PARKERSBURG, W.Va. — Newly appointed Secondary School Activities Commission executive director Bernie Dolan will face a myriad of issues upon becoming chief of the organization next January.
Dolan, officially approved during the SSAC’s Board of Control meeting Tuesday, has served a prominent role on the current board and should have a smooth transition taking over for Gary Ray.
“It’s exciting and it is an honor—I don’t take it lightly,” Dolan said on Tuesday night’s MetroNews “Sportsline.”
“I think there’s a lot of responsibility that goes with it. High school athletics are a major portion of everyone’s high school career. It’s our job to make sure that it’s done right and our championships our done well.”
The 54-year-old Dolan brings a wealth of experience in high school administration, including four years as principal and the past three years as assistant superintendent for Ohio County Schools.
“If you’re the athletic director or principal, it’s all the same: Some will be happy with those decisions, others will not,” Dolan said. “You just do the best you can and make the best decision you can.”
A touchy subject during recent years has centered around expanding the three-week summer practice window to allow coaches more time to work with their athletes on a more regular basis.
A Board of Control proposal last year never even made it onto the state school board’s agenda. The board on Tuesday narrowly passed a similar proposal by a 54-53 vote. That measure, which would opening up the majority of the year for practice, still needs approval from the state school board.
“From here, it has to go to the state board of education and in the past, they have not looked kindly to that,” Dolan said. “My opinion is that something has to be done as we move into different calendars. Some schools aren’t getting out until June 25, and those three weeks that you get are probably down to one week.”
Dolan said he’s against opening up year-round practices, but hopes that “next year, we’ll have to get together and get a consensus of something—maybe 10 or 15 days throughout the summer that each school has to report in which days they’re using.”
Dolan hinted at potential changes to the current basketball postseason format, whereby teams that lose in sectional championship games still advance into regional play.
“I’m really not in favor of losing and advancing,” Dolan said. “I think I would rather see our regions expand back out and then maybe play it out to the final two—moving both of those teams on, so that there is no loser advancing.”
Watch the complete interview with Dolan at the top of the page.
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