Expansion, contraction and realignment are terms best left to high-powered business executives, but they’ve entered the world of high-school athletics on a frequent basis, too.

The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association has its member schools conduct an enrollment count and solidify their classification status every two years. That’s far too often for many athletics directors, including Dale Johnson at Gig Harbor High School.

“Every two years is utter chaos,” Johnson said. “It’s a general consensus with our Narrows League ADs that it’s frustrating.”

The last enrollment cycle that began with the 2009-10 season saw plenty of changes in the South Sound region alone. Three Tacoma schools — Foss, Lincoln and Wilson — dropped to Class 3A and left the Narrows League with eight 4A members.

Those moves didn’t necessarily hurt the league’s viability, but it was nearly a different story this year.
When preliminary numbers were released last month, it became clear that Shelton and Mount Tahoma would no longer be automatic 4A qualifiers. The schools could have opted up — a common move by schools to retain historic rivalries and increase competition for their athletes — but they were content to remain 3A.

That left the Narrows with six 4A schools, and that would’ve been a deal-breaker.

“Six teams are almost the minimum for a league,” Johnson said. “A couple schools, including Gig Harbor, didn’t even want to do that.”

It appeared the league was headed toward oblivion when Bellarmine Prep, Central Kitsap, Gig Harbor, Olympia and South Kitsap joined together for a November proposal: Apply for membership in the South Puget Sound League.

It’s hard to say what the consequences of that decision might have been, but there were certainly some negatives attached.

First, travel costs would’ve increased, since most of the SPSL 4A schools are in the Auburn, Kent, Bethel and Puyallup school districts. Second, a 23-member league would’ve consumed too many postseason berths and too few rivalries.

It’s similar to the debate that’s raging inside Major League Soccer as it adds a 19th team and shifts to an imbalanced schedule: Why have a league if everyone isn’t of equal standing?

Thank goodness we’re not having this discussion now, thanks to Yelm’s surprise addition to the 4A ranks.

Yelm has been firmly entrenched in the 3A ranks for many years, and it seemed set to stay there for the next two years. But a late addition of 50 Running Start students pushed its population past the 3A cutoff of 1,304 students in grades 10-12.

“It was a great break,” Johnson said. “We were trying to get Shelton to opt up again, and they didn’t feel like they wanted to do that.”

The Narrows 3A also will have seven schools starting with the 2012-13 season, as Mount Tahoma, Shelton and North Thurston will replace Yelm and Capital, which will drop to 2A.

Johnson was ecstatic about the Narrows staying intact.

“Bellarmine and South Kitsap are such natural rivalries with us, we wanted to be able to stay with them,” he said.

Across town at Peninsula High School, similar worries were afloat.

The SPSL 3A is a six-school league, and it would have dissolved if it weren’t for Bonney Lake and Peninsula choosing to opt up.

Peninsula’s latest enrollment number is 911, athletics director Lyle McIntosh said, putting it well below the 1,085 required for automatic inclusion in 3A.

McIntosh said the SPSL 3A had asked Hazen, Highline and Kennedy to apply as new members, but when they backed off, the league’s status would’ve been in jeopardy without a sixth team.

Bonney Lake had serious talks about staying in 2A and forming a more intense rivalry with Sumner, its district partner. But it also chose to opt up, and that saved Peninsula officials from some major headaches.

“We’re very happy in the South Puget Sound League,” McIntosh said. “Our principals have a great relationship with each other, the ADs, too, and it’s good competition.”

The next step in avoiding some of the pitfalls of league realignment could come this spring, when WIAA members vote on a proposal to conduct enrollment counts every four years, instead of two.

Schools are constantly changing entities, and it’s impractical to have them moving all over the map based on a relatively short time span.

“I personally would (like to amend the process),” McIntosh said, “especially for the stability of the league and playing against your rivals.

“Some people have been switching around every two years. And that’s tough for the schools and the fans. The consistency of playing the same schools is good.”

Sports Editor Neil Pierson can be reached at 253-853-9246 or by email at neil.pierson@gateline.com. Follow him on Twitter, @gateway_neil.