Mark J. Ward, Superintendent Ellicottville Central School Past President NYSPHSAA Former Coach, Athletic Director and Principal
Ellicottville Eagles…changing
Landscape of Interscholastic Sports is Changing � No matter what part of NYS you come from; changes are happening to sports programs � Shrinking enrollment, more to do, less interest in some sports, more sports to actually choose from, work ethic of students, coaching longevity, requirements, specialization (smaller schools always depended on multiple sport athletes) � We have chosen to be proactive and get out ahead of things rather than being reactive
Section VI � Combined programs in 2012-13: 24 � Combined School Programs in 2015-16: 147 (144 teams) � Combined School Programs in 2016-17: 146- (103 teams)..will be more spring sports � This is the trend throughout NYS, particularly in Sections with a large number of C and D schools
Breakdown of Mergers Across NYS Based on NYSPHSA Data(# of schools) Section 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 � 1 58 72 97 82 75 � 2 35 34 89 64 36 � 3 93 94 76 223 276 � 4 100 117 62 25 75 � 5 114 162 137 99 161 � 6 48 81 152 43 80 � 7 17 17 58 62 49 � 8 28 27 25 0 0 � 9 24 28 51 33 28 � 10 36 45 29 0 109 � 11 70 73 107 109 132
A Tale of Two Mergers � During the past six years the Ellicottville Central School District has been involved in two completely different sports mergers � One merger saw two districts make agreements that were never completely followed through on � Another sports merger took less than a few months to develop and implement and involved several sports � Several years later the first merger ended up as a complete sports takeover effective 2015-16
Determining the Viability of an Interscholastic Athletic Program � This is really the first step in the process � Do you have competitive teams? � Do you have enough student-athletes? � Is athletics a positive experience for your students? � Can you field the various levels of sports teams (modified, JV and varsity)?
…Viability of Interscholastic Sports Programs � What are the numbers like in the various sports? � Is the program competitive or more like an intramural program? � In order to field teams…are you often forced to use younger students who are then forced to compete against older students? (safety issue) � Are the coaches at the mercy of the students?
Communication � Need to involve the coaching staff from the very beginning…lots to talk about! � Communicate with your community the status of interscholastic sports…there mind set is still based on their personal experience not necessarily the present � Newsletter-allows you to share facts � Web site � Local newspaper-get some press releases out � Provide facts and get out in front of rumors or information that is simply not true
Develop a Vision • Lay out a long range plan • You could use Strategic Planning as a great way to begin a conversation about the future of sports • You may have to monitor and adjust based on the community response • Start out slow • You may only want to experiment with one or two sports
Engage Key Community Members � Develop a list of key stakeholders within the community � Conduct open meetings to discuss potential plans (community forum) � Moe problems will come from staunch former graduates than anyone else � Keep the topic on the Board meeting agenda � Transparency
Student Involvement � Extremely important from the outset to get students involved � Conduct meetings with team captains � Find out how they feel…be honest with what a sports merger might be � Outline pros and cons…we found students were very open to combining for a variety of reasons
Meeting With Other School District � It is important to meet early with coaches, athletic directors and administration � Soon after this it is important to get Board involvement from both schools…preferably face-to-face meetings � Is the school district willing to objectively explore the possibility of combining sports? � Both school districts must be committed
Six Years!! � It took six years to finalize the sports merger with West Valley. � When school districts try to merge, one of the biggest stumbling blocks is the team mascot and uniform colors…this is really embedded in parents and grandparents who attended the school and were a Wildcat, Eagle or whatever. � I contend that if you approach it right you can make a lot of that go away. The students are not as hung up as the older generations are…kids want to play!
Our Experience � Since the mid-1980’s we have had sports mergers with Little Valley, Hinsdale, West Valley, Franklinville, Allegany-Limestone, Cattaraugus- Little Valley, Jamestown and Olean � During that time the mergers have involved football, boys and girls track, girls swimming, skiing and girls volleyball � Our community has been very accepting � We actually started talking with WV in 2009-10 � Plans with Franklinville it started in the spring of 2014
Combining Sports in NYS is Now Easier � A revision in the NYSPHSAA rule concerning merged sports makes it more appealing to combine based on the way the enrollment numbers are counted � 9-11 enrollment is factored in to the total enrollment of the combined team in the following manner: School with largest enrollment will have the % of other school(s) 9-11 enrollment added according to scale below: 20% D, 30% C, 30% B, 40% A, 50% AA � Thus, schools merging are not always forced to play at a higher classification. However it should be noted that the State is currently looking at the %.
Combining Sports in NYS is Now Easier (continued) � More and more schools are combining because programs lack players…actually saves programs � A way to increase athletic opportunities for students � Life has changed dramatically since the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s….there are more options for students � Sports is not the only show in town
NYSPHSA Football Classification Numbers � In most team sports, schools are divided into 5 classifications based on the following breakdown:D- 169 & below;C-170-279; B-280-479; A-480-909; AA-910 + � However, football is different: D-239 & below; C-240- 364; B-365-569; A-570-929; AA-930+ � Smaller D schools are forced to play against schools who are C’s in every other sport…this has led to many mergers across the state in an effort to preserve the sport
New Partnership � ….are now teammates!!! � We had already been Starting in 2014 Ellicottville and Franklinville combined in football…two arch rivals who really did not like each other combined in boys and girls track and girls swimming for a number of years � Starting in 2015-16 we combined in Boys and Girls Cross Country and Wrestling
2014
2014 Team Motto Coming together is the beginning Keeping together is progress Working together is SUCCESS
Why Has Football Worked So Well? � Coaches commitment to making it happen! � We have a split staff, 3 from Franklinville and 3 from Ellicottville . The Head Coach is from Ellicottville. The former Franklinville head coach is a member of the coaching staff and the AD at Franklinville. � The team worked out during the summer of 2014 at each others schools… also played in a 7 on 7 passing league � Allowed us to have a true JV team something most smaller schools cannot do � Transportation Dept. has been so cooperative!!
Why Has Football Worked So Well? � Shirts were bought….blending the two colors (maroon and blue) with a football and 2014…on front and the team motto on the back � Everything was a 50-50- split � Alternate practices depending on location of game � Shirts and sweatshirts were made available for students, parents and fans! � We are now able to not only compete but compete at a higher level…something you can sell the players on � The team went 8-2, losing only to the eventual NYS Class D champion twice…winning helped!!
More Positive Results � With the success of our first year behind us and a new mascot in place the Sports Boosters started to promote the sales of tee-shirts, sweatshirts, long sleeve shirts, jackets and other items � The football team now sports new uniforms and are known as the Titans � 2015 saw over 50 athletes from Ellicottville and Franklinville field two strong teams (only 1 player from West Valley), JV’s went 7-1 � 2015 Football team went 8-2 won the Section VI Championship and lost in the Western Regional � Ellicottville athletes participated on the wrestling team, girls cross country and girls swimming. We have been combined with Franklinville off and on for over 10 years…that team is known as the Titans!! Over 40 athletes from Ellicottville and WV were on the 2015 and 2016 Franklinville/Ellicottville Track Team � New track uniforms have been purchased in 2017 with the Titan logo on them!
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