A proposal which would have created another high school classification football and basketball throughout Arkansas was soundly defeated Tuesday during the annual meeting of the Arkansas Activities Association's governing body in Little Rock.
Needing a two-thirds majority to pass, "Proposal 8" got only 48 votes from the governing body, which is composed of approximately 400 high schools and junior high schools across the state. There were 245 voting representatives present.
The proposal went into Tuesday's vote with a "do not pass" recommendation attached to it, as stamped by the 19-member AAA Board of Directors. Usually, any proposal given a "do not pass" fails.
The proposal was written by Jacksonville football Coach Johnny Watson, and had it passed, would have grouped the state's largest 16 schools (as noted by enrollment) into a newly formed Class AAAAAA.
The next 32 schools in Class AAAAA, the next 32 in Class AAAA, the next 64 (75 in basketball) in Class AAA, the next 58 (80 in basketball) in Class AA and the remaining 103 basketball schools in Class A.
The proposal would have gone into effect in 2002-05 and basically was authored to give every school a better opportunity to compete by better balancing the enrollment differences.
As noted by the 2002-2004 classification cycle, Rogers is the state's largest school with an enrollment of 2,213. Blytheville ranks No. 32 in Class AAAAA with 725 students. Blytheville, a member of the AAAAA-East Conference, is set to drop down into Class AAAA after this season.
Proposal 8 was given a "do not pass" recommendation when the board felt it would increase travel and those expenses which go along with travel.
The consolidation issue was also a factor in the "do not pass" recommendation.
The governing body also voted to approve several other proposals including a proposal to accept AAA passes for admission to all athletic and nonathletic events approved /sanctioned by and under the jurisdiction of the AAA, effective immediately as well as a proposal which will allow middle schools to have a separate membership to play in one tournament (volleyball, basketball, baseball, softball or soccer) that does not count against the total number of allowable tournaments for a junior high, effective immediately.
The body voted to allow AAA conferences to certify four teams to the state volleyball tournament, effective this year.
A proposal which would have allowed football schools a maximum of 10 days of spring practice in full pads failed.
ASWF will bring a free wrestling show to Forrest City, saturday, Aug. 9.
The event, which features the legendary handsome Jimmy Valiant, will be held on the parking lot of First American Cash, located on Highway 1 behind Bonanza.
Valiant, a World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Famer, will be featured in the main event when he takes on Austin Lane.
In the semi-main event match, for the ASWF tag team titles, Lane and J.T. West, the champions will defend against the team of Fearless Aggression (P-Ray and Chuck fears.)
The feature match is a return heavyweight title match between champion Bruiser Graham and challenger Loose Cannon.
A tribute cup match will feature Ray-Ray taking on Scott Fury.
The card is subject to change and bell time for the matches is scheduled for 5 p.m.
The Forrest City 12-year-old All-Stars won the Augusta Classic tournament played this past weekend at Augusta.
The team defeated Augusta 5-0 in the opening game and then beat Bald Knob, two out of three times to win the tournament title.
Barrett beshears picked up the win over Augusta while Seth Smith pitched two of the three games against Bald Knob.
Beshears and Lee Smith each homered for Forrest City.