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Friday, May 09, 2008

Championship Athletes Deserve To Walk Line



      Is this any way to reward some of New Mexico's most outstanding high school seniors? Every year, dozens of young athletes are forced to miss their graduation ceremonies because of scheduling conflicts with the state championships in baseball, tennis, golf and track.
       Sometimes they sprint right from the field to the ceremony, slipping a gown over their uniform just in time to walk the line. Sometimes a makeshift graduation ceremony is held at the golf course.
       This year, seniors on the Valley High School boys and girls tennis teams are caught in this highly predictable train wreck. If Valley's No. 2 seeded teams make it to the championships Saturday, they will be playing just as commencement convenes at the Pit. The kids are torn between family and team. Two sweet moments they have dreamed of for years are coming true — on collision course.
       Do these trains have to crash, year after year? the New Mexico Activities Association, which coordinates play among 165 high schools, says yes. “There's absolutely no way for us to not conflict with every single school's graduation,” says NMAA spokesman Robert Zayas.
       With every single school, probably not. But there does appear to be a straightforward way to avoid a conflict with the state's largest school district. All of Albuquerque Public Schools' graduation ceremonies are held during one week — this year, it's from May 8 to 15. Why not black out that week? Moving some championships back a few days would probably help other school districts as well.
       Nothing can be done this year, but better signal coordination between the NMAA and the state's school districts could probably move graduations and championships onto separate tracks.
      

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