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Post by rednblack on Dec 29, 2012 14:53:59 GMT -5
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Post by coachk on Dec 29, 2012 16:15:45 GMT -5
Ouch!!! I had heard that this was going to happen. Must be more to this than what is stated here. what is Taholah's take on this ?
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Dec 30, 2012 12:25:58 GMT -5
What does that do to the newly 'independent' schools as far as getting into any District/Regional/State tournaments? There are a lot of questions to be asked but I fear no true answers.
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Post by coachk on Jan 15, 2013 19:35:11 GMT -5
11:01 am - January 15, 2013 — Updated: 11:01 am - January 15, 2013
Many issues remain after Coastal League split
By Rob Burns The Daily World
Seated at a table at Mazatlan Restaurant in Aberdeen, representatives of the Twin Harbors’ smallest schools gathered just before the Christmas holiday for what would become the final meeting of the Coastal League.
On Dec. 21, five of the league’s six athletic directors voted to dissolve the small-school league and turn independent. Before the final vote, the league handed down postseason bans on Taholah High School’s track & field program and the school’s athletic department overall.
The meeting was the final act of a long drama that began in April, but has roots in issues, complaints and actions for years, according to documents received through Freedom of Information Act inquiries. All that is left are appeals to the actions taken and more questions to be answered.
On Jan. 10, lawyers for the Taholah School District filed an appeal of both actions taken against its athletic programs and an appeal against the league’s dissolution. Jerry Walther, Taholah’s head girls basketball coach and interim athletic director, noted that he was unable to comment, based on the advice of attorneys.
Immediate impact
On Jan. 10, WIAA District IV director Rich Frazer received certified mail from lawyers representing the Taholah School District that the school was appealing all three decisions handed down at the Dec. 21 meeting.
While it is unknown when the district will meet with Taholah and its lawyers to address the issues, one area of concern for the six Class 1B schools — Taholah, Lake Quinault, Mary M Knight, Oakville, Wishkah and North River — is the status of postseason play.
“Right now, I am in conversations with several parties over crieteria and rules that will govern the district (basketball) tournaments,” Frazer said last week.
The district will have to draw up two formats for the basketball tournaments — one with Taholah included and one without the Chitwhins— in anticipation of a resolution to the current situation, noted Frazer.
Another issue concerning postseason play is the inclusion of District V in Eastern Washington, which must be included in the process to draw up the postseason criteria and tournament, according to Frazer.
The WIAA Class 1B regional tournaments are scheduled to begin on Feb. 22-23 and the state 1B tournament in Spokane starts one week later.
The dissolution of the league nullified the league’s regular-season schedule, allowing the schools freedom to schedule any games they wish to as independents. Currently, three former Coastal League schools — Lake Quinault, Mary M. Knight and Wishkah — have cancelled basketball games with Taholah, which hasn’t played any games since Dec. 28.
One cause for the cancellations was the main reason stated for the league’s dissolution: issues over sportsmanship, compliance/eligibility and safety with Chitwhin teams.
“I’ve been concerned for a few years about different things that I didn’t agree with that Taholah have done,” Lake Quinault athletic director and District IV 1B board member Keith Samplawski said. “I thought it was because of our rivalry. But then, talking to other schools inside and outside the league, most other schools had the same concerns. So, why would I then subject our students to playing Taholah if others (inside and outside the league) won’t?
“This is the ending to a long story that has been written over the last few years.”
How did this transpire?
There were three actions taken during the Dec. 21 meeting that are now central to the story — two of them dealt with postseason bans for Taholah’s track & field program and Taholah’s entire athletic department and the last decision on a 4-1 vote to dissolve the league.
Prior to the final vote to dissolve the league, the five school representatives — Samplawski, Mary M. Knight superintendent Beth Daneker, North River’s Sean Pierson, Oakville’s Ron Hawley and Wishkah’s Mark Maxfield — took action on the items concerning Taholah. Frazer was also present but there was no Taholah representative on hand at the meeting. Samplawski, the former president of the league, noted that Taholah was told about the Dec. 21 meeting, but no one showed up.
