EDITOR’S NOTE: Opinions in this Mailbag do not reflect an official viewpoint of CHSAA.

In this installment of the CHSAANow.com Mailbag, we tackle questions about esports, football alignment, rugby, intentional walks in softball, and more.

To ask a question for the next Mailbag, use this form, or ask on Twitter: Tweet to @jryancasey

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(Chris Yunker/Flickr)

I recently heard that you guys are planning to add esports. I’m not sure if that’s a good idea or not. What’s it all about? And are you really going to say it’s a sport?

— Mike, Highlands Ranch

Alright, let’s dive right in.

The term “esports” has been around for decades now, and likely originated right around the time the Korean e-Sports Association was founded in the early 2000s, according to this article. It’s just a name, so don’t get too caught up in semantics.

As we begin the first pilot season this fall, CHSAA is treating esports as a competitive activity. We aren’t classifying it as a sport.

More than 22,000 high school-aged kids participate in esports currently in Colorado alone. That’s incredible! For context, that’s more kids than participated in any sport CHSAA currently sanctions, and is second only to music of every activity.

The main aim with esports is to bring a kid that isn’t currently involved in their high school community into that community. They’re doing this at home already, so let’s have them do this in a social setting with their peers at their schools.

Esports is co-ed, it’s accessible, and it’s inclusive of a wide range of students. That’s a perfect fit with CHSAA’s mission.

Esports is also a team-oriented competition, and participants will need to meet the same eligibility requirements as traditional athletes.

This video is a great look into the world of esports at the high school level:

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When is esports going to start? Is there more information about it?

— Cayden, Brighton

The first season will begin this coming October, and we will be sending out more detailed information (here on CHSAANow!) in the weeks to come as it firms up.

We will also be having two presentations for school personnel, at the upcoming Colorado High School Coaches Association convention, and then our All-School Summit for athletic directors. That will help disseminate information to their schools and communities.

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(Dustin Price/DustinPricePhotography.com)

Can you explain what goes into creating the football leagues? Who is involved? Any insight would be helpful. Thanks!

— Josh, Pueblo

This time around, during the creation of the 2020 & 2021 alignment, it was about an 18-month process. I honestly lost count of the number of meetings that were held, but it was dozens, and the overwhelming majority of them were in-person, sit-down, hours-long meetings.

The process included a wide range of people, notably CHSAA assistant commissioner Bud Ozzello, who retired this summer, football committee chair Chris Noll, CHSAA commissioner Rhonda Blanford-Green, incoming CHSAA assistant commissioner Adam Bright, and the members of the football committee, which includes two members representing each classification. There were also meetings which included district athletic directors and league presidents.

Each football committee member spent hours upon hours receiving feedback and talking through alignment proposals with athletic directors and coaches from the classifications that they represented.

In creating the alignment, the following criteria was used:

• Enrollment numbers
• Competitive balance within each conference
• Geography
• Risk minimization
• Success/non-success
• School participation percentage
• Regular season/postseason implications

Ultimately, this alignment was given a vote of approval by the Board of Directors at their June meeting.

The process was thorough, to say the least.

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(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

Why did CHSAA dictate to the 5A Metro 10 teams that are now broken up into two leagues in the new alignment that they could only play one cross-over game? They are not dictating to the other leagues who they can play in non-conference.

Are they trying to force those teams to play bigger schools to get those schools a “cupcake” game, and if so then does CHSAA understand the safety and risk factor if some of those schools are forced to play the big schools?

If they are then does CHSAA actually care about student safety, as they claim? Makes no sense, and is asking for player safety to be jeopardized. I bet I won’t even get an answer as CHSAA and really no one at CHSAA actually looks at their decisions and how they really affect the smaller 5A schools. Here is hoping to get an answer to these questions.

— Todd, Firestone

As mentioned above, one of the main criteria used in the creation of the 2020 and 2021 football alignment was risk minimization. It was at the forefront of each of one those dozens of meetings, which included a massive amount of discussion specific to the Metro 10 League, and a similar league in 4A.

The great thing with the new alignment is that this group of rebuilding schools in 5A has expanded from 10 teams to 12, allowing more programs in similar circumstances to play one another during league play.

Additionally, one of the lessons we learned from the 2018 football season, and specifically the Metro 10 League, is that when they only play one non-conference game, their RPI is artificially inflated because they are in an ecosystem of their own. That created issues not only in seeding, but also within the communities of the schools involved in the Metro 10.

So as a result, the committee made the decision that four of their 10 games should be against teams outside of these two conferences. They are not forced to play other 5A schools, and can opt to add schools from other classifications to their schedules, if they choose to.

This move will also allow some of the other programs in 5A who may also be struggling, especially against traditional powers, to open up additional opportunities for scheduling.

In no way was this move made to “force those teams to play bigger schools to get those schools a ‘cupcake’ game.” The CHSAA office does not schedule for individual teams. Regular season schedules are created by schools.

I would say that CHSAA — as an office, as a football committee, and as a membership — does understand the issues at play as it pertains to 5A football. And you can look at the basic fact that these leagues exist as proof of that.

As someone who attended each of those meetings on football alignment over the past two years, I can assure you that the CHSAA office and membership does care an awful lot, and does take serious consideration in every decision being made, no matter who it impacts.

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With the rugby union and rugby league being two of most fastest growing sports in America … when will we see the sport being sanctioned by CHSAA and or a partnership with Rugby Colorado?

— Eli, Denver

They certainly have the opportunity to seek a pilot opportunity through our Board of Directors. The sanctioning process has recently been revamped, and we just saw three sports successfully gain sanctioned status last April: Unified bowling, boys volleyball and girls wrestling. And, as mentioned above, esports is currently in the piloting process.

That being said, before the process was revamped, girls rugby did make a push for sanctioning in recent years, but no league wanted to sponsor a vote for sanctioning. As a result, their quest ended there.

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(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

Why does CHSAA allow the automatic walk in softball, in other words waiving the batter down to first base without having to pitch to them? This has the affect of eliminating the best hitters from not only a team, but some of the best hitters in the state from participating in a big part of the game.

A lot can happen with four pitches so at least make the defense pitch to each batter, and if they want to pitch four balls, then great.

— Rich, Loveland

This is a national rule and it was made to bring fast-pitch softball in line with slow-pitch softball rules in April 2018, “to keep up with current trends of the sports and maximize the flow of the game.”

Here’s more information via a press release put out by the NFHS when the change was made.

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What do you guys do in the summer? No sports, right? So do you just have BBQs every day, or what?

— Ruth, Colorado Springs

That’s correct. (To the “no sports” question, not to the everyday barbecues.) Our season ended with the state baseball championships in early June. But there is still plenty to be done.

We hosted a three-day recruiting evaluation event for boys basketball in late June, the first year such events could be held.

Our staff and Board of Directors were also in Indianapolis for the NFHS Summer Meeting, where that organization celebrated its 100th year. (They also unveiled a new logo.) We attended various workshops and roundtables at that meeting, which also offers a great opportunity for networking and sharing ideas. Rhonda, our commissioner, ran a panel on inclusion and diversity within leadership.

The annual Student Leadership Camp is in early July each year, and our new assistant commissioner Justin Saylor is there leading it along with curriculum director Rashaan Davis. (Our whole administrative staff made visits to the camp this week to take part, as well.)

The summer months are also great for working on projects, and planning ahead. I use it to tackle major projects. In the past, I’ve completed a redesign of this website in the summer.

Of course, the summer is a great time for the staff to take some much-needed time off to recharge.

And, yes, we have had one staff barbecue over lunch this summer.

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

In this special installment of the CHSAANow.com Mailbag, we brought commissioner Rhonda Blanford-Green in for a Q&A session.

This time, we tackled questions about her first year, eSports, charter schools, “district” teams, school spirit, a shot clock in basketball, championship games on TV, and much more.

