TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

FHSAA might shorten seasons

ADVERTISEMENT

By NICK WILLIAMS

nwilliams@tampatrib.com

Published: April 25, 2009

High school athletics around the state are in a dilemma.

Facing severe budget cuts because of a struggling economy, the Florida High School Athletic Association's board of directors will vote Monday in Gainesville on whether to cut the number of games in a season to reduce expenses.

The proposal is to shorten the season by 20 percent for all sports except varsity football and cut junior varsity contests by 40 percent.

With 16 members on the board, a majority of nine votes will determine the outcome.

"The whole purpose of this is to help our schools get out of this crisis that we're in with the economy," FHSAA spokeswoman Cristina Alvarez said.

A shortened season, however, might be the least of an athletic department's problem. Anticipating millions of dollars lost in mandatory cutbacks, school districts across the state might have to work with a smaller athletic budget. Hillsborough County athletic director Lanness Robinson said he has been preparing a plan to save the department money, which could include making athletes pay fees to play.

The Pasco County school district requires athletes to pay a participation fee, $60 for the first sport and $40 for the second. There is no fee for any additional sports.

During the 2006-07 school year, Pasco County received $367,644.50 in participation fees from the county's 22 high schools and middle schools to use for the county's athletic insurance policy.

"Regardless of the FHSAA's vote, we'll be looking at the athletic budget," Robinson said.

"This budget crunch is probably the worst I've ever seen, and I've been in Pasco County for 24 years," Pasco County Superintendent Heather Fiorentino said.

However, shortening seasons could result in teams having to miss national and in-state tournaments.

"There are a lot of tournaments in the state of Florida that have run for 25, 35 and 40 years that are in jeopardy that will hurt the communities," Sarasota High athletic director Clyde Metcalf said.

Riverview softball coach Angela Slater has organized the Jon Sinclair Memorial Spring Fling softball tournament the past three years. If programs have to cut five games from their schedules, Slater is afraid the tournament will lose its luster, as some of the top programs could choose to play in out-of-county tournaments that draw some of the top teams in the state.

"It's important you see other opponents," she said.

In just two years, the McDonald's Tampa Hoops Classic has become one of the premier high school basketball tournaments in the Southeast. In December, eight Florida teams were invited, each scheduled for four games.

Although presented as a short-term solution, the proposal has already caused scheduling conflicts. Robinson said the schedules for the 2009-10 school year are typically complete by the spring. Instead, that process has been delayed until the FHSAA board votes.

"We don't want to make anything final until their decision," Robinson said. "It's extremely late to wait to do schedules. It takes at least five weeks to get them done."

Reporter Nick Williams can be reached at (813) 259-7851.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT