Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 18, 1990 TAG: 9003182292
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Bob Teitlebaum
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
When there were only semifinals and finals over two days at one site, nobody could get a true feeling of tournament competition. Now, with eight teams in each classification, it takes three playing days at two sites to decide a championship. The suspense builds each day.
Still, some feel there is something missing.
If the principals, athletic directors and coaches have their way, they might take one more big step to improve state tournaments. There is a feeling from people in all three classifications that they'd like to have the state tournaments held at one site.
"The principals miss the contact they had when they were with the other groups," said Larry Johnson, the supervisor for VHSL programs. "The state athletic directors have been studying it and they recommended one site."
It's a great idea, but it might be hard to implement.
This year, the Group AA and A boys were held in Charlottesville. The Group AAA boys and girls moved from Richmond to Williamsburg. There were 14 games played at each site starting on Wednesday and running through Saturday.
If the tournaments were together, it would mean 28 games. That creates a problem for the following reasons:
If they are played at one site such as the University of Virginia, the tournaments would have to start Monday or Tuesday to get all the games in by Saturday. Principals don't like this because it takes away too much class time.
If they go to a place where there are two gyms in the same town, the only feasible sites are in Richmond (University of Richmond and Ashe Center) or Salem (Salem Civic Center and Roanoke College). James Madison University in Harrisonburg no longer is an option since Godwin Hall, the old gym, is used as a faculty recreation facility.
The Group AA and A schools don't want to leave Charlottesville, especially to go to Richmond.
The Group AAA schools would like to play in Richmond or another spot closer to the majority of their schools, which are in the eastern and central sections of the state. When the Group AAA boys tournament last was held at Charlottesville in the mid-1980s, it drew the poorest crowds of the three classifications.
There is always a possibility that Charlottesville would be a compromise choice if University Hall and a high school gym were used and the Group AAA tournaments agreed to come back there. But the Group A boys and Group AAA girls, which almost surely would be shoved out of University Hall if that happened, would oppose being made second-class citizens and playing their tournaments in a high school gym.
"And I don't think UVa would give us the gym for more than four days," said Johnson, referring to playing all games in U-Hall if a high school gym were not used.
The Salem Civic Center would like to play host to the tournaments and could line up a sponsor so that the VHSL wouldn't lose money. This year, the Group AAA boys' and girls' tournaments took in $20,000 less than 1989 even though ticket prices remained the same.
That means they'll try to move that tournament out of Williamsburg. However, Group AAA schools would oppose coming as far west as Salem, where only a few schools in their classification are located.
Johnson says the only way he sees for the tournaments to play at one site is to have the first-round games at the homes of regional champions. That, some say, defeats the purpose of increasing the number of teams in the state tournaments to eight.
"There will have to be a compromise, but I don't see where it'll come from. We'll study all possibilities and make a decision in May," Johnson said.
Although Dean East resigned as Franklin County football coach only this past Monday, Eagles athletic director Mason Ligon says the school already has had 15 inquiries about the job.
The deadline for applications is April 13. Ligon says the school will begin the interviewing process before that date.
by CNB