The first action was a postseason ban for the Taholah track & field program for the 2013 season in response to a WIAA fact-finding over “misleading” information given to gain eligibility of then-junior track sprinter Justin Curleybear.
The second action was a one-calendar year postseason ban on the entire Taholah athletic department “as a result of numerous sportsmanship, compliance/eligibility and serious safety issues,” as stated in the minutes of the Dec. 21 meeting.
Both postseason ban actions were ratified by a 5-0 vote, according to the meeting minutes report.
In a summary of previous league athletic director meetings, Taholah was represented by then-athletic director Melissa Straka, superintendent Lynn Roberts, school board president Mel Adams and interim athletic director Walther.
Walther asked why Straka was excluded from previous meetings at a Nov. 30 meeting in Aberdeen. Samplawski insisted that this was not the case and “it was Taholah’s decision not to have (Straka) attend or be dismissed from these meetings.”
During a Nov. 13 league meeting with Roberts and Adams present, the athletic directors expressed a long list of concerns regarding the Chitwhins. Roberts and Adams said that they would take those concerns to a school board meeting on Nov. 19.
Those remedies — have police and medical personnel at home games, having an administrator at all home and away games and community meetings to discuss issues — were given at a league meeting on Nov. 26.
“After talking with other athletic directors, I feel the lack of remedies to the league concerns ultimately led to the decisions that were made,” Samplawski said. “It appeared to the league that most of the remedies offered by Taholah were already in place and the league did not see how this would calm our concerns. As a league, we were hoping to get answers to our concerns that made it feel like a change would occur. The extended time (between the incidents, meetings on issues and the final decisions) was simply a way to allow Taholah with more time to respond to our concerns.”
At the Dec. 11 meeting, the league asked Straka and school board member Ken Stevens for further remedies to their concerns. After several attempts at communicating with Straka, according to Samplawski, no response was given by Taholah. On Dec. 21, the league voted to dissolve.
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Post by coachk on Jan 15, 2013 19:52:57 GMT -5
10:57 am - January 15, 2013 ¡ª Updated: 11:01 am - January 15, 2013
Three issues caused Coastal League to disband
By Rob Burns The Daily World
The events surrounding the end of the Coastal 1B League on Dec. 21 in Aberdeen were varied, but three issues were stated and each of them stemmed from one significant incident.
In a summary of documents, reports and emails gathered through Freedom of Information inquiries, the issues ¡ª sportsmanship, compliance/eligibility and safety ¡ª brought three actions, two of which were postseason bans for the Taholah track & field program and for the school¡¯s entire athletic program.
The third action was the dissolution of the league, turning the six schools in the league into independent programs.
On Jan. 10, lawyers for the Taholah School District filed an appeal of both actions taken against its athletic programs and an appeal against the league¡¯s dissolution. Jerry Walther, Taholah¡¯s head girls basketball coach and interim athletic director, noted that he was unable to comment, based on the advice of attorneys.
Taholah-Knight football
On Nov. 8, the football teams from Taholah and Mary M. Knight met at the Matlock school on a wet Saturday afternoon to determine the league champion.
At halftime, four Mason County Sheriff deputies arrived at the game on the request of the in-game officials and watched the second half. It was later learned that a gun threat was issued by an adult in the Taholah spectator section toward one of the on-field officials.
All parties agreed, however, that no weapons were found.
¡°On Nov. 3, our association worked a game between Taholah and Mary M. Knight,¡± head referee Randy Edwards said in an email to league officials. ¡°During the first half, fans from Taholah were being very abusive. It finally reached a point that our linesman heard threats that they were carrying guns in their cars and were going to use them.¡±
Edwards ended the email by saying that no weapons were seen at any time.
A case was opened with the Mason County Sheriff¡¯s Office, but was closed soon thereafter.
¡°We got a call that there was a threat made by Taholah fans to the officials over disputed calls,¡± Deputy James Ward, one of the responding deputies to the game, said. ¡°They wanted us there to address any specific threats, but we didn¡¯t hear anything.
