UIL reshuffles track season after premature decision causes a messy uproar
By Robert Morgan | Published Sunday, May 3, 2009
In a rushed move Wednesday, the University Interscholastic League suspended all athletic activity throughout Texas until May 11 because of the swine flu outbreak and canceled the regional track and field meets.
After fielding hundreds of phone calls from disgruntled coaches, parents and athletes, the UIL reinstated the regional meets less than 48 hours later. The decision will force a delay of the state meet and forced the 19 regional meets to be held on various days, but it will be worth the wait for thousands of coaches and athletes across the state.
"No matter how long it takes, we just want the kids to compete that deserve the chance to go to state," said DHS coach David Park. "Even the few that would have made it to state without regionals, they would rather compete at regionals and earn that chance."
All regional finals will now be held on various days between May 12-23, and the state championships will be June 5-6 at the University of Texas in Austin. The baseball and softball playoffs, which are tentatively scheduled to resume beginning May 11, will play two rounds a week instead of the traditional one per week. In addition, every other playoff round must be a one-game playoff instead of the best-of-three series.
On the recommendation of Dr. David Lakey, Commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services, and in consultation with Texas Education Agency Commissioner Robert Scott, the UIL had originally canceled all regional track competition.
"The health and safety of our student participants is of the utmost importance," said UIL Executive Director Dr. Charles Breithaupt. "Taking every possible precaution to prevent the further spreading of this disease is an important contribution to the welfare of our great state, and altering the schedule of our events is a way to keep our participants safe."
After realizing the effect this would have on hundreds of athletes not advancing to the state finals for various reasons, Breithaupt and his staff reevaluated the premature decision.
"When our staff had the time, opportunity and information, they were able to make this happen," Breithaupt said in a statement. "We also know that additional conflicts may occur because of these changes. However, we believe this schedule represents the best opportunity for the most students."
The UIL managed to get all the regional hosts to reschedule the meets, but because of conflicts such as college graduations and pulling together hundreds of volunteers to run such events, the dates for each region and classification will be on different dates starting with Class 1A, Region I on May 12-13. Alvord, Boyd, Chico and Paradise will compete May 15-16 in Stephenville, while Decatur, Bridgeport and Northwest will return to the track May 22-23 in Lubbock.
The UIL had originally planned to take the top four times and distances in each event from each of the four regions and advance them to the state meet. However, the plan drew criticism from around the state.
Coaches said that posed problems because top athletes may not have put forth their best effort against limited talent because they knew they were advancing to the regional meet. In addition, some schools such as Decatur and Bridgeport competed in the rain while others district meets were held in much more favorable conditions.
In one instance with District 5-3A, the meet official miscounted the laps in the boys' 2-mile finals, and runners completed only six of the eight laps before he fired the gun. Therefore, the qualifiers have times that are more on a world-record pace.
Most Wise County schools would have been slighted had the UIL went along with its first change. Of Bridgeport's 13 qualifiers, only one athlete would have moved on, and Decatur's list of qualifiers would have been trimmed from 24 to four.
Two of those from Decatur who would have seen their seasons end prematurely are talented seniors Cynthia Carrillo, a 2008 state finalist, and Cassie Partridge, the 2009 district shot put champion.
"It didn't seem real at first. I couldn't quite get it through my mind how someone could just tell me my season and high school career were over," said Carrillo. "I would much rather run and not qualify for state than it to be like 'oh hey, Cynthia, you didn't quite make the cut but have fun in college.'"
Carrillo, a two-time cross country state champion, not only had to compete in the rain at district but was also recovering from an illness, so she ran well enough to finish in the top three of the 800 meters to earn a regional bid. Never did she think she had to run her fastest in the event regionals was taken away.
The Midwestern State signee is thankful for the UIL's decision to reinstate the meet and plans on making the most of the delay in regional and state competition.
"I am one lucky person and so are many other people," Carrillo said. "Now all we have to do is keep positive mentally and not give up because we still have a chance."
Bridgeport athletic director Danny Henson said the UIL ultimately made the right decision but that there should not have been any changes from the start.
"My biggest concern is that this will now set the standard for every year, especially during basketball season when you have the most cases of sickness," Henson said. "If they cancel school every time three students on one campus gets sick, we will be closing school and canceling games all the time from here on out."
Wise County was hit hard by the flu bug two years ago when attendance was down by 10 percent at most schools, but only Alvord ISD closed its doors during that outbreak.
Henson, who hopes to later see some sort of study that shows how many athletes are affected with swine flu since most of the reports have been with small children, had a good idea to keep regionals on as previously scheduled. He suggested all athletes have their temperatures taken while exiting the bus and those who were at risk of a fever remain on board.
