MLHS sports classification: What's the right fit?
As the Moses Lake School District prepares for its Feb. 14 bond, talks are taking place about the future of the town’s high school sports. If the bond passes for a new high school, a second high school would be added. So far, it appears Moses Lake High School and the new second high school would both drop down to a 2A size. Moses Lake High School is currently classified by the Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) as a 4A high school, the largest classification in the state. There are 1B and 2B schools for generally less-populated areas and smaller schools and 1A, 2A, 3A and 4A schools for larger school districts.
Dropping Moses Lake High School down to 2A would mean its student athletes would better fit into the Central Washington Athletic Conference League (also known as CWAC) and play against small but mighty – and – closer schools like Ephrata, Quincy and Othello.
To complicate matters further, classifications are currently balanced with about 63 schools in each group, according to a story appearing in Monday’s Columbia Basin Herald. To us, it would appear there’s little local control over the decision. But it’s to be expected because on a statewide level, WIAA has many factors to take into consideration when assigning classifications. And numbers determining classifications may change in 2020 when WIAA does its next survey of high schools.
Despite all the discussion, questions and unknowns, we would encourage coaches, parents and students to look at the positives of possible change. Having two smaller high schools could help ensure that more students get additional playing time and less time on the bench. Students may be more inclined to turn out for a sport in which they could more fully participate and grow. Youth obesity rates could also decline in our area if more kids could actively play sports and complete a season.
Exercise is a key component in staying healthy and maintaining one’s weight. Sports helps teens achieve a healthier lifestyle.
Critics of going to a smaller classification may be concerned Moses Lake High School would lose its competitive edge because teams wouldn’t be playing at the same level or against the same teams. The familiarity of competing against known teams (and coaches) would be lost, and Moses Lake would have to study its new competition closely. With filmed games and data readily available about teams online, the task wouldn’t be as difficult as it was 20 years ago.
Because there are so many unknowns about what it would mean to drop to a lower classification, we recommend not worrying prematurely and consider the Wall Street Journal article titled “Why Small Towns Breed Pro Athletes” as some food for thought.
The Journal’s article cites the example of Oakland Raiders quarterback Jason Campbell, who was raised in Taylorsville, Miss., population 1.341, as a success story. The article also points out that nearly half of NFL players and PGA golfers come from towns of fewer than 50,000 people. This is compared to the only one in four Americans who come from towns with less than 50,000.
A study co-authored by Queen’s University’s Jean Cote claimed the small-town dominance was due to many factors, including the accessibility of sports role models, the cultural values placed on sports and being a “big fish in a little pond.”
Another article, in the Pacific Stands, titled “Small Town Advantage,” pulls figures from two Stanley Cup hockey teams from last year. The figures shown some good representation from smaller cities.
The Tampa Bay Lightning’s 28 players included 24 from towns of fewer than 500,000 and eight players from towns of fewer than 20,000. Twenty-three of the Chicago Blackhawks’ 31 players were from cities of up to 500,000 people. One player was from a town of just over 300 people.
Our point is this: Don’t rush to judgment about a league reclassification. There could be advantages.
— Editorial Board