¡°One of our other deputies escorted the referees off the field,¡± Ward added. ¡°It was incident-free and he went to go get a burger. Honestly, I enjoyed the rest of the game. There was crap talking from both sides. If we were just there for precautionary reasons, it seemed to work. I didn¡¯t see or hear anything.¡±
The game was not cancelled when the threat was heard because Knight officials didn¡¯t learn about the threat until days later, according to emails exchanged following the incident. They were told that the officials asked for the sheriff deputies to watch for trouble, but were never told why.
League officials, including Mary M. Knight superintendent Beth Daneker, were very concerned. In future league meetings minutes, several of the league schools noted reluctance to host the Chitwhins or travel to Taholah over safety concerns.They also asked for remedies and solutions from Taholah to alleviate their concerns.
The majority of league members, however, contended the remedies offered by the school at a Nov. 26 league meeting didn¡¯t satisfy those concerns.
Sportsmanship
On Oct. 20, league rivals Wishkah and Taholah met in football for the second time this season with an important contest at Stewart Field in Aberdeen. Both teams entertained postseason aspirations and the winner of the game would eliminate the other from playoff contention. This was a highly charged event and emotions ran high.
Just after the start of the second half, a hit on Wishkah quarterback Keigan Gardiner resulted in the player¡¯s helmet being knocked off. Gardiner was injured on the play, but returned to the action.
On the north side of the field on the Taholah sideline, an altercation was seen between Taholah coaches and the game¡¯s chain gang workers, who were volunteers and parents from Wishkah.
Those involved were Taholah assistant football coach Shaun Straka and chain gang members Eric Gardiner and Mike Mitchell, both Wishkah parents. All three wrote letters to league and district officials outlining what happened. Another Taholah assistant coach, William James also wrote what he heard and saw that day. Taholah head coach Donald Waugh was not named in any of the complaints.
Accounts of the incident vary drastically.
Eric Gardiner, Keigan¡¯s father, wrote that Straka said ¡°that kid is a cheap-shot (expletive) and deserves everything he gets.¡± Gardiner summoned game manager, Aberdeen teacher William Rabung, to get a replacement for himself on the chain gang.
¡°(I) told him what the coach had said and also stated that I did not want to be a part of the chain crew anymore,¡± Gardiner said in a letter addressed to league and district officials. ¡°(Rabung) said he would get someone else. When a replacement arrived, I finally approached Coach Straka and told him that I heard what he said and didn¡¯t appreciate it.¡±
Mitchell backed up Gardiner¡¯s claim in his letter to league officials, adding ¡°the other parent assisting the chains that day had to leave his post and be replaced because the threats were too much to ignore.¡±
Straka, who has since been removed as a coach and athletic director, insisted the incident stemmed from a misunderstanding.
He and James, however, contended they were ¡°concerned for the player¡¯s safety¡± after the hit and inquired whether he was playing hurt or may have a concussion from the hit. Both denied saying anything negative about the player and noted the aggressiveness of Eric Gardiner toward them. Straka also denied that he nor any other coach would teach or ask for illegal hits from their players.
¡°I expressed my concern that (Keigan) was hurt,¡± Straka wrote. ¡°One of the chain-gang members turned to me and said ¡®f*** you, that¡¯s my son and I do not appreciate you being excited that he is hurt.¡¯ I responded by saying that there was a misunderstanding and that I was not happy he was hurt, but concerned for his safety. He then started taking steps towards me in an aggressive manner.¡±
In emails to the district, other schools inside and outside of the league also expressed concerns about Taholah¡¯s football program. One school, the Washington School for the Deaf in Vancouver, has forfeited games to Taholah over the last three seasons, citing safety issues.
Eligibility
Taholah junior sprinter Justin Curleybear competed in the state 1B track & field meet at Eastern Washington University on May 26, 2012. Curleybear took fifth in the long jump, sixth in the 200-meter sprint, eighth in the 100m sprint and was a member of the Chitwhins¡¯ 4x400m relay team that finished eighth.
According to a WIAA fact-finding report published by District I director Jim Piccolo, misleading information was provided to the state agency for the waiver of the WIAA¡¯s 50 percent rule for Curleybear¡¯s postseason eligibility by Straka, then the school¡¯s track coach and athletic director.
In March, Larry and Gail McCord, along with brothers Justin and Keanu Curleybear and other family members, began a two-day drive home from Nenana, Alaska to Taholah, according to information supplied by the family to the WIAA fact-finding officials.
