As NJ cross-country season begins, Meet of Champions format remains unclear

On Wednesday, Sept. 14, the NJSIAA executive committee is expected to vote on legislation that may make significant changes to the Cross-Country State Meet of Champions.

But less than a week out from that meeting, cross-country coaches across New Jersey say they still don't know what is in the proposal. The fall season began Thursday.

"The process has not been good and it has not been good for a long time. The way in which they are making these changes is not transparent," said Brian Gould, long-time track and cross-country coach at West Windsor Plainsboro North. "The regs are always late, the communication is always poor, things are done in secret. It's very frustrating."

A draft proposal obtained by NorthJersey.com last month would cut participation in the Meet of Champions by more than 20 percent and would eliminate the official team championship. According to that proposal, the changes would make the meet more competitive and safer by placing a limit on how many runners can participate.

It's unclear if that draft proposal is the same one that will be voted on next week.

The New Jersey Cross-Country and Track & Field Association (NJXCTFCA) sent a letter Tuesday night to Colleen Maguire, the NJSIAA executive director, and Al Stumpf, the NJSIAA assistant director in charge of cross country, and the 51 members of the executive committee, asking the committee to hold off on any making any changes at Wednesday's meeting.

"The proposed changes have not been posted as promised, which causes concern as to whether members of the Executive Committee will have both the time and the input to make such an important decision," read the letter from the NJXCTFCA executive board, which represents about 200 track and field and cross-country coaches throughout the state. It closed its letter by stating that the board "believes that the current structure of the MOC, which was developed by the NJSIAA, has been a positive, competitive and safe meet" and recommended keeping the meet as is at this time.

The South Jersey Track Coaches Association (SJTCA) previously sent a similar letter on Aug. 31. That letter, which is posted on the SJTCA website, asked why no large-scale attempt was made to survey coaches for their input on possible alterations to the meet, and asked for the minutes of any meeting between the Nov. 23, 2021 end to the cross-country season and the July 26, 2022 ad hoc committee meeting convened by Stumpf at NJSIAA headquarters in Robbinsville, which included about a dozen coaches invited by the NJSIAA.

The SJTCA closed its letter by promising a statewide survey of coaches and stating that "the Meet of Champions in its current inclusive, elite and safe format be maintained.''

In an email sent to NorthJersey.com on Wednesday, NJSIAA public relations spokesperson Michael Cherenson said, "The NJSIAA follows a standard process for all tournament modifications. Several proposals, developed from input from a wide range of individuals, are in the process of being finalized for next week’s meeting.

"The first step in the process is a review by the Program Review committee on Monday, September 12. If endorsed by the Program Review committee, then the proposals are sent to the Executive Committee for their consideration on September 14. As per NJSIAA rules, the final determination will be made by the Executive Committee and updated tournament regulations will be posted on the NJSIAA website as soon as possible after approval."

The explanation appears to be at odds with the NJSIAA's policy on changes to rules and regulations, which requires written notice of proposed changes to all member schools at least 10 days prior to the meeting.

In another response to NorthJersey.com, Cherenson said tournament regulations are separate and distinct from the rules and regulations included in the NJSIAA Handbook.

"Changes to the tournament regulations are approved by the 51-person Executive Committee, based on the recommendation of the Program Review committee which is a subcommittee of the Executive Committee," he said.

Cross-country coaches across the state remain frustrated.

"If they're going to make a change this big, they need to have transparency,'' Southern Regional boys coach Scott Baker said. "They have rules and regulations and by-laws and are supposed to be following them along the way. If they're not going to do it the right way, then get out of the way and let the coaches associations run it the right way.''

"For years, we've had a process to follow and a timeline to meet for how changes have been made and it's been totally ignored," Ridgewood girls coach Steve Opremcak said. "The cross-country committee meets in November, puts out recommendations, and they're discussed and approved by the end of the school year to start the next fall. They've pushed for years for us to have a statewide coaches association and now they ignore our input.''

With the season now underway, and the executive committee meeting less than a week away, longtime Secaucus coach Stan Fryczynski and other coaches say they believe any changes to the Meet of Champions should be postponed until next fall.

"(The cross-country committee was told in November) that the existing MOC would not be changed," Fryzcynski said. "Why was this suddenly changed and why at this time of year? Perhaps this entire matter should be suspended for another year until there is time allowed for everyone to submit feedback and be involved in these changes.''

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ cross-country: Meet of Champions format remains unclear