Sports Digest

WIAA ad hoc committee begins study on coaching contact, season length

The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Calendar and Contact ad hoc committee developed a defined purpose and reviewed objectives at its meeting at the executive office last Thursday.

The established purpose of the ad hoc committee is to represent the diverse voices of the membership in evaluating season lengths, game maximums, and coaching contact with the primary goal of promoting a balanced, education-based athletic experience for student-athletes. 

Members of the committee elected Janel Batten, athletics/activities director at Pulaski High School, and Jake Beschta, principal at Denmark High School as co-chairs.

The committee first met in-person on April 18 and then virtually on April 30. During the first three meetings, the Calendar and Contact ad hoc committee worked to review the directive of the board of control; orient and align members to the purpose of the group; establish familiarity with committee members; learn how others identify and perceive the issues pertaining to season length, coaching contact, and game maximums; identify information and resources required to fully understand and address the issues; review area meeting feedback; and to agree on a timeline for the committee work. 

Addressing the three major, interrelated topics of season lengths, game maximums and coaching contact is the focus of the group. These topics directly impact all WIAA member schools, and the committee is committed to studying the topics comprehensively to formulate and propose viable solutions to best serve the membership and their respective communities.

The committee will develop a communication plan for sharing information and receiving membership feedback throughout the entire process with additional resources of an outside person or group to interpret data, facilitate meetings and create a communication plan. The committee also committed to meet two or three times monthly, with at least one of the meetings being in-person. 

The recommendations of the Calendar and Contact ad hoc committee may result in implementation with action by the board of control or advancement to the Annual Meeting for a membership vote with amendments to the membership’s Constitution, Bylaws or Rules of Eligibility.

The next meeting of the committee via Zoom is scheduled for Wednesday, May 29.

Rhinelander’s Abe Laggis to play D-III hockey at Misericordia

Rhinelander alum Abe Laggis has committed to playing Division-III hockey at Misericordia University in Dallas, Pa. 

It will be the inaugural season for the program, which will play and practice at the Toyota SportsPlex on Coal Street in nearby Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

“I am excited to be apart of the Misericordia Ice hockey team’s inaugural season and helping develop it the right way into something we all can be proud of,” Laggis stated in an Instagram post shared by the team. 

Laggis, the son of Rhinelander High School boys’ hockey coach M.J. Laggis, played two years for the Hodag hockey team, tallying 24 goals and 41 assists. He was a first-team all-conference player in the 2018-19 season. He missed his freshman year due to a knee injury and opted to play junior hockey his senior year. 

Laggis’s junior hockey career included stops with the Helena (Mt.) Bighorns and the Oregon (Wis.) Tradesmen of the NA3HL.