On April 24, the Legislative Council will meet in Denver. Below is information about the meeting, including links to the agenda and proposals that will be considered.

Where: Denver Marriott Tech Center (4900 S. Syracuse St., Denver)

• Meeting preview

Files

• Agenda (.pdf)
• Full packet (.pdf)

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Schedule

Wednesday, April 24, 2018

• 7:15-8 a.m. – Continental Breakfast
• 8 a.m. – Meeting Convenes
• 10:30 a.m. – Coffee/Tea/Soft Drink Break
• 1 p.m. – Luncheon (Bud & Sharon retirement)

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Action Items

Note: Constitutional Proposals require 2/3 vote for approval; Administrative and Athletic Proposals requires majority vote for approval, unless otherwise noted. A caret (^) indicates this proposal is pending approval from the Board of Directors.

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Action items — Committee reports

Note: Require majority vote for approval, unless otherwise noted. Those are noted with an asterisk (*), and require 2/3 vote approval.

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Board of Directors

• New president: Troy Baker, Buena Vista HS.
• Replacement for Rick Macias.
• Replacement for Rick Mondt.
• Replacement for Angie Sanders.

(Daniel Deschane/CHSAANow.com)

AURORA — Fair play and equitable opportunities for all programs was the focus of a number of bylaws passed by the Legislative Council during their meetings in 2018.

At the center of those changes was an overhaul of the way classifications will be created and structured. This will allow CHSAA staff, committees and the membership to consider other factors outside of enrollment when creating classes.

Under the new classification structure, teams will be placed into classifications based upon a variety of factors, including things like competitive history, socioeconomic disadvantages, enrollments trends, demographics, geography, and safety and risk minimization. (See bylaw 1500 for a complete breakdown.)

In moving forward with the reorganization of classification structure, the programs that were approved to play down a classification, and those that were placed down by the Classification and League Organizing Committee, will have full opportunities to participate in postseason play.

“Multiple interpretations and past precedent allowed placed-down programs to advance to postseason play,” said CHSAA commissioner Rhonda Blanford-Green. “It makes common sense based on the revisions and similar criteria that programs that are playing down would be given the same opportunities.”

For the past three seasons, teams playing down a classification after meeting certain criteria — including a winning percentage below .250 for the previous four seasons — were ineligible to play in the postseason. That bylaw was passed in January 2015.

However, other schools which went through CLOC to apply for a reclassification of their programs — in other words, to be placed down a classification — had been able to maintain postseason eligibility.

Among the changes at April’s Legislative Council meeting was the deletion of the language in bylaw 1500.27 which made teams playing down a classification ineligible for the postseason.

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

AURORA – At its second of two Colorado High Activities Association Legislative Council Meeting Thursday, April 26, the CHSAA’s legislative body made several significant and positive changes to its bylaws.

The CHSAA Legislative Council is the body that determines the rules for the student participants in the state of Colorado and its 70 members represent all the individual athletic conferences, along with representatives from the Colorado Association of School Boards, Colorado Athletic Directors Association and Colorado Association of Secondary School Administrators.

The agenda included consideration of six constitutional proposals, 11 administrative proposals and five sports/activities proposals, along with four administrative committee reports, two activities committee reports and seven sport committee reports.

“The core values of the Colorado High School Activities Association embody safety, competitive equity and educational outreach,” said Commissioner Rhonda Blanford-Green. “We are so proud of the work accomplished by our Board of Directors, Handbook Committee and Legislative Council to not only meet but exceed those expectations.”

“Our organization is more than playoffs and state championships. Our ultimate responsibility is to ensure participation in CHSAA activities provids an educationally-rich environment, diverse levels of resources and strong role models that will assist our student participants as they navigate their futures. Approximately 4% of high school students move on to compete at the collegiate level so the relevancy of our message and support must be intentional to be most impactful,” Blanford-Green noted.

Among the most significant actions last week was the passage of the first Sports Medicine Advisory Committee Report which established the venue-specific emergency action plans to aid schools, first responders and emergency personnel should a medical issue arise at a practice or activities contest.

