The newly formed Frontier Athletic Conference, or FAC, will officially take to area high school sports venues during the upcoming school year. The league's Commissioner, Terri Tutt, who took up the post last September, has a long history as a coach, official, athletic director, member of the Southeast District Athletic Board, and an OHSAA Field Service Representative.
"This has been a challenging task. The athletic directors and I have met numerous times, sometimes for several hours per day. We have established our bylaws and articles of incorporation. We have also scheduled out for one year and two years in some of the sports," said Tutt. "The biggest challenges have been getting all that prework done. I'm excited to roll it out in August. The superintendents, athletic directors, and principals are all united in getting this league off to a good start."
The conference includes Chillicothe, Hillsboro, McClain, Miami Trace, and Washington CH, who all voted to leave the SCOL last spring. Jackson, which departed from the SEOAL last spring, also joins the FAC. Tutt said that it is the hope that the conference will eventually expand to at least 8 member schools.
Moreover, Tutt said the formation of the Frontier Athletic Conference will not mean an end to the SCOL. She said the conference will remain; although, it will only be used during special situations.
"The SCOL was established in 1922, and it's not just going to go away and lose its identity as such an old, established league. I've been told it's going to be used for some invitationals and swim meets, just to keep the name out there," said Tutt.
The logo for the Frontier Athletic Conference, featuring green lettering set in front of a white background, has some local ties. Tutt said the logo, introduced in early 2017, was developed by a former student of one of the member schools.
"It was designed by Jacob Batson, who was a senior at Miami Trace when he submitted the logo. He was also a former Miami Trace athlete and quite a talented artist," said Tutt.
According to Tutt, the FAC will bring some changes as far as admission to conference games and the start time for football. Admission to all FAC conference games has been set at $5.
"Five dollars is what the athletic directors recommended, and that was approved by our Board of Control. That's what it'll cost for middle school all the way up to your varsity contests," said Tutt.
Conference football games will also begin a half hour earlier.
"They are set for seven o'clock. I assume that some of these schools going out to play away games might have 7:30 starts, but if you're going to a Frontier Athletic Conference school, you'll have a seven o'clock start," said Tutt.
The Commissioner, Board of Control, and the Athletic Directors are excited to bring a quality league together and look forward to great sportsmanship and competition in the future of the Frontier Athletic Conference, according to Tutt. The conference hopes to have a working relationship with all area leagues and conferences, and Tutt said the league looks forward to August 1, 2017, as the fall season begins initial contests in the Frontier Athletic Conference.