lowsingle 10 Report Share Posted November 29, 2007 **this may have gotten posted before...sorry if I missed it, but I thought that some of you would like the read... SSAC Changes Super Six Bidding Tuesday, November 6, 2007 By JIM ELLIOTT- The Intelligencer & Wheeling News-Register Gary Ray can do little but smile when he visits Wheeling. As executive director of the West Virginia Secondary Schools Activities Commission, Ray knows a good thing for his agency when he sees it — and the good thing that has come out of Wheeling over the past 14 years is how the city has changed the face of high school sports with its handling of the Super Six state high school football championships. What has set Wheeling apart is that the focus of the event is on the kids, Ray said. The local Super Six Committee works hard to honor not only the athletes, but also those who excel in the classroom. “Wheeling’s Super Six Committee is made of special men,†Ray said. “If you’ve ever listened to these folks in Wheeling ... they focus on the kids.†Wheeling’s success with Super Six has led to a change in how the SSAC will be awarding bids for the event beginning next year. Instead of a two-year contract for the host city, the new contract will be changed to a three-year guarantee with a fourth-year option, Ray said. Super Six will celebrate its 14th season in Wheeling on Friday, Nov. 30 and Saturday, Dec. 1. The four-year proposal is something the SSAC has made across the board with its state championship sites, designed to allow potential host groups to gain more solid commitments from their sponsors and supporters. “We had the request from many of our sites saying they needed more time to allow their sponsors to grow with them,†Ray said during Monday’s Super Six Media News Conference at the Thunder Club inside WesBanco Arena. The fourth year, or option year, is written as a way to evaluate what’s taking place — both from the host city’s perspective and that of the SSAC, Ray said. If things aren’t going as planned, either side can opt out and have a new bidding process take place after the third year. The last of the two-year proposals ends in mid-January, when Super Six will be back on the auction block at SSAC headquarters in Parkersburg, awaiting the best bid in the eyes of the SSAC board of directors. “As usual, we will be going full force,†said Bernie Dolan, a member of Wheeling’s Super Six Committee. That was just part of the discussion Monday afternoon, with much of the rest of it focusing on what Wheeling has done to progress Super Six into what it is today: A showcase for the kids. “I’m so proud to have Super Six in Wheeling,†city Mayor Nick Sparachane said. “It’s the greatest (public relations) point this city and this community has.†Ohio County Commissioner Tim McCormick echoed what the mayor, and the late Sam Mumley, who led the charge in 1994 to get the games in Wheeling, often said. “We’re very proud to be sponsors of Super Six,†McCormick said. “It’s great to do things to take care of the kids because that’s what this is all about.†The Wheeling group has never had a Super Six discussion without mentioning the kids, as it still follows Mumley’s guidance, which was repeated Monday by committee member Howard Corcoran. “The kids, the kids, the kids. Take care of the kids for they are the foundation of our future,†he said, recalling Mumley’s words. “There is no other town that bids on Super Six that understands the kids like the way Wheeling does. “We do take care of the kids and we’re going to continue to do that. They’re the best natural resource we have in West Virginia.†Super Six 2007 will officially kick off Thursday, Nov. 29, with the annual Super Six Kickoff Dinner, slated to begin at 6 p.m. at the McLure House Hotel in downtown Wheeling. That will be followed by the Class AA state title game at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Wheeling Island Stadium, the Academic Achievement Banquet at 10 a.m. Saturday at Wheeling Island Racetrack and Gaming Center, the Class AAA title game at noon, and the Class A title game at 7:30 p.m. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowsingle 10 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2007 For 'the Kids,' Wheeling a Winner Wednesday, November 7, 2007 By THE NEWS-REGISTER- The Intelligencer & Wheeling News-Register Wheeling is not the only city in West Virginia capable of hosting the annual “Super Six†high school football championship games. Other communities have excellent playing fields. Other areas have plenty of resources to handle the games. Yet, for 14 years, Wheeling has been home to the “Super Six.†Representatives of other communities have attempted to convince the state Secondary Schools Activities Commission that they should have a shot at the games. Time after time, however, when SSAC officials met to decide where the games should be held, the winner was Wheeling. SSAC Executive Director Gary Ray, during a visit to Wheeling this week, said the reason for our community’s dominance is obvious. Of the local residents who, down through the years, have handled the event, Ray had this observation: “They focus on the kids.†Howard Corcoran, an Ohio County Board of Education member who also serves on the local “Super Six†Committee, recalled the time many years ago when a group of local residents decided to make a bid to hold the championship games in Wheeling. The late Sam Mumley was a key member of that group, and his advice, according to Corcoran, was to focus on “the kids, the kids, the kids.†It is a formula that has worked well for Wheeling — and for high school athletes, scholars honored during the event, their parents and fans. A new system of handling the championship games is being adopted by the SSAC. Instead of awarding the games to communities for two-year stretches, the commission will approve contracts for three years, with one-year extensions possible. That is a good change, in our opinion — and not just because it will make life easier for the local “Super Six†committee. The change will provide for more continuity in planning the event. Undoubtedly, Wheeling’s committee will be challenged by representatives of other cities in January, when the SSAC again will consider proposals to host the “Super Six.†We commend members of the local committee — along with the many volunteers and sponsors who help them — for their efforts in the past. We have little doubt that, in January, the SSAC once again will award the championship games to Wheeling — simply because “the kids, the kids, the kids†is an unbeatable formula for success. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bogeavers 10 Report Share Posted November 29, 2007 This is just great. That is all crap. It is nothing to do with the kids. They wouldn't make the kids travel all the way across the state to play the titlt game. I honestly don't see what is wrong with having the game at Laidley in Charleston. It is fairly centered and ALL the revenue would go to West Virginia. I like making the trip to Wheeling, but it is very expensive and inconvienent for us southern teams. The game will never be moved because of the big casinos where all the SSAC "big shots" stay. I can't stand the board. They are idiots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willie 10 Report Share Posted November 29, 2007 I don't believe anyone else will put a bid in on the games. They know it's a done deal, so why waste their time... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluefield_Rules 46 Report Share Posted November 29, 2007 It's not about the kids, it's about the money for the $$AC, which is why they charge $8 a ticket for one freakin' game. Not to mention all the kickbacks that the $$AC members receive in Wheeling. It's disgusting and should really be investigated by someone in the state... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin 13 Report Share Posted November 29, 2007 I would settle for a rotation system every two years. Wheeling,Parkersburg,Charleston and bluefield. That would give amost everyone in the state a chance to have it in their neck of the woods.It will never happen though.The ssac is just like the government, CROOKED! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_truth 10 Report Share Posted November 29, 2007 Not a bad idea, probably need to include Jefferson or Martinsburg to get the eastern panhandle its turn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhs7695 185 Report Share Posted November 29, 2007 If it is really all about the kids and the experience, then why do they have gambling beside the stadium on the island and isn't there a strip club there too?? Real appropriate for kids to experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeaverHokie 35 Report Share Posted November 30, 2007 Blah, blah, blah...what a big flaming load of BS. I seriously doubt ANYBODY believes this has anything to do with "the kids". Of course they want to switch it to a 3/4 year bid...they don't have to take the heat for their crooked behavior as often. What a brilliant idea...hold the championships in what is just about the most remote stadium in the state, in relation to the vast majority of participants. The games need to be in Charleston. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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