“To emphasize one of the Association’s core values – safety and risk minimization – is the primary focus for the Sports Medicine Committee and the committee’s recommendations for the Venue-specific Emergency Action Plans is one way that schools can establish the focus on safety of students and those attending the games,” said Assistant Commissioner Jenn Roberts-Uhlig, the SMAC liaison. “This is a smart way for schools to take action as an initial step and in concert with the safety rules laid out in the individual sports rules book.”

Another bylaw protecting football player safety was also passed and will prohibit live hitting/tackling on kicking plays during scrimmages.

The Legislative Council also approved a First-Year Coaches Education Scenario-based training course to help bring consistent behavioral and common-sense focus to those who are coaching the state’s young participants. It will stress the importance of positive modeling and will be based in real-life experiences.

“The CHSAA Coaching Education Committee recognized a need for a standardized baseline in regard to coaching educational activities and how that differs from coaching competition-based activities,” said Assistant Commissioner Ernie Derrera, staff liaison to the coaching committee.

The course will be developed with input from CHSAA, Colorado Athletic Directors Association and the Colorado High School Coaches Association.

Another change included a revision of the transfer rule, which will create greater accountability for students transferring schools after their initial enrollment (all hardship and other exceptions remain in place). CHSAA continues to support and maintain a focus on “schools of choice,” and this bylaw does not impact the students’ right to choose their schools.

The Legislative Council voted for a change in the way schools will be classified to include more factors than simply enrollment, as well.

All the new bylaw changes and adopted committee reports can be found at www.CHSAANow.com.

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

AURORA — For the first time since the 2003-04 school year, the CHSAA transfer rule has been given a makeover.

In a 55-15 vote at Thursday’s Legislative Council meeting, the proposed change to the transfer rule was passed and will go into effect on June 1.

“It’s going to support educationally-based athletics and activities for student participants who who are encouraged to take advantage of schools of choice,” CHSAA commissioner Rhonda Blanford-Green said. “This puts emphasis on education versus athletics. Student participants to always have the opportunity to transfer based on bona fide family moves and hardships per our bylaws.”

The rule is intended to provide a more clear and consistent approach in the handling of transfers throughout the state. It was developed by a 21-member Handbook Committee made up of various athletic directors throughout the state.

It was then recommended by the Board of Directors and sent to the Legislative Council for a vote.

The Handbook Committee’s sole purpose was not just to implement a new transfer rule, but to examine CHSAA bylaws as a whole and work to make the association work more efficiently and in the best interests of schools and student athletes.

“Change is not easy for many of us to move forward,” CHSAA board president Jim Lucas said to the Legislative Council. “It can be difficult and extremely uncomfortable. It is far more comfortable to stay where we are than to take steps and make adjustments.”

Rhonda Blanford-Green. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

The most significant change of the new transfer rule is that student athletes will lose varsity eligibility for 365 days if transferring schools without a bona fide family move, or a hardship waiver. Students who make a bona fide move will maintain 100 percent eligibility.

Hardship waivers may still be submitted to the CHSAA commissioner, and students who transfer will maintain sub-varsity eligibility.

A change was made in the hardship process, however. If a student or parent/guardian is found to have submitted false information in order to be granted a hardship, the student athlete can now lose up to two years of eligibility in any sport at any level. It was previously a one-year period of lost eligibility.

According to CHSAA legal counsel Alex Halpern, there were around 1,800 transfer requests during this year. Of those requests, around 1,300 fell into the automatic ruling category of granting 50 percent eligibility, bona fide moves, etc.

But there were about 500 that went in front of Blanford-Green who had to rule on the eligibility of those student athletes. Four of those rulings were appealed and of those appeals, just one was overturned.

“I think once our school communities and administrators understand the rule, we’ll see less transfer,” Blanford-Green said. “In the bigger picture. I think in the first year we’ll see more hardships, or what people consider to be hardships.”

Blanford-Green added that after the first year, she expects the number of transfer requests coming across her desk to decrease from what the commissioner has normally seen in a given year.

The previous rule saw students have the potential of keeping 50 percent of their varsity eligibility. Mid-year and athletically-motivated transfers lost a full year of eligibility. 

