WIAA Winter Sports Regulation Changes/Updates (Thu 06/21/18)

[TomM]

WIAA Winter Sports Regulation Changes/Updates (Thu 06/21/18)

The Board approved six other wrestling recommendations into the season regulations. Two of the items involve junior varsity programs. One allows junior varsity wrestlers to represent the team in a junior varsity dual and exhibition on the same night subject to the individual participation limitations. The other adds a Wisconsin adaptation that allows junior varsity dual meets to reduce the number of NFHS weight classes. Both regulations take effect in next season.

Two other approved recommendations in wrestling addresses seeding the State Team Wrestling Tournament. The first moves the seed meeting to the Saturday morning of the State individual tournament. The second eliminates the random draw aspect of the seeding to now seed all eight Division 1 and all four Divisions 2 and 3 qualifying teams.

The remaining two approved recommendations eliminates the triplicate weigh-in sheet for dual meets and removes language that addresses substituting wrestlers in the State individual tournament. Beginning in 2018-19, the next qualifying individual will advance if an opening in the bracket occurs, except in the case of a wrestler not making weight or being disqualified for a skin condition.


BOARD APPROVES UNPRECEDENTED WINTER SPORTS REGULATIONS AT JUNE MEETING

STEVENS POINT, Wis. -- The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Board of Control reviewed and acted on coaches' committee recommendations impacting winter sports, including two unparalleled decisions, at its June meeting today.

In the first unprecedented move, the Board approved a coaches recommendation in an attempt to address cooperative team concerns in gymnastics. Beginning in 2019-20, a co-op team would only be eligible for the tournament series if it includes only two schools or if the combined enrollment of the co-op program is less than the largest stand-alone school program in the respective divisional placement. Individual competitors from ineligible co-ops will be eligible for the individual competition only.

The second unique decision adds language to the season regulations in wrestling that allows teams with eight or fewer wrestlers that submit, and are approved for, a waiver to scrimmage with other schools with eight or fewer wrestlers up to two times per week during the regular season beginning in 2018-19.

The Board approved six other wrestling recommendations into the season regulations. Two of the items involve junior varsity programs. One allows junior varsity wrestlers to represent the team in a junior varsity dual and exhibition on the same night subject to the individual participation limitations. The other adds a Wisconsin adaptation that allows junior varsity dual meets to reduce the number of NFHS weight classes. Both regulations take effect in next season.

Two other approved recommendations in wrestling addresses seeding the State Team Wrestling Tournament. The first moves the seed meeting to the Saturday morning of the State individual tournament. The second eliminates the random draw aspect of the seeding to now seed all eight Division 1 and all four Divisions 2 and 3 qualifying teams.

The remaining two approved recommendations eliminates the triplicate weigh-in sheet for dual meets and removes language that addresses substituting wrestlers in the State individual tournament. Beginning in 2018-19, the next qualifying individual will advance if an opening in the bracket occurs, except in the case of a wrestler not making weight or being disqualified for a skin condition.

Four hockey recommendations received approval from the Board. In an ongoing trend to seed State tournaments, boys hockey coaches of teams advancing to the tournament quarterfinals will determine the seeds for the eight qualifying boys teams, and the four coaches of the teams advancing to the girls State tournament semifinals will seed the four qualifying girls teams beginning in 2018-19. In 2020 when the boys tournament transitions to four teams in two divisions, the boys coaches in each division will seed all four teams in each bracket. 
In another seeding-related item in hockey, the highest-seeded team will be designated the home team throughout the entire tournament series. The highest-seeded team will wear white uniforms and have the final line change beginning next season.

Other hockey items passed by the Board include a requirement of a two-year commitment for programs opting to play up a division and to allow 22 players in uniform and a maximum of two high school student managers, four coaches and one medical person on the bench during the tournament series.

The Board approved two additional recommendations in gymnastics. They voted to permit a replacement for a gymnast who has qualified for the State tournament but is unable to participate at State. The substitution is limited to only the sixth-place finisher in the respective event at the sectional competition.

Also approved was the recommendation to utilize the Capital Cup format, replacing the current Modified Capital Cup format, for the team and individual competitions at the State Gymnastics Championships beginning in 2019.

Of the numerous basketball recommendations considered by the Board, three were approved. One adds the language "If there are an uneven number of schools for Divisions 3 and 4, Division 4 will include one more school than Division 3" to the current tournament procedures.

The other action items passed in basketball limits schools to no more than two representatives at seed meetings, and a requirement to have coaches enter a player's statistics on December 20, January 20 and February 20 to be eligible for the WIAA 3-Point Challenge.

The Board also ratified spring cooperative programs for the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons, winter sports season statements, general fund financial statements and payments, football early start waivers for this fall and a spending resolution during development of the 2018-19 operational budget. It also approved a special election for the 2018-19 gender at-large representative on the Board of Control and the nonpublic school at-large representative on the Advisory Council. The election will be held as soon as it can be administratively processed.

Among the additional discussions were a review of the 2018 spring State tournaments, the 2018 New Athletic Director Workshop, football-only conference realignment, a reminder of the 16-team nonconference tournament prohibition in basketball, possible 2018 Area Meeting topics, and potential Constitution items for the 2019 Annual Meeting.

