Thenorthwestern.com (Oshkosh, Wis.)
The decision to eliminate a regular season game was prompted because of concern over an Aug. 1 start date in 2012 to accommodate the new WIAA plan to eliminate playoff teams playing three games in 10 days. An early start date had several drawbacks, according to WIAA Board of Control member Jim Smasal.
Those drawbacks were; taking more summer days away from families with athletes, how the early start date would affect coaches and their families and the worry about practicing even more during the hottest days of the year.
The eight-game schedule means that football will begin Aug. 6 in 2012.
Included in the measure approved by the Board of Control was a plus-one option where teams that do not make the playoffs can schedule a game after the regular season.
The plan only includes 2012 and Smasal said there is a possibility of the WIAA going back to a nine-game schedule in 2013 when the start date would be Aug. 7 because of the calendar rollover.
There were also talks about extending the playoffs into Thanksgiving weekend, but Smasal said there wasn’t much interest in that proposal.
Smasal acknowledged that not everyone will be happy with the plan, but to get rid of the three games in 10 days, while also keeping in mind the starting and ending dates, was not an easy task.
“Football is a big attraction for communities and it builds community among the high school population,” Smasal said. “We have to be careful how much we change things.”
Area coaches were nearly unanimous in their dislike of the plan upon hearing the news of the eight-game regular season in 2012.
“I think it’s a poor decision,” Oshkosh North coach Chris Kujawa said. “You’re at a time with basketball and baseball adding games, wrestling adding meets, you are adding to other sports and taking away from probably the biggest gate revenue out of any of the sports.
“(The WIAA) doesn’t listen to their membership, they do what they think is best, and when you work in a little box up in Stevens Point and don’t stick your head out of it, you don’t know what’s going on.”
Oshkosh West’s Ken Levine held similar views.
“I personally do not like it at all,” Levine said. “I see other schedules being extended, to reduce a varsity sport to 8 games in one season is pretty ridiculous.
“There are middle school programs that play 8 games or more.”
Although most of the coaches were unhappy with the decision, the three games in 10 days was problem.
“The elimination of the 3 games in 10 days, I was in favor of that,” Omro coach Dave Welhoefer said. “My stance on it and Marty (Goryl)’s, was we wanted to go one week later. We thought the playoffs should be extended into Thanksgiving weekend. It only affects 14 teams and their fan bases. This affects all 400-plus schools in its membership and I don’t see how it’s fair.”
Coaches are hoping that something firm is put in place in the near future to eliminate the stopgap fixes that have occurred recently.
“The WIAA needs to make up its mind on what it needs to do,” Ripon co-head coach Al Schrader said. “I just hope it doesn’t spoil any rivalries.”
For the three Oshkosh schools, the possibility of losing a home game could affect how the district pays the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh for using J.J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium. Some of the money that goes toward paying the university comes from gate and concession revenues from football games.
“It’s too early to tell, but obviously there will be some impact,” Oshkosh West Athletic Director Brad Jodarski said.
The WIAA will convene an ad hoc committee meeting in February or March to focus on moving forward after 2012, according to Smasal.
