The Oakland Activities Association had a choice, to expand
or possibly disband.
They chose to retain the status quo further increasing the
risk of possibly disbanding.
In a surprising or not a surprising move (pending who you
talk to), the OAA voted down offers from both Lapeer and Pontiac Notre Dame
Prep to join the conference. The move to reject both schools keeps the schools
at 23 league members.
This is not the first time the OAA has turned down members.
In 2009, the league turned down Grand Blanc and Davison and now has again
decided to turn down two schools, this time Lapeer and ND Prep.
There is a lot of unhappiness in the OAA these days, schools
are not happy with both the amount of travel. Schools often have to travel up
to 45 minutes to an hour especially on school nights also enrollment issues
with several smaller schools refusing to play against the bigger schools
especially in football, many of the bigger enrolled schools happen to be north
of M-59.
The big reason why the OAA turned down Lapeer is over
travel, especially with the schools in the southern parts of Oakland County.
They simply refuse to travel that far north. They have problems driving north
towards Lake Orion, Oxford, and Clarkston and adding Lapeer would be further
complicate things with those southern schools. The northern schools especially
Lake Orion, Oxford, Clarkston, Rochester, Adams, and Stoney Creek were really
pushing to include Lapeer in the league. Lapeer regularly plays those six on a
consistent basis also they participate in the same youth leagues as several of
those schools however, schools like West Bloomfield, Southfield, and especially
Farmington (which includes North Farmington) and the smaller schools (Royal
Oak, Berkley, Hazel Park, Ferndale) were all against Lapeer joining primarily
because of travel reasons, ignoring the fact that Lapeer provides quality
competition and competes in the Saginaw Valley where Lapeer has to travel up to
three hours on school nights to schools like Mount Pleasant, Bay City, Saginaw,
and Midland.
The big reason why the OAA turned down Notre Dame Prep is
because ND Prep is not a public school. ND Prep also recruits but several
schools like West Bloomfield, Southfield, and the Farmington schools openly recruit.
Another reason why OAA turned down ND Prep was because back in 1999, the
OAA turned down Detroit Country Day and Cranbrook Kingswood primarily for the
same reasons. ND Prep is close to several OAA schools like Pontiac, Avondale,
and is in the center of Oakland County but because ND Prep is not a public
school, the league voted them down.
The league is at a crossroads, what will they do?
One question, why can’t they go Geographic?
The OAA Charter signed in 1994 states that they can’t go
geographic especially in football but times have changed, they have experienced
success going geographic especially in their spring sports (baseball and
track). Also it might be time to consider going geographic or risk outright
league disbandment. By declining Lapeer and Notre Dame Prep, the league has
shown they are not interested in expanding, there’s two choices, stay the
status quo (which with all the rumblings, won’t go over well) or disband?
Possible disbandment.
With the league’s rejection of Notre Dame Prep and especially
Lapeer, could this be the straw that breaks the camel’s back? The northern
schools especially Lake Orion, Oxford, Clarkston, and the three Rochester
schools were really pushing for Lapeer to come into the OAA but the majority of
the southern schools said no. With the travel issues and schools refusing to
play each other, especially with the southern schools in football, could it be
time to break the league up? Even if Kettering and Mott were to return to the
OAA, could it be time for the league to disband on geographical lines. The OAA
missed a valuable opportunity with Lapeer and ND Prep, could it pay for it at
the end? We will have to wait and see.
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