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When the U. S. Supreme Court made its decision not to hear the appeal by the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) last Monday, I was in the middle of wrapping up sports for our April 4 issue and in putting together the Spring Sports Preview. I had little time to make calls around the area for reaction to new direction for two major girls programs. Besides, there was a good chance calling would be mostly futile because spring break just started for every school in the county.

By Friday last week, I had some time to search for comments. It was a search; more phone calls were unanswered than were answered. Than, I thought, I still have some time Monday. Some people were stretching their vacations to the limit, though. Good for them, but I'm still hanging with an unfinished article. Finally, I said it was time to throw this together, and that's what this is - thrown together.

By now, most everyone that cared about the issue, knows that the Ôswitch of seasons" lawsuit against the MHSAA is finally a done deal. Many opinions have been expressed both ways in various media outlets and in online blogs. It is now a matter of coping with change.

Early last week the U. S. Supreme Court ended the nine-year battle by refusing to hear a final appeal by the MHSAA. In short, a group called the Communities for Equity (CEF) filed suit in Federal District Court against the MHSAA for discrimination in girls sports seasons. The MHSAA, basically, lost every appeal with the final one coming last Monday.

The following seasons will change: girls basketball will move to the winter and share the spotlight with boys hoops; girls volleyball then moves to the fall; girls golf (there are no sponsored programs in Sanilac County high school) switches to fall while boys golf goes to spring; boys tennis heads to the fall while girls tennis will take place in the spring.

To me, very little was gained for anyone involved, unless you personally like confusion. However, the switch is here to stay. Changes involve the student-athletes, coaches, athletic directors, parents, fans officials, game days/nights, practices, gym space, media coverage - just trying to make it all work.

Here are some comments from local people involved in high school athletics (most were not in favor of the season changes):

Tony Burton, Brown City A. D. and varsity boys basketball coach, and Cindy Burton, BC varsity girls coach and Tony's wife (that second job is tough). The Burton's have one daughter playing college basketball in the winter, a son on the varsity boys team and a daughter entering high school that plays hoops. They will need their day jobs just to rest: Cindy - "I'm not happy about (the change), but it's something we have to do and will have to deal with it. I like it the way it was and not competing with the boys' season." Tony on finding officials for what could be tripleheaders four nights a week: "My guess is that it will be more difficult to find officials from a standpoint if all the leagues around are doing things differently. Like any changes, there will be a lot of kinks to be worked out on scheduling."

Fred McDowell, Marlette varsity volleyball coach: "Personally, I think we had it better playing in the winter"É.. "Michigan has one of the best sports participation in the nation for girls and we've (coaches) fulfilled our roles of training girls in athletics and education" É.On getting ready for the season in the fall -"Personally, I'll panic a little bit, maybe. I don't have the whole fall to prepare. I've always ran a camp a week or two after school was out. We'd teach a few things, some concepts, and then hope they remember it for November. Now, I'll probably change (and have camp the last week of July or the first week of August." On college coaches recruiting - "They recruit so much from clubs (AAU teams), too. There is a disadvantage of not being on a club team (that play in the winter). But, I think it will be a disadvantage to me in the long run because now I won't be able to talk to college coaches as much." He concluded - "We'll make adjustments. Hopefully, we'll keep the girls excited about playing volleyball right away (in the school year)."

Curt Lowe, Brown City; basketball official since 1978: "I do college women (in the winter) on Wednesday's and Saturday and boys (high school) on Tuesday's and Fridays. Now, (most officials) could ref every night if they want to, but the body can't." He added, "I think high school teams will be hurtingÉI'm afraid they're not going to be getting quality officiating. I really don't think there'll be enough officials in the Thumb area." There has been a growing concern in recent years about the quality of high school officiating because of the lack of registered officials. Lowe commented: "When I started, you worked junior high games for the first three or four years and work your way up. Now, you see guys who are doing varsity in their second or third year."

Lowe said he coaches eighth grade basketball, but doesn't know if he will be able to do that now.

Howard Lippenga, Cros-Lex boys and girls tennis coach, and a basketball referee: "Kids will have to make choices. I have a football player that will have to make a decision to play football or play tennis this fall. I have girls that will be deciding to play softball or tennis, and I have some that play softball and run track. It's going to be a total mix-up." He added, "In a couple of years, though, this will be something everybody will be used to."

Sue Trepod, Croswell, volleyball and cross country official, and former coach: "I think it will be difficult in the first year to adapt to changes. As a volleyball official and a golfer, how many officials will want to spend their Saturday's golfing instead of being in a warm gym (for tournaments)." (Or, I'm thinking, maybe for some, watching college football.) Trepod said that there are not a large number of volleyball officials around as it is. "I don't see many people, new officials, coming in. We'll probably lose some officials (in the fall) because of jobs. I only hope (the season changes) will benefit the girls involved."