The family had moved up to Alaska after the Curleybear brothers finished the 2010-11 school year at Taholah for work and were now returning home. The family car broke down outside of Anchorage, according to the family, and they asked in a letter to Quinault Tribal for emergency funds to help them.
The family wanted to transfer the Curleybears into Taholah by April 1, but the two were still enrolled at Nenana City Public Schools until April 12. On March 26, two reservations with Alaska Airlines were purchased for Justin and Keanu for a flight out of Fairbanks to Seattle on April 12.
On April 16, the Curleybear brothers were enrolled at Taholah and Straka, as the athletic director, began talks with league and district officials to allow the Curleybears eligibility for postseason meets. Under the WIAA Handbook (Section 18.3.2), student-athletes must participate in 50 percent or more of the regular season in order to be eligible for postseason play. Only the WIAA can grant a waiver of the rule, as District IV director Rich Frazer pointed out to Straka on April 18.
On May 7, Straka called the WIAA and began an email exchange with assistant executive director Cindy Adsit. Straka told Adsit in an email later that day about the family¡¯s initial driving trip, that the Curleybear brothers began practice at the end of the first week of April and he was asking for a hardship waiver of the 50 percent rule for them.
The next day, after Adsit forwarded the email to executive director Mike Colbrese and received a letter of support for the two Curleybear brothers from Taholah School, the waiver was granted for postseason eligibility. Colbrese followed up with a letter on the appeal, ¡°provided they meet all other conditions of eligibility.¡±
On May 14, then-Coastal League president and Lake Quinault athletic director Keith Samplawski called Adsit and told her that the Curleybears didn¡¯t drive home to Taholah in late March, but flew home in April.
A Wishkah student who was a friend of the Curleybears showed a Facebook timeline from Justin Curleybear¡¯s account to Wishkah athletic director Mark Maxfield, who forwarded screen shots of the timeline to Samplawski and Frazer. The Facebook timeline showed the Curleybears still in Alaska on April 12 and arrived at Sea-Tac International Airport later that day, amid banter with friends and family in Alaska and Taholah.
Maxfield, in a timeline letter in the report, said that he called Straka to tell him what he was shown and faxed him the information. Frazer, in an email to Maxfield, said that Adsit told him ¡°they would (have) made them eligible even if they had told the truth.¡±
Straka and Frazer exchanged emails over the false information, with Straka writing, ¡°Everything I submitted to the WIAA was fact.¡± One hour later, Straka sent an email to Adsit apologizing for the ¡°miscommunication. It was not intended to be misleading.¡±
¡°After reading the report, I don¡¯t believe it was a simple miscommuncation,¡± Samplawski said. ¡°I felt the dates didn¡¯t add up. I didn¡¯t think the truth was told at that point either. That was the conclusion that Mark and I got after talking to Straka. When I looked through the handbook, eligibility (based on the 50 percent rule) should not have been granted if they were given accurate information. But, with the info they got, I think it was within (the WIAA¡¯s) right to grant eligibility.¡±
¡°There has been a lot of rumors that Justin was ineligible all season and that he lied,¡± Straka said. ¡°The WIAA states that if you move from out-of-state, you are eligible. Even though I made the mistake as a first-year athletic director of not asking more specific questions to the Curleybears about how they got home, it is irrelevant. Whether he flew or drove, (based on the WIAA ruling) he was eligible. He continues to be eligible.
¡°I¡¯m not perfect and I¡¯ve made mistakes,¡± Straka added, ¡°but they weren¡¯t intentional or malicious and I wasn¡¯t trying to hide it. If I screw up, I¡¯m an adult and I¡¯m going to step up and admit it.¡±
On Sept. 23, the WIAA Executive Board, on the advise of Coastal League and District IV officials, authorized the fact-finding mission on the Curleybear eligibility case, which was given to Piccolo. The report, presented to the board on Dec. 2, determined that Straka had ¡°several opportunities to act appropriately dealing with the ¡ situation.¡±
The report finishes: ¡°I believe that Mr. Straka was not totally forthright and honest. Mr. Straka¡¯s ability of leaving out details and not asking questions leads a person to question his motive. Only when he is confronted with the facts and details does he admit to his mistake.¡±
Straka confirmed last week that he is no longer an employee of the Taholah School as a wrestling and track & field coach. .
