TMC votes to not hold winter tournaments

Goes to MIAA board for vote in a week

The winter athletic landscape just became a little clearer.

The MIAA’s Tournament Management Committee voted unanimously Wednesday morning to not hold MIAA winter tournaments. The next step in the process is the MIAA Board of Directors, who are scheduled to meet a week from today.

Should there be no winter tournaments, that would not preclude leagues and/or districts from holding their own postseason events. Wahconah athletic director Jared Shannon, who put forward the motion, said his school couldn’t participate in a state tournament because they would not be allowed to travel outside of their district (Berkshire).

Many of the athletic directors who serve on the TMC said they were happy with the way the fall season has gone. In reaching out to member schools in the districts they represent, the prevailing opinion was that it was more important to get the kids out there playing and if there were to be any potential for postseason play, keeping it within the league, region or district would suffice the masses.

Westboro athletic director Johanna DiCarlo said a survey of Central Mass. schools indicated a strong desire to keep things as local as possible. Her counterpart at Bridgewater-Raynham, Dan Buron, said they’ve had success with the pod mentality in terms of scheduling games.

The other issue the TMC faced was whether to accept the alignment put forth by the MIAA Swim Committee. Chairman Jim Davis was the point man in the presentation and his appeal to the TMC centered largely around trusting the swimming committee based on its results in recent years.

Davis pointed out how the committee was able to handle the issue regarding Norwood boys swimmer Will Higgins breaking a record while competing against girls in the 50-yard freestyle back in November 2011. He stated how the committee was able to create a system which allowed swimmers, who couldn’t qualify for a state meet because the sectional meets were postponed due to weather, an extra opportunity to get there.

While the TMC lauded Davis as well as tournament directors Pete Foley and Kim Whitworth for their ability to secure college venues in which to hold meets, they were a little concerned that the swimming alignment didn’t completely follow guidelines established by the TMC in terms of equal and balanced alignments.

Both Davis and Foley said there was a possibility that swimming could go to the preferred statewide format down the road, but cautioned that now wasn’t the time. Both mentioned the concerns over limited acceptable venues making it more difficult to try to facilitate things, saying that only BU, MIT and Springfield College are the three spots right now.

After some more give and take, St. Mary’s athletic director Jeff Newhall put forth a motion to accept the swimming alignments as is. The vote passed by a 14-1-1 mark.