Leading off today: "Will we see a stripped-down version of virtually every sport in which high school athletes compete in New York State during the 2009-10 scholastic year?"
That was James Allen's question in the Times Union yesterday, and it wasn't an unreasonable one. With the state facing a $15 billion deficit, we've reported several times recently how New York State Public High School Athletic Association officials are looking to trim expenses.
Ideas on the table include cutting the baseball/softball season from 24 games to 20, dropping two games from the basketball and lacrosse schedules and doing away with "open" sectionals.
Section 2 football coordinator and Ravena coach Gary VanDerzee is part of the faction that isn't buying into the notion that such cost-cutting initiatives should be handed down from above, especially after hearing football programs might lose one varsity game and two at each of the lower levels.
"It is absolutely reactionary," he said. "The individual school districts should make the decisions on what cuts, if any, should be made."
That's a sentiment that's been popping up with increasing frequency on online forums and in e-mails sent my way lately. The common theme seems to be, "I recognize the need to cut expenses, but decisions should be made locally."
VanDerzee is troubled by the lateness of the proposed cuts and the lack of communication before such proposals were made two weeks ago during a brainstorming session conductd by officials from across the state.
"They had better get their figures right before another conference call," he said. "Once games are lost, I'm wagering they won't ever be returned."
He's gone so far as to launch a plea on the Section 2
