It's a mess ...

by George Kay
Tuesday, February 12, 2008 1:26 PM MST

Even the most astute of my fellow old-timers seem to be in general agreement: this has been a nasty winter thus far.

The persistent winds have been especially unwelcome, and there has been just enough snow to be bothersome. As it pertains to sports, this winter weather has been particularly troubling.

I can't remember a season in which so many athletic events either have been rescheduled or cancelled outright. This past weekend is a good example.

Both Natrona County High School basketball teams had their scheduled games called off because of inclement weather and bad roads. Same thing for the Kelly Walsh teams, both boys and girls. And the wrestling schedule was similarly affected.

What is even worse is the fact that last Friday, the NC boys basketball team left town very early in the morning on a trip to Star Valley. The bus made it as far as Dubois when the journey ended and the bus was forced to return to Casper.

These incidents are not as uncommon as one might expect. It has been that kind of winter, especially in the southern part of the state, where it seems that highways are closed as much as they are open to travel.

There is no argument as to the safety factor when high school teams are involved. Officials must be ever alert and not hesitant to cancel any bus trip that might put the occupants in jeopardy. That is a given and something that never should be compromised.

But there is another aspect to the increased cancellations that should be considered. This season, Class 4-A high school officials denied the logic of geography and moved the two Casper high schools into a western conference, while putting Riverton into the eastern conference.

In previous seasons, the teams from Casper and Riverton were part of a conference that was made up of schools in eastern Wyoming, including Gillette and Sheridan. Had that conference been continued, this past weekend, a couple of the Casper teams may well have been headed to Sheridan or Gillette, and that wouldn't have been a travel problem.

However, the necessity to driving in the southern and western sections of the state has been a dicey proposition, especially this year. Officials were warned of this possibility last fall with stories of severe travel problems along Interstate 80 through southern Wyoming.

At that time, it was too late to change the conference alignments, so we are faced with the problems that have caused cancellations and schedule changes that have been quite common this season.

There is certainly no guarantee that the previous conference alignment would have avoided some of the problems we face this winter, but it seemed to be a better structure than the present one.

I was informed that the current east-west setup will be in effect for one more season after this before any changes could be made. That seems incredible. If it is decided that the east-west arrangement isn't the answer and that the current conferences are not the best solution to the inherent travel concerns in Wyoming, why must we continue with this format for another year?

Certainly a revamping the current conference alignment would be preferable to what we have encountered this winter. I can't conceive that a return to the former alignment would be such a huge undertaking.

If a mistake has been made, let us put aside our pride and correct the situation.

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