With the new rule, all transfers that are not the result of a bona fide move, or those that aren’t the result of a hardship, are now on the same plane.

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

AURORA — CHSAA’s Legislative Council took a stab at addressing a growing concern in high school sports in this state — competitive equity — when it changed the philosophy and approach to the way classifications will be created in the future.

Enrollment will continue to be a major factor in the process, but other factors may now be considered when splitting schools into classes for all sports. Included: socio-economics, demographics, safety concerns, competitive success or non-success, geography, enrollment trend, participation rate, and an entry or selection process to school.

The proposal was the brainchild of a 21-person handbook committee with representatives from across the state, which set out to examine and modernize CHSAA’s bylaws.

“The changes around CLOC speak to safety, competitive equity, more clarification and parity, as well,” said CHSAA commissioner Rhonda Blanford-Green. “It’s just an elimination of non-relevant procedures that would hamstring the committee’s ability to do what’s right for kids.”

The bylaw, 1500.21, was already partially in place, but the Classification and League Organizing Committee (CLOC) was handcuffed by a line which only allowed them to considered some of the above factors for schools in the upper or lower 10 percent of a given classification. Now, that specific criteria is gone, opening up that bylaw to apply to all programs.

Randy Holmen. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

“This started in November when we went through our committee and our bylaws, and they just weren’t right,” said Randy Holmen, the chair of the CLOC committee, who advocated for the passage of the proposal. “I mentioned at our January meeting that we had to do some things for the good of the organization. I think we’ve accomplished that in a sense. Nothing’s perfect, and this is going to be a document, I think, that’s going to be ever-changing.

“I encourage you to look at this with an open mind, and let it evolve, let it go where it takes you,” Holmen added. “That’s what we need to do, and not become stagnant.”

The new philosophy doesn’t necessarily mean classifications will see wholesale changes across the board.

“The revisions aren’t drastic,” said Blanford-Green. “What was voted on today helped clarify the roles of each section that’s involved in the classification reorganizing.”

This was a process utilized by the football committee in creating classifications in January for the 2018 and 2019 seasons — the sport had been singled out and allowed to utilize the factors in 1500.21.

Even still, Mike Krueger, the chair of the football committee, said his group felt “handcuffed” in what they could do under the existing bylaws. He, too, advocated for the passage of the proposal.

“I’d like to suggest that for over a decade, especially for the past five or six years, we’ve been talking about the need to address the classification system, especially in terms of competitive,” Krueger said.

“We may not have the perfect bylaw in place that will fix it, but I challenge you to say, please don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good,” Krueger said. “This is a step in the right direction for kids and for programs. It is a chance for us to balance and do not only what’s right, but what’s safe for our kids and our programs.”

The creation of classifications will now be officially overseen by the assistant commissioner in charge of that sport. It was a practice that had largely already been in place, with assistant commissioners creating recommendations for CLOC to consider.

“The commissioners, they set a lot of this stuff up prior to us even getting the numbers of the CLOC committee,” Holmen said. “I think that’s something a lot of people didn’t even know. It wasn’t something that we dreamed up.”

With these changes made, the Legislative Council later voted to pass a proposal which morphs CLOC into an appeals committee, where they will hear cases from schools wishing to change their initial classification placement.

This entire process will now begin in December of even numbered years at the beginning of a two-year cycle, with final enrollment numbers due in January of odd numbered years. The CLOC will meet a month later, and classifications will be approved by the Legislative Council in April.

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

Colorado teams and individuals will now be allowed to represent their schools at recognized national competitions, so long as they get permission to do so.

CHSAA’s Legislative Council voted to pass a proposal that permits teams and individuals to do so at these types of competitions “outside of the competitive sports season,” so long as they have “written permission from the school’s principal and the CHSAA office.”

“The deletion of restrictive language now allows our schools and their administrations to determine that representation,” said CHSAA commissioner Rhonda Blanford-Green. “It’s up to the schools.”

Previously, teams and individuals could not be affiliated with their school at national competitions. Often times, these teams formed a club, but brought the same rosters and coaches.

