Central Regional, the host of the 2016 outdoor Meet of Champions, has decided not to host the meet this spring for various reason
Central Regional High School has pulled out of hosting the NJSIAA Track and Field Meet of Champions this spring, and a ruling by the NJSIAA to ban Central's football team from the postseason this year was a factor, according to Tom Parlapanides, the Central Regional Superintendent of Schools.
In a letter obtained by NJ.com (read the letter below), Parlapanides informed the NJSIAA earlier this week that Central Regional, which hosted the Meet of Champions for the first time last spring, has decided not to host the meet in 2017, which is scheduled for Saturday, June 10.
Parlapanides said there were multiple factors for this decision, including the NJSIAA's ruling to ban Central Regional from competing in the NJSIAA football playoff this year after 3 players from Central Regional and 3 players from Toms River East were ejected after an altercation during a game this season. Toms River East has also been banned from the NJSIAA football playoffs this season.
"The first reason was we got the Meet of Champions late last year and didn't realize the magnitude of it,'' said Parlapanides. "It put a lot of strain on our police force, and it put a lot of strain on Berkeley Township. It was very stressful for the whole community. The other thing is that the Meet of Champions is supposed to be on June 10, and our graduation is June 9. So we'd have all the chairs on the field and everything.''
Parlapanides also mentioned that he was hoping for more ways to increase revenue to help pay for the wear and tear on the property and the track.
"We were hoping for like a dollar at the gate, food trucks, and charging for parking to help generate enough revenue so that when you do have the event five years in row and have to resurface the track you can keep it a state of the art facility,''Parlapanides. Those things weren't finalized, so that helped with the determinations.''
The final factor for Parlapanides was the NJSIAA's postseason ban on the football team, which is currently 3-1 on the season.
"I am upset and I don't understand why this has to be a huge production,'' Parlapanides said of the ban. "Do I condone what happened? No, but this is the modern day era. There are videotapes. Look at the tapes. For my seniors on the football team, they can never go back in time. They will never have another senior year. Just do the right thing, and don't hurt my kids.''
Bill Bruno, the NJSIAA Track and Field Tournament Director, is disappointed with the turn of events, but confident he will soon find new sites for the Meet of Champions and the South Jersey Groups 2-3 meet, which was also scheduled for Central Regional this spring.
"I'm sorry that this decision was reached by their Superintendent,'' said Bruno. "But I'm certain that other school districts will step up and offer to host the sectional and Meet of Champions.''
Central Regional will obviously lose out on revenue by not hosting the Meet of Champions, but Parlapanides said Central only cleared approximately $6,000 from the meet last June.
"We didn't get any of the gate, the NJSIAA gets that,'' said Parlapanides. "We got the concession from the food, and you can charge a nominal fee for the track usage, but it's not astronomical.''
Parlapanides said he'd like to have Central host the Meet of Champions again one day?
"I just think we need to plan it out a little better and we can reapply the following year and see where it goes from there,'' said Parlapanides.
Here's a copy of the letter sent to the NJSIAA by Parlapanides.
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