Fred Mroczek Marlette varsity girls coaches, junior varsity boys coach and varsity assistant: Mroczek said he will continue with the girls program, but leave the boys. "I'll have to give up one. It's unfortunate, but that's the way it is." He added, "Here in Marlette we have a real problem with gym spaceÉ.(On any night, if girls or boys are playing on different nights) When you have a freshmen game starting at 5 p.m., you'll only have one hour of practice."

Al DeMott, Sandusky athletic director and girls varsity basketball coach: "There's going to be a lot of quick shuffling around. If they'd have given us one yearÉ. They kind of gave us something to look at it, but I don't think anybody thought that this would happen. I don't know right now what our scheduling is going to be, but I'm sure it will work out in the end." He added, "One thing with us is I know there are four girls on cross country that three play volleyball and another plays tennis. This will make the kids make choices."

Dennis Seifferlein, longtime successful golf coach at CPS: Seifferlein said, first of all, playing the spring, causes problems of just practicing and getting playing times. Weather early on could halt teams from even practicing. The various summer men's and women's leagues, a lifeblood of the clubs, are usually into full swing by the first of May and pack the courses on late afternoons during the school week. Seifferlein also said, "I think it will really hurt golf in a Class D league (like the NCTL). In my opinion, the NCTL will have to drop the sport. I don't think these smaller schools can produce baseball, golf and track teams at the same time. It might be the end golf."

Jenna Lange, Marlette High School junior, varsity basketball, volleyball, softball player: Lange said she knew of no teammates, or anyone else, that wanted to see the seasons switch. "I really didn't want to see the seasons change. I wanted to keep it the way it is. But, since it has, we just have to deal with it." College coaches in both volleyball and basketball are recruiting Lange.

League schedules

Many high school athletic conferences have different thoughts about how to schedule boys and girls basketball games in the winter.

Blue Water Area Conference (BWAC) plan: varsity boys and girls playing a doubleheader on Tuesday and Friday nights; junior varsity and freshmen boys and girls playing Monday and Thursday night's at the opposite site.

Greater Thumb Conference (GTC): currently has a tentative schedule as follows - boys basketball (freshmen, JV, varsity) on Wednesday and Friday nights; girls basketball (freshmen, JV, varsity) on Tuesday and Thursday nights; days switching the following year. Nort Schramm, the league's executive secretary, said since that schedule was announced, he has had several e-mails and has heard of others that would like the league play varsity doubleheaders on Tuesday and Friday, similar to the BWAC. Schramm said there are two fair ways to schedule - switch every other week or play varsity doubleheaders. He noted that the topic would be brought up again in the next league meeting, scheduled for the first Wednesday in May.

North Central Thumb League (NCTL): One daily newspaper published that the NCTL would have boys' games played on Tuesdays and Fridays, girls on Mondays and Thursdays. However, a meeting of the NCTL athletic directors will take place today (Wednesday) and the actual schedule could be decided then. One source believes that the NCTL will try to do what the GTC does. Another source said it was possible that the NCTL would not follow what the GTC currently has proposed.

Media coverage

In this area, I believe there are three sports that grab the biggest attention from their communities - football, boys basketball and girls basketball. Participation in volleyball, though is solid. On this end, with the Sanilac County News, it has usually been true that any team, in any sport that is having a very good season, gets more publicity.

In the winter, for a weekly such as the News where there is a Monday deadline, varsity doubleheaders on a Friday night mean 14 games to somehow cover. That is not an enjoyable thought for one reporter. If I had a vote, boys and girls varsity hoops would alternate Tuesday's and Friday's each week.

MHSAA

The association has over 700 member schools and, for the most part, has served the wishes of its constituents. Over 80 percent of the member schools, did not wish to see the change of seasons. It is why, in part, the MHSAA used every appeal it had in trying to prove what Michigan did with high school sports is what Michigan wanted.

The lawsuit by the CFE was all about volleyball, really. It was initiated by two volleyball mothers. One did not think her daughter had a fair opportunity to get a college scholarship because college volleyball was played in the fall and not winter. In Michigan, that meant girls playing volleyball with the high school team did not get to play much club volleyball where all the college coaches watch closely. On the other hand, college volleyball coaches had a greater opportunity to scout high school players in Michigan because the seasons did not run simultaneously.

Anyway, that volleyball mother blamed the MHSAA for her daughter not getting a scholarship to a Big Ten college. She, instead, settled for one at Georgia Tech.

That being said, it doesn't matter now. What matters is that the MHSAA now steps up and helps its constituents get on the same page and help make a transformation become smoother into a new future of high student-athletes involved. Like Jenna Lange, they just want to play.