MileSplit HQ - It's time again for a MileSplit Editorial. Much of our writing remains fact based, with little interpretation needed to portray the representation of how a race played out, or a preview of things to come. We remove bias from our XC rankings by having them built by a third-party, and look to coaches to provide opinions on training regimens and philosophies. But during the slower news cycle of the summer season, we get to give our opinions.
This fall will be my tenth year as a high school coach. I have spent time working in schools, both as an assistant and head coach, from Class A, Class B, and Class C. I have worked in Section 1, Section 3, and Section 4, gaining a unique look into the difference between upstate and downstate politics. The base of knowledge moves nationally, as necessary for the MileSplit position. It is these facets and more that give me a unique outlook into the nature of our sport, and from which I base my own opinions on. And the topic of the day is the much talked about, New York State Meet format.
Included Below
Why Bring It Up Now?
What Does This Mean
My Thoughts On The Outdoor State Meet
My Thoughts On The Cross Country Fed Meet
My Thoughts on The State Meet Qualification Process
Conclusion & Summary
Why Bring It Up Now?
For those unaware, this Tuesday begins the NYSPHSAA Central Committee meeting. As noted by John Moriello of the New York State Sportswriters Association, one of the big topics of the day will be - What's the future of New York's Federation championships?
For the uninitiated, Federation championships in sports such as
basketball, track and field and cross country bring together
representatives from the state's four major sanctioning bodies for high
school sports -- the New York State Public High School Athletic
Association, Public School Athletic Association, Catholic High School
Athletic Association and Association of Independent Schools.
Basketball and cross country are examples of championships that take place after the NYSPHSAA has crowned its own sets of titlists. In sports such as wrestling and swimming, however, the NYSPHSAA and Federation championships are conducted simultaneously, with NYSPHSAA sectional winners competing from start to finish mixed in alongside competitors from the other organizations.
"While attending the 2016 NYSPHSAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships," NYSPHSAA Executive Director Robert Zayas wrote recently, "I became aware that a NYSPHSAA student-athlete could realistically place 5th in their race and still be crowned a "NYSPHSAA State Champion" because of the format of the meet."
Costs and scheduling constraints have been at the heart of that arrangement over the years. The work-around has been to award two sets of medals in each event -- one for Federation place-winners and one for NYSPHSAA-only results. It falls somewhere between complicated and awkward when officials have to sift results from the semifinals in other to find fifth- and sixth-place finishers to fill out the NYSPHSAA podium. Sometimes a NYSPHSAA champion actually finishes significantly behind the leaders even when placing in the top three.
"If a kid finishes fifth (overall) and we call them a champ, are we honoring them in an appropriate way?" Zayas asked in a phone interview last week.
"We just revised our tennis format back in May. Now our kids will get the chance to earn recognition without first being knocked out by an athlete from another association."
"I see value in the Federation competition, but let's honor our kids the way we should."
If the idea of reassessing the Federation's role in the overall picture sounds familiar, it should. In the mid-1990s, the NYSPHSAA made a clumsy move to separate from the more than 150 schools from the three other organizations. The 22-member Executive Committee voted in January 1994 to limit its season-ending events in five sports to NYSPHSAA schools while leaving the door open to Federation championships that in several cases did not fit comfortably into tight schedules between the end of NYSPHSAA competition and the start of national events in track, swimming and wrestling.
Sectional coordinators in wrestling and track were nearly unanimous in their opposition, but the changes were pushed through anyway. Elected officials began to get involved and protests accelerated. The opposition reached a pinnacle when all but one of the NYSPHSAA wrestling champions crowned on Saturday night refused to participate in Federation competition the following day.
Zayas shut down the comparison between the 1994 vote and the new examination before the questioner could even finish asking; the idea of separate NYSPHSAA championships in track, swimming and the like is a non-starter unless a suitable way to also accommodate a Federation presence can also be found.
