N.C.A.C. Conference Proposal passed

PROPOSAL:

The N.C.A.C. Conference will conduct two regular season cross country meets and one conference championship.  The first regular season meet (known as the Early Season NCAC Meet) will be held on a Wednesday during week 8, 9, or 10 of the WVSSAC calendar.  The second regular season meet (the Mid-Season NCAC Meet) will be held on a Wednesday during week 11, 12, or 13 of the WVSSAC calendar.  The location of the regular season meets will be determined by an alphabetical rotation of the conference member schools.  If a school plans to host an invitational during that calendar year, they will not be eligible to host a regular season N.C.A.C. meet.  All member schools are required to attend the two regular season meets.  Schools that fail to attend will be ineligible for the team conference championship.      

The conference championship will be held on Wednesday of the week prior to the regional meet sponsored by the WVSSAC (week 15).  The championship meet will be held on the home course of the girls team champion in 1986 and then rotate to the home course of the boys team champion in 1987, etc.  The winning boys and girls team will be named the conference champions

The all-conference team shall be determined by the order of finish at the conference championship.  The winning individual in the boys and girls race will be named the "Harrier of the Year."  The next ten finishers (numbers 2 through 11) will be named to the N.C.A.C. All-Conference First Team.  The Second Team will be determined by finishers 12 through 21 at the N.C.A.C. Conference Championship. 

The Coach of the Year will be selected at the N.C.A.C. Conference Championship Meet.  The Coach of the Year will be determined by vote of the conference coaches.  In case of an unresolved tie, the coach's team who finished higher will be named Coach of the Year. 

RATIONALE:

As in all sports, coaches are going to believe in different philosophies.  Currently, the main argument amongst the coaches in our conference is "racing less" or "racing more."  Some coaches believe that the competition amongst member schools is the root of our conference's statewide success.  Other coaches believe that it is more important to not over-race their athletes.  In addition, these coaches want the flexibility of competing against teams from outside the conference (invitationals, out-of-state meets, etc.). 

Another point of contention is that the four regular season meets are not taken seriously by all member schools.  Some teams race all four regular season meets "all-out", while others simply use the meets as glorified work-outs.  With the current system of attaining all-conference, some of the best athletes "skip" one of the regular season meets because they are only required to compete in three.

A final argument amongst coaches is the way all-conference honors are attained.  Some coaches favor the current system which is a cumulative award.  Others prefer all-conference honors being determined at the conference championship.  This method is identical to that of what is used for individual qualification to the state meet and "Top Ten" honors at the State Championship.  It is also more closely in line with other similar sports (track, wrestling, swimming, etc.). 

The purpose of this proposal is to bridge the gap between the "wants" and "needs" of the conference schools.  By conducting two regular season meets, schools will have the opportunity to see how they stack up against conference competition during the early and middle portions of the season.   These meets can be used as a barometer for individuals and teams alike.  With a reduction of meets, the level of competition should be more intense. 

To promote this intensity, a "traveling award" such as a trophy, cup, plaque, etc. could be given out to the winning teams at the Early Season and Mid-Season N.C.A.C. Meets.  This "traveling award" would be exchanged between the schools at each of the regular season conference meets.  This same award could be presented at  the N.C.A.C. Conference Championship to the winning teams and retained until the next year.  This award could become a tradition and represent the history of our conference.

A reduction of meets would also reduce transportation costs and allow more participation at events (i.e. invitationals) sponsored by N.C.A.C. member schools.  Many schools won't attend invitationals sponsored by conference schools because they have already competed at that particular site.  Overall, this proposal accomplishes the following disputes.

• Reduction of meets / more training / less injuries
• More "team" emphasis on the regular season meets that are contested 
• Establish an all-conference team that is dependent upon performance at the conference championship
• Maintains the tradition and history of the conference

Unless a school plans on hosting an invitational, the rotation for the 2008 season would be as follows:

• Buckhannon Upshur - Early Season N.C.A.C. Meet (Weeks 8, 9, or 10)
• East Fairmont - Mid Season N.C.A.C. Meet (Weeks 11, 12, or 13)
• University - N.C.A.C. Conference Championship (Week 15)