To ask a question for the next Mailbag, use this form, or ask on Twitter: Tweet to @jryancasey

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If you think back to a year ago, what were you feeling at this time? How have things changed for you personally in a year?

(Steve Oathout)

A year ago, it was all about ideas and concepts. And a year later, it’s about calls to action and really delving into the responsibilities of the job. I think when you start off you have a mentality of, “Oh I want to do this, and this, and this,” but then when you get into the chair and into the daily routine, it makes it real. It goes from ideas and thoughts to action and realness.

You can start your morning with a to-do list but then you get in the office and there’s 40 urgent emails or phone calls you have deal with. As the new commissioner, everyone wants an audience with you. People want you to prioritize their to-do list. So I’m learning balance.

What are you most proud of in Year 1?

The relationships that I’ve built with the staff. They are the core of the Association and helping me to execute the mission of CHSAA.

What are some of the major things you hope to accomplish in the years to come?

I think a main focus will be the broader education of what CHSAA’s purpose is as an extension of the educational process. We will always be a voice of reason in regards to the purpose of participation, and advocates for kids.

Do you think we say “no” to kids too much?

I believe our roles have changed over the years to being less regulatory, and more service-oriented for kids, coaches, officials and our school communities.

We are balancing the mission of participation without compromising competitive equity. It’s a change in philosophy to embrace more participation — without eroding the culture of fair play.

eSports is emerging nationally as a potential competitive activity. I know you attended a session during the national meeting about it this summer, and have also seized on other opportunities to learn more about it. Where are we headed with eSports?

The interest has been overwhelming. We receive emails and calls urging us to explore the genre. 19 states will participate in this competitive activity in the 2018-19 season. We will take an opportunity to view their competitions and then chart our next steps as we move forward.

More than 22,000 students in Colorado are registered gamers, which means we are missing an opportunity to connect the high school experience and educational accountability to those students. And that would be our future goal — connecting the two.

Additionally, our job will be to dispel the stereotypes and educate the naysayers on our mission, as well as the incorporation of an activity that is on the rise with our students.

What is something you can teach high schoolers about leadership, and what’s something you’ve learned from high schools about leadership?

— @oh_reagan_o, Twitter

I would tell high schoolers to lead with authenticity and empathy and serve for something bigger than yourself. The other thing I would tell all of our participants is to enjoy the high school experience, and don’t put pressure on themselves or allow others to pressure you to be anything more than what you bring to the table. Be your best self.

As far as what I’ve learned? To be open to their interests, even if it may be counter to the historical thought process of a 100-year old state association.

Is there going to be consideration to change the way charter schools are granted CHSAA membership, and bring them more in line with the way traditional high schools are granted automatic membership through their school district? [Ed. note: According to bylaw 600, in order to become a CHSAA member, charter schools and private schools undergo a more stringent review process than traditional public high schools directly under the control and direction of an elected Board of Education for that district in which it resides.]

— Mike, Facebook

For any non-traditional school that hasn’t built a foundation, we vet them to ensure that both sides think through the responsibilities and accountabilities of being a CHSAA member, because unfortunately we have had some non-traditional members not survive in the educational field, and that negatively impacted our members.

Because of that, we feel the current process ensures a cycle of success.

Is there a chance to play the HS 3A,4A and 5A Baseball championships at Coors Field? The @Rockies seem like a great partner to do something like this.

— @LJmaximo, Twitter

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

Our goal is to provide the best possible facilities for all of our championship events. We will continue to investigate ways to bring a culminating championship to Coors Field. That is a goal. We would love to give our athletes that experience.

This is a combination of questions that we got for you on Twitter, one that you actually responded to already, but it’s also a common one we see in sports like hockey and lacrosse:

So-called “district” teams often have a lot of success, and that leads to some questioning why individual schools don’t have their own teams. What are some of the hurdles there, and are there ways for us to encourage new programs?

The decision to add or delete programs is done at the local level. We trust that our schools look at interests, finances, etc., within their local construct to determine if they want to add or delete programs. And we support their decisions.

CHSAA is a 359-school membership. Our office is guided by their needs, interests and wants.

What are you doing to directly influence and improve school spirit at sporting events across the state? Most schools that do have a lot of school spirit and energy have a lot of financial backing. How will CHSAA use their influence over scheduling, postseason, rules for spectators, and school administrations to push for increased school spirit?

— Peter, Denver

We are excited to present this summer with Varsity Brands on a new platform about raising school spirit and embracing culture within the school, using athletics and activities.

(Renee Bourcier/bourcierphoto.com)

We have other initiatives, such as #BackMyTeam, which is a social media campaign specifically designed around increasing school spirit. That will be coming back again this fall.

In addition, we have CHSAA leadership and sportsmanship summits, which give kids tools to go back and make a difference in their schools, because school spirit is the core of inclusion.

Are we going to have a shot clock for high school basketball? And when are we going to 30 games in a basketball year?

— Toni, Denver

The shot clock is a national debate that’s being piloted by some states, and I would say the Colorado membership is 50/50 on the idea. We will continue to monitor the pilot programs.

An increase in basketball games has not been submitted by a CHSAA league, and if that were to happen the membership would vote on whether or not to increase games. It hasn’t come up for a discussion or a vote.

More and more research shows an overwhelming connection between CTE and youth football and concussions. While there have been improvements in helmets and techniques, children are concussed at an alarming rate.

What specifically is being done to address this and what responsibility does CHSAA own for the long-term effects of concussions, knowing now the direct correlation between youth concussions and CTE?

— Chris, Sterling

Our responsibility as an Association is to all participants in the area of safety and risk minimization. Our Sports Medicine Advisory Committee has become more involved in the creation of safety bylaws and mandates to ensure that student-athletes are participating in the safest environments possible as recommended by national safety councils.

In the area of concussion, we have strengthened our return-to-play protocols, we have partnered with a company that will provide a local school tracking system for students diagnosed with concussions, and we continuously update our website with the latest information, which is accessible to the public, parents and students.

As a longtime Denver resident, I remember all the years when KWGN-2 and later KCNC-4 would televise the state basketball championship games live. Now, the games are only shown on [the NFHS Network], which requires a high-speed Internet connection and shuts out some viewers. What can CHSAA do to help bridge that gap?

— Richard, Denver

We recently acquired an opportunity to partner with a local broadcast group, and may be able to bridge that gap in the future. But as always, we encourage you to come to the games.

I know the CHSAA is limited on anything to be done about the trend of specialization, but would like to have your thoughts?

— Jim, Castle Rock

I think that specialization is more a large-school issue, as small schools tend to utilize all of their students to participate in their programs, and they’re needed to help those teams.

I think the high school experience is enriched when students participate in multiple activities, not just athletics. Things like music, student leadership, chess club, robotics, knowledge bowl, ultimate frisbee and eSports. The hope is for them to contribute to the bigger picture of their high school, the bigger picture of their school culture.

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To have your question answered in our next Mailbag, use this form.

(Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)

EDITOR’S NOTE: Opinions in this Mailbag do not reflect an official viewpoint of CHSAA.

In this installment of the CHSAANow.com Mailbag, we tackle questions about the (non) use of a shot clock in basketball, fans who act inappropriately, the addition of new sports and activities, and more.

To ask a question for the next Mailbag, use this form, or ask on Twitter: Tweet to @jryancasey

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(Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)

Why doesn’t CO hoops use a shot clock? Aren’t there other states that do this? If so, how come we can’t do it, too? I really think it would help the game, so that teams aren’t just sitting around holding the ball as much as they are now.

— Nick, Longmont

This is an interesting topic. The short answer to your question is that as things stand in Colorado right now, it would take a change at the national level to get this done. The reason for this is that CHSAA is among states nationally that are a “100 percent” state — that is, Colorado follows NFHS rules 100 percent.

You’re right, there are states that deviate from the NFHS rules specifically so they can add a shot clock. Eight states, in fact: New York, California, Massachusetts, Maryland (only girls), North Dakota, South Dakota, Rhode Island and Washington.

