Albi fixes and league shuffling this year

What’s new in prep sports this year?

In the Spokane area, there are two major things, one tangible, one more subtle.

The tangible is the upgrades at Joe Albi Stadium. From new turf to painted locker rooms, Albi underwent a facelift over the summer.

Last Thursday, SportsLink ( www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs /sportslink) took its readers on a tour of the “new” Joe Albi, from the bottom – a new FieldTurf surface that is a vast improvement over the concrete-like turf of a year ago – to the top – new electrical elements in the lights that should ensure consistent lighting this year.

We talked with the coaches playing that opening game and got their impressions. We chatted with the people responsible. And we walked the grounds.

Once again old Joe has been given a new lease – literally – on life, thanks to the Spokane and Mead school districts. Let’s hope this time the upgrades don’t wither and fade like the past few years.

The other change is in Washington state’s classifications. The WIAA has added a sixth class, and changed how the enrollment numbers figure into those classifications. The result is some revamped leagues.

As Mike Vlahovich and the rest of the prep staff has advanced the football season, the evolution of our local leagues has been highlighted, from Cheney, Clarkston and West Valley dropping into the Great Northern League to Sprague-Harrington moving into the Whitman County.

And Mike has added even more on his blog ( www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs /prepreport). This week, he asked for your input as he examines the problems with athletes who transfer schools, what schools can do about it and how it affects high school sports. Click in and give Mike your thoughts.

Another change this year is Idaho prep sports writer Greg Lee putting his Panhandle Picks on his blog ( www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs /idahopreps). Each week Greg and a local North Idaho sports figure match high school game-picking skills. You can add your two cents (figuratively, not literally, no money is involved) with Greg and his guest each week.

But the prep changes aren’t the only ones in the Inland Northwest sports scene.

There’s a new – sort of – football coach at the University of Idaho. It’s former coach Dennis Erickson, and he made his second debut with the Vandals last Saturday against Michigan State.

If you had your browser pointed toward SportsLink during the game, you could have become part of an in-game conversation. As the game progressed – and the Vandals made the fans in East Lansing more and more nervous – we shared thoughts and comments about the progress. And we welcomed yours as well.

The same occurred during the Cougars’ wear-down in Auburn (it wasn’t a beat down, but WSU did wither under the Tiger pressure and Alabama weather) Saturday.

This Saturday the two Palouse schools meet, and SportsLink will be there. We invite you to join the pregame and postgame conversation – just click in the comment box and share your thoughts – as we witness Erickson’s return to Martin Stadium. Consider this your opportunity to join in the coverage.

We’ll just call it another change in a fall full of them.