LR's sports league going through changes

 

Last updated 1/29/2020 at 9:54am



The Central Washington 2B league is changing up a bit, most notably with the return of 1A school Okanogan to the 2B league due to a change in rules with the powers that be.

The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association finalized classification numbers for 2020-2024 at their Jan. 26 executive board meeting.

The reclassifications take into account a school’s percentage of students who receive free or reduced lunches, the reasoning being that schools with poorer students are at a disadvantage, and that the change will level the playing field.

“The idea is that there are kids from lower socio-economic backgrounds with more barriers just to participate,” explained WIAA’s Information Director Casey Johnson. “Therefore the number of participants is down compared to schools with lower rates [of reduced lunch].”

With a state average of 47% of students receiving free or reduced-price lunches, a school’s enrollment for grades 9-11, used to determine their athletic classification, is lowered by however many percentage points it’s over that state average. The maximum reduction is 40%.

For example, a school with 49% of students receiving free or reduced lunches, 2% more than the state’s 47% average, would have their enrollment number for calculating their classification lowered by 2%, resulting in some schools dropping a classification level.

Okanogan, currently a 1A school with an actual enrollment for grades 9-11 of 233, has 56% of students on free and reduced lunches, which adjusts their enrollment down 9% to 212. That puts them within the range 105-224 range for 2B schools.

Omak is just on the cusp, with an actual enrollment of 284 and a free-and-reduced lunch percentage of 67. Their adjusted enrollment, at 227, is just three students above the 224 2B maximum.

Lake Roosevelt, as well as fellow CWB schools Brewster, Tonasket, and Oroville, are all staying at the 2B classification.

LR’s grades 9-11 enrollment is at 179, with 70% qualified for free or reduced lunches, and an adjusted enrollment of 137.

Waterville-Mansfield is already at a 1B classification and Soap Lake won an appeal to go to 1B.

Liberty Bell is being classified as 1B for football only, but remains at the 2B classification for all other sports.

Bridgeport did not win their appeal to go down to 1B, although they will play 1B football.

At the Grand Coulee Dam School District’s Jan. 27 meeting, LR Athletic Director Tim Rasmussen elaborated on Bridgeport’s unique situation, explaining that they will still be classified as 2B for all sports except football, but will compete primarily with other 1B schools during the regular season, but with a route to enter the 2B-level playoffs.

The CW2B league for all sports except football will include: Lake Roosevelt, Manson, Brewster, Liberty Bell, Bridgeport, Okanogan, Oroville, and Tonasket.

The football league includes those same teams, minus Liberty Bell and Bridgeport.

These changes take effect in the 2020-21 school year.

An additional complication will affect postseason play, with District Five choosing to no longer partner with District Six (of which LR is a part) for regoinal competitions.

Rasmussen explained that District Five has ballooned from nine to 14 teams.

A partnership with District Seven is a possibility for the future.

 

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