Aurora – Prep football in the spring, and baseball in June.
To be sure, today’s Colorado High School Activities Association board of control meeting at the Radisson Hotel Southeast features noteworthy items.
As assistant CHSAA commissioner Bert Borgmann said, some entries “may prove interesting.”
As usual, football will figure prominently in material presented to the 66-member board.
On tap are discussions concerning the possibility of spring football and other changes within the seven classifications.
Spring football would involve 12 days of practice, including with pads and a jamboree date of sorts for scrimmaging, at the end of the school year. Proponents cite the implementation of it in other states as well as bringing the game more within line of other sports in the offseason. Opponents question the need, cost and potential conflict with other sports and down time.
“From it,” Borgmann said, “we could possibly rewrite the summer-camp bylaw.”
Within the game’s confines, Classes 3A and 2A are seeking seeded playoff brackets, and 5A hopes to adopt the 4A style of wild-card points, bringing the victory-point system more within a balance of the two classes.
In addition, 2A is seeking a 10-week regular season (it now has nine), and 2A and 3A are requesting predetermined championships. Both are targeted for 2008.
Borgmann also might be put in position to readjust 5A’s 32-team postseason bracket. With 32 of the 39 big-school teams qualifying for the playoffs, the inevitable meetings of league foes are a given, but Borgmann could be given the power to switch early round games when feasible.
Elsewhere, changes and proposals dot the other 20 sanctioned sports.
There are proposals to add classifications for cross country and boys golf as well as enhance the way coaches are permitted to mentor their players during golf matches.
In what could be one of the boldest moves in years, board personnel will rule on a move to extend the baseball season to the second weekend in June. Historically, the game has been capped by the third weekend in May.
The CHSAA executive committee is proposing a bylaw that would allow an exemption for an in-state school to participate in a tournament during the winter dead period provided the school was participating in an event sponsored by the National Federation of State High School Associations and with permission of CHSAA commissioner Bill Reader. In the past, any movement toward permitting play during the holidays hasn’t come close to passing.
Other possible exceptions in proposals include allowing Sunday contact with a club coach who also is a prep coach and for competitors and coaches in all-star games after their season is completed.
There will be discussion concerning minor changes in outlay and postseason qualifying for lacrosse, boys soccer, tennis and volleyball, and leagues are being encouraged to establish further guidelines for sportsmanship.
Neil H. Devlin can be reached at 303-954-1714 or ndevlin@denverpost.com.