So why doesn’t CHSAA stop being a 100 percent state? Well, there are a lot of benefits to being a 100 percent state, including the ability to sit on NFHS rules committees. Having representation there means you’re able to help shape future rules, and that (obviously) is a pretty important influence.

The NFHS has looked at adding a shot clock in the past. In 2015, the organization noted that proposals have been pushed forward “for a number of years,” but that “the arguments against the use of a shot clock have prevailed.”

It came up at CHSAA’s basketball committee meeting last February. And I’m sure it will again this February. (This is also commonplace in other states. It’s happened in Ohio and Illinois recently, too.)

Basically, the arguments against the shot clock revolve mostly around tradition and strategy, but also that it would create a financial burden for schools who would have to go out and buy new scoreboards or stand-alone shot clocks. (Shot clocks range from $2,000 to $7,000, according to a report on CantonRep.com.)

I’m personally in favor of adding a shot clock, and think that the financial side of things could be mitigated by simply having officials keep track of the shot clock at gyms that don’t have one built in. (Every state venue already has a built-in shot clock.) We already have referees keep time in football with the play clock, including the recent 40-second experiment this past season.

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(Josh Watt/CHSAANow.com)

There are fans who take sports way too seriously and frankly don’t know how to act at sporting events. The loss of officials is discouraging and alarming. Should CHSAA adopt a policy of zero tolerance or close to it to deal with unruly fans?

— Chris, Pagosa Springs

You are absolutely right: People take sports way too seriously, especially at our level. There has been an extreme loss of perspective when it comes to sporting events.

Ultimately, at the high school and youth levels, sports are used as a way to teach kids about life. They deal with hardship, controversy, expectation, disappointment. They learn to be a member of a team, how to take instruction, how to constructively criticize, how to be humble in victory, and gracious in defeat.

Sports are absolutely important, for their ability to teach, and for other reasons as basic as exercise, but they are ultimately a game. Perspective so important.

I love what Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell said about seeing the Earth from the Moon in 1971:

From out there on the moon, international politics look so petty. You want to grab a politician by the scruff of the neck and drag him a quarter of a million miles out and say, “Look at that, you son of a [expletive].”

I think that same perspective holds true for sports: Is that missed call by an official so important in the grand scheme of the world? Of your kid’s life? Do you really need to scream and yell at the official so everyone in the gym can know you disagree with it?

Your kid will go on to have many moments that really matter — perhaps the birth of a child or the death of a parent, a job offer, moving to a new town — and the hope is that by playing sports at a young age, they will have learned some skills to will help them deal with those moments.

In any case, to your actual question — should CHSAA adopt a zero policy tolerance for fans — maybe not a zero-tolerance policy, but perhaps some new rules may be in order. Or perhaps we need to do a better job at policing ourselves.

Some of the instances we wrote about when discussing the abuse of officials were just gross. But we’ve all seen similar things at games. Maybe the next time it happens, we shouldn’t just roll our eyes. We can’t normalize treating another person like garbage. We need to tell them to stop, and help that unruly person gain some perspective. We need to be the example for our kids.

The ones who don’t have the words to rationally discuss something simply raise their voices and resort to cussing someone out. So let’s teach them the words, and how to properly and calmly handle the situation.

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(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

I am writing to inquire about the process for new activities to be accepted and sanctioned by the Colorado High School Activities Association. Can you help me to track down this information?

— William, Seattle

I went straight to the source for this one — CHSAA assistant commissioner Bethany Brookens, our equity coordinator — because she has far more complete and direct knowledge.

First, the people behind adding a new activity or sport need to contact the equity coordinator, and then send out a survey to member schools gauging the interest in adding that sport or activity.

“They’ll ask things like who’s interested, do they have facilities to support it, what the cost impact would be, and how would it affect their proportionality” in terms of Title IX, Brookens said.

From there, the group would present to the equity committee. That committee would make a recommendation on whether or not to add the new sport/activity.

The group then has the option of speaking to the Legislative Council in hopes of gaining support.

The final step would be to have a league bring a proposal forward to be voted on by the Legislative Council, typically at its April meeting.

CHSAA hasn’t added a new sport since 1998 and 1999 with boys and girls lacrosse. But as we’ve written about, girls wrestling may be on the horizon.

Recently, girls rugby got most of the way, only to have its momentum stopped at the most important step: no league wanted to sponsor a proposal.

Boys volleyball is set to talk to Legislative Council in January, and we may then see a proposal from a league in April.

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Why aren’t the RPI standings updated yet? I feel like they were always updated during the fall. What happened?

— Toni, Castle Rock

After receiving feedback from our schools, we opted to not publish the winter rankings until mid-season. We will likely do this in spring, as well.

The feedback from the schools indicated that it would be helpful for them if the standings didn’t post until there was a meaningful amount of data.

Here’s more info from something we published in December.

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To have your question answered in our next Mailbag, use this form.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Opinions in this Mailbag do not reflect an official viewpoint of CHSAA.

In this installment of the CHSAANow.com Mailbag, we tackle questions about co-ops in small schools, football’s alignment, football’s playoff hosting rule, and girls wrestling. Oh, and RPI.

To ask a question for the next Mailbag, use this form, or ask on Twitter: Tweet to @jryancasey

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(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

How are two schools allowed to combine for 6-man football and end up with 25 kids on the team? Both schools had plenty of kids to field a team.

— Robert, Fleming

I’m going to go out on a limb and guess you’re referring to the situation that played out with Hi-Plains and Flagler this season.

Here’s what happened, as I understand it:

• Flagler decided to drop its program just prior to the season.
• The point at which they decided to drop it came too late to form a co-op, mostly because a team can’t change classifications in the same month the season begins.
• As their school no longer fielded a program, the kids at Flagler who still wished to play football had the chance to continue playing for the closest program in their district of attendance or district of residence.
• For many of the Flagler students, that program ended up being Hi-Plains.
• This is allowed under state law, and is actually out of CHSAA’s hands.

This state law is very beneficial for kids in a lot of circumstances, and helps ensure they can participate. But, according to CHSAA commissioner Paul Angelico, “There are a lot of unintended consequences to the state law, which we weren’t asked to provide any input on.”

Now, this entire situation has really drawn some scrutiny — and I do think that’s understandable. Probably the biggest reason is that if the two schools were to have formed a co-op program, they would have combined their enrollment of 82 students (Hi-Plains has 38 students; Flagler has 44). That combined total would have moved the hypothetical co-op team from the 6-man division to 8-man.

This all gets an extra spotlight given the fact that Hi-Plains won the 6-man title last month. It even came up separately last week at the football committee meeting, and at a school board executive meeting.

Before we dive into this, let’s get something straight: No ill will or anger should be directed toward the students, nor should their championship run be minimized. They earned their title, and they absolutely deserve it.

Secondly, this situation is not limited to Hi-Plains and Flagler. “It’s more widespread than just these two schools,” Angelico said. Again, the championship run simply provided the microscope which everyone is now viewing this through.

That said: I do believe there were some missteps in how this whole situation was handled. Most glaring is that the Hi-Plains program — and it was the Hi-Plains program, not Flagler’s — had a tendency to act like a co-op at times:

• Home games were held, or planned to be held, at both schools.
• Players were being bussed from Flagler to Hi-Plains.
• Multiple attempts were made to have the program referred to as Hi-Plains/Flagler. In fact, the Arriba-Flagler School District currently has that exact reference on its website, congratulating the program.

There were, and continue to be, hard feelings because of examples like this (and others).

I tend to believe the truth of what happened is somewhere more in the middle, as is usually the case in situations such as this.

I believe the Flagler merely is proud of its kids, and has sought during and after the season to support them. I believe that dropping a program is not something any school takes lightly, especially a small school, because of the implications that can mean for the small town that surrounds it.

