2 sides air views on cross country teams at NEs

AUGUSTA – Adam Deveau remembers the spirit of teamwork being crucial to his success in qualifying for the New England high school cross country championships last fall.

“I was running by myself,” said the Mt. Blue of Farmington junior of his eighth-place finish in the 2004 Class A state meet, “but I was doing it for my team. The motivation of my team helped me run the race of my life.”

He also remembers his New England experience, one in which he ran alone, without his teammates at his emotional side.

“The [New Englands] had a completely different feel,” said Deveau. “I didn’t get that adrenaline rush competing by myself. It just slows you down because you don’t have the motivation of running with a team.”

Deveau was one of several runners, coaches, and parents who spoke Thursday during a public hearing held by the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs on LD 1130, “An Act to Allow a State Champion Cross Country Team to Participate in New England Competitions.”

Maine has sent the top 25 male and female runners from its cross country state championships to the New England meet annually since 1998 but is one of two states not to send top-finishing teams to the event. Massachusetts doesn’t send its teams because the New Englands fall on the same weekend as its state meet.

Reasons cited for not sending Maine teams have included cost concerns as well as travel issues and potential lost school time, particularly for schools in the northern half of the state.

The Maine Principals’ Association, the sanctioning body for interscholastic sports in the state, has considered a proposal to send as many as six boys teams and six girls teams to the New Englands three times in the last three years but has yet to vote to change its current policy.

In April 2002, the general membership of the MPA’s Interscholastic Division voted not to send teams to the New Englands. Last spring, member schools tabled the matter and sought a recommendation from the MPA’s Interscholastic Management Committee. The IMC voted unanimously in September to recommend against team participation, and last November the membership voted 36-29 against sending Maine teams to the New Englands.

LD 1130, sponsored by Sen. John Nutting of Leeds, seeks to allow Maine teams to participate in the New Englands, and the 21/2-hour hearing was a sometimes emotional debate between passion and process.

The passion came largely from runners and coaches from Mt. Blue, Edward Little of Auburn, and Lisbon high schools who cited such benefits as team camaraderie, the opportunity to compete at a higher level of competition, and the chance for runners to be seen by college coaches and improve their chances of earning scholarships.

“If this is approved, it will be felt at all levels, not just the high school level but all levels of participation,” said Mt. Blue coach Kelly Cullenberg. “The New Englands serve many purposes. They are an incredible opportunity to extend the season. It’s a chance to go to other states and see how they do things. The athletes can compete with athletes from the other states, and it’s another chance to be seen by college coaches.”

And the benefits can transcend the individual runner or team, according to some witnesses.

“Going to the New Englands is more than getting recognized, more than getting scholarships,” said longtime Edward Little coach Dan Campbell. “It’s the sense of pride you get from participating in an event like that, and if you’re fortunate enough to win, I can’t tell you what it means to a community.”

The process came from MPA executive director Dick Durost, who urged the committee to let the schools – through their principals – determine such matters, not the Legislature.

“Principals are the most logical group to vote on these matters,” he said. “They represent their communities and are in the best position to appreciate the values of athletics, to keep the big picture in perspective, and to represent the best interests of all Maine student athletes.”

The MPA is a private, nonprofit organization whose Interscholastic Division currently numbers 153 high schools, 122 of which offer cross country. It is a member of the Council of New England Secondary School Principals’ Associations, which sanctions regional competitions in cross country, wrestling, gymnastics, indoor track, outdoor track, tennis, and golf. Cross country presently is the only sport in which the New England council sanctions team competition.

Maine sends top individuals to New England meets in every sport except gymnastics, which the MPA no longer sanctions as an interscholastic sport.

Durost questioned whether the Legislature has oversight authority in this matter, given that the MPA is a private organization working within the rules of the New England council.

“The [MPA] makes hundreds of decisions each year regarding its policies,” Durost said. “Will legislative involvement in this issue simply open the door for anyone who does not agree with MPA policy to request legislative intervention? We believe principals are best qualified to deal with these issues collectively and have a history of representing all students and communities in their decisions.

The joint committee plans to schedule a work session to follow up on the public hearing.

In addition, the MPA is likely to reconsider the cross country issue at its spring conference scheduled for April 28-29 in Rockport.