While many cross-country coaches in Wisconsin are fighting against the WIAA on its performance factor initiative, some, like Luxemburg-Casco's Collin LeGrave, are showing more patience for the process.
The WIAA's performance factor reorganizes successful teams into higher divisions depending on the success that they have at lower levels. No teams in Door and Kewaunee counties were affected by the first round of changes for the fall season, but Luxemburg-Casco wrestling coach Chas Treml seemed resigned to the fact that his team will be elevated to Division 1 if they can qualify for a third straight team state appearance when he talked to the Green Bay Press-Gazette's Scott Venci recently.
In a different interview with Venci this month, Notre Dame head cross-country coach John Gard said he received more than 100 signatures from other coaches petitioning the WIAA to change their mind about the process. Their request would classify cross country as the same category as track and field, swimming, and sports, with only one division where the performance factor initiative is not employed. Gard calls the initiative a "war on success," telling Venci that “the kids feel like, here is what we are being told: Don’t work hard, slow down, and we’d rather have you be average than excellent.”
One of the coaches who did not sign the petition was LeGrave, who would like to see how things go next year before taking a firmer position. "Some concerns have already been addressed with boys and girls being at different sectional sites." His biggest concern is that now teams have moved out of their sectional, it will be easier to accumulate the points that could trigger a division move. I think the number of points should be increased if they plan to use the three-year period or a larger sample size than three years should be used. If not, teams that had one very successful group of athletes will be moved up a division when the group that had the success graduates, leaving the next group competing against much larger schools for a minimum of two years because of past success."
Sevastopol's Annie Kapolnek and Gibraltar's Bonnie DeGrave were also asked for their opinions on the rule, though no local teams were in danger of being moved up for their success. Approximately a dozen teams, including both of Gard's Notre Dame squads, will be changing divisions as a result of their success.