And, as Angelico said, simply dropping a program is never a good thing.

“Every time this happens,” he said, “we’ve cut the opportunities for kids to complete in half. If there are two basketball programs, there are 10 kids who start. If you drop one program, suddenly that becomes five.”

But I also believe that the adults involved with the decision-making process are aware of the fact that dropping the program just prior to the season gave them an advantage that other programs did not have. And that probably should be addressed so that it doesn’t happen in the future.

In fact, it is being looked into already. At the football committee meeting, CHSAA assistant commissioner Harry Waterman noted that, “It’s on our radar.”

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(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

Now that we’re out of the regular season and into the playoffs, is it safe to say that the creation of football leagues in 4A and especially 5A using the “waterfall” method was an unmitigated disaster?

Leagues were uncompetitive. Crowds were non-existent. No rivalries. There was zero buzz in the last half of the season. It needs to be scrapped and redone.

— C.J., Denver

Unmitigated disaster? No. This isn’t some geopolitical catastrophe. Let’s keep some perspective — this is high school football.

To your point, yes, I would say that the current alignment is unsuccessful in 5A, and (more relevant) others — decision-makers whose opinions actually matter — agree with that. But I do not think the same is true in 4A. I think how 4A structured their waterfall to play out geographically was a good inbetween step that sought some balance to the leagues, but also keep teams relatively close together. That allowed for certain rivalries to continue in league play.

The first thing to remember with this is that the proposal to move to the waterfall alignment was nearly entirely driven by 5A coaches. That fact has really been forgotten, especially by some 5A coaches.

As you might guess, the waterfall alignment was also discussed at football committee last week.

“This was an idea that came from the membership, a lot of coaches primarily,” committee chair Mike Krueger said. “We wanted equal leagues. This committee did that.”

If certain rivalries didn’t continue, it wasn’t because schools didn’t have the opportunity to play the game. They had five weeks of non-league schedule where they could try and schedule whoever they wanted. So if rivalries didn’t continue, it was because one (or both) schools opted to not schedule that rivalry game during non-league. (The counter argument here is that some opted to not schedule the game out of fear for what it would do to their RPI rating.)

This is not to say that say that the current alignment has been good for all schools. As I wrote, I believe it was unsuccessful in its first year. Rivalry games probably shouldn’t be in the early part of the year, because of the financial implications for schools you mention, but also because they mean more later in the season.

Beyond everything else, as Krueger pointed out, the waterfall has “really highlighted the disparity in 5A football.” The attention is turning to saving programs in 5A.

Said Krueger: “I sit here, as the chair of this committee, extremely concerned about the schools on the lower end of 5A that may or may not be able to retain their programs because they haven’t been able to compete at the highest level.”

So where to from here? For starters, the current alignment will be in place again for the 2017 season — barring something crazy happening at Legislative Council next month or in April.

Behind the scenes, it looks like we may be headed for some type of new classification structure, possibly in 2020. That should be designed to address many of the issues behind the waterfall’s intent, especially competitive equity.

So that means the football committee will essentially be looking for some kind of a two-year bridge between this current alignment in 5A and the new classification system. And I’ll bet they take a close look at what 4A did with its geographic waterfall.

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(Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)

Why is it that a No. 1-seeded team will be at home for one round of the playoffs and on the road for the next round? In Wyoming, the higher seed always hosts with the exception of the state championship games in Laramie.

I think that makes more sense to have the higher seed host all the way through the playoffs.

— Jim, Greeley

I tend to agree with you. I’m a fan of high seeds hosting, period.

But the majority of schools don’t agree, and that’s what matters. They’ve long had this rule in place in order to spread out the cost of travel, but also to give different communities the opportunity to host a playoff game, which doesn’t come around too often in many places.

This one is like the Sunday contact rule. It’s often brought up as the target of change, but that wave of change never succeeds.

Perhaps one day it will. It may happen incrementally, meaning, for example, it may take root at the 5A level before it does in 1A. 3A has already taken a small step, guaranteeing that the high seed will host its championship game.

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(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

Would you feel good about working for a company that based your merit on 25 percent of your performance and the other 75 percent performance out of your control. I wouldn’t and I wouldn’t work for that company.

That’s the way our kids feel about RPI. Why work hard because whether you make playoffs or not depend on opposing teams and teams you don’t even play? Come On Man that’s not fair.

— Tim, Lone Tree

A few sports committees are starting to agree with this line of thinking. Baseball, soccer and football have all recently made tweaks to their RPI percentages. Others, like softball and volleyball, opted not to change.

Here’s what I’ll say about this argument: Teams, for the most part, can control who they schedule. So that’s actually 75 percent of components they can control.

Yes, they can’t actually foresee an opponent’s exact record, but they typically can have an idea of how good an opponent will be. And granted, there are instances where it makes it tough to have a good strength of schedule. However, by-and-large, the strength of schedule is in the hands of the team doing the scheduling.

Recently, when someone argues that they can’t “control” components used by the RPI, I have started to interpret that as them saying they can’t manipulate it. And honestly? Good. You shouldn’t be able to control all aspects of a computer ranking system that’s seeking to objectively evaluate your team.

To me, that’s what makes the third column in the RPI — the winning percentage of your opponents’ opponents (OOWP) — so valuable. It judges how good your opponents really are.

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(Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)

I am really excited to see how this girls wrestling thing plays out! Do you think it has a shot of moving forward? I think it would be really great for girls to have this chance.

— Chris, Pueblo

Based on this most recent step — girls-only tournaments will be held this season — yes, I do think it has a good shot of moving forward.

The response to that news has kind of shocked me. I thought it would be positive, but it really has been overwhelmingly positive, including from surrounding states. This really looks like it would be a great step for the sport in Colorado.

Here’s hoping that the trial run goes really well, and we can begin to talk seriously about sanctioning girls wrestling.

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What does a CHSAA suspension mean and how is it enforced? Specifically, if a school is under “suspension” how are they able to participate in the postseason for any of their sports?

— Janice, Littleton

There are two specific kinds of punishments that are handed out to schools and coaches/admins: probation, and restriction. What you are referring to is known as restriction, which bars a team or coach from participating in the postseason.

I can’t think of a situation where a team has actually been barred from the postseason (though there may be), and the reason for that is that the CHSAA office really tries to not punish kids if at all possible. Coaches, on the other hand, are barred from the postseason (as a whole, or a single game) from time-to-time.

Typically what happens is a school or program will be placed on restriction and then have to submit an improvement plan which specifically details how they will fix the issue that caused the restriction. And typically, that team or school will be removed from restriction at that point. At the same time, coaches may be left on restriction.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Opinions in this Mailbag do not reflect an official viewpoint of CHSAA.

In this installment of the CHSAANow.com Mailbag, we tackle the questions about the classification system, moving softball to the spring, recruiting officials, and (of course) RPI.

To ask a question for the next Mailbag, use this form, or ask on Twitter: Tweet to @jryancasey

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The CLOC committee is involved in creating the classification system. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

I am interested in understanding how the classification process works. It does not seem to me to be strictly an enrollment issue. How can a school participate in one class for one sport and another class for a different sport?

— Tom

The classification system, to me, is one of the biggest issues CHSAA is facing right now.

First, here’s a direct answer to your question: Right now, the classes are set by-and-large by enrollment, with a very small amount of teams playing up (by choice) or down (due to lack of success) a class.

Schools can have different teams in different classes because of that reason, but also because sports have a differing number of classes. For example, football has seven classes, but boys soccer has three. The enrollment cutoffs are different for those sports. (Note that this isn’t always true, as basketball, which has five classes, has the same cutoffs as soccer.)

With the move to equally balancing teams in classes, individual sports vary even more.

I hold a firm belief that enrollment alone does not give enough of a picture to determine classes. I think there should be some weight given to success, or lack thereof, which would probably do a better job at placing programs in a classification.

