Leading off today: Early-season action in the Section 2 hockey season could be disrupted by a dispute between the section and its game officials over their new contract.
The Eastern New York chapter of the National Ice Hockey Officials Association has gone to several state government agencies to challenge the validity of the four-year contract Section 2 reached this summer with the All Section 2 Sports Officials' Organizations, which represents each high school officials group.
ENY NIHOA representative Ryan Wise told The Times Union that there are enough officials available to work this weekend's limited schedule but approximately 75% of members are refusing to work Section 2 contests.
The NIHOA group's reason for going to the state Commissioner of Education, the state comptroller's office, the Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government, and the state attorney general's Public Integrity Bureau is convoluted. From here, it looks as though the officials are seeking to leverage a questionable concern over a conflict of interest into an additional $15 a game.
Wise said the impasse began in May when the NIHOA chapter learned that the new Section 2 officials agreement included an appeals clause for athletes who have been disqualified for games.
Section 2, which was reacting to how a hockey incident was handled last season, ultimately agreed to a change that conforms to the NYSPHSAA rule. In a statement, though, Section 2 said that the NIHOA chapter subsequently wanted to reopen negotiations and sought an additional $15 per game for its officials.
According to The Daily Gazette, each of the two game officials is to receive $115 per regular-season game and $122 in the postseason. There are $3 bumps scheduled for the following two seasons and a $3.50 increase in 2028-29.
Here's where it gets weird/dubious: Wise said that when the sides met in September, Section 2 invited Jeffrey Holliday to attend. Holliday, a member of the Catskill Central School District Board of Education, was on the team that negotiated the contract on behalf of the officials' organizations.
Wise said NIHOA chapter believes Holliday's involvement was a conflict of interest per the state's General Municipal Law that govern the conduct of municipal officers.
At the risk of stating the obvious, how is it possible the officials didn't notice Holliday won a seat on the school board in May 2024 and was elected president at the body's next meeting? As we say in the business, it was in all the papers when it happened.
On a related note, does his role actually constitute an issue? The officials group appointed Holliday to engage in the negotiations. If his participation was problematic, then that's on the officials rather than Section 2 or the NYSPHSAA.
Section 2's statement, which stood by the validity of the contract, said it is "actively exploring all available options to ensure appropriate officials' coverage."
B'ville's Scheemaker exits after 30 straight winning seasons
Baldwinsville boys soccer coach
Tim Scheemaker has retired after 30 consecutive winning seasons, a 423-130-30 record, and 11 Section 3 championships.
Scheemaker, who retired from his position as an assistant professor at Onondaga Community College in 2023, said he has reevaluated his coaching future after each of the past several seasons.
"I think that I have really high expectations of the players, how they perform, how they come to training and games,. he old Syracuse.com. "And so therefore I have the same high expectations for myself, and I'm having just a little bit harder time meeting those expectations."
A scare at Locust Valley
Locust Valley coaches
revived a student on Nov. 17 after he collapsed during an evening basketball practice, Newsday reported.
In a letter to parents, district Superintendent Kristen Turnow called the staff members heroes for their actions after the student collapsed during tryouts for the upcoming season. Coaches and staff performed CPR and used an AED unit to revive the student.
The unidentified student was reported to be recovering at an area hospital.
Passings
Joe LaPietra, who coached Aquinas to NYSPHSAA boys Class B soccer championships in 2000 and '03, died Nov. 22 from complications from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. He was 57.
Following a stint as a physical education teacher, LaPietra worked as an athletic director in the Rochester City School District. He had been diagnosed with ALS in 2018 and was most recently on medical leave before retiring earlier this year.
Calling all NYC helpers
With the new season kicking off this week, the New York State Sportswriters Association is looking for help with the New York City boys and girls basketball scene.
As we prepare to start weekly rankings in mid-December, the NYSSWA is looking for a helper or two who can sort out the rankings in each class for New York City teams (PSAL, CHSAA, AIS) in boys and/or girls basketball via brief email updates each Sunday afternoon.
Email us at jmoriello@yahoo.com if you'd like to help.
Journalism stuff
My last job before retiring from full-time media work was as a columnist/analyst covering NASCAR. One of the daily must-reads was the social media account of Fox Sports reporter Bob Pockrass, who covers his beat as well as anyone I've ever seen in any sport in my 40-plus years working in media.
At the moment, there is a big, complicated lawsuit in progress that pits the people who run NASCAR against owners of two of the teams. (One of the teams is partly owned by basketball legend Michael Jordan.) The two sides have been lobbing figurative bombs at each other for months.
The case goes to trial on Monday, and coverage by Pockrass will be must-reading for racing fans. While responding to a reader question this week, he made a great point.
No one is "just a sports reporter" anymore. I sat in a few courtrooms while following high school sports issues in the late 1980s. It was tedious at times, but it was also necessary. That's true more than ever these days.
If an athlete or team you cover lands in court over some sort of rules issue or contract dispute, don't rely on phone interviews or press releases after the verdict to cover the story. Use the opportunity to sit in on the court proceedings and pick up valuable experience that you'll be glad you have down the road.