The Board also received liaison reports from John Ashley of the Wisconsin Association of School Boards and Jeremy Schlitz of the Wisconsin Athletic Directors Association.

The membership of the WIAA oversees interscholastic athletic programs for 512 senior high schools and 43 junior high/middle level schools in its membership. It sponsors 27 championship tournament series for boys and girls in 2017-18. For more information, please contact the WIAA office at (715) 344-8580.

# WIAA #

Todd C. Clark
Director of Communications
Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association
5516 Vern Holmes Dr.
Stevens Point, WI 54482
(715) 344-8580
tclark@wiaawi.org
www.wiaawi.org

[DocWrestling]

Sure seems like some nice positives giving wrestling teams some flexibility

[GradeTough]

No changes for the individual State tournament. Maybe they are another year away from introducing changes.

[Coach V]

Nothing about the major issues. Just enough little things to say they made lots of changes. Time to regroup and adjust the plan.

[MNbadger]

I have a question.  For years I have wondered why D1, D2, and D3 are handled differently in regard to how many individuals are in the state brackets, seeding, etc...... why is this the case?

[TomM]

I have a question.  For years I have wondered why D1, D2, and D3 are handled differently in regard to how many individuals are in the state brackets, seeding, etc...... why is this the case?

The WIAA held a priciple that the qualifier numbers in each division were determined according to the number of high school students those schools represented. (not the number of kids out for a sport, but the number of kids attending those schools). This was a WIAA principle implemented in all sports.
The number of students enrolled at the D1 schools (the first 128 schools are D1 as that number is divisible by 8, which is a basic bracketing number, as is 16) was twice as many as in both D2 and D3. The remaining schools (after the first 128) was divided in half, I believe according to attendance figures (I'm a bit foggy on that part).
The original numbers for D1, D2, D3 were D1 = 16, D2 = 8, D3 = 8.
The WWCA Executive Committee, in about 1997-1998, requested D2 and D3 third place sectional finishers qualify for state, making those numbers D2 = 12 and D3 = 12. The basis was an argument so many great wrestlers were being left home who placed 3rd at sectionals. This went into effect six or seven years later (2003 or 2004? not certain).

This did not and does not follow the previous WIAA principle of representing populations in high schools.
I am not sure how this has been affected in other sports that have more than three or less than three divisions.

[MNbadger]

Thanks for the clarification.  So this begs another question......Why not equal numbers in each division? 

[TomM]

Thanks for the clarification.  So this begs another question......Why not equal numbers in each division? 

What would you suggest?

[bigoil]

Thanks for the clarification.  So this begs another question......Why not equal numbers in each division? 

What would you suggest?

112/113 teams in a division
16 regionals each division
8 sectionals each division
16 man bracket at state for each division
WB to 3rd
2 match minimum

[ramjet]

Thanks for the clarification.  So this begs another question......Why not equal numbers in each division? 

What would you suggest?

112/113 teams in a division
16 regionals each division
8 sectionals each division
16 man bracket at state for each division
WB to 3rd
2 match minimum

Excellent

[MNbadger]

This is what I have been suggesting and have posted several times.  This what we do in MN. 

[MNbadger]

Why make things SO complicated and different from division to division?
Here it is again:
MN has 242 teams
A 83 teams (9-11 teams per section)
AA 84 teams (9-011 teams per section)
AAA 75 teams (9-10 teams per section)

WI has 333 teams
D1 127 teams divided by 8 = 16 team
D2 103 teams divided by 8 = 13 team
D3 103 teams divided by 8 = 13 team
Or you could put 111 teams in each division giving you 13.8 teams per section.  This would work the same as the system in MN. 
We wrestle Wednesday/Saturday for Team Sections.  Our section actually does 7vs10 and 8vs9 on Wednesday night and the final 8 on Friday afternoon/evening.

Easy-peasy.

We wrestle the team sections first as described above.
8 sections, the Team Section Champs got to state making an 8 team bracket.
The following weekend (Friday/Saturday) we have Individual Sections.
The same 8 sections, top two at each weight qualify for state making a 16 man bracket.
As shown in trout's post if a team forfeits a weight in any round of team sections or state, they have to forfeit it in the rest of the rounds.
All of this is the same for A, AA, AAA.

http://www.mshsl.org/mshsl/sports/WR_2018_TournSchedule.pdf

[Jimmy]

Maybe,just maybe the the people with the power to create change don't read the forum,or don't think the minn. way is the best way. Just saying after posting it 75 times if going the minn. Way was gonna happen  I think they would know how it works

[MNbadger]

It is unlikely that they read this forum, I agree.  On here though it would answer/remedy the questions/complaints about the system in place in Wisconsin.  Additionally, it is similar to what big oil posted and I responded to.  The difference is that he suggested a regional as well which is superfluous.  All you need is eight regions, then state.
My point is, this is what most on here are asking for but they don't know it.  It remedies most of the issues they have with your present system. 

[Barou]

Maybe,just maybe the the people with the power to create change don't read the forum,or don't think the minn. way is the best way. Just saying after posting it 75 times if going the minn. Way was gonna happen  I think they would know how it works

Or they don't really care.