For example, a program that has won six-straight tennis championships in 4A probably ought to move up to 5A. A football team that has gone 0-10 for three straight years in 3A is probably better suited playing 2A.

Those are, obviously, extreme examples. I think this type of success-based addition to the classification system should be more nuanced, taking into account things like regular season wins, playoff appearances, and the levels of postseason reached.

Of course, this may have the side effect of placing more programs of the same school into different classifications. However, I really think that’s OK.

Recently, a small step was taken in this direction: The CHSAA staff visited with members of the California Interscholastic Federation, and received a briefing on their classification system. That system does take success (or lack of it) into account, tackling competitive equity.

Here’s an example from what the CIF released this past June.

So, stay tuned.

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(Renee Bourcier/CHSAANow.com)

Any discussion of moving softball to spring season like many other states and college? Does CHSAA realize the number of female athletes that compete in both softball and volleyball and are forced to choose one sport in high school?

Volleyball is clearly a fall sport and softball is clearly a spring sport in college which makes since for alignment.

— Dustin, Aurora

Yes, actually. I was surprised to learn this.

A survey was created about this topic by Kit Carson School District superintendent Robert Framel, and it went out to all schools. His survey indicated the following:

• Most of the 5A, 4A and 3A schools were not in favor of a move to the spring. In 5A and 4A, just 15 percent of schools were in favor of the move, while 39.4 percent of 3A schools were in favor of a move.
• Results were slightly more mixed from 1A and 2A (though there is no softball at that level; any schools parcipating here play 3A). In 2A, nine of the 23 surveyed responded that they did want a move, while nine of the 17 surveyed in 1A indicated the same.

Because of these survey results, it is my understanding that the softball committee will hear a proposal to create a 2A softball season in the spring when that committee meets on Nov. 17. That would leave 5A, 4A and 3A playing in the fall.

This is just my opinion, but I believe that would be a bad move. We should not be splitting the same sport into different seasons.

Additionally, a move to a spring season would create other concerns, such as a lack of umpires, the pool of which crosses over from both high school baseball and from college softball (both played in the spring). Also, indications are that it would be very difficult to secure Aurora Sports Park in the spring. So the state tournaments would have to find a similar facility elsewhere.

As far as athletes having to choose one sport over another, that would happen even in the spring with girls sports like track, lacrosse, and soccer.

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(Michael Hankins/TGWstudios.com)

With Paul Angelico and Tom Robinson retiring at the end of the school year, will there be an emphasis on the new regime to recruit newer and better officials for all sports?

Specifically, at the football level, there is a major shortage of officials and a big reason for that is Colorado ranks third-to-last in the country in terms of what officials are paid — and it’s likely like that across all sports.

Isn’t it time for CHSAA — and its member schools and districts — to get serious about getting better officials, and that would require a financial commitment that has been lagging for decades?

— C.J. T., Denver

There have been strides made in this area, as recently as this season, and it is now being looked at every two-year cycle. I believe many schools are starting to take action on this.

I asked Tom Robinson, our officials liaison, about this:

“We might be third in pay, but I’m certain we’re also near the bottom in terms of educational funds, as well,” he said. “So there’s a correlation.”

Still, Robinson acknowledged that this was an issue, and that he was working on it.

“I think that’s a problem,” he said, “but I also think there are other factors. Things like fan abuse and career changes are equally in the mix.

“There’s been a change in the paradigm recently, where we’re no longer strictly getting our officials from the educational world,” Robinson continued. “We’re now getting people from all walks of life.”

As you mention, he is retiring, and we are going to miss him in that office. But I think he wants to have a structure in place to recruit officials before he leaves.

For example, he mentioned an “Each One, Teach One” program where every current official becomes a mentor and helps recruit another official.

Here’s another idea: We’ve got thousands of great “refs” in the stands at games. Why not recruit them?

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I enjoyed reading your proposed changes to the RPI article. I myself have struggled with your own winning percentage holding as much weight as your OOWP and both far behind OWP.

Will basketball consider switching the formula in time for this season?

— Zach, Swink

Thank you, I appreciate that, and thank you for reading.

I honestly do not know if basketball can switch before the winter season, but I will say this: it’s probably best to not get your hopes up.

But also remember that basketball has 19-23 games, so that will help. Again, the problem in football is by-and-large being caused by the relatively small amount of games.

The spring season may be more realistic.

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(Morgan Dzak/CHSAANow.com)

When Silver Creek and Longmont played last week in football, Silver Creek won and stayed fourth in RPI yet Longmont lost and moved up to fifth in RPI.

How is this possible, and why does it seem that RPI rewards teams for losing to great teams? Doesn’t that seem a bit counter-intuitive?

— Jamal, Longmont

This is one of the biggest misconceptions about RPI: It is not a game-to-game rating system, like a coaches poll. It rates teams based on their entire season.

So what likely happened in this instance is that Silver Creek already had a solid strength-of-schedule rating, and it was relatively unchanged by the fact that the Raptors played Longmont. In Longmont’s case, it appears to have helped the Trojans’ SOS, and they moved up as a result.

Now to your second point, we’ve gotten some feedback from our schools (and I agree) that the OWP column is weighted too much, especially for a sport like football, with only 10 games. I believe that will be addressed prior to next season.

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(Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)

Will the RPI be used in women’s hoops and will it be used to seed the teams for the state playoffs? If not, is only being used to select the overall field of playoff teams?

— Kevin, Greenwood Village

Hot off the digital press! It’s our basketball bulletin. See pages 24-30 for qualifying formats.

This answer applies to both girls and boys basketball: Each class has a slightly different way of approaching this, but the RPI will be the primary factor in seeding in all classes, adjusting to accommodate geography and avoid first-round matchups where possible.

There are exceptions, like 3A, where seeds 1-7 will be district champions.

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(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

Is there a reason why CHSAA does not announce where the girls golf regional and state tournaments will be played at the beginning of the school year?

— Hank P., Golden

They typically are announced at that time, but not always.

I think, more than any other sport, golf’s state tournament sites are unique because it is so difficult to find a host course, as well as a school willing to serve as a host.

There are other factors to consider, like how the sites rotate on a geographic basis most of the time, so that can make it even more difficult to secure a course.

As a result, the announcement of sites can at times take longer than other sports.

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So rugby is getting bigger and better in Colorado, has there been any mention to add boys and girls rugby league and rugby union to high school programs?

The game is becoming much popular and athletes from other sports are participating making the game much more competitive.

— Elie T., Aurora

This is something we tackled in a previous Mailbag, but, no there has not been much movement. See this link for more on where it stands.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Opinions in this Mailbag do not reflect an official viewpoint of CHSAA.

In this installment of the CHSAANow.com Mailbag, we tackle the questions about football’s alignment, football’s RPI, softball regionals, adding new sports like boys volleyball, and postseason basketball formats.

To ask a question for the next Mailbag, use this form, or ask on Twitter: Tweet to @jryancasey

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(Matt Daniels/mattdanphoto.com)

It looks like this new football alignment is hurting rivalries, and making it so there are a bunch of blowouts. Why was this done? I think it needs to change back to what it was.

What are your thoughts?

— Chris B., Brighton

Oh, a hot topic! I’m guessing you’re referring to 5A football’s new waterfall alignment.

Yeah, Week 6 did bring us a ton of blowouts. Probably more than there would’ve been if the alignment hadn’t changed. I haven’t taken the time to actually measure that out and compare to previous seasons, but from a pure anecdotal perspective, it sure seemed that way.

That said, I will add this: A lot of those complaining about the waterfall alignment also complained about the alignment for 2014-16, and for 2012-14, and for 2010-12 … and, well, you get the picture.

Listen, these topics you raise are not new. They were talked about by the football committee at their meeting where this was implemented, so everyone knew the possibilities. But, an overwhelming majority of the 5A schools wanted to balance the leagues along with the move to the RPI formula. (It wouldn’t have passed if they didn’t.) The relatively close proximity of 5A allowed for schools to be placed into an alignment based off of past performance.

