and softball had no recommended changes to the Season Regulations. However, the proposed 2017 State Softball Tournament schedule with the five-division format was presented with seven games Thursday and Friday, and five championship games slated for Saturday. Other softball discussions identified Madison College as the preferred alternate State Tournament site. 

The unanimous vote of the Board to provide temporary relief in the membership’s Code of Conduct section of the Rules of Eligibility allows its members to conform to the state’s amnesty law passed last spring. The decision temporarily suspends the WIAA rule requiring a suspension of at least one game for violations of a school’s code for possession or use of alcohol­–in cases of victims reporting a sexual assault and who cooperate with law enforcement. Inserting the amnesty provision into the Rules of Eligibility permanently will require a vote of the membership at the Annual Meeting next April.

The Board gave its approval to the 2016-17 operations budget of approximately $8 million. The budget continues to be largely driven by tournament series revenues and expenses, which is significantly influenced by weather and match-ups. The new budget reflects a steady flow of revenue from tournament gate receipts and sponsorship and royalties, and acknowledges the continued costs for hosting tournaments, legal fees and building maintenance.

The Board also approved a recommendation by the executive staff to support an amendment to the current NFHS Network agreement that continues the payment of rights fees at the same level for the next three years with an increase in the fourth and fifth year of the agreement.  

Among the other topics discussed were potential Constitutional amendments, Area Meetings, Sports Medical Policies and Procedures Manual updates, reimbursements to schools when tournament games are moved to a different site, expanded school-sponsored summer coach contact, officials’ payment practices and an awareness that the Wisconsin State Music Association State Marching Band competition is scheduled on the same day as WIAA Tournaments in the fall of 2017.

The Board received liaison reports from Mike Thompson of the Department of Public Instruction, John Ashley of the Wisconsin Association of School Boards and Tim Collins of the Wisconsin Athletic Directors Association.  

The membership of the WIAA oversees interscholastic athletic programs for 514 senior high schools and 37 junior high/middle level schools in its membership. It sponsors 27 championship tournament series for boys and girls in 2016-17. 

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