For example, last month, players and coaches from Monarch, Regis Jesuit and Valor Christian each took part in the USA Hockey nationals, but represented club teams. There is also an annual national cross country competition which is well-attended by Colorado athletes, as well as national competitions in other sports, such as spirit, wrestling, baseball and basketball.

So long as their involvement is approved by the school and the CHSAA office, these teams and individuals would now be permitted to represent their school.

It was just one of many changes during a packed agenda at the Legislative Council meeting. Included were changes to the transfer rule, classification creation, and a long discussion about the 800 medley relay in girls track.

“Today, and every Legislative Council meeting, allows the Association to define our course, address our concerns, enhance our policies, and lead on behalf of Colorado’s activities,” Blanford-Green said as she addressed the gathered body.

“To be sure, we will benchmark our path today,” Blanford-Green added. “If nothing else, this agenda exemplifies our renewed focus on service, educational leadership, training and coach support, safety, and respect for the memberships voices.”

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Budget decreases

Rhonda Blanford-Green. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

In Blanford-Green’s first year, CHSAA has decreased its expenses 5-8 percent, and she also has implemented a new portion of the Legislative Council meeting with graphs explaining the Association’s finances.

“It was important to me in my first year to do the budget report and speak to the decrease in spending that has occurred,” Blanford-Green said.

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Sprint medley resonates with membership

Mike Miller of Cheyenne Wells. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

Even with such hot-button topics as the transfer rule on the agenda, the longest-discussed proposal was one that surrounded the elimination of the 800 medley relay in girls track and field state championship meet. The event has two 100-meter legs, one 200, and one 400.

The track committee sought to get rid of the event at the state meet because it is an extra event that only the girls participate in; there is no boys 800 medley relay. Colorado is one of just two states that currently hold the event during its championships, with Iowa being the other.

Both sides of the issue spoke to pros and cons of its elimination. Ultimately, the Legislative Council voted to keep the event with a 47-18 margin.

“In terms of equity, this is an entrance point for female athletes,” said Overland athletic director Ryan Knorr.

Added Karen Higel, the district athletic director at Denver Public Schools: “To eliminate opportunities in any way, shape or form for our girls is something that I don’t see to be a good thing.”

Additionally, proponents of keeping the medley relay spoke to the fact that it allows them to field a relay team when they otherwise don’t have the capability. 

“This is an outstanding event, especially for small schools,” said Cheyenne Wells athletic director Mike Miller, “because we don’t always have four quarter-milers or four sprinters, but we can put things together when we have maybe one or two here, another there.”

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Notables:

Roger Blake. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

• Roger Blake, the executive director of the California Interscholastic Federation state office, visited the Legislative Council to learn about Colorado’s process and structure. “One of the reasons I really wanted to be here is that in Colorado, you have always been a leader,” he told the group. “You’ve always been on the edge. You’ve always done things differently, looked outside the box: ‘How can we fix this?’ … Some of the things you’ve done — in my state, we are so much alike in so many ways, and that’s one of the reasons I really wanted to be here and watch your legislative body and see how you work through things.”
• The Legislative Council voted to have one meeting per year, as opposed to the current two meetings. That meeting will likely be in April each year. In conjunction with that proposal, they also adopted a new schedule for how proposals will be submitted.
• Softball’s increase to game limits passed, and teams will now be allowed to play a maximum of 23 games. This brings the sport in line with what was passed in baseball in January.
• 2A volleyball will move to the same regional format used in 3A-5A, meaning the league champions will automatically qualify, and the remaining field of 36 will be set by RPI. The top 12 seeds will host the regionals.
• The amendment to bring back 3A basketball’s full consolation bracket was not seconded by anyone on the Legislative Council, so the current setup of only having a third-place game remains intact.
• The following new members to the CHSAA Board of Directors were approved: Luke DeWolfe, Steamboat Springs athletic director; Chase McBride, Niwot athletic director; Femi Alao, DSST-Green Valley Ranch athletic director; Don Steiner, Evangelical Christian athletic director.

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More coverage

• The Legislative Council passed a new transfer rule.
• The way classes are created got an overhaul, allowing the freedom to better address competitive equity.