The thought there was that if you kept stronger leagues (such as the Centennial) together, they would have an advantage in terms of strength of schedule over weaker leagues (such as the Flatirons League) — and therefore have a better shot at making the postseason field.

I’m almost certain this will be talked about at the football committee meeting this winter, but I really don’t know if they will consider adjusting the alignment in the middle of a two-year cycle. That would mean blowing up schedules and starting over for just one year.

In the future, 5A could consider doing something similar to what 4A did: waterfall within geographic regions. That way, the schedules are balanced, but you get to keep some traditional rivalries.

Or, it could move toward the hockey alignment, where you tier the leagues and put teams of similar strength together. That would solve the issue of blowouts, but could possibly skew RPI data.

Ultimately, though, I don’t believe the problem is alignment. It’s the classification system. We really need to look at moving toward a system that classifies teams not only by enrollment, but by historical and recent success. Enrollment numbers do not tell the whole picture.

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(Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

Just saw the football RPI that came out. Are you serious? This is way off!

— Robert K., Colorado Springs

I’ll reiterate what I’ve told some people in other avenues: This data is from Week 6 of a 10-week season. Be patient.

If people broke down softball’s data after six games, or volleyball’s, or soccer’s, then it wouldn’t look quite right.

There have been some absolute overreactions to the football RPI standings released on Saturday. The playoffs don’t start today, nor do they start next week.

Let’s wait until after Week 10 to pull out our Jump to Conclusions mats.

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(Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

Why is Denver East in the softball regionals? Denver East was way below Pomona, and they still made it over them. This doesn’t seem to make any sense??

— Leslie S., Arvada

Denver East was the automatic qualifier out of the Class 5A Denver Prep League. So, even though the Angels were rated 51st in the final RPI standings in 5A, they qualified for the 32-team postseason.

This also happened when Pine Creek, No. 33 in the RPI, made the field as an AQ out of the 5A Colorado Springs Metro League. (It happened in 4A, too.)

The automatic qualifying spots were listed in the softball bulletin prior to the season.

Because of this, the Nos. 31 and 32 teams in the final 5A RPI standings (Northglenn and Pomona) didn’t make the regional field as at-large qualifiers.

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(Matt Daniels/MattDanPhoto.com)

I’m fine with CHSAA starting a girls wrestling division. My question is, why isn’t there a boys volleyball division?

Quite a few states sponsor boys volleyball, men’s volleyball has long been an Olympic sport, and I would think there would be significantly more boys interested in high school volleyball than girls interested in high school wrestling.

Moreover, given all the concerns about football, brain trauma and concussions, boys volleyball would provide another option for male athletes and parents who don’t want to risk their son’s brain health via football participation.

Just wondering …

— Ken R., Littleton

Boys volleyball has long sought sanctioning from CHSAA, and there has been some recent movement on that front recently.

Last week, a survey went out to all schools which will gauge their interest in hosting a team starting in the spring of 2019. The Centennial League is leading the charge. That is good news for the sport, because many potential sports never get a league to sponsor a bylaw at Legislative Council for an official vote on sanctioning.

The survey results are due by Nov. 1, so we’ll know more then.

There is a big hurdle that remains: Even if a school says it wants to add a boys volleyball program, that doesn’t mean it actually will.

As things stand in terms of equity under Title IX, CHSAA can likely add another boys sport without adding a girls sport. BUT: Just because CHSAA’s equity is in good standing, that doesn’t mean the same is true for individual schools.

One major difference is that CHSAA counts spirit as a sport, but many schools do not. That’s because there are a number of criteria they need to hit in order to officially list it as a sport, including competing at the CHSAA state championships. Spirit has a huge amount of female participants.

So, even if the survey returns positive results, Title IX equity within schools is a major hurdle for boys volleyball to clear. Plus, there’s also the question of whether or not a school could add another sport to its athletic budget.

(Oh, and to be clear: girls wrestling is still in “let’s talk about it” stage. Nothing new has happened in terms of its addition.)

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I noticed the mention of possibly adding girls wrestling. What ever happened to rugby? I feel like that would be an easy addition with a lot of girls who want to play that sport.

— Luke S., Aurora

There was a lot of movement on this in early 2015, with it even looking likely that a vote on sanctioning would be put in front of the Legislative Council.

Alas, that never came to fruition as the league that was going to sponsor the bylaw pulled out, so the proposal to add girls rugby stalled, even though a survey showed moderate interest from schools in adding the sport.

But, paired with the above question, girls rugby may be a good mate with boys volleyball for schools that may be worried about throwing off their Title IX equity?

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(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

Has the basketball committee settled on regional sites for 2A basketball? Can you update us on how postseason works now for 2A hoops?

— Jan, Alamosa

Regional sites have not been set yet, but there is a survey going out to schools on Wednesday that deals with that very topic.

Regionals will work this way:

• There are eight regions, each with three teams, for a total of 24 regional qualifiers.
• Each region will qualify one team for an eight-team state tournament.
• Districts 2, 4, 6, 7 and 8 will come from Eastern part of the state, while Districts 1, 3 and 5 will come from the West.
• The regionals are set to be played on Thursday (girls), Friday (boys) and Saturday (both), though this could change. (That is part of the survey.)
• As you may have heard, the state tournaments will now be played at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland.

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For Class 2A basketball, how does the three-region format work? Wouldn’t it be easier to have four regions?

— Steve S., South Fork

I believe you may actually be referring to 1A basketball? We explained the 2A process just above, and that features eight regions.

1A, however, does have three regions. Here’s how it will work:

• The districts feeding into each region will change on a year-to-year basis. (It will be laid out in the basketball bulletin.)
• For 2016-17, Districts 1 and 6 will be in Region 1. Region 2 will consist of Districts 4, 5 and 8. And Region 3 will be Districts 2, 3 and 7.
• Region 1 will send two qualifiers to the state tournament, while Regions 2 and 3 will each send three. This gives us a total of eight teams to state.
• District 1 will always be in Region 1, with Districts 6, 7 and 8 rotating in each year. For example, in 2017-18, Region will be consist of District 1 and 8, while District 6 moves to Region 3.

The basketball committee opted to not use four regions because on 22 teams qualify for regionals due to “the immense travel in 1A,” according to Bert Borgmann, the CHSAA assistant commissioner in charge of basketball.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Opinions in this Mailbag do not reflect an official viewpoint of CHSAA.

In this installment of the CHSAANow.com Mailbag, we tackle the question of kneeling for the national anthem, football championship sites, RPI queries, and girls wrestling.

To ask a question for the next Mailbag, use this form, or ask on Twitter: Tweet to @jryancasey

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(Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)

I am curious as to why CHSAA isn’t doing anything about the Aurora football players that are kneeling at the football games when the National Anthem is being played? When I asked I was told it was a local call. Well then why do you care about if a student wears a shirt at a game and paints their chest with their schools colors or uses a cowbell?

I think this is more unsportsmanlike and distracting than that! I have seen you come into schools and lose your mind over newspapers being held up and other things so why not this?

— Tamatha E., Alamosa

I really can only reinforce what you were told: It is a local issue, and the schools need to be the ones involved in it. Because, first and foremost, it is an educational opportunity, and the coaches, administrators and adults at those schools need to be approaching it that way. The CHSAA office is not going to tell schools how they need to handle this.

I had a conversation with our commissioner, Paul Angelico, about this very topic earlier this week. He and I often have long talks about societal issues, politics, or whatever else, and I really enjoy them.

Here’s some of what he had to say:

“We are not in a position to say that they do not have the freedom of speech to protest. People died for their right to do this,” Angelico said. “But this is a situation that has to be dealt with educationally. This is a learning opportunity.

