Conference changes could be coming soon - yet again

Mike Gaspari has been through the conference shuffle more than he'd care to remember, and he's certainly not looking forward to doing it again.

Especially so soon after he felt like he found a perfect home for his Batavia athletic program.

It's been a short three years since the Western Sun Conference opened. Several of the former members of the various Suburban Prairie alignments joined DeKalb and Rochelle to form an eight-team league that has produced a number of thrills through its short existence.

It already appears to be coming to an end, with members Yorkville, Kaneland, Sycamore, DeKalb and Rochelle all ready to exit. Yorkville's school board voted to Monday; Kaneland could May 26.

That leaves Gaspari with a range of emotions that seem to include confusion and disappointment, certainly frustration.

"Personally I didn't envision a change like this not this soon if ever," Gaspari said. "As recently as January we weren't aware of any changes. We've said all along we like the Western Sun. The geography of the league, with the exception of Glenbard South to Rochelle, we thought it was excellent. You aren't going to find anything better, and that is the most important thing for the kids with all the middle of the week games.

"Unfortunately not everyone feels the same way."

That would be those five schools above, which would leave Batavia, Geneva and Glenbard South on an island, searching for at least three and preferably five schools to form yet another new conference - a road Gaspari and his counterpart at Geneva Jim Kafer have been down all too much.

The Kaneland community will have their chance to give their opinions about the Knights possibly leaving the Western Sun at a meeting Monday.

Kaneland officials want to provide an opportunity for public input, so the Board of Education will hold a public workshop meeting from 7 to 8:30 at the Kaneland High School Library. District personnel will address Kaneland's history of athletic conference affiliations and reasons why a change is being considered, allowing opportunities for the public to ask questions and offer comments.

"We are looking for a conference that we can be a part of for a long time," Kaneland athletic director Leigh Jaffke said.

Jaffke said many issues will be addressed at the meeting, including the potential new conference for these five schools. They could be joining the NCIC, which includes, among others, Sterling, Dixon, Streator and Ottawa.

Why is the Western Sun falling apart so soon? The schools leaving certainly have taken their share of losses this year, including a fall that saw Geneva win the conference title in every varsity sport.

Gaspari, who said they had been told by the schools leaving that the problem was more with competitiveness at the lower levels than varsity, said that isn't a reason to end a conference.

"I don't think we gave it enough time," Gaspari said. "Every sports program goes in cycles in terms of success. Geneva had some unprecedented success this fall and into the winter but things have changed a little this spring. We've had a couple years like Geneva in the late 90s. It's all cyclical, it changes, we're all public schools."

Several parts of the pending move irk Gaspari, including a story that circulated earlier this year that it was Batavia and Geneva that wanted out of the conference.

"Rumors at one point that Batavia and Geneva wanted out, that wasn't true. Some people were using it to justify what has happened," Gaspari said.

Glenbard South athletic director John Treiber agreed with Gaspari.

"We're not happy with it," Treiber said. "We were hoping it would stay together, but it's looking pretty bad right now. We like having Batavia and Geneva with us because we think it makes the conference more competitive.

"Our coaches are concerned because no one wants to be an independent. That's not a good thing to be. The unknown is a little bit scary for them. They finally just got in place about the travel and all that... and all of a sudden you get this thrown at you."

Gaspari also isn't happy with the departing schools only giving the three remaining schools a year to find a new home. Gaspari said the bylaws for the conference are that you have to give a two-year window to leave.

It could take that much time to find a new conference.

And who will that be with?

There's some obvious candidates, such as West Chicago which has notified the DuPage Valley Conference it would like to leave. But that only makes four schools, and a conference needs six for football and ideally eight.

There's also certainly some schools that are fun to speculate about, such as St. Charles East, St. Charles North and West Aurora. But of course those schools all have existing conferences, and the three remaining Western Sun Schools certainly aren't out recruiting potential suitors.

"Ideally we will end up in a spot that will challenge us competitively and have some good rivalries but your guess is as good as mine right now," Kafer said.

One problem for the St. Charles schools are the sports they offer - like boys and girls swimming and boys volleyball - that Batavia and Geneva don't.

"We've got the best of both worlds, we already play them," said St. Charles East athletic director Jerry Krieg, who like Gaspari stressed he just wants to do what is best for all the kids in his school. "We've got 25 programs. Badminton is just as important as football."

Gaspari said it is a complicated, tiring process Batavia, Geneva and Glenbard South could be part of soon.

"There could be a tremendous amount of dominoes," Gaspari said. "I'd like to think we'll find a place to go."

It's going to take a lot of work to get there - if it comes to that. Gaspari holds out hope not all five Western Sun teams will decide to leave and the 3-year-old conference will survive.

"We'll see what transpires when this unfolds," Gaspari said. "We're going to need time.

"Most people are unaware of the amount of work to put a new structure together and the time it takes," Gaspari said. "People don't know what a serious matter it is, how important it is for our kids and for the community. I hope it works out best interests of everybody."

jlemon@dailyherald.com