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Post by coachk on Jan 15, 2013 20:14:10 GMT -5
District 4 may have just stabbed themselves in the back.........
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Post by wvhs78 on Jan 16, 2013 15:25:33 GMT -5
How so coachK? You mean as far as the disbandment/Taholah penalties?
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Post by coachk on Jan 16, 2013 21:40:09 GMT -5
This is the answer:
The Daily World
TAHOLAH — The Quinault Indian Nation’s Business Committee voted unanimously Monday to support the Taholah School District in legal action to fight sanctions levied against Chitwhin sports teams.
Athletic directors from area Class 1B schools dissolved the Coastal League, while recommending a ban against Taholah teams from participating in postseason competition during a meeting last month. The sanctions, which stemmed from eligibility, sportsmanship and safety issues, are being appealed by the Taholah School District.
“Since first learning about the athletic directors’ decision, we have first and foremost been extremely concerned about our young tribal members in both the Taholah and Lake Quinault school districts,” Quinault Nation President Fawn Sharp said in a press release. “Second, we are very concerned that the decision lacks legitimacy, due process and any sense of procedural fairness.
“From our initial read, it appears the league officials did not have authority to do any of these things,” the statement continued. “Moreover, by acting outside the procedural rules of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, league officials not only created potential liability for the WIAA but assumed the risk of personal liability for their actions. We fully anticipate Taholah School District’s appeal will be successful and we support the appeal entirely.”
The Quinault Nation, according to Sharp, supports appointing a mediator to resolve the dispute.
“However, if you cannot facilitate resolution to these issues, we intend to support our students to the fullest extent of the law,” Sharp said in the statement. “It is the ultimate goal of the Quinault Indian Nation to improve sportsmanship, both on and off the field. We value athletics as a venue to teach our young people the highest standards of sportsmanship, respect, camaraderie and teamwork. The QIN intends to stand strongly with our students at every stage at these proceedings.”
She called the sanctions “a national heartbreak to the Quinault Indian Nation to deprive our student-athletes of the opportunity to play in a legitimate league and earn recognition to which they are rightfully entitled. These students work hard to earn these opportunities and honors and denying them their due reward teaches them nothing. Rather, it sends a message of distrust and injustice.”
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Post by wvhs78 on Jan 17, 2013 15:40:21 GMT -5
Uh Oh
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Post by coachk on Jan 18, 2013 15:26:00 GMT -5
10:30 am - January 18, 2013 — Updated: 10:30 am - January 18, 2013
Taholah’s track postseason ban rescinded, but other appeals yet to be heard
By Rob Burns The Daily World
Taholah’s track & field team will get its opportunity to compete in district and state meets this May, but the team and the school’s athletic department still wait on the school’s appeal of two other issues brought forward on Thursday.
Following Thursday morning’s District IV Executive Board meeting in Chehalis, district officials rescinded Taholah track & field team’s postseason ban for the 2013 season.
The postseason ban was one of three actions Taholah is appealing that came out of the Coastal League’s last meeting of existence on Dec. 21. The two actions — a one-year calendar postseason ban on the entire Taholah athletic department based on compliance/eligibility, sportsmanship and safety issues and the dissolution of the league — were not resolved on Thursday.
For the track & field team, the ban would have kept it out of the district and state meets this season. District IV director Rich Frazer noted that the actions taken by the Taholah School District — firing head track & field coach and former athletic director Shaun Straka — to resolve the situation was enough to satisfy the district in rescinding the ban.
The league used the Dec. 2 WIAA fact-finding report, which found that misleading information played a part in granting postseason eligibility for transfer athletes Justin and Keanu Curleybear during the 2012 season, for the basis of the ban.
Frazer noted that Taholah’s appeal on the one-year calendar postseason ban on the department was split into two violations.
“The district will handle the investigation of transfer eligibility in girls basketball, which was included in their appeal,” Frazer said. “The second item listed on sportsmanship and safety will be sent directly to the WIAA. That is the item that carries the one-year calendar postseason ban.”