“I think it’s important that these students know the specifics of what they are protesting about and why. And the same goes for their teammates, who may not be protesting. Are there other outlets which can make a positive difference to the issues they are protesting? Could a student get involved in community activities that can make a real change in their neighborhood rather than just kneel down at the game?

“All of these things can only be answered at the local level between a coach and a student. This organization is not in a position to judge if any or all of this is happening. What I really hope for is that whatever a school, district or coach does it can be done in such a way to unite us, not to further divide us.”

As for the other part of your question, those instances deal with sportsmanship, which is directly related to fair play, crowd control, and belittling the other team.

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(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

Why doesn’t 3A, 2A, 1A, 8-man and 6-man football teams play at the same venue (Mike High Stadium) for their State Championship game? I have heard many state high school activity associations host all their football championship games at the same venue. Is there talk about changing the current format?

— Joe W., Thornton

Many of these classes have held their state championship games at neutral venues in the past. In fact, 3A just moved from Legacy Stadium in Aurora to a neutral site in 2013.

Still, this topic is discussed pretty regularly at times within the football committee. Because, on one hand, it would be awesome to play all seven championship games at one site. But, according to assistant commissioner Harry Waterman, who oversees football, there is not have an option for more than two championship games at Mile High.

So you start from there and look at other options. What about holding 3A, 2A, 1A, 8-man and 6-man at one site, like Legacy Stadium?

Well, surveys conducted by the CHSAA office indicate that those classes simply do not want to have both teams travel to neutral sites.

“They want to remain in their own backyards,” Waterman said.

Like I mentioned, 3A did have a neutral site for a few cycles prior to 2013. The attendance was incredibly diminished at those games, because (for the most part) those classifications are so spread out geographically, and not many people travel to the neutral sites.

Having been to a championship game at a host site, the atmosphere is just special. There’s nothing like a 6-man championship game with a cattle trailer positioned as a wind break on a 5-degree day. You know that old saying that the best time to rob a bank in a small town is during a football game? No, the best time is during a championship football game — because everyone from the town is there, and they bring everyone they know from nearby towns.

This is even true for a city like Pueblo. They filled Dutch Clark Stadium to capacity for the past two 3A title games.

Sports like basketball and volleyball do have neutral sites for 3A, 2A and 1A, but that works for a variety of reasons. The most important: they are playing multiple games over the span of a few days.

I really don’t see these football championship games moving back to a neutral site unless something really special happens in terms of a neutral host site.

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I get the need for using something like the RPI to have equity when determining who is worthy of qualifying for regionals/playoffs/seeding etc., however I do think it needs to be tweaked.

There are times when two teams have played each other (twice) and one team has won both. However, the two teams is question have identical records but the team that won the head to head match up has a lower RPI. The head to head matchup has to be worth more.

Scheduling is part of the answer but modifying the RPI needs to be considered. Is CHSAA looking at this?

— Doug E., Montrose

Good question. This is something that is touched on a lot, especially at committee meetings.

The head-to-head factor is tough in RPI because of the following scenario:

• Team A beats Team B
• Team B beats Team C
• Team C beats Team A

There is no way to accurately give more weight to Team A’s win over Team B without also screwing up how Team C’s victory over Team A is viewed, given that Team C lost to Team B.

In reality, there are not usually just three teams involved in this example scenario. It’s more like six or seven. And that’s why you can’t directly weight head-to-head.

RPI is designed to look at the strength of an entire schedule, not an individual game. Its purpose is to look at teams and compare their relative strength given all factors, including a team’s own winning percentage as it relates to the overall schedule it played.

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(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

With the rise in women’s wrestling and the recent success of our women’s Olympic team does CHSAA have any plans to start a girls wrestling division? Other states currently offer this and more colleges are adding women’s programs. If not, how do we get that conversation started?

— Brandon C., La Junta

This is actively being discussed, so the conversation is already in the works.

There is a subcommittee formed out of the wrestling committee exploring this. They will report their findings at the next wrestling committee meeting, which is Feb. 28, 2017.

“They’re digging into info, and researching how other states administer girls wrestling,” said Harry Waterman, who also is in charge of wrestling in the CHSAA office.

There are a lot of questions to answer: Would girls wrestling be a separate sport? Or part of the existing sport, with two-to-three classifications for girls?

We’ll know more in February, including if the conversation about girls wrestling will move forward from there.

Send you questions into the CHSAANow.com Mailbag using this form.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Opinions in this Mailbag do not reflect an official viewpoint of CHSAA.

In this installment of the CHSAANow.com Mailbag, we tackle the question of the next CHSAA commissioner, football’s RPI standings, and more.

To ask a question for the next Mailbag, use this form, or ask on Twitter: Tweet to @jryancasey

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Current CHSAA commissioner Paul Angelico. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

I’ve heard that CHSAA is hiring a new commissioner. Who is it going to be?

— Erin, Highlands Ranch

Man. Not even going to ease into this mailbag, are we?

I don’t know who the next commissioner is going to be after Paul Angelico retires next summer. Actually, no one knows — because applications aren’t even being accepted until January.

We’ve heard some names batted around, but I don’t really want to feed into a speculation machine.

Here’s what we do know: the Board of Directors, who will be making the hire, has published its timeline. The job will be officially posted on Jan. 2, 2016, and applications will be taken until Feb. 14. The new hire will be announced at the April Legislative Council meeting, which falls on April 20.

The Board has opened up the job to anyone who wants to apply.

This is the first time since 1986 that the hiring process has actually been opened up. (That does not mean that there won’t be internal candidates.) That was four commissioners ago, when the Association hired Ray Plutko from California. He was only in charge for four years before returning to California.

In 1990, after Plutko left the Association, The Los Angeles Times wrote that he “turned CHSAA from a lethargic watchdog into a highly visible office.”

Here is Ray Plutko’s legacy: he hired much of the current staff, built the building where the office currently resides in Aurora, set up the current committee structure, as well as the modern classification system.

Since Plutko, the Board has internally hired Bob Ottewill (1990-2002), Bill Reader (2002-10) and Paul Angelico (2010-present) as the commissioners. Each of them served as Associate Commissioner prior to being hired as Commissioner.

All this is to say that we’re headed into relatively uncharted territory.

Thing is, I’m not sure what’s going to happen. Though I advocate for it more often than not, change can absolutely be scary. I love our current staff. We are a close-knit family, as cliche as that sounds. And having worked in other professional environments before CHSAA, I know that’s not always the case.

We’re going to lose a lot when Paul retires. (We’ll touch on that later this season.) Add in the fact that Associate Commissioner Tom Robinson is also retiring, and I’m at a loss. They are the Association’s rudder, and it’s scary to not know where we’ll be headed.

Both Paul and Tom have consistently said that things will be fine without them, that the Association has gone through transition before, and will again. I know they’re right, and that we will hire great people as their replacements.

But, no, I do not know who that’s going to be. We will absolutely keep you updated throughout the process, though.

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(Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)

Why isn’t football’s RPI posted like the other sports?

— Sharon, Commerce City

This is a question we’ve been getting a lot recently, so thank you for asking. There are two reasons it isn’t published yet.

Each of the fall sports (save for football, for now) have daily feeds that update on CHSAARPI.com. This is something we set up with baseball last spring, and was easy to transition to field hockey, boys soccer, softball and volleyball this fall. The reason for that is because the formula is exactly the same: just the basic RPI formula.

That’s not the case with football, which has opted to use a classification modifier because of the relatively short season (compared to those other sports).

We have worked with our official stats partner, MaxPreps, since the summer to nail down a feed that would show accurate data while taking this classification modifier into account, but the programming has proven to be more challenging than we anticipated. We are getting closer, however.

Internally, we are keeping all the RPI standings for all sports manually on an Excel spreadsheet, so we do have the accurate football data, and we are monitoring it.

We haven’t manually published those football RPI standings because there is not enough data to make it meaningful yet.

