Regional formats discussed at HIADA

WAIKOLOA, Hawaii » Judging by things on the second day of the Hawaii Interscholastic Athletic Directors Association’s annual meeting at the Hilton Waikoloa Village on Friday, the HHSAA’s experiment with regional formats at state tournaments were either a rousing success or a work in progress.

"I think the majority was positive," HHSAA executive director Chris Chun said. "People measure success differently. I think financially we made more money, but there are pluses and minuses. We will see where it goes tomorrow."

The regional format that was implemented for girls basketball and boys volleyball this year was proposed for soccer and girls volleyball next year, and caused the majority of the discussion in a committee chaired by Iris McGuire of the BIIF.

The measure went to a straw vote and lives to see Saturday, when it will try to make it to Sunday. Participants declined to reveal the count of the vote but did note that there were a large number of abstentions to see what their leagues think about it. Leagues met until 10 p.m. Friday night.

Proposals that pass out of their committees move on to Sunday, when they will hit the floor and be voted on by the entire group. If they pass that, they earn HIADA’s recommendation and will be considered by the HHSAA.

The regional format eased the rigors of asking teams to play four games in four days to win a state title, giving the final four a week to prepare for their games. Travel has proved troublesome for fans, though, asking them to travel to different islands from week to week. Chun wanted to extend the format to a field sport, but he is not sure what will happen on Saturday.

It has its fans, though.

"I like it for soccer," Hawaii Prep athletic director and girls soccer coach Steve Perry said. "It’s a good thing, it is a contact sport and if you get more time to prepare you get better play."

The first group, chaired by Ryan Hogue of the ILH, dealt with fall sports, including five different discussions on cheerleading, three on cross country, two on bowling and one on air riflery. A measure on Division II cross country is close after years of appearing at HIADA.

Group 2 dealt with winter sports, including wrestling seeding criteria and two separate measures concerning weight classes. Group III dealt with judo seedings and the track and field format. A proposal to do away with the coin flip that cost Maryknoll a chance to play in the fifth-place game at the state softball tournament after it tied Baldwin will be discussed on Saturday. That group also entertained a motion to skip trials for the 3,000 meters in track and field to prevent a runner from running the race two days in a row.

But Group 4 was where the action was.

Two groups needed just 45 minutes to adjourn and the other went 1 hour, 15 minutes.

Only group four, with the regional format, went the duration of 90 minutes.

"Whatever seemed like it was passed today, not really," Campbell athletic director Sam Delos Reyes said. "We don’t know anything until tomorrow. You can’t really tell by the vote."

Pac-Five’s Estomago honored

Pac-Five athletic director Peter Estomago was honored with the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association State Award of Merit.

The award is presented annually by the NIAAA for "meritorious dedication" to high school and middle school athletics.

Estomago was recognized for his work with Pac-Five, the country’s largest co-op athletics program on the high school level with a yearly average of 19 member schools.