Athletic equinox

BY PAUL KAMPE
Clarkston News Staff Writer
After nearly a decade of litigation and preparation, Clarkston’s coaches said they and their athletes are prepared for a change in the wake of a judiciary decision made last week.
Starting in the 2007-?08 school year, girls basketball will move from the fall season to winter to coincide with boys basketball. Girls volleyball will move from winter to fall season. Boys golf and girls tennis moves from the fall to the spring. Girls golf and boys tennis will change from the spring and be played in the fall from now on, giving returning athletes what some coaches called an extended season because of the proximity of the end of spring sports season and beginning of fall season.
The Supreme Court of the United States decided it would not hear the case made by the Michigan High School Athletic Association to overturn a lower appellate court’s decision in favor of the association’s pursuer, Communities for Equity.
The move will align Michigan’s athletic seasons with nearly all of the same programs throughout the nation.
Diane Madsen, co-founder of Communities for Equity, is oone of two named plaintiffs in the case
The group’s lawsuit came after exhausting other methods to get female athletics on par with boys?.
‘We didn’t get resolution in any of those avenues and our school districts would tell us, ‘we’re not in control of these issues,?? Madsen said.
After filing suit in 1998, the only issue unresolved between the two sides prior to the 2001 beginning of the trial, were the disadvantageous seasons dealt to girls? sports by the MHSAA. The others, which dealt with various gender discriminations, Madsen said, were hashed out in a two-month span.
The case is more about equity and fairness than many believe, Madsen said.
‘It made it sound as if this case was only about seasons and it was not.?
‘This case is pure and simple. (It’s) about discrimination. Period.?
A focal point in the wake of the final verdict in the case has been the notion that the lawsuit centered around a lack of scholarships available for female athletes.
‘That’s one of the many harms caused, but it’s no more important than any of the other issues,? Madsen said.
The MHSAA was found in violation of not only Title IX, but civil rights law and the protections afforded by the 14th amendment to the United States Constitution.
Madsen said the case has likely made more people aware of Title IX and hopefully raised awareness to civil rights violations. Female athletes were put in a place where they had been treated as second-class citizens, given the leftovers from the male seasons, Madsen said.
‘It’s sad that the discrimination is so accepted. Sometimes you have to change in order to be fair,? she said.
Title IX, passed in 1972, was created to increase opportunities for females, athletically and academically, by forbidding discrimination based on sex in any federally-funded activity.
Madsen said the next step is to ensure compliance measures are being made fair and equitable including support services and scheduling.
Jon Johnson, communications director for the MHSAA, said schools appeared satisfied with the seasonal alignment created in the 1970’s.
‘If schools had expressed dissatisfaction, there’s a process they could have used to (facilitate change),? he said.
The MHSAA routinely surveys member schools, Johnson said, finding results regularly in the 80 percent approval rating. Despite the findings, he said the organization must obey the court’s wishes.
‘Now we must play with the hand we were dealt. Schools must step up and continue to maximize the quantity and quality (of athletics) for the kids,? Johnson said.
Clarkston Athletic Director Dan Fife said there may be scheduling conflicts when boys and girls basketball play in the winter, but the school’s biggest difficulty could be arranging game officials. With the change, many referees could be officiating 3-4 nights per week, he said.
‘We’ve planned on it for two different years, everyone’s ready for it,? Fife said.
‘The state told us to prepare for it and it kept getting kicked around the courts.?
The costs associated with the events should remain the same as the current format, Fife said.
Fife said multi-sport commitments by athletes may need to be changed due to the new alignment.
‘For kids, its going to be an issue because they need to make decisions,? Fife said.
‘There are kids out there who are going to have to make tough decisions.?
The student-athletes are not the only ones the ruling affects. Clarkston girls basketball coach Tim Wasilk became the coach of the boys junior varsity basketball team prior the boys? hoops season in November.
Wasilk said he will stay with the girls? team, his third with the group.
‘When you coach two sports, there’s benefits to both (and) I had to decide,? Wasilk said.
The winter season could get much more intense, Wasilk said.
‘It’s going to bring a lot of excitement throughout the season.
‘Other states have proven successful with that (format).
The change may allow members of the girls? basketball team to play for Kelly Avenall’s varsity volleyball team in the fall. Previously, volleyball gave way to AAU hoops in the winter, which will now be home to just basketball.
‘We may see a lot of girls who play for me, playing volleyball,? Wasilk said.
‘That might be a plus for both programs.?
Both Wasilk and Avenall disagreed with the notion that CFE’s lawsuit was necessary to get more attention paid to athletes by college recruiters.
‘If a player is good enough to play in college, they will get noticed,? Wasilk said.
?(Coaches) will make time to come watch you play.?
‘I really don’t think our seasons had any bearing on scholarships,? Avenall seconded.
‘I don’t think it’s ever been said that Michigan lacks in getting volleyball scholarships.?
Avenall said she is taking the change in stride. One positive is the extra time leading up to the season where she can work with players.
Clarkston boys golf coach Mark Wiegand said the golf season, from which his team’s returning players will have nearly 16 months recess, will need much adjustment. Typically, the boys begin their season with a running start from summer tournaments and invitationals. The team also has relationships with area courses for scheduling practices and matches. Also, Wiegand said, more course time is available for the boys in the fall because that time of year is less favorable for the course’s clientele.
Wiegand’s major concern, he said, is the impact on the team’s collegiate prospects.
‘Their senior season will not exist,? he said.
‘Those decisions will be made prior to their senior season.?
Conversely, Clarkston boys tennis coach Charles Claus will switch from a spring season ripe with unpredictable weather to a more desirable fall slot on the courts. Clarkston’s summer vacation will serve as the only stoppage in the Wolves play leading into the fall.
‘We’re at the beginning of an eight-match season. I’ll be treating it as one extended season instead of two separate ones,? Claus said.
The boys, used to spending time hitting at Deer Lake Athletic Club during unfavorable weather, will reap the benefits of outdoor play both in the quantity the school’s courts can hold and more realistic hitting conditions, which cannot be simulated indoors, Claus said.
For all the decision’s amenities, the switch will inconvenience more people than it will help, Claus said.
The boys? tennis squad has members who will be forced to pick between the courts and soccer or football in fall, at smaller programs in the state where dual-sport coaching is more common, well-qualified coaches will be forced to leave programs. Female tennis players will be in the same college recruiting boat as their male golf counterparts, he said.
‘They would have to have already made college decisions by (season’s beginning). Those kids are going to have to fall back on past works,? Claus said.