Minor Tweaking Proposed For FHSAA Seasons

If a proposal by the commissioner of Florida's prep sports governing body goes through, the high school football season as we know it will remain pretty much intact.

Florida High School Athletic Association commissioner John Stewart announced Monday he will recommend to the FHSAA Board of Directors that the seasons for all fall sports be modified only slightly to reflect the later starting dates for Florida public schools for the 2007-08 year.

The proposal will be voted on by the board at a meeting in late March. For now, Stewart said he is authorizing all schools to resume their scheduling for the '07-08 sports seasons "within the parameters of the proposed plan."

Public schools in Florida may not begin classes next school year before Aug. 20. The legislatively-mandated later starting dates initially had many fearing the FHSAA's athletic calendars would have to be changed radically to comply with the new scholastic calendar.

"We are very confident that the Board of Directors will approve the proposed revisions, because they address the later starting date of school with the least amount of damage to our fall sports seasons," Stewart said in an FHSAA release.

Under the proposal, the fall sports seasons -- except for bowling -- will begin and end one week later than they did in 2006. Translation: Preseason classics for football will be held Aug. 24, and season openers will be held Aug. 31.

Other sports will feel a more profound impact, at least initially. Swimming and diving will lose a week of preseason practice in '07 only, and volleyball will lose the extra week of competition it was granted in '06 to ensure preseason classics won't be played before the first day of classes.