County Section Proposal Doesn’t Fit Into CIF Plans

The final lobbying began at lunch Friday, in the bay-view restaurant of a Burlingame hotel. There, munching everything from Monte Cristo sandwiches to cold prime rib, members of the CIF State Federated Council digested their last bit of politicking. Their vote--the final vote--on the proposed Orange County Section would soon be cast.

Southern Section Commissioner Stan Thomas be-bopped from table to table, hobnobbing with the powers that be. Not exactly sure what he said, but we’d guess it was something like this:

“Hey, nice plate of pasta you got there. Looks like quite a meal. A little more substantial than that proposal Orange County’s trying to push through, hmmmm?”

Apparently, a good many agreed with him. The proposal was voted down by a ratio of more than 2-1. Orange County would not form its own section, at least not one sanctioned by the CIF.

Proponents of the county section--namely 15 county public school superintendents--could spend weeks analyzing the whys and hows of the council’s decision.

Some say the CIF--especially the Southern Section--didn’t want to let Orange County break away because it represents far too much wealth--in athletic tradition, in gate receipts, in corporate funding potential. Others complain the new section’s organization wasn’t organized enough. Some worried that if Orange County goes, other counties--namely Riverside and San Bernardino--would follow.

And let’s not leave out the sentiment shared by a certain few: that the OC superintendents are just a bunch of egocentric power mongers who stir up trouble just so they have something to talk about on their car phones. Next thing you know, they’ll be trying to take over the whole CIF.

That, of course, is doubtful. No need to take over when you can simply walk away.

Armed with a big dose of gobbledygook--a.k.a. excerpts from California Education Code Section 35179--the OC superintendents say they have a right to form their own section, CIF-approved or not.

But at what price? Thomas warned Friday that a section formed without CIF approval risks losing National Federation sanctioning. That could mean Orange County teams wouldn’t be able to compete against other CIF schools or in any CIF competition--i.e. the State playoffs.

Hang on. Imagine for a minute that it’s March. Time for the State basketball playoffs--that is, without Orange County. What happens to the boys at Mater Dei? The Ladycats of Brea? Do they take on UCI? Or Cal State Fullerton?

Actually, Orange County--as its own athletic entity--has possibilities. Initially, there would have to be a revolution of sorts, some symbolic gesture of independence, say dumping all of the CIF Bluebooks into Newport Harbor.

Leagues could be renamed to honor that which made OC what it is today. The South Coast League becomes the South Coast Plaza League, and so on.

In a generous show of support, Irvine Co. czar/zillionaire Donald Bren could buy back a couple of hundred acres of condominium-ridden terrain, restore it to its original pristine state, and dedicate it to the county’s cross-country runners.

And lest we forget, Mickey Mouse for Commissioner.

Fine. Call it fantasyland. The fact is, Orange County superintendents seem determined to split from the Southern Section. They’re ready to take their athletes and play elsewhere, even if it’s only in their own back yard.

But the best solution could be heading our way.

The CIF has formed a committee to study its future, namely to figure out the best way to reorganize and redivide its 10 sections. It has hired, for $28,000, a facilitator to work on the problem next year.

Some believe one of the reasons the Orange County section wasn’t endorsed Friday was because it might mess up the State’s own long-range plans, uncertain though they are.

Certainly, the outcome of the CIF study might not coincide with the OC superintendents’ view. It might ultimately divide the county in half, it might link it with San Diego. It might come up with no better way than to organize schools alphabetically--Alameda, Anaheim and Agoura in one section; Woodbridge, Western and Whittier in another.

Then again, it might. Orange County could be its own power, CIF-sanctioned to boot.

One thing is certain: Restructuring the entire CIF isn’t going to happen this year--or next. Maybe not by the year 2,000.

But if it worked--not only for Orange County but all of CIF--it might be the most reasonable plan.

A proposal, perhaps, that all of us could stomach.

Barbie Ludovise’s column appears Sunday and Wednesday. Readers may reach Ludovise by writing her at The Times Orange County Edition, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, 92626 or by calling (714) 966-5847.