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Published Thursday, March 13, 2003

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   Rising Costs Force WIAA to Look
at Changing Tournament Formats

Colbrese "very comfortable" with Yakima tournaments

By SCOTT SPRUILL
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC

There’s been a scare in the air during these two weeks of state basketball tournaments in Tacoma, Spokane and Yakima, and two words is all it takes to get the subject rolling.

Single elimination.

With overall revenue down and expenses up in recent years, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association is considering doing away with the current double-elimination format to help reduce venue-rental costs starting with the 2004-2005 season.

The WIAA has a proposal that would combine the boys and girls 2A and 1A tournaments in Yakima during the same week and conclude on Saturday with four semifinal games. The 4A and 3A tournaments would be held at the same time, and a week later eight championship games would be held in Seattle at either KeyArena or the University of Washington.

This, naturally, is a bit unnerving for a Yakima community that would lose not only a week as tournament host but all the championship games.

But Mike Colbrese, the WIAA’s executive director, stressed Thursday that this is simply a proposal and one of several that will be considered by the Executive Board.

“These are just drafts. We’re throwing some things at the wall to see what sticks,” he said during a visit to this week’s 2A tournament. “The board is getting feedback and it has some decisions ahead.”

The Class B tournament in Spokane has already been told it will be left alone because of its profitability. “If something’s not broken, there’s no need to fix it,” Colbrese noted.

Does that mean the 2A and 1A in Yakima are broken?

“Not at all. I’m very comfortable with the tournaments here,” he said. “It’s quite possible things will stay just as they are here.”

One of the reasons for the WIAA’s cash-flow trouble is dwindling crowds for consolation games. With increasing costs for facilities, sparse attendance drains away much of the profit made from the championship bracket.

“We are not getting the support for consolation games,” Colbrese said. “Now is that more a 4A-3A issue than 2A-1A? Yes. The crowds here are good for all games.

“The board will have to decide how important it is to keep these state tournaments the same. It is willing to draw the line with the Bs, and it’s going to look at the 2A and 1A as well. I don’t think it would be a longshot at all if the board decided to keep things the way they are here.”

Still, there’s no denying the numbers. Colbrese said that since 1998 — the last time tournament ticket prices were raised — revenue is down just over 10 percent and expenses are up 12 percent.

“Ninty percent of our operating budget comes from state-tournament gate receipts,” Colbrese pointed out. “Our cash cows are basketball, football and wrestling, and those cows are shrinking. It gets harder and harder to fund all the other championships and programs.”

State basketball tournaments are the WIAA’s top money maker, having taken in $988,622 in revenue last year. Expenses to run five tournaments last year was $504,296, up from $488,023 the year before. By running the 4A-3A and 2A-1A in single elimination during the same week, the WIAA estimates it would save $200,000 in venue rental.

But, understandably, the possibility of a single-elimination tournament doesn’t generate much support from coaches. Any team that loses its first state game and then comes back with three straight wins to place fifth can expound at length on the benefit of double elimination.

“I’m absolutely and adamantly opposed to it,” West Valley coach Jim Berndt said last week at the 3A tournament in Tacoma. “This tournament is the greatest experience that our kids have in their athletic career at West Valley. They look forward to it every year. The chance of coming over here keeps us alive. I would not be in favor of changing the format at all.”

That sentiment is echoed from coach to coach but, perhaps sensing a change is unavoidable considering the economic times, a group of coaches who met with WIAA assistant executive director Cindy Adsit in Ellensburg recently had its own 16-team, single-elimination proposal. It would still combine the 2A and 1A in Yakima and the 4A and 3A in Tacoma the same week but it would start a day earlier, on Tuesday, and conclude with championship games on Saturday. Then all eight champions — 4A, 3A, 2a and 1A — would meet in Seattle a week later for a two-day, all-classification affair.

“I think a lot of people would see that as a real big deal,” Colbrese said. “You’d have a market for that ticket.”

There are yet other possibilities, such as bringing back the regional tournaments — which preceded an eight-team, double-elimination state tournament — that were held in the AAA and AA classes prior to 1988. Another idea is a three-day tournament with two rounds in one day.

No change at all is also possible if the WIAA can “diversify its revenue sources,” Colbrese said.

The WIAA is pushing for the creation of a “Foundation Game,” a contest in each sport at each school where a portion of the gate receipts goes to the state association to boost the operating budget. Adding a football game to the regular season is also in the works for next fall, which could start with a four-game “Kickoff Classic” in Seahawk Stadium.

“We’re looking at different ways to help bring revenue in and offset the losses,” Colbrese said. “Diversify — that’s the buzzword for the future.”

Colbrese said the Executive Board won’t make any final decisions on the 2004-2005 tournament proposals until next fall.

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