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

The agenda for April’s Legislative Council meeting is out, and it is loaded from top-to-bottom.

The 73-member body will vote on 27 proposals and another 14 committee reports at the Radisson Hotel Denver Southeast on April 26. Among the highlights:

• A proposal to change the transfer rule.
• A potential shift in philosophy when it comes to setting classifications.
• A change to the bylaw dealing with middle school activities.
• A 23-game proposal for softball.
• A move to use the NFHS calendar across all sports.

Notable this year is that a 21-person handbook committee met in February to make recommendations on changes to CHSAA’s bylaws. A number of the proposals are a result of that meeting.

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Transfer rule proposal

One of the biggest proposals heading to the Legislative Council is a proposal that would create a more clear and consistent transfer rule. Currently, mid-season and summer transfers are treated differently.

This proposal, which was recommended by the handbook committee and has been put forth by the Board of Directors, would give students junior varsity and below eligibility for 365 days from the date of transfer. The option of having 50 percent varsity eligibility would go away.

“Data showed that there’s an increased number of transfers under the 50 percent rule that is impacting the outcome of postseason play,” said CHSAA commissioner Rhonda Blanford-Green. “If our goal is to focus on competitive equity, this bylaw proposal supports schools of choice while reducing the number of students who transfer for athletic purposes.

“The transfer rule promotes the opportunity for choice by students and parents when they first enter high school, no matter where they reside,” Blanford-Green added. “According to this proposal, any subsequent transfer without a hardship or bonafide move would give the student junior varsity and below participation for 365 days from the date of transfer.”

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CLOC’s setup could see a shift

The CLOC committee met last November. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

The Classification and League Organizing Committee may see a shift in philosophy and approach if proposals headed to the Legislative Council are passed.

On paper, that body currently sets classifications and league alignments, with help and recommendations from CHSAA staff.

“A 21-person handbook committee met to determine the best way to equalize competitive equity through hard enrollment numbers as well as additional factors that promote competitive equity and safety,” said CHSAA commissioner Rhonda Blanford-Green. “This proposal is continuing a shift in how we look at classifications. We’re changing, and not restricting the ability for those additional factors to be implemented.”

A proposal put forth by the Board of Directors would amend bylaw 1500.1 to read that “CHSAA Commissioners will set classifications based on Bylaw 1500.11/1500.21 and present to the CHSAA membership in January of the odd numbered years.” The CLOC meeting would then hear appeals from the membership.

Additionally, 1500.1 would be reworded to give CHSAA assistant commissioners in charge of a sport or activity the authority to review the data without any bias and determine “whether the total number of classifications should be increased” for that sport or activity.

Bylaw 1500.21 lays out how classifications should be determined. This proposal also slightly alters that language, and would have classifications be split using the following criteria:

• Enrollment
• Socioeconomics and demographics of a school
• Participant safety
• Competitive non-success and success
• Competitive history and balance
• Geography
• School’s enrollment trend
• School’s participation rate in CHSAA activities
• Entry or selection process of a school

Schools would declare then preliminary CDE enrollment counts in December of even-numbered years, and submit their final numbers in January of odd-numbered years. That same month, in January, schools would declare their sports and activities, along with the classification in which they prefer to compete. The CHSAA assistant commissioner would then set classifications, to be ultimately approved by CLOC.

Schools would have to option of appearing before CLOC in February of that year to appeal any alignment/classification placements. Classification splits would be approved in April by the Legislative Council.

A separate proposal would change the name of CLOC to the Classification, Appeals and League Organizing Committee, though it would continue to be known by the acronym “CLOC.” CLOC would only meet once per year, if the proposal is passed.

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Changes to middle school bylaw

The middle school bylaw would be completely revamped according to a proposal, with a focus on sportsmanship and parent education.

“This would reflect the collaborative efforts of the middle school administrators and the visibility of the CHSAA to promote parent education, coach education and sportsmanship,” said Blanford-Green.

