Conference Realignment

[LTD]

This was posted in the main forum but since there seems to be change to the North Shore it probably deserves some conversation.  What have people heard about this?  Thoughts?

Proposal #2 is brutal.  I like most elements of proposal #4 but not all.

http://www.wissports.net/news_article/show/461039?referrer_id=532521

[Ghetto]

Wrestling isn't very high on the list when it comes to consideration of what happens to the conference.

Port is successful in wrestling but little else. When the first proposals came up, I suggested to our AD that Port and Grafton go north with the smaller schools. Unfortunately for them everything north of them is off limits, as it was realigned recently.

As far as wrestling goes, losing Germantown is too bad. They have always been competitive and near the top every year I've been around. At first glance, proposal four looks like a very competitive conference from top to bottom.

[bkraus]

When word initially came out about potential realignment I talked with our AD about it.  We talked for quite a bit on it.  Just that morning he was at the alignment meetings where proposal four was proposed.  After talking with him I would guess there will be a proposal 5.  He didn't seem to think this would go through.  That was a couple weeks ago, so things possibly could have changed since then.  but I agree completely with Ghetto, wrestling will have little to no consideration for this.

[LTD]

Does anyone have a feel for when they want to enact these changes? Is the target 2015? For wrestling, does this have the potential to change regional and sectional matchups?

[bkraus]

From what our AD said it could be two to three years before wholesale changes could be made.

[Matski Grappler]

There is nothing more imperfect or thankless than conference realignment.  Proposal #4 is the most sensible.  It's geographically concentrated, maintains many historic rivalries and - for the most part - has schools of similar characteristics.  There will always be whining and moaning but part of this group is like a family. Nicolet, Homestead, Cedarburg and Port have been together since 1958, with Grafton joining in approximately 1980.  There were long stretches when Homestead and Cedarburg were football doormats and Grafton and Port were among the most successful programs in the state.  While all of the schools are smaller than they were, the relative enrollments are about the same as they've always been.  Success comes down to coaching (Keel and Leair in football, Pasten of Port in Cross Country, Maronde of Grafton in basketball), culture (Nicolet and Homestead in tennis), commitment to success (Cedarburg in swimming, girls tennis, wrestling) and community tradition (Port wrestling.)  It would be foolish to break up those five schools, the current whining of Port and Grafton notwithstanding.  Success runs in cycles and reflects community focus and administrative leadership within a given school.  In the end, it's not and shouldn't be about any particular sport.  Rather, it should be about proximity and reasonable enrollment similarity.

[aarons23]

There is nothing more imperfect or thankless than conference realignment.  Proposal #4 is the most sensible.  It's geographically concentrated, maintains many historic rivalries and - for the most part - has schools of similar characteristics.  There will always be whining and moaning but part of this group is like a family. Nicolet, Homestead, Cedarburg and Port have been together since 1958, with Grafton joining in approximately 1980.  There were long stretches when Homestead and Cedarburg were football doormats and Grafton and Port were among the most successful programs in the state.  While all of the schools are smaller than they were, the relative enrollments are about the same as they've always been.  Success comes down to coaching (Keel and Leair in football, Pasten of Port in Cross Country, Maronde of Grafton in basketball), culture (Nicolet and Homestead in tennis), commitment to success (Cedarburg in swimming, girls tennis, wrestling) and community tradition (Port wrestling.)  It would be foolish to break up those five schools, the current whining of Port and Grafton notwithstanding.  Success runs in cycles and reflects community focus and administrative leadership within a given school.  In the end, it's not and shouldn't be about any particular sport.  Rather, it should be about proximity and reasonable enrollment similarity.

Sorry but you are wrong.... Port is headed down a bad road in almost all Sports.....their numbers are declining..... they simply can not compete with the larger schools numbers.  Port needs to fight to go into a conference more their own size to give there students an opportunity to have some success.   Otherwise they are head towards even deeper athletic problems. Port should have been involved in thr EWC realignment.  Grafton is most likely in same situation.  I do agree administration is part of the problem. ... but not the full solution in Ports case.

