WIAA selects Competitive Balance Ad Hoc Committee

The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Board of Control has identified 20 individuals to serve on the Competitive Balance Ad Hoc Committee.

Following the August meeting when the initiative was approved by the board, the executive office received over 200 school administrators who volunteered to serve on the committee. The makeup of the committee was determined following input from the Sports Advisory Committee and Advisory Council as well as feedback from the seven area meetings last month.

Emphasis for inclusion on the committee was given to having representation that reflects the composition of the membership, including public and private schools; small, medium and large schools; and the three levels of school leadership comprising of athletic directors, principals, and presidents or superintendents. Gender and ethnicity representation is also included on the committee.

Here are the names, position and school affiliation of the Competitive Balance Ad Hoc Committee, which was selected by the Board of Control:

_ Mike Beighley, Whitehall superintendent and Board of Control

_ Nathan Burklund, Niagara superintendent

_ Brad Ceranski, Fall Creek principal and athletic director

_ Kurt Cohen, Potosi district administrator

_ Eric Coleman, Milwaukee Public Schools Student Services and Advisory Council

_ Timothy Flood, Green Bay Schools athletic director and Sports Advisory Committee

_ Bryon Graun, Colby athletic director

_ Michelle Guyant-Holloway, Wauwatosa East athletic director and Sports Advisory Committee

_ John Handel, Elkhorn athletic director

_ Cory Hinkel, Luck superintendent and advisory council

_ Bob Houts, Owen-Withee district administrator and Cloverbelt Conference commissioner

_ Ted Knutson, Aquinas president and Advisory Council

_ Mike Johnson, Eau Claire superintendent

_ Michael Lambrecht, Columbus Catholic principal

_ Peggy Larson, Winneconne district administrator

_ Patrick Mans, Crivitz superintendent

_ Douglas Parker, Big Foot district administrator

_ Jordan Sinz, Wisconsin Heights district administrator

_ Thomas Wermuth, Adams-Friendship district administrator

_ Chris Zwettler, Edgewood athletic director A series of ad hoc meetings are anticipated from now until March with the first meeting scheduled for Dec. 2. The ad hoc committee is scheduled to present an update of the proceedings at the March, 2022 Board meeting with potential to recommend an action item to be voted on by the membership at the 2022 April annual meeting.

This is the second time a committee has been assembled to review competitive balance. The first committee met five times from July through November in 2014. The directive of the committee was to study competitive balance/equity and to evaluate the existing procedure of the post-season tournaments and recommend a solution.

The previous committee established a number of criteria to assess potential solutions, which included applying to specific sports; addressing schools in rural/urban areas; applying a universal application to all WIAA member schools; advancing a plan that is clear, concise and supported by data that can be reviewed and evaluated.

The former committee researched numerous possible solutions, including the impact of a multiplier of 1.65 to private school enrollments, a reducer plan based on percentage of students on free-and-reduced lunch and a success factor based on advancement in previous tournaments. After considerable review, the committee advanced the success factor plan for a membership vote.

The membership voted to strike the language of the recommendation advanced by the committee at the 2015 annual meeting. It was replaced on the floor by an amendment to impose the 1.65 multiplier, which failed by a 141-293 margin. A second amendment was introduced to implement the reducer plan, which also failed to pass by a 167-265 vote.

The committee’s success factor recommendation was reintroduced and advanced by the board to the annual meeting the following year. The membership voted not to implement the plan by a 198-221 vote.