To that end, the NYSPHSAA Strategic Plan, a proposed road map for the next five years of governance, includes an initiative which states: "Evaluate NYSPHSAA's participation in NYS Federation events for maximum benefit to NYSPHSAA student-athletes/teams."
The strategic plan will be presented by NYSPHSAA President Steve Broadwell and is expected to be approved by the Central Committee this week.
What Does This Mean?
Breezing over a complicated process, the term 'New York State Meet' is more of a colloquial over-generalization. Each season (XC, Indoor Track, Outdoor Track) in New York is unique in its setup. Specific to the Outdoor Track Meet that Zayas refers to, the State Meet refers to the NYSPHSAA and Federation Championships, a combined meet. The pubic schools, divided into Division 1 and Division 2 based on size, race for their respective State Title. The race also qualifies them for the Federation final, which brings in the best of the CHSAA, PSAL, and AIS athletes.
The nomenclature here is what causes some confusion. What the NYSPHSAA schools call States, is technically Intersectionals (more on this later). The CHSAA, PSAL, and AIS all have their respective Intersectionals the previous week. However, in an effort to create equality, they must run the same rounds as a public school athlete to qualify for the Fed Final. For events 800m and up, heats are sorted by seed, meaning you can place in the middle of the pack, yet still win your respective State Title.
While it may be hard to configure in the distance races, where D1, D2, and Fed Finals are all run in one race, it can become even more convoluted in the sprint finals. A D1 athlete runs a trials and a finals, with a Fed final the following day. However, with the Fed athletes displacing spots, your have NYSPHSAA podium finishers not even making it to the D1 final. That means those D1 athletes who do make that final, get a second chance to improve their spot, while non-qualifiers don't.
There are legitimate concerns with the process.
My Thoughts on The Outdoor State Meet
I understand the concerns. The meet is not exactly viewer friendly, at least in terms of NYSPHSAA finals. It can be confusing for kids and coaches alike. However, the problem comes in how do you fix such a system? True detriment can be found in the alternatives. There are more than a few reasons on why I believe the New York State Meet, as it is referred to, is the best State Championship in the country. I offer up three reasons below.
- New York State is one of only 9 State Meets in the country that converge on a singular location. Most other states utilize a separate venue for each of their state meets. What would that look like in NY? Imagine the Division 1 State Meet in Syracuse, while the Division 2 State Meet held the same day in Long Island? How about the girls in Buffalo, while the boys are in Albany? This is how the majority of the country runs their state meet, and it does a disservice to their athletes by limiting competition, and puts a strain on coaches of combined-gender programs. Kudos to New York for bringing everyone together.
- New York is the one of only two States to tie it's Meet Of Champions (Fed Finals) into the same weekend as their State Champs. Less than five states even have a MOC, meaning you will have 6 State Champs over the 100m, and they will never meet in a championship setting. Their season simply ends.
- New York is one of the most event inclusive States in the Nation. We are the only state to offer pentathlon at the State Level. We are one of only 2 States to offer Steeple at the State Level. We are one of four states to run the full 400m Hurdles. Our athletes are better for it, as all three are collegiate events.
My Concerns
Here is where things get interesting. How do you create a more logical state meet in the spring? If I were an observer outside the sport, the answer would be clear. Conform NYSPHSAA to the model of the other Federations. Push your state qualifiers a week earlier, hold a NYSPHSAA Intersectional in its place, and have a separate Federation Meet the week after, in place of the current New York State Meet. The model already exists in cross country (more on my gripes on this later).
The problem here is scheduling. The spring track meet is already plagued with important decisions. Dates for Prom and graduations are anything but uniform across New York State. One only has to listen to the story of Hackley at this years State Meet, when they ran the qualifier on Friday night, flew home to graduation, and nearly missed their final the next day as they flew back for the meet. It also doubles the cost between venue rentals, officials, and timing. It is not a logical solution.
My Solution
When assessing the problem, you must break it down to its two essential parts. You want an equal playing field for the Fed Finals, while creating a clear championship for NYSPHSAA athletes. My proposition is as follows, per discipline.
