COMMENTARY: System Remains Flawed

By Kurt Voigt

Posted: November 13, 2009 at 5:46 a.m.

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FAYETTEVILLE — Four years ago, the leaders of Arkansas’ high school athletic programs made a mistake.

Now those same leaders are trying to correct that mistake without actually admitting they made one in the first place, except they can’t seem to agree on what the problem is.

Up until 2006-07, 32 teams occupied the state’s largest classification. Beginning in that cycle, that number was cut in half — thanks to a vote by the member schools of the Arkansas Activities Association that created two separate classes with 16 teams each.

The vote was widely criticized, most notably by coaches who value true competition, but all the while many of the state’s principals and athletic directors stood firm, and why wouldn’t they have? Those from the schools in the bottom half of the enrollment numbers had screamed to anyone who would listen they couldn’t compete with the bigger schools.

Of course, they did that despite more than their fair share of success — including placing a team in the championship football game in each of the final two years of a 32-team classification.

It wasn’t only the schools from the lower half of classification, however, that railroaded the split through. One big school in particular, Conway, claimed it wanted the split so there could be a “Super Conference,” but what it really wanted was an easier shot at a state title — something its football team hadn’t won since the 1960s.

It’s easier to win when you only have 15 schools to finish ahead of rather than 31.

So, the vote was passed and here we are, four years later. Teams with 5-5 regular-season records like Mountain Home in 2006 have played for state championships, and a 3-7 Sheridan team is in the Class 6A playoffs this year.

The championships and memories don’t feel any different to the players and parents. They still get to hear Queen’s 1970s signature song “We Are The Champions” played after winning one of the 14 state titles handed out in girls and boys basketball each spring in Hot Springs.

But it’s an illusion. Sixteen teams competing for a state title simply isn’t as difficult as 32, and the level of competition has suffered across the state — as well as casual statewide interest in all high school sports.

The only positive to the split is that — while they don’t admit it — the principals and athletic directors know there is a problem and they’ve been trying to do something to fix it. Using excuses like too much travel, a committee has been formed to draw up a new playoff solution.

Don’t get too excited, however. It’s an illusion as well, because no matter what there’s still going to be one championship per 16 schools in the largest two classifications.

“You can never go back,” one Class 7A athletic director said. “The principals and (athletic directors) have their communities all fired up, thinking they’re good because they’ve won state titles and are getting rings.

“The (Class 6A) Mountain Homes and Lake Hamiltons think they are really good, and they always will now unless we had an overall (tournament) and realized what they really are.”

The problem is nobody can seem to agree on what exactly needs to be fixed. Originally, the split was done because of a perceived unfairness in enrollment numbers and it later turned into an debate on travel and safety.

One recent proposal would have put all 16 Class 7A teams in the playoffs, as if 12 out of 16 — as is the case now — wasn’t watered down enough. That involved a complex power rating formula, based on strength of schedule, but thankfully it was voted down earlier this week.

“They don’t have a clue,” one Class 7A coach said about the administrators who did the voting. “They don’t know what they’re going to do.”

Now it’s back to the drawing board. That is, if they can even agree on what it is they’re trying to fix.

“Nobody can tell us what the objective is,” the athletic director said. “We can’t stay on a consistent objective. Is it travel, competition, enrollment size? Nobody is consistent about what we’re trying to fix.

“It’s an endless circle of not getting anything done.”

Something was done four years ago when the decision was made to split from 32 schools to 16. Correct that one mistake, and any talk of playoff revisions and travel concerns would end — and real competition would begin again.

Sadly, it’s never going to happen.

KURT VOIGT IS THE ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR FOR NORTHWEST ARKANSAS NEWSPAPERS.

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