New rules bother coaches

June 11, 2009 12:57 am

— The Minnesota State High School has put the kibosh on extensive travel for athletic teams and at least a couple of area coaches are not thrilled with the decision.
On Monday, the MSHSL’s board of directors banned lengthy out-of-state travel for sports teams beginning in the fall of 2009. Teams will be allowed to travel to states and provinces bordering Minnesota, but no other round trips of more than 600 miles will be allowed.
Citing the economic times, MSHSL executive director Dave Stead said it was time to limit trips. He also said a desire to level the playing field between teams that can afford such trips and those that cannot is one of the intents of the new rule.
This spring alone, 21 Minnesota sports teams traveled to Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando. The Mankato East softball and baseball teams did not make preseason trips in 2009, but have in recent years.
Cougars softball coach Joe Madson says he’s not a fan of the regulation.
“It’s too bad because it penalizes the teams who were willing to do the fundraising to take those trips,” Madson said. “We had already done some fundraising for an anticipated trip next spring but now that won’t be happening.”
Madson said he understands the MSHSL is trying to alleviate some of the financial pressures put on players, parents and businesses to come up with the funds for such trips, but thinks the league may have gone too far.
“A lot of the kids really enjoyed those trips,” said Madson. “Some said they remember the trips to Florida more than they do trips to the state tournament.”
Eric Davis, the former Mankato East baseball coach who took teams to Florida in 2005 and 2007, agrees: “Those trips are a good experience for the kids and it helps the program.
“Instead of trying to practice indoors at the end of March and early April, they’re outside in the sun on baseball fields working on their skills. If the kids are willing to put the work in and raise the money, I don’t see why not.”
The new travel rule applies only to sports teams and not to other activities under the MSHSL umbrella such as bands and choir. Lisa Lissimore, an associate director with the MSHSL, says the league acted at the request of its member schools.
“The directive we had was to take a look at athletic travel,” she said. “There was no such directive for fine arts (activities).”
That bothers both Madson and Davis.
“It doesn’t seem very consistent to me,” Madson said. “Why should there be different guidelines for travel for athletics and for band?
Davis concurs: “It’s unfortunate there are different standards for athletics than for other (MSHSL) organizations.”

Jim Rueda is the Free Press sports editor. To contact him, call 344-6381 or e-mail him at jrueda@mankatofreepress.com.