- Keep the distance races as is. Several states (Pennsylvania, California) hold trials for every event, which includes having a trial for the 4x800m and 1600m. That's a little excessive in my opinion, and eliminates the ability to perform at your best in the final. One race to rule them all brings out the best in everyone.
- For the Sprints, push the Feds to three round qualification (Trials-Semis-Finals). The trials would be mixed with the NYSPHSAA as they currently are, but the semis would be Fed specific. At the same time, this is where you would hold your NYSPHSAA finals. It would provide a clear NYSPHSAA-only final, with equal opportunity to make the podium. As usual, you would reconvene the heats in the Fed final.
- In the Field, again, you would mirror the sprints. All athletes to the trials, split Feds for the NYSPHSAA finals, then reconvene for Fed Final.
In my opinion, this is the simplest fix. But there is a hitch. Each Federation only qualifies, at max, 2 people each. That means your trials -> semi's race won't eliminate any qualifiers.
The solution would be to expand the maximum number of representatives allowable for the CHSAA, PSAL, and AIS. For the Fed Finals, non-NYSPHSAA Federations are treated as Sections, named Section 12, 13, 14. But in reality, NYSPHSAA as a Federation can have 3+ reps in the Fed final, while the PSAL is maxed out at 2. There should be parity between the two in terms of how many from each Federation are given an opportunity to race the Fed Final.
I feel that these simple changes make very little financial impact to NYSPHSAA, while giving greater clarity to the process of selecting a NYSPHSAA State Champion. The New York State Meet is one of the most competitive State Meets in the country, because it brings together the best of the best, all on one day, all in one location. It raises the bar necessary to make it to the top of the podium, making our state as deep competitively as those quadruple in population, such as Texas and California. It is what makes New York the shining star in the nation for our sport.
My Thoughts on The Cross Country Fed Meet
Of the three seasons, cross country is the only one that holds the Federation Championships on a separate weekend than the NYSPHSAA Championships. It was stated above that there are currently no plans to adapt the plan to the Track Seasons, good news for all involved. Below, I delve into some of the issues Feds has faced in the recent years, and some solutions to the problems.
My Concerns
The Fed Meet was once the end-all, be-all of the New York State Cross Country Season. All the State's powers, converging on a single race, determining the best of the best. However, these days, the meet is hit-or-miss. What happened?
Nike Cross Nationals, then called Nike Team Nationals, began in 2004. It was a true national championship, where teams had to be invited to attend, no silly emerging elite pay-your-way. The country took notice, and teams began to shift their focus, in a way that Foot Locker had not in prior years. There was originally discussion to merge the NY Federation meet into the NXN-NY qualifier, but those discussions faded. As NXN gained prominence, teams began to shift their focus. Hilton was the first major team to skip Feds, in an effort to focus on NXN. Since then the meet has been losing it's appeal to top level teams, with several mainstays skipping the event year to year.
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This created a problem. For the CHSAA, the meet remained the end-all, be-all that it always used to be. They still consider the meet, "States." With the top NYSHPSAA schools forgoing the competition, the question of who the best team in the state transitioned from objective to subjective. How would you be able to now find out who truly was the best program in the state?
My Solution
I believe there is a way to kill two birds with one stone. The qualification process is always a major point of contention within coaching circles (more on that later). I would suggest keeping the Fed Meet at it's current state, however you mirror the Spring Track Meet in terms of qualification.
- Classify the three Federations as Section 12, 13, and 14 at the NYSPHSAA Championships. Allow them one entry per Federation.
- The PSAL and CHSAA mostly comprise of large schools. The NYSPHSAA Class A race has two empty start boxes, as Section's 7 & 10 do not have any Class A schools. Assign these to the CHSAA and PSAL. The AIS are mostly small schools. Class D has two empty start boxes, as Section's 8 and 11 do no have any Class D schools. Give one of these to the AIS.