Frazer noted that Taholah’s appeal of the league’s dissolution, decided upon on Dec. 21 and enacted on Jan. 1, will also go straight to the WIAA.
“The district feels the schools have that right and the state is the only one who can hear an appeal of it,” Frazer said.
The next WIAA Executive Board meeting is set for Jan. 27-28 at the WIAA offices in Renton.
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Post by coachk on Jan 25, 2013 23:58:01 GMT -5
10:30 am - January 24, 2013 — Updated: 10:30 am - January 24, 2013
Taholah appeal to be heard by WIAA
By Rob Burns The Daily World
Taholah High School and its legal representatives will get their chance in front of the WIAA Executive Board this weekend in Renton.
Meanwhile, a meeting last Friday in Aberdeen with WIAA Executive Director Mike Colbrese and Coastal League officials was held to resolve the former league’s basketball schedules and address concerns.
On Sunday and Monday, the WIAA Executive Board will meet at the WIAA offices in Renton. One item to be placed on the agenda will be a presentation by Taholah and its representatives over its appeal of Coastal League sanctions and the league’s dissolution.
According a press statement from Taholah superintendent Lyn Roberts, the school will get their chance on Monday. However, the time and date of the meeting with the board has not been finalized, added Colbrese.
“The appeals are based on the league’s lack of any factual basis or legal authority to impose the ban or dissolve the league to avoid playing scheduled contests with Taholah,” Roberts said in a statement to The Daily World. “The league’s unsubstantiated allegations concern adult conduct, not conduct by Taholah athletes, but it chose to improve penalties directly on Taholah’s students’ right to participate in interscholastic athletic activities in violation of the WIAA’s 2012-13 Penalty Code.”
Colbrese noted the meeting was well received and all parties — athletic directors and superintendents from the six Class 1B schools — were able to air out their concerns. Among the concerns were the cancellation of games by several former league members against Taholah and safety/eligibility issues.
“The meeting went well,” Colbrese said. “People were happy to sit together. I congratulated everyone for being open and for looking outside of the box to get those games in.
“It was an opportunity to air the concerns that were going out,” he added. “I wanted to make sure the superintendents and athletic directors had a chance to interact together about the issues, with Taholah present, and to see what could be done to get more games for Taholah’s (basketball) schedule.”
Roberts noted in her statement that the meeting took place, but nothing in terms of making up cancelled games was resolved.
“No immediate agreement to play cancelled contests resulted,” Roberts said. “Based on this, Taholah is continuing its appeals to the WIAA Executive Board. Taholah’s appeals … seek to overturn these league actions and require cancelled contests to be made up or declared forfeits.” “There is a concern about safety issues,” Colbrese said. “The schools want to be assured, because of recent events at other schools (nationally), that their fans and kids would be safe. Taholah wanted to assure the group that it was doing it due diligence to find out all of the facts and to address that issue.”
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Post by joker79 on Jan 29, 2013 0:20:59 GMT -5
Heard Taholah won all appeals today and the WIAA will figure out the post season just rumors at this point but pretty confident that they are true. Let's get things back to normal and let the kids play ball.
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Post by coachk on Jan 29, 2013 14:28:04 GMT -5
10:30 am - January 29, 2013 ¡ª Updated: 10:30 am - January 29, 2013
Taholah wins appeals to WIAA over postseason ban, league
By Rob Burns The Daily World
RENTON ¡ª Taholah got its chance in front of the WIAA Executive Board on Monday to appeal sanctions against its athletic program and the dissolution of the former Coastal 1B League.
To use a basketball term, the Chitwhins delivered a slam dunk.
Late Monday afternoon, the WIAA board dismissed the one calendar-year postseason ban on the Chitwhins¡¯ athletic program and supported other actions that the Taholah School District sought during the school¡¯s one-hour presentation at the WIAA offices in Renton.
Along with the dismissed ban, the board ruled all six of the former Coastal 1B League schools are now independents, but the winter schedules set for the league¡¯s 2012-13 season must be honored. Taholah, which didn¡¯t ask for the re-formation of the league, was affected by cancelled games by other former league schools. If those cancelled games are not played, they would be counted as forfeits against the opposing school.
