Sunday, January 02, 2000
Swim coaches fear new state format
HIGH SCHOOL INSIDER
BY DAVE SCHUTTE
Enquirer contributor
Many high school swimming coaches have been fearing the worst since the Ohio High School Athletic Association announced the format for the state swimming and diving meet Feb.24-26 at C.T. Branin Natatorium in Canton.
For the first time, three meets will be run simultaneously rather than two, because the girls have expanded to two divisions.
The boys will swim in only one division. St.Xavier is the heavy favorite to win a record 22nd state championship.
“It's going to be hectic,” Fairfield coach Jay Frentsos said. “The deck was already crowded with swimmers when there were just two meets, and it will be worse with three.”
Twenty-four swimmers and a like number of relay teams qualify for the preliminaries in each event. The top 16 advance to the consolation and championship rounds.
In the past, a girls race was followed by the corresponding boys race. The plans released have the Division II girls opening the meet followed by the boys and then the Division I girls.
An estimated 450 to 550 swimmers (boys and girls) qualify to state in an average season. An estimated 650 to 750 are expected in February because of the second girls division.
“The girls will definitely be watered-down meets,” Frentsos said. “But after I thought about it, the expansion isn't that bad, because more swimmers will have an opportunity to swim at the state meet.”
Another problem will be ticket availability.
Every session has been sold out in past years, and with 250 or more extra swimmers, more family members and friends will want to attend. Tickets will be even tougher to come by.
“They seat about 1,600, but I think they get about 2,000 in there, ” said Bob Goldring, Director of Information for the OHSAA. “Moving the diving to Thursday should help.”
The diving will be held in its entirety Thursday rather than over two days, Friday and Saturday.
This will allow the start of the swimming preliminaries to move up 90 minutes to 8a.m. The championship round will begin at 6p.m. rather than 7 as in the past.
“The OHSAA should learn from this year's meet and then make adjustments,” Frentsos said. “Hopefully, the meet will be moved to Ohio State's new facility in 2001, which would solve the problem.”
A $138 million natatorium is under construction in Columbus and should be available for the 2001 state meet.
Officials from the OHSAA prefer keeping state events at high school facilities but probably will make the change if Ohio State makes the natatorium available for the state meet.
THUMBS UP TO MOUNT: The Southwestern Ohio Wrestling Coaches Association may have found a permanent home for its annual Holiday Classic.
Based on the reaction from many coaches, keeping Cincinnati's premier wrestling tournament at Mount St.Joseph College would be a plus.
“The people running the tournament did a good job, because they want to see Cincinnati wrestling get better,” Amelia coach Jeff Sears said.
“An evaluation sheet was passed around, and everybody I talked to thought it was a well-run and great tournament. It takes a lot of good people.”
Until last year when The Classic was contested at The Crown (now Firstar Center), various high schools hosted the event, which attracts most of Cincinnati's best teams.
Last week it was moved to the College of Mount St Joseph for the first time, and Athletic Director Steve Radcliffe and wrestling and football coach Rod Huber went overboard to make it a pleasant experience.
The association will make a decision on where to hold next year's tournament at the annual postseason meeting.
LUCAS, GRIFFEY HONORED: Two former Cincinnati area high school athletes, Jerry Lucas (Middletown) and Ken Griffey Jr. (Moeller), were named to Student Sports Magazine's Top 100 Greatest Athletes of the 20th century.
A two-year starter for Moeller, Griffey batted .479 and was named National Player of the Year by three publications. He was rated the 19th-best athlete of the century.
Lucas was a standout basketball player who led Middletown to two Class AAA state championships. His ranking wasn't available, because the magazine listed the second 50 in alphabetical order only.
Wilt Chamberlain was ranked No.1 by the publication, followed by Jim Brown, Bob Mathias, Bo Jackson and Jesse Owens.
Other notables who performed in the area include Oscar Robertson (24), Jack Nicklaus (26), Johnny Bench (second 50), Frank Robinson (second 50) and John Wooden (second 50).
BACON STAG: Marvin Willingham (1957), Tom Rohling (1965), Tim Foley (1976), Don Uphoff (1945) and Fr. Alan Heet have been selected for induction into the Roger Bacon Hall of Fame.
During ceremonies at the Roger Bacon Sports Stag Jan.20, Xavier University coach Skip Prosser will be presented the Good Fellowship Award by UC coach Bob Huggins.
McNicholas boys basketball coach Gerry Doerger, a 1954 Roger Bacon graduate, will be presented the Bron Bacevich Award by former St.Xavier coach Tom Ballaban.
Call Jim “Bubs” Kindt at 641-1300 for ticket information.
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