[Matski Grappler]

Aarons, I respect your opinion, particularly given that you're a current parent and living with the reality of what's happening in Port. (For what it's worth, I'm a Port grad).  My observation of Port's plight is that they've allowed themselves - over the past ten years - to fall into a "woe is us, we're so much smaller" mindset, particularly in football.  Port has always been a bit bigger than Grafton, a bit smaller than Bay, about 80% the size of Cedarburg, about 75% the size of Nicolet and about 55-60% the size of Homestead.  I can state with certainty that Al Urness never complained about being smaller than anybody, particularly when his teams were dominating the conference.  Football at Port under Urness was a culture of success.  However, I don't ever recall there being a general commitment to athletic excellence at Port.  My observation is that this is the current plight of Nicolet as well.  Athletic success isn't the priority for them that it is - for example - at Homestead (where I was a parent).  Without that overall commitment, you'll have success in sports with their own tradition and momentum (tennis at N, wrestling at PW) but the rest of the program will languish.  Enrollment is certainly a factor, but not the critical factor.  Take Whitefish Bay, which is only about 10% larger than Port.  Bay has made athletic success a priority from the very beginnings of the school.  Their community expects it and their record in most sports reflects it.  You don't hear Bay complaining about size.  Anyway, it saddens me as an old Port guy to see what's happened up there, although wrestling remains the bright spot it's always been.   

[aarons23]

I don't really disagree with you...but knowing where there at and what it would take to turn it around I am pretty confident that enrollment size is a huge hurdle for them to get the ship right.  There is no winning tradition in Port right now.  The football team jokes about how bad they are.....they know going into games with the likes of Homestead, Cedarburg, Germantown and a Whitefish Bay they have no chance......what I see happening is our participation in all sports (including Wrestling) is dropping.  This makes it even harder for Port to compete with the larger schools. 

[coastguard]

This is a tough one....When I was a head coach I felt very strongly that we just needed to get better in all sports regardless of size.  However, at Port we continue to get smaller and it has become clear to me that size is a major factor to be competitive.  I also feel that the current proposals keep many of the old rivalries in place.

As far as wrestling goes.... we have more numbers involved in our programs than ever.  At the High School level we have the most # of wrestlers at this time of the season in the past 20 years.  We are overall very young. 

[Nolston]

Port isn't any smaller than when I attended in the late 80's.  Each class has approximately 200 students.  The diffence is Homestead and Germantown has out grown the rest of the conference.  Partially due to open enrollment.  As football is the driving sport for this realignment why not add an additional round to the playoffs like all the other sports.  Every team plays the first round and is seeded from their season record in their respectable division. 

[Ghetto]

At the end of the day, it doesn't matter. The smaller schools north of Port have already been realigned to the WIAA's satisfaction. Port iand Grafton are stuck with us in this area. I agree that they should be with the smaller schools.

I think that enrollment has to be a factor. It isn't fair for Lutheran, with 580 kids, to have to compete against schools with three times their enrollment.

Do kids actually open enroll to Germantown and Homestead for football in large numbers? I'm totally clueless on that. (Well, and many other things)

[aarons23]

It's almost impossible to open enroll to Germantown....or Cedarburg for that matter.

[Matski Grappler]

This is really a never-ending challenge, given the many variables in play.  Just when you think you have the perfect solution, something changes or leaks out or blends in.  It's really a matter of finding a solution with the fewest number of evils, while being mindful of trends which might steepen existing challenges.  That's why I believe proximity and reasonable enrollment compatibility are the only factors that matter.  Success in a given sport is variable, based upon coaching and commitment.  I recall clearly when Cedarburg was in the same position in football as Nicolet is today.  They could barely field a varsity team and were routinely blasted 45-0 by everybody else.  Ironically, Grafton was a juggernaut at the same time, under Coach Kip Cramer.  The relative enrollments were identical to today.  Exit Cramer, enter Leair and the situation is reversed.  Meanwhile, Port is currently dominant in Cross Country, all because of outstanding coaching, while Homestead languishes.  This is why I'm frustrated by Port's football-led desire to leave the best conference in the state, driven by a seemingly institutionalized defeatist attitude.  If "we're so much smaller, we can't compete" is something that kids hear from coaches and ADs, then losing becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy.
One last point, Homestead's enrollment has decreased dramatically over the past 10 years and is on a course to dip below 1,200 in the next two years with nothing to indicate that trend will change. Open enrollment has a tiny impact on Homestead.  This is all the more reason to avoid making a drastic shift among a group of schools that has been together for almost 60 years and are within 30 minutes or less of each other.

[Ghetto]

It's almost impossible to open enroll to Germantown....or Cedarburg for that matter.

Bay does not take open enrollment at the high school. Kids have to be in the mix in middle school, or move to Bay.