4/6/17

(Renton, WA) Many complain the WIAA makes decisions on High School sports in a vacuum without taking in outside thoughts or comments. Executive Director Mike Colbrese has been concerned with that perception and has been on a campaign over the past few years to not only be more transparent in what the WIAA does but educate those on how they come to these decisions and how the WIAA works.

The WIAA is a private organization of more than 400 schools and is operated with a full time staff led by Colbrese and an Executive Board made up of school officials from Athletic Directors to Superintendents of member schools or districts. There are 13 Directors that make up the board.

There is also the representative board and they are the ones that ultimately vote yes or no on rules, formats, tournaments virtually everything brought up for review in the WIAA. There are 53 representatives that come from the 9 districts. Colbrese says he and his team are tasked to put information and research together for the Executive Board and the Rep Assembly. He says he and his staff do weigh in with recommendations when asked and for additional information but in the end the Rep Assembly will make the final votes.

Colbrese over the past several years has worked hard to try and be more transparent than they already are. For instance the entire WIAA budget is on line for all to see anytime they please. When the decision was made to decrease the basketball tournament from 16 teams, Colbrese and the Exec Board worked to smooth out as many of the issues coaches were most concerned with and have continued that process with a special committee focused only on making the basketball tournaments as fair as possible.

Under Colbrese they also created a media advisory board to create better channels of communication between the WIAA and reporters and best ways to get out their information. Colbrese and the WIAA have now taken transparency to a higher level and are inviting anyone interested in High School sports from parents and fans to coaches, players to AD’s and Supes to all weigh in on the amendments the Executive Board will consider.

The Executive Board determines what is sent to the Rep Assembly for final voting. The WIAA now wants to hear from you and have set up a proposed amendment survey. Just click on the link below, fill out your name and e-mail then read through all the amendments (rule changes) and there is space for you to chime in with your opinions.

Take the WIAA Proposed Amendment Survey