Jeff Profitt's opinion: IHSA's decision to move state girls leaves Southern Illinois out in the cold
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Earlier this week, the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) snuck a curve ball past all of Southern Illinois. And it wasn't just a pitch, it was a downright sneaky pitch.
After moving its girls state golf tournaments to the area in 2002, the IH$A suddenly announced that Decatur's Park District-and its Hickory Point and Red Tail Run courses-would become new hosts for the 1A and 2A ladies championships this October.
Stone Creek Gofl Course near Makanda, Carbondale's Hickory Ridge Public Golf Center and Crab Orchard Country Club in Carterville were local hosts for the events. but now appear to be left out in the cold, again.
Stone Creek held the small school tournament from 2003-2008 before being replaced by Crab Orchard. Hickory Ridge joined the hosting party four years ago.
Southern Illinois hospitality, acknowledged from Cairo to Chicago as the best statewide, has lost out to the almighty dollar and powerful influence of suburban and Chicagoland politics.
In a statement issued on its website, retiring IHSA Executive Director Dr. Marty Hickman cited economics and geography as the main reasons the IHSA voted-rather unexpectedly-for the change."This vote is not a reflection on anything that our previous hosts in Carbondale and Carterville have done wrong and is actually quite the opposite, " said Hickman.
"Crab Orchard Golf Course, Hickory Ridge Golf Course, Stone Creek and all the individuals that have helped administer these tournaments have been tremendous and we sincerely thank them for all of their efforts. This decision came down to a matter of the Board wanting to find a location that was more centrally located in the state and that more equally distributed travel costs for our state final qualifiers. Our previous hosts did a tremendous job and Decatur has shown that they have the resources to carry on that tradition."
While no one doubts Decatur's central location-and in all fairness the bulk of state girls golf qualifying teams and individuals do come from north of Effingham-iits easy to question this decision.
Northern and Chicagoland schools had, at least mildly, voiced displeasure at the sometimes six hour-plus drive to reach the state finals. In a few instances, a handful of suburban schools even flew teams and/or individuals to nearby airports in Carbondale and Marion for the tournaments.
Granted, those trips were likely made thanks to private funding sources and really have very little to do with the IHSA and its decision.
Still, as school superintedentsand Board of Education members statewude fight tightened finances and rising transportation costs, its easy to see where most of the money and influence resides. In and around Cook,, DuPage and Lake counties.
While its matter of economics-as it is so many times when talking about Illinois' self-made "Mason-Dixon Line"-its also a matter of a statewide organization (IHSA) sharing the wealth with its south-most neighbors.
And, there's the factor of just plain common courtesy and respect.
Officials from Crab Orchard and Hickory Ridge both stated in published reports that they had been "assured" the respective courses would again serve as hosts this fall and were aoparently in negotiations with the IHSA for extending host contracts another three-to-five years.
While at least one golf course manager admitted to knowing something was up with the IHSA, the decision still hit Southern Illinos like an unexpected, errant tee-shot banging into a fairway Oak tree. Fast, loud, hard and totally unexpected.
The tournament's departure will also hit the area's pocketbook in the same manner.
Just a tick under 200 golfers were spread out at the two area courses for last year's tournament. Factor in families and fans following the teams and players, and there's huge trickle down effect.
Hotels were packed in Jackson and Williamson counties, along with restaurants and retail stores. Plenty of gas tanks and grocery bags were filled during the three-day events (most teams and followers arrived in the area the day before play began). Sales tax and hotel-motel tax revenues enjoyed by Carbondale and Marion that weekend will disappear.
Once again, Southern Illinois has lost and "upstate" politics have prevailed.
Decatur-in desperate need of positive economic news and certainly an able-bodied host for the tournaments-is the real winner.
As for the IHSA, lets just say they'll need several mulligans to win back the trust of this region.
And, the climate of this area seems more golf-friendly in late October than Macon County and Decatur.
The IHSA's batting a respectable average when it comes to shifting state tournament venues.
It's funny how no one seems to listen when the rest of the state complains about the state boys baseball tournament moving several years back to Joliet's Silver Cross Stadium.
Mmmm....what's that ?
About a six-hour drive from Southern Illinois
Sounds strangely familiar, doesn't it ?
It's another sneaky pitch delivered by the IHSA.