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Notable proposals:

(Renee Patridge/reneepatridgephoto.com)

• The Board of Directors has put forth a proposal that would extend softball’s game limit to 23 games, matching what baseball did in January. The Equity Committee supports that proposal.
• The Board of Directors is putting forth a proposal that would change the Legislative Council from bi-annual meetings to a single meeting. Currently, the Legislative Council meets in January and April.
• A proposal would allow “an individual student or team” to “represent a member school in a contest(s) outside the competitive sports season in recognized national events” so long as it comes with written permission from the principal and the CHSAA office. This would mark a big change in philosophy.
• One lengthy proposal would move all sports to the NFHS calendar as opposed to the current “rules of thumb” dates, something football had approved by the Legislative Council in January. This would create a clear and consistent calendar format.
• The Intermountain League is proposing that 3A basketball return to playing a complete consolation bracket during the state tournament. The classification moved to only playing a third-place game a few years ago.
• The Santa Fe League is proposal that 2A volleyball use the same regional format that is used by 3A, 4A and 5A. Currently, 2A uses a district format. The 3A, 4A and 5A classifications each have a 36-team regional bracket that is seeded statewide.
• Hockey’s committee report is recommending a 23-game regular season, but no official proposal to do so has been submitted to the Legislative Council. However, there is a different proposal from four leagues which seeks to keep the sport at the current 19 games.
• As it relates to football, one proposal wouldn’t allow any live contact during kicking plays in scrimmages.
• One proposal would only allow schools to become new members of CHSAA at the start of a two-year cycle.
• A proposal would create a CHSAA Database for coaches and activity sponsors, and require all be entered into it.

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Committee reports

• The hockey committee also recommended a new alignment, and approved new varsity programs at Colorado Academy and Glenwood Springs.
• The Sports Medicine Advisory Committee is requiring every school to create venue-specific emergency action plans.
• The spirit committee has upped the roster limit from 25 to 28 in 4A and 5A.
• The swimming committee is recommending a change from top 16 for finals at state events to a top 20. Additionally the boys 4A and 5A championships would be at one combined site starting in 2019.
• The track and field committee is recommending that the girls 800 medley relay be eliminated from the state meet starting in 2019. (The boys don’t run the event.)

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New Board members

The following have been nominated to serve on CHSAA’s Board of Directors, starting in the fall of 2019:

• Luke DeWolfe, Steamboat Springs athletic director, in District 1.
• Chase McBride, Niwot athletic director, in District 2.
• Femi Alao, DSST: Green Valley Ranch athletic director, in District 5.
• Don Steiner, Evangelical Christian athletic director, in District 8.

On April 26, the Legislative Council will meet in Aurora. Below is information about the meeting, including links to the agenda and proposals that will be considered.

Where: Radisson Denver Southeast (3155 S. Vaughn Way, Aurora)

• Meeting preview: Coming soon

Files

• Agenda (.pdf)
• Full packet (.pdf)
• All proposals (.pdf)
• January 2018 results (.pdf)

Meeting info

• Schedule
• Proposals
• Committee reports

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Schedule

Thursday, April 26, 2018

• 7:45-8:30 a.m. – Continental Breakfast
• 8:30 a.m. – Meeting Convenes (Arapahoe/Douglas)
• 10 a.m. – Coffee/Tea/Soft Drink Break
• 11:45 a.m. – Lunch
• 1 p.m. – Meeting Reconvenes

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Action Items

Note: Constitutional Proposals require 2/3 vote for approval; Administrative and Athletic Proposals requires majority vote for approval, unless otherwise noted.

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Action items — Committee reports

Note: Require majority vote for approval, unless otherwise noted. Some committees reported at the January meeting. Those are noted.

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Nominations – Board of Directors

• Replacement for Paul Cain, District 1: Luke DeWolfe, Steamboat Springs athletic director.
• Replacement for Rick Logan, District 2: Chase McBride, Niwot athletic director.
• Replacement for Loren Larrabee, District 5: Femi Alao, DSST: Green Valley Ranch athletic director.
• Replacement for Joe Garcia, District 8: Don Steiner, Evangelical Christian athletic director.

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

AURORA — During the Legislative Council meeting on Thursday, the Technology Committee reported on their recommendation surrounding the future of the RPI formula.

