Cobleskill-Richmondville sports teams may be moving from the larger-school Colonial Council to the smaller-school Western Athletic Conference in 2016-17.
Competition, player participation, enrollment, compatibility, rivalries, fan support and economics are in the mix, according to Superintendent Carl Mummenthey and Athletic Director Dale Wotherspoon.
The possible move to the WAC, which includes Middleburgh and Schoharie, would involve all sports except football.
"It's something that's been discussed here for a number of years through the coaching staff and other channels," said Mr. Wotherspoon.
"It's a culmination of factors, not one driving force."
Enrollment is a key one. The state looks at enrollment in grades nine through 11 to determine what class a school's teams will play in. C-R is Class B in most sports.
C-R's enrollment in those grades is 434 for this year, but in coming years, it will dip below 400 before rising again, according to Mr. Wotherspoon, who examined enrollment in lower grades.
Fewer students likely translates to fewer athletes, and that doesn't bode well for C-R in the next school year.
Larger private schools LaSalle and Catholic Central, formerly in the now-disbanded Big Ten, are joining the Colonial in September.
With larger schools moving in, C-R would be the fourth-smallest school in the 12-school Colonial.
C-R moved into the Colonial from the former Tri-Valley League 17 years ago. The Bulldogs did well at first, but lately, teams in soccer, basketball and baseball have struggled.
When teams fare poorly over years, participation drops, school officials believe. A sports participation committee, formed earlier this year, agreed with that belief.
Most other Colonial Council schools are in cities or suburbs, and athletes there have easy access to gyms and programs outside their school grounds. C-R kids lack that advantage, Mr. Wotherspoon pointed out.
Aside from outside amenities, C-R has a different culture from other Colonial schools, he added.
"We're a rural district in what's primarily a city conference," Mr. Wotherspoon added.
In moving to the WAC, however, there's a concern that C-R might fatten its team records by feasting on teams from smaller schools.
That's not necessarily so, Mr. Mummenthey said.
"My sense is that we'd be very competitive in most sports, but I don't think we'd be dominant in any," he said.
Travel is a key element. C-R is on the fringe of Colonial territory, so virtually every away game, except to Schalmont, is a long trip--tiring for students and a bit more expensive for the school.
In the Colonial, there are five schools further than 50 miles from C-R; in the WAC, only two, Mr. Mummenthey said.
Not only is that long travel time for student-athletes, it's also long for parents and fans, who may skip a 100-mile round trip.
"We don't get the fan support on the road," Mr. Wotherspoon said. "I think we'd have more fan interest if other teams were closer and we had more ties to rural schools."
And, Mr. Mummenthey added, there'd be an opportunity to re-kindle rivalries with neighboring Schoharie and Middleburgh and nearby Fort Plain.
Most C-R coaches favored the move when Mr. Wotherspoon polled them.
"There were more pros than cons," he said.
WAC officials are interested in adding C-R, Mr. Wotherspoon said, though they haven't invited the Bulldogs.
C-R hasn't applied to the WAC yet, though Mr. Wotherspoon plans to present a proposal to the school board June 8 to gauge their support. The board must approve a switch.