NEW: Spit decision

Title IX forces coaches to make a choice

By Michael Kinney

MOORE — Saturday, Robert Wakefield was named the Large Schools slowpitch coach of the year. It was the second consecutive year he has earned the honor.

However, despite the enjoyment he had in accepting the honor and watching two of his Moore Lions play in the All-State softball game, Wakefield was not in a celebrating mood.

Earlier in the week, Wakefield had to make a decision he never thought would ever come up.

The Moore High softball coach had to choose between coaching fastpitch or slowpitch next year. It’s a choice that all three high school coaches in the Moore School district had to make.

“The softball coaches at Moore schools had to make a choice between slowpitch or fastpitch,” Wakefield said. “As of right now coach (Steve) Schwarz and I have chosen slowpitch and coach (Jeff ) Small fastpitch. It has something to do with comparing baseball to fastpitch.”

Wakefield and the coaches were put in the situation of having to choose because of the Title IX amendment.

Title IX states “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”

But Wakefield said he does not understand why that statement should affect him as a coach.

“We are still trying to figure this deal out,” Wakefield said. “Title IX to me has nothing to do with coaching. It has to do with facilities and pay. So we are trying to figure out what is going on. As of right now I am going to be the slowpitch coach and assistant fastpitch coach. I just can’t be the head and I don’t know why.”

Flack over Title IX in Moore started last year when David and Teresa Cochran and Marvin and Kandy Bishop filed a complaint against Moore Public Schools for violations of the amendment. The Cochrans and Bishops were parents of two Westmoore softball players.

The complaint led to the renovation of the softball facilities at Moore and Westmoore and the upgrade of the newly built Southmoore facility.

At the time of the complaint, the list of grievances included the differential in funding between baseball and softball, equipment, scheduling, Provision of training facilities and services and publicity. But there was no mention of number of head coaching positions a person can hold.

However, Moore Schools Superintendent Deborah Arato said that in order to comply with the lawsuit, this change had to be made. Because the boys baseball coaches have a full offseason, the school district believes the girls softball coaches needed one in order to be at their optimal best for their players.

“In baseball,the coaches have their full offseason in the fall then they have their regular season,” Arato said. “For softball with a pay coach running two seasons then obviously they really couldn’t do that terribly effectively. And so if they are going to equalize the pay, then we are going to equalize the seasons. Whenever we started looking at the Title IX suit and doing the research that we did and the negotiations on the settlement that was what we came up with. So that is what we have done.”

Wakefield said the decision was a tough one. He has had success in both fastpitch and slowpitch. As has Schwarz, who declined to comment on the story.

The two coaches have won two of the last four fastpitch titles. That includes playing each other for the championship in 2007, with the Lions coming out on top.

In slowpitch, the Jaguars and Lions have won a combined 18 state titles in the last 25 years with each squad winning nine championships. Moore and Westmoore have won six of the last eight Class 6A titles. Small just finished up his first year as the Southmoore coach.

All three are allowed to remain on the staffs of the sport they do not choose to stay as head coach.

“They should, looking at the way we have it arranged, still be able to come back in and serve as an assistant coach,” Arato said. “And help run with part of the offseason. We have been able to accomplish that. I was really glad about that. I just didn’t want to see them hurt. The good thing is they are not going to take any loss of pay. And we should have that equivalence we were looking for inside that Title IX issue.”

Yet, the pay was not foremost in Wakefield’s mind.

“Even though we will be making more money, but that’s not the issue with me,” Wakefield said. “Money is not the issue. You’re taking away my title as head coach and I didn’t do anything wrong.”

However, the coaches are not guaranteed to be a head coach or assistant coach next year. Each coach has to apply for the job they want to keep.

“It’s my understanding, in some cases, they have already applied for the one they want to do,’ Arato said. “Then of course we are an equal opportunity employer so we will do the interview process. With the coaches we have, you know how successful they have been. We are really anticipating we will be able to continue with those coaches, but you don’t know what the interview process will bring either.”

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