A real brief update on a new idea while it's still fresh in my mind

This is in response to the story in today's West Central Tribune talking about the possible shakeup in the West Central Conference.

The West Central Conference has 18 teams, split into halves of nine schools each. With the WCC-North possibly losing four teams, it brings about the possibility that Minnewaska and Paynesville would have to be shifted to the WCC-North to make it an even seven apiece.

• **My idea:

West Central South Conference - YME, MACCRAY, BOLD, Montevideo, LQPV, A-C-GC.

West Central Conference Central - B-B-E, Benson, West Central Area, Morris, Minnewaska, Paynesville Area.

West Central Conference North - Staples-Motley, LP-GE, Sauk Centre, Albany, Melrose, New London-Spicer.

The idea is to bring the entire league back to 18 teams, but split them up along geographic lines. It is foolish to send Paynesville down to Montevideo every season of basketball, but they travel to Melrose every other year, as one example.

The good thing about having six-team conferences is that, you have more room to schedule neighboring schools for non-conference match ups. In the case of this new West Central Conference, you have 12 other schools who are all in the same boat - looking for neighboring schools for non-conference games.

With B-B-E, they can pick up LP-GE, MACCRAY, NL-S, Melrose, Sauk Centre, A-C-GC ... for non-conference games. They can even play some of them twice in a season if they want to. But for God's sake, cut down on the long trips. Taxpayers won't put up with it.