Proposal to change state softball tourney fails

The GHSA voted down a proposal to shrink the state softball tournament, which is held each fall at South Commons.

There was a proposal put forth to the GHSA Executive Committee on Monday to reduce the number of teams in each classification advancing to Columbus from eight to four.

Assorted concerns on both sides the potential of missed school days because of weather, expenses, lodging, logistics, the additional classification — the GHSA will expand to seven classifications in the fall — and the prestige of “making it to Columbus.”

By the time a vote was called, the “tournament atmosphere event” for championship softball, as associate director Ernie Yarbrough termed it, won out, and the proposal failed 33-24.

Two items were added and one expanded to the spring sports schedule by the GHSA.

It voted to allow football teams to hold a spring game, slow-pitch softball will return and state golf tournaments will expand from 18 to 36 holes.

Those were among the items voted on Monday during a pretty routine spring meeting at the Marriott City Center.

The proposal to resume slow-pitch softball as a spring sport passed 34-24.

A GHSA survey that showed 50 schools were interested. One speaker noted that slow-pitch was desired by junior colleges for a recruiting advantage otherwise unavailable, but interest in fast-pitch accelerated upon its debut in all classes in 2002. The last slow-pitch champion was crowned in 2003 when the GHSA had two titleholders, one for the top two classes and one for the three smallest.

It was completely discontinued in 2009 after five years as an open event.

Gender equity and avoiding attention from the Office of Civil Rights were part of the discussion, as was the possibility of adding other sports and activities, including girls wrestling.

Executive director Gary Phillips said the survey asked schools for what sports they were interested in to maintain gender equity balance, and said the association wasn’t done with the topic of adding opportunities for girls.

“We’re going to be back,” he said. “We have to do something. You have to do something about this gender disparity.

“Let me tell you what I told the superintendent’s association and the principal’s association and athletic directors: This is not a GHSA issue. They’re not gonna come get me, they’re gonna come get you, because it’s a school problem.”

The vote for allowing a spring football game was by a roll call, and with little discussion. That will start in the spring of 2017.

In other matters, the executive committee or Board of Trustees:

▪  tabled for further discussion a proposal that no school can employ a community coach “for an activity who coached a non-GHSA team in that same activity within the past 12 months if any of the GHSA schoolticipated on the non-GHSA team”;

▪  approved eligibility rules regarding court orders, physical and legal custody and bona fide moves;

▪  declined to combine classifications in soccer to hold six championships instead of seven.

This story was originally published April 18, 2016 at 6:50 PM with the headline "Proposal to change state softball tourney fails."