by Don Rich, DyeStat correspondent

[Third in a series on sanctioning and its impact on the high school athletes
the rules are intended to help. See Sanctioning Crisis series index.]

In the unfolding sanctioning crisis, one thing is consistent. The inconsistencies.

The growing sanctioning crisis that has threatened the seasons and possible scholarship offers for talented high school athletes who happen to compete for schools not sanctioned by official state associations, is expanding once again. Virtually everywhere you look, there's a story of a denial, a threat, and most importantly, a lost opportunity for competition.

From New York to South Carolina, and in many states in between, there is growing evidence that the reasons and reasoning for enforcing sanctioning rules are not only inconsistent from state to state, but flexible - sometimes for the benefit of athletes and other times to their detriment.

Here is where we have been.

Pennsylvania and Maryland athletes who registered for the Bishop Loughlin Games in December were forced to run in separate heats so as not to compete against sanctioned schools of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA). The results were even reported as a separate invitational.

Then Ed Grant of New Jersey reported that clerical errors cost another team a chance to compete... plus exposed a Catch-22 for one state's private schools because they have not been allowed to join their state association, even if they wanted to.

Is it about power or the kids?

It's beginning to look a lot like a classic political - or should we say - power struggle. It's adults with the power vs. the kids with the talent (and fleeting opportunities).

Former William Penn coach, and current West Catholic assistant Tim Hickey sees the problem clearly. Hickey's team took the brunt of the Loughlin Games debacle, and faces similar challenges at the upcoming Hispanic Games and any other meet that welcomes New York teams. "If it's a bureaucratic thing, it's not about fairness. This is patently unfair. But if it's a level playing field they want, we agree. We abide by PIAA (PA Interscholastic Athletic Association) rules."

Not surprisingly, it turns out West Catholic and the other Philadelphia Catholic League (PCL) teams do comply with the rules. (More on that in a minute.)

This level playing field sentiment is echoed by parents and other coaches for other affected athletes and schools inside and outside of Pennsylvania.

To review, the NYSPHSAA says they get their rules from the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). So does the PIAA in Pennsylvania. But their interpretation of these rules seems to be at odds. New York says no New York school (and affiliated New York association) can compete against a school or athlete from a school in a meet that has four or more schools - if that school or athlete is not a member of their National Federation association, or has their state association's sign-off that they meet or exceed their eligibility standards.

To see the new procedure that reawakened the issue in 2003, see the NYSPHSAA web site.

Oddly, at the top of the web page, it states that the New York association and National federation adopted the new procedures and forms. Nowhere does it mention that any of the other member states in the federation have signed on to the new procedures.

Pennsylvania association has no problems

The PIAA works within NFHS rules and has virtually no problems.

The PIAA found a way to help their member schools compete against non-member schools, ensuring those schools meet PIAA eligibility requirements.

Jodi Good has been an assistant executive director of the PIAA since July of 2004. Sanctioning is her responsibility. Jodi sees the system as developed in Pennsylvania as a solution that works.

And here's the phrase that captures the essence of the problem: "Ideally, we'd like all schools to be our members, but we don't have a problem as long as they adhere to our rules." Bottom line, that's what the Philadelphia Catholic League has been saying all along.

Here's how it works in Pennsylvania

Good says that the schools that compete against a PIAA member must sign a 'Supplement to Contract' that they will abide by the PIAA rules. The host school that puts on a meet/game, etc. is required to maintain the contract and to ensure that it is signed. The PIAA does not actively monitor the paperwork, but should a problem arise, they know it's there. Good believes that another nearby state has also adopted a similar procedure.

What this means is that no matter what New York or other associations believe, when the Philadelphia Catholic League, or the Inter-Academic League, or any other non-member PIAA league says they comply with PIAA rules, they actually mean it.

"We abide by the PIAA rules," Hickey asserts. "We submit our eligibility forms for every season."

So while the PA teams are facing another possible challenge in New York this weekend, where the New York Federation may not even welcome them in separate heats, there are much bigger stakes at play in the future.

What meets are next on the sanctioning chopping block?

Following the Hispanic Games, next on the indoor list as far as West Catholic is concerned is the New Balance Games on January 22nd. But of course, any meet that seeks sanctioning from the national federation will have the same issue.

One of particular note is the prestigious Millrose Games, slated for Madison Square Garden in New York on February 4th. Jim Spier, one of the founders of the National Scholastic Sports Foundation (NSSF), produces four major high school meets each year, the Great American XC Festival in the fall, the Nike Team Nationals in December, the Nike Indoor Classic in March, and the Nike Outdoor Championships in June. And while there have been sanctioning issues raised at these meets, the one that most concerns Spier is the one where he is Girls Invitations Director for the Millrose Mile.

In the past, Spier says he also sought and received sanctioning for the eastern seaboard states and other states where good milers may be interested in running in the race. And because most of the runners they invited came from states that had indoor seasons, "we didn't give it a second thought."

Several runners in last year's Millrose Miles would have been ineligible under the current enforcement challenge, including Cardinal O'Hara's Steve Hallinan and St. Hubert's Amy Kelly, both members of the Philadelphia Catholic League.

With the current climate, this year Spier is leaving it up to the athlete and their coaches to make sure they have sanctioning from their state federation. And he isn't optimistic it will be fixed. "Actually, I don't anticipate this getting any better very soon."

The sanctioning issue hit his Great American meet in October when New York challenged the eligibility of non-member schools. Several, including the PCL's LaSalle, were forced from the Race of Champions because of it. "For 2005" says Spier, "we'll have a separate race for non-sanctioned schools."

Looking ahead to outdoor.

Move ahead to outdoor and you have a myriad of meets, highlighted by the Taco Bell Classic in South Carolina in early April, the Penn Relays in late April, and the Loucks Games in White Plains NY in May. There are others, for sure. But these three carry a lot of prestige and foster great interstate competition.

In 2004, the Penn Relays was forced to reseed several events after New York and Connecticut challenged the non-member schools under the new procedures.

New York Assistant Executive Director Lloyd Mott, whose area of responsibility is sanctioning, gave some leeway to the meet participants in 2004 because of the short timeframe. In an email to the parent of an affected athlete, Mott said "Due to the fact that many schools had already registered and made travel plans, commitments, etc, and we were made aware of this situation a few days before the meet, we decided to allow our schools to participate without penalty this year." He went on to promise to work out the situation with the PIAA, something the PIAA's Good says hasn't yet happened.

But just this past December, it's now apparent that Mott no longer has the flexibility to make such a concession in future meets. In a December 17, 2004 article in New York Newsday on a sanctioning challenge that cost a New York girls' basketball team a trip to an important tournament, Mott is quoted as saying "Believe me, we want all our schools to play, but we can't control the rules in other states, and I can't change our rules either... I have no authority to waive a rule."

And then there is the two-day, widely heralded Loucks Games in White Plains, New York. The meet is a staple of the PCL spring athletic diet. Teams like West Catholic, Archbishop Ryan, Bishop McDevitt, and others have enjoyed the change of scenery, but especially the level of competition, for years. That may have ended.

The runaround is also alive and well in North Carolina, South Carolina and Maryland.

In coming days, we'll have more stories of frustrated parents, athletes and meet directors who want nothing more than the opportunity to have non-member schools compete freely against their peers from the public schools.

There are also rumblings of lawsuits as the challenges and denials mount... all while important opportunities are lost forever.

Stay tuned. Will the dream matchups happen at the Hispanic Games January 8th? Or will the kids we do all this for be denied once again?

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