With all six schools ¡ª Taholah, Lake Quinault, Wishkah, North River, Mary M. Knight and Oakville ¡ª now independent, the WIAA staff was asked by the board to form the District IV 1B boys and girls basketball tournaments at a neutral site. All six independent schools will have access to the postseason, but it is unknown what format will be used.
¡°We got what we asked for,¡± Clifford Foster, Jr., Taholah¡¯s legal representative at the meeting, said. ¡°We thought it was basic. The issues were straightforward and we¡¯re glad the WIAA saw it our way.¡±
WIAA Executive Director Mike Colbrese said the board didn¡¯t believe there was enough evidence to support the postseason ban. He noted the board directed the WIAA staff to ¡°get together with the schools to develop a strategy to improve the relationships between the schools in the 1B (classification) and to include any other 1B school that need to be a part of the discussion.¡±
¡°I think the board understood both sides of the issues and the passions brought to the table,¡± Colbrese said. ¡°The board felt that the step to disband the league should have been preceded on an intermediate level that wasn¡¯t as drastic.¡±
It is unknown at this time whether games with Taholah and the other five former league schools will be made up. Colbrese said the timeline to determine the postseason tournaments is ¡°as soon as possible.¡±
¡°We¡¯re moving on this right away,¡± he said. ¡°My staff is looking at all options on what they¡¯ll do.¡±
Foster, who was joined by Taholah superintendent Lyn Roberts and interim athletic director Jerry Walther, along with Taholah School Board president Bill Adams and community member Carl Jackson, laid out the appeal presentation to the board.
The appeal noted the former league did not follow WIAA due process rules, overstepped its authority to remedy the issues the league¡¯s athletic directors had with Taholah and he characterized the dissolution of the league as a ¡°disguised penalty¡± against the Chitwhins.
Foster said the league never presented factual, documented cases against Taholah for the school to investigate and respond to, just vague concerns and incidents brought up at league meetings.
The WIAA fact-finding report asked for by District IV officials and commissioned by the board in September on the eligibility of two Taholah track athletes during the 2012 track season was used as an example of factual evidence and due process.
In the case for banning Taholah¡¯s athletic program from the postseason, no fact-finding report like the one in the Taholah track case was asked for, no investigator was summoned to look into events and no hearing was scheduled to hear both sides of the story, Foster said.
Foster contended that an underlining racial discrimination against Taholah buffered the league¡¯s actions.
¡°It is a strong allegation and one that parents, students and the school district is strongly willing to back up,¡± he said.
District IV administrator Rich Frazer told the board the district and other schools have had spectator and sportsmanship issues with Taholah in the past, most notably in 2008 when the Chitwhins were briefly handed a ¡°no home game¡± ban.
Procedures were put into place to help remedy communication problems between all of the small schools and to bring up issues quickly. The ban was later rescinded once the process was established and remedies were implemented.
¡°Most issues with leagues and the WIAA get resolved in a collaborative manner,¡± Foster said. ¡°With the extent of the dialogue (in November and December), it surprised me that everyone wasn¡¯t working together in that manner. We were able to put things together in 2008 and I was hopeful that would happen again. So, this time, we had to go to the WIAA to get the relief we believe we were entitled to.
¡°It seemed to me by the time the issues were brought forward, (Taholah wasn¡¯t) in a position to address those concerns and we had to go to a third party,¡± Foster said. ¡°The idea in 2008 was to get everyone playing and to put into place where if anyone had issues with any other schools, it would be addressed immediately. Unfortunately, we didn¡¯t stick to the commitment that was brought forward in 2008.¡±
Calls and messages to Frazer on Monday night were not returned.
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Post by coachk on Jan 30, 2013 14:04:44 GMT -5
One of the biggest issues here is that Taholah was denied due process by the league and it appears that they could not produce facts and get beyond rumors.
It is going to be pretty hard for them to have a league in district four that does not on involve Taholah.
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Post by joker79 on Jan 30, 2013 15:45:30 GMT -5
I think they will be involved and the #1 seed from the Coastal league. Looks like dist 5 will cross over with dist 4 I think it is still being worked out on how it will all go.
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