The gist of that recommendation: Move away from the standard formula — 25 percent weight on a team’s own winning percentage, 50 percent on a team’s opponent’s, and 25 percent on the opponents of their opponents — to a 30/40/30 model.

The recommendation was delivered to the CHSAA Board of Directors during their meeting on Wednesday. The Board will vote on that recommendation in February.

The Technology Committee has met several times since last August, including an in-person meeting, and several video conferences, in exploring the future of the RPI. Included was a trip to visit with Erik Packard, a statistics professor at Colorado Mesa University who has his own ranking system for high school sports.

The Committee also commissioned a survey of CHSAA member schools asking for their input on the RPI. More than 220 schools responded. That survey showed that:

• Accuracy is the most important factor in a formula.
• They want more weight on their own winning percentage.
• They believe that RPI should be used to set postseason fields, but not to seed them.

Using this feedback as a guide, the Technology Committee then set out to examine all the RPI data CHSAA has ever captured — including from seasons prior to its implementation in 2016.

In order to determine which formula was most accurate, they compared a team’s ranking in the final RPI standings of the regular season to their actual performance at the state tournament.

Seven different weights were examined. Because schools had asked for more weight on their own winning percentage, they first looked at a 50/25/25 model. In every case — in every sport — that formula was the least accurate.

In the overwhelming majority of the data, the standard formula (25/50/25) was the most accurate.

A second formula was either the most or the second-most accurate formula in all sports: 30/40/30.

Ultimately, this is the formula the Technology Committee recommended to the Board on Wednesday. The recommendation is that this formula be used in all sports, which will help eliminate the confusion of separate formulas.

Worth noting: It is the most accurate formula for football, too — more accurate than the current formula (37.5/37.5/25) that is being used.

Additionally, the Technology Committee will explore what it would look like if a classification modifier were to be used in all sports.

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

AURORA — Baseball in Colorado is going to be a little bit longer. At Thursday’s Legislative Council meeting, the council voted the passage of an amendment that proposed expanding the number of games in Class 3A, 4A and 5A.

Starting in 2019, those classes can schedule up to 23 games. As a result, athletes are now allowed 161 innings of participation, up from the previous number of 133.

The 23-game schedule applies to the classes that do not have district tournaments as a part of their schedules. 

The 1A and 2A classes participate in district tournaments so their game cap remains at 19.

A number of factors led to the raised issue of increasing games. Colorado has been ahead of the curve in many aspects when it comes to baseball participation. The pitch count rule that was enacted in 2016 has been adapted on a national scale.

But the number of competitions has been one aspect of the game that the state has not caught up to until the passage of the amendment. Games in northern states with weather that is comparable to Colorado compete in anywhere from 22-25 regular season contests.

Additionally, 23 games has been the number of contests allowed in basketball and volleyball and the baseball committee felt it was time to match that number.

“I’m always trying to know what the coaches and the schools are looking for, but it had to make sense,” assistant commissioner Bert Borgmann said. “I think this time, the coaches did a great job on educating their coaches on why they needed those games.”

Later in the meeting, the baseball committee report was passed, which extended the season one week. State championships for 3A, 4A and 5A will now be held the weekend after Memorial Day.

As with anything involving sports in the spring, weather can always be a factor when taking this kind of action. The final day of the 3A, 4A and 5A state tournaments were pushed back a day last spring due to weather conditions leaving the fields unplayable.

With the extra week, more favorable weather could help the season finish on the expected end date rather than pushing the final games back one or several days.

“That would be nice,” Borgmann said. “By extending it into that next, that’s the week we were generally finishing up anyway probably four of the last five years. It’s not like it’s a foreign concept to be playing after the scheduled end date. Hopefully the weather cooperates in all spring sports so we’re not facing that as often as we have in the past.”

There is one other factor that increasing the number of games brings up. Last week, the equity committee recommended that if baseball was going to increase the number of contests that the same action should be taken for the like-sport of softball.

“The membership is going to have to address the softball piece,” Borgmann said.

Boulder athletic director and equity committee chair Eddie Hartnett urged the leagues to consider the implications that the passage would present to softball prior to their vote.

The amendment passed with a 60 percent vote from the Legislative Council.