- Allow one At-Large pick per Class, to round out the field to 12 teams. The system is already in place for the Fed Meet, just move the meeting one week earlier.
- Remove the Fed teams from the Class scoring, but keep them in the merge. You now have an option to see who the best in the state is, while still maintaining the prestige of the Fed meet the week after, for one big race.
My Thoughts on The State Meet Qualification Process
There is no topic of discussion more divisive than this, within New York State. Every year, complaints are raised around the state. Typically, it boils down to this: Stronger sections feel it is unfair that they are limited to the same number of representatives as weaker sections, diminishing the title of State Champion. Like clockwork, the comments arise a week before each of the state meets, to much discussion.
My Concerns
In my opinion, it has been the passage of time that has created this rift. In the beginning, the NYSPHSAA State Championships were called the NYSPHSAA Intersectionals. The nomenclature is key here.
Each of the four Federations hold Intersectionals. While the Sections in the NYSPHSAA are the most recognizable (categorized by number), the other Federations have their own sections. PSAL utilizes their borough's, with the borough champs an equivalent to our sectionals. The CHSAA is split into three (BQ - Bronx/Queens, NY-Westchester/Bronx/Manhattan/Staten Island, and NS - Nassau Suffolk), each with their own sectional championship meet. Finally, the AIS has their own, split into IVY, AAIS, and others.
Over time, some of the names have changed, both formally and colloquially. While the CHSAA still maintains the term Intersectionals, NYSPHSAA has transitioned to State Champs, while the PSAL has moved to calling it, "Cities."
The original intent was for each of the "Sections" to send their best representatives to compete for a title. This is why NYSPHSAA utilized Section-specific T-Shirts for so long. At "Intersectionals," you were competing for your Section rather than your high school team. Over time, that has faded, leading to the confusion we have today.
My Solution
My changes are minimal. I believe there should be an At-Large system for XC, as I mentioned in my changes above. The only reason I believe as such is because of the fluidity of team scoring in relative competition. A teams score, and even the outcome of a race, can change drastically depending on the quality of the field around it. Larger fields expand upon gaps, but when you have Sections like 4, with only 5 teams in the race, they are not an accurate predictor of how that team will perform against a field of 11 at the NYSPHSAA champs. There needs to be some way to equalize that, especially when it comes down to a tie-breaker. On At-Large team per Class should fix that.
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Other than that, across all three seasons, I think the system is perfect. The system mirrors the Olympic Model; no matter how many US Sprinters we have under 10secs in the 100m, we are only allowed to send 3.
I would stress to coaches who bring up these concerns that not all programs are created equal. Much like we are afforded different Classifications in Cross Country, in order to equalize the competitive advantages afforded the larger schools, I believe the Sections with less depth in competition should be afforded that same equalizer.
There is no question in my mind that downstate teams perform at a higher level indoors due to significant competitive advantages. A 4:40 miler upstate is worth a 4:25 miler downstate. The current qualification system adjusts for these discrepancies, and gives a better apples-to-apples comparison. If you were to base qualification strictly on times, then of course the sections that race twice a week at the Armory are going to have a much higher representation than the team who competes once a week, on a gym floor, against six other teams with less than 20 kids a piece.
To adjust the other way for competition would be ludicrous. For Section 1, where I began as a coach, an example I would give is this. Every race of your season is at Rochester Community College (where the surface is a gym floor and the ventilation has much to be desired), and you only compete against the five teams who are in your league meet. Of course times would be slowed down, because you have too many factors working against you.
So this is why I believe in the current system. It adjusts itself for the inherent discrepancies presented by an imperfect system. There is equal representation and equal opportunity to compete at the State Meet.
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Conclusion
This post stretched out longer than originally thought. I'll save my thoughts on the difference between large school coaching and small school coaching for another post. If you pick out anything from the long analysis, I would say this.
- In all, New York State runs one of the finest State Championships in the entire nation
- However, there are minor fixes we can implement to aid the running of each of the State Championships
Until next time,
Kyle Brazeil