Traditionally, we haven’t published football’s computer data (think Wild Card points) until after Week 6 for that same reason. If you were monitoring RPI data for softball, volleyball (or whatever sport), when most teams had played three or four games early in the season, you know that was also the case for those sports.

So, here’s the short answer: We’re still working on the feed, and if the automatic feed still isn’t accurately displaying data after Week 6, we will publish the football RPI standings manually at that point.

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What happens to the RPI if a team forfeits a game?

— Nate, Colorado Springs

It just counts as a loss for the team that forfeit, and a win for the team that receives the forfeit.

One thing we may look at in the future is adjusting how to handle if a team were to drop a program after the season begins, because that could possibly really negatively affect all of their opponents in the OWP column.

We have a few possibilities in mind about how to adjust dealing with this, and will look at that over the summer in advance of the 2017-18 season.

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I was just wondering if there is an all-time team records for all the Colorado high school football teams. 

— Mike

We have a football record book that we try to update pretty regularly, but we do not keep track of individual teams’ win/loss records, if that is what you are asking.

I like that idea, though. Maybe it’s a project we can work on.

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In last April’s meeting of the Legislative Council it said the 3A consolation bracket has been modified. Modified as in being done away with?

— Chris, Pagosa Springs

Kind of. They opted to change it so that it cuts down on the amount of consolation games, but it is still around.

So here’s what is happening now:

• If a team loses on the first day of play (Thursday), that team will not play any further games, and will go home.
• If a team loses in the semifinals (Friday), they will play in the third-place game on Saturday.

Essentially, the only consolation game that will be played in 3A is the third-place game.

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(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

Where is state basketball going to be held this season?

— Jill, Broomfield

A-ha! Stay tuned.

The venues need to be approved at the next Board meeting, which is in October, along with a vote on the mercy rule in basketball.

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Are you guys planning on updating the app? When?

— Cole

Yep, absolutely. What we launched in late August was version 1.0, but probably more like version 0.6.

We have plans to do a lot more with it, including integrating scoreboards, standings and stats, and things like our live coverage.

We also recognize that the news feed in the current version of the app is like trying to drink water through a fire hose with so much content, so we’re adjusting how it is presented and filtered.

When? Well, hopefully soon.

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Send you questions into the CHSAANow.com Mailbag using this form.

(Greg Moore/gregfmoore.com)

EDITOR’S NOTE: Opinions in this Mailbag do not reflect an official viewpoint of CHSAA.

Baseball has implemented a new pitch count rule this season, and it’s drawn wide-spread attention.

In this first-ever installment of the CHSAANow.com Mailbag, we tackle the question of if it’s good for the sport, as well as other topics, like the spring weather (of course), summer baseball, and hockey’s growth.

To ask a question for the next Mailbag, use this form, or ask on Twitter: Tweet to @jryancasey

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It seems to me that baseball’s new pitch count rule is hurting some teams. Do you think it’s bad for the sport?

— Bill, Highlands Ranch

Absolutely not. I think it’s a great thing for the sport, because it’s looking out for the long-term health and safety of its participants. In fact, I think those who are making an argument that it’s bad for the sport are out of touch.

The bottom line is that the pitch count rule — which is being used for the first time this spring instead of the previous innings limit — is designed to protect young arms. And that fact is more important than anything else, including competition. This is the high school level, it is not a professional league. Too often, that is forgotten.

As Bert Borgmann, the assistant commissioner in charge of baseball put it recently, “High school remains a developmental game. These kids are still developing physically, and in terms of learning the game.”

The pitch count rule was created after many, many meetings of experts in the sport and medical community. More importantly, it brought together members of the high school and club baseball communities so that there was consensus in its creation.

The people making a lot of noise about the pitch count rule this spring are doing so because, A., it’s new, and B., the extra-crazy weather we’ve been having is making it difficult to maintain a consistent rotation. Worth noting, too, is that those making the most noise on this aren’t coaches, athletic directors, athletic trainers, or even players — who are by-and-large on board with the new rule.

(Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)

Everyone involved with the creation of the pitch count rule agreed that it would cause teams to develop more pitchers. The best coaches in the sport agree that doing so is only a good thing for the sport.

“The thing I tell our freshmen when they first arrive as freshmen is that they’re all pitchers. That’s the very first thing we do,” Rocky Mountain coach Scott Bullock said in the video CHSAA produced in January on preventing arm overuse in youth baseball. “We think it’s important to develop the depth, not only for our program, but obviously for the health of their arms, and to help them get to the next level.”

I’ve also heard some argue that establishing a pitch count rule goes against the sport’s “tradition”? Please. The long-term effects of the overuse of arms in youth sports have been well-documented. John Smoltz, the Hall-of-Fame pitcher called the rash of Tommy John surgeries in pitchers “an epidemic.” The health of young arms is something that supersedes any straw-man argument like “tradition.”

“I believe that our number one priority is protecting the young man, or the young lady, and I think the pitch counts that have been incorporated are fair. I think they make sense,” Cherry Creek coach Marc Johnson said in the CHSAA video.

“It’s about the kid, and what’s happening with the kid, and the health of the student-athlete,” ThunderRidge coach Joe White said in the CHSAA video.

The fact is that pitch counts are a national movement from USA Baseball, and CHSAA’s rule is on the leading edge. In fact, other states are using it as a model in developing their own rule.

And, finally, the new rule is working. There have been only two cases of violations of the pitch count rule reported to the CHSAA office out of the 3,574 regular season games in all classifications to date.

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Is it possible that CHSAA looks at extending the spring season into June?

— Corey, Aurora

It’s possible, but at this point in time does not look likely.

The first thing to remember is that CHSAA is not a group of people who sit around and create rules and policies. CHSAA is a collection of member schools who submit proposals to the Legislative Council to vote upon. That’s how bylaws (rules and policies) are created. The Legislative Council is, for the most part, made up of athletic directors and other administrators.

Don’t get me wrong: I absolutely think that extending the season is a great idea. I believe it should start later than it does (well after the completion of the winter season), and then finish up in mid-to-late June. It would help us avoid the weather issues that consistently plague the regular season (and more recently, postseason) schedule.

The issue, though, is that most graduations are in early and mid-May, and many schools are completely out of session by the end of May. That is the main reason why many school administrators oppose an extension to the spring sport season. And, those same administrators are the ones who would be voting upon any proposed change to the spring season.

It’s possible that the sentiment changes in the future. I just don’t think it’s very likely right now.

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Can seventh-graders play on high school summer teams?

— Rex, Fort Collins

There’s a lot that goes into this answer. The short version? Yes, they can.

The summer teams that a lot of high school players are a part of are actually club baseball teams, and are not allowed to represent their high school. Doing so would be a violation of CHSAA rules. Because of that fact, seventh graders can play on those teams.

One issue that could arise, though, is if a coach or someone involved in that club is wearing hats/shirts/other gear with their high school logos on it. Then, that could be possibly construed as recruiting. This fact would be especially relevant with any eighth-graders who are playing on the club summer team — particularly if they are out of the high school’s attendance area.

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Can you please give me a list of high schools in CO that have ice hockey teams at their schools?

— Cheryl, Centennial

Sure. Your best bet is this story which contains a list of teams in their new alignment (at the bottom). It is the most up-to-date list, at least until the bulletin comes out next winter.

The sport is now up to 32 teams, which is the most it’s ever had. A number of other schools are on the verge of adding teams, and a few district-level teams are exploring splitting up their teams, similar to how Mountain Vista’s split created Castle View prior to last season.

Send you questions into the CHSAANow.com Mailbag using this form.

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

We’re set to launch a new Mailbag feature later this week where we answer your questions about high school sports and activities in Colorado.

But first: We need your questions.

Ask away using this form, or on Twitter via this button: Tweet to @jryancasey

Questions can be on any variety of subjects, including sports in season, sports out of season; rules and policies; activities — whatever. Just so long as it (kind of) connects to high school activities in some way.

We’ll try to get to as many as we can of them.