M ard$
Classification, districting proposals could alter leagues
J ennifer S itton
Staff Reporter
The Three Rivers League
could look much different two
years from now and could also
be a lot more competitive than
it is today. In fact, almost all
the districts across the state
of Oregon could be facing
league changes, depending
upon how the OSAA Executive
Board and Classification and
Districting Committee decide
to set up the new leagues and
classifications.
The OSAA Constitution
mandates that the OSAA has
to go through Classification
and Districting every four
years. This doesn't mean
that significant changes have
to be made, but the system
must be extensively reviewed
and any valid concerns must
be addressed. According to
the OSAA, concerns have
been voiced by member
schools about current small
league sizes, travel costs and
competitive balance. The last
reclassification to the current
six class system occurred
in 2006-07 and WLHS went
from being a 4A school to a
6A school. One of the great
debates is whether to keep the
six classification system or to
revert back to four.
"The six class system
created a lot of success for
smaller schools, but it also
created excess costs," Rob
Holstrom, Athletic Director,
said.
The pros and cons of the six
class system seem to depend
on point of view. Many 1 A,
2A and 3 A representatives
strongly encouraged keeping
the six class system in
place at a meeting
on Feb. 23. Their
reason was
that some of
their athletes
have had the
opportunity to
reach the state
Tualatin Timberwolves
Lakeridge Pacers
Lake Oswego Lakers
Canby Cougars
Clackamas Cavaliers
championships, something
they would not have been able
to do with four classes.
"Benefits associated with
six classes include better
competitive balance, more
opportunities for participation
in state playoffs, and in some
cases, less travel. Having
more classifications mean
that schools tend to be closer-
in size to one another than
they were under a four class
Oregon City Pioneers
system/' Peter Weber, OSAA
staff member, said. "The push
from a majority of schools was
for more competitive balance
which led to the adoption
of the four class system last
time."
At this point in time, the
Restaurant offers neighborhood dining with "twist 11
M organ J oscelyn
Staff Reporter
The new restaurant on
the top of the hill in the
Cascade Summit shopping _
complex, Twisted Comfort,
opened Feb. 17. Their
slogan, "com fort food with a
gourmet tw ist," is attracting
customers from the area even
in the poor economy.
The decor is Tuscan,
complemented by rich dark
tables and booths. The
restaurant has high ceilings
which add to the feeling of
openness in the restaurant.
The olive color of the walls
creates a homey and cozy
mood and the direct dim
low-lighting matches the
calm and amiable aura.
The unique story
behind the opening of
this restaurant is the
owner, Lake Oswego
resident Leon Anderson,
who battled mouth cancer
for a year, undergoing many
surgeries. While recovering,
he spent his time watching
cooking shows and delving
into the culinary world. He
developed his passion for
cooking and decided to open
a restaurant. He decided
what better location than
West Linn?
Although they weren't
expecting their signs in the
front of the restaurant to
come until the following
week, it showed up early.
This good fortune paired
with excited patrons,
overwhelmed them with
customers. Not expecting
such masses, they have been
partially
understaffed
and frantic, but have held
things together well.
"A s with any business,
there are minor details that
are sometimes overlooked,"
Danielle, Anderson's step
daughter, said. The first
night the restaurant opened,
there was a take-out order
placed for 15 people that
they accepted, only to
find that they lacked the
necessary take-out silverware
and condiments that were
needed.
The menu is diverse,
representing all regions of the
U.S. with prices ranging from
$9-13. Some offerings include
shepherds pie, a gravy mix
of beef and lamb topped
with peas and carrots under
mashed potatoes and baked
cheese, along with build
your own burgers.
"I went with three other
guys and we all built our
own burgers. It was a
perfect post-game meal,"
Bryce Baker, senior, said.
According to
Anderson, he and his
wife have been shocked at
the crowds of people who
have been drawn to Twisted
Comfort. According to
Valerie, Anderson's wife, the
kitchen is smaller than she
and her husband would have
liked, but the cohesiveness
of the chefs paired with good
communication make it
work.
Classification and Districting
Committee is considering
three proposals. The first
is a six class proposal with
adjusted cutoff points. A
straight five class proposal has
been mentioned as well as a
six class proposal with hybrid
leagues in certain geographical
regions. This proposal would
group schools from different
classifications in the same
league for regular season
play and have them split into
their own classification come
state playoffs. According to
Weber, responses to the hybrid
proposal have consistently
been focused on travel costs,
given the state of the economy.
"The economic challenges
that face all of us have
transcended our thinking
to where we have had to
think differently about
reclassification and districting,"
Dennis Burke, Canby High
School associate principal,
said. "Schools are looking to
see where they can make cuts
for this spring and for next
year. They are beginning to
say, how can we afford to be a
part of the OSAA?"
"I'm looking forward to
getting more feedback on the
current proposals. There are
pluses and minuses to the
current proposals but I remain
hopeful that we can end up
with something that appeals
to the majority of our member
schools. We know that not
everyone will be happy with
whatever final decision is
made," Weber said.
Under the straight six
class proposal, the Three
Rivers League would* lose
Rex Putnam and Milwaukie.
They would both go into the
5A East Metro League. They
would be replaced by Canby,
Tigard and Tualatin. Because
the changes wouldn't go into
effect for two more years, only
students of the Class of 2011
and later would be affected.
This alteration would increase
competitiveness not only in
the Three Rivers League, but
also in many other 6A and 5A
leagues.
"I think it will be good
because we will get
better competition,
but it might mess
up playoffs if all
of those teams
who usually make
playoffs are in
the same league
and that league can
only send four teams to
playoffs," Elise Miller,
sophomore, said. Miller
has been on the Varsity Girls'
Basketball Team for the last
two years and understands
the dynamics of the current
leagues well.
The OSAA wants the
public to know that none of
the current proposals are set.
According to Weber, there are
always significant changes
during the process so the final
decision often looks quite
different than the first few
proposals. The Classification
and Districting Committee
will meet through the rest
of the school year and make
a recommendation to the
Executive Board this fall.
The board will make its final
decision in late October.
"We believe the committee
needs to slow things down
so that we can come up with
some new and improved
ideas," Holstrom said. "If we
are really looking at what
is best for student-athletes
and programs, why can't we
look at this from program to
program?"
Holstrom has suggested a
five class system that could
include an A and a B district.
He suggests that schools
could choose which sports
would play in which division
depending on criteria of how
successful that sport has
been. This is just one of the
many suggestions that sports
enthusiasts around the state
have come up with.
"The committee seeks
input from member schools,
parents, students, fans, etc. in
making their recommendation.
Our goal is to make sure that
the process affords anyone
who wants it an opportunity
to give input," Weber said.
"There are public meetings
held every month or so during
the school year. In addition,-
any correspondence sent to
the OSAA office is copied for
every committee member
and board member to put
into a notebook for their
review. Emails should be
sent to peterw@osaa.org. All
submitted proposals from the
public are being posted on
our website at h ttp :// osaa.
org/ governance/ committees
classification/proposals.asp