Wrestling Coaches' Suit Against Wiaa OK'd

Five high-school coaches who want to teach a non-interscholastic type of wrestling outside of school can continue their lawsuit against the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, an appeals court has ruled.

The five coaches sued the WIAA in 1991, contending the agency was improperly preventing them from teaching Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling in community wrestling programs.

The coaches contended those styles of wrestling are a different sport from the scholastic, also known as folkstyle, wrestling used in interscholastic programs.

Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling are international styles that have numerous differences from scholastic wrestling, said the coaches' attorney, James Woods of Bainbridge Island. They rely much more on upper-body strength, with use of the legs prohibited in Greco-Roman wrestling, for example.

However, WIAA classifies them as being the same sport as scholastic wrestling. And under WIAA rules coaches cannot coach in any activities that "resemble out-of-season practices or contests in the sport they coach to any of their squad members or future squad members . . . until after the final spring (WIAA tournament) is completed."

The coaches contended the different styles of wrestling were different sports so the WIAA rules did not apply.

The coaches involved were Dexter Backstead of Freeland, who was a volunteer coach at South Whidbey High School; Ron Bessemer, who was supervisor of athletics for the Everett School District; John Jones of Capital High School in Olympia; Rockey Isley of Olympia High School; and Wayne Schutte of Othello High School.

PAUL KEEPS VICTORY

A three-member panel of KingCo Conference athletic directors unanimously rejected a protest of Scott Paul's victory in the boys varsity race at last Thursday's KingCo cross-country meet.

Eastlake's Paul, who led the final mile of the three-mile race at Lake Sammamish State Park, unintentionally veered off the course near the end of the race, then realized his mistake and re-entered the course in time to secure a four-second victory.

Eastlake finished ninth in the meet, earning the final team berth to this week's Wes-King bi-district meet. Mike Hubbard, whose Inglemoor boys finished 10th, lodged the protest against Paul. If upheld, it would have disqualified the junior from the KingCo meet - and, consequently, further postseason competition.

Issaquah Athletic Director Bob Zimmerman, KingCo's cross-country chairman and a member of the three-person games committee, said the committee believed that spectators crowding the course probably had obscured the correct path and that Paul did not intend to gain any unfair advantage.

NOTES

-- Four Greater Spokane League volleyball teams appeared in the last Class AAA top 10: Ferris (13-2), Shadle Park (12-3), Lewis and Clark (12-3) and Mead (12-3). Two qualify for the AAA state tournament.

-- Spokane's Mead girls soccer team finished the regular season 16-0, earning one of the Greater Spokane League's two state-tournament berths. The Panthers now await the survivor of a four-team set of playoffs for one playoff game for seeding.