The sealed bids are in, but the known players hoping to earn host rights for the state's largest high school athletics championships are choosing their words carefully and putting on their best poker faces.

"To sway votes either way," Laramie High School Activities Director Scott Handley said, "would be inappropriate."

The Wyoming High School Activities Association Board of Directors is in charge of deciding where the state wrestling, Class 2A/1A basketball, 4A/3A basketball, volleyball and track and field championships will be held after the 2005-06 academic year. The board is scheduled to meet in Casper on Tuesday.

WHSAA Commissioner Ron Laird said the group will initially hold closed-door meetings with representatives from two groups of bidders. The WHSAA's Calendar Culminating Events Committee will then adopt a recommendation and the full board will select the host city or cities later Tuesday.

Laird declined to say which two groups would be making presentations.

A survey by the Casper Star-Tribune showed that at least Casper, Laramie and Park County officials have entered the bidding process.

Casper, Laramie and Park County are vying to host the high school finals for basketball and volleyball, while Casper is the only known bidder for the wrestling and track championships.

Casper currently has a five-year deal with the WHSAA to host all five tournaments through the 2005-06 academic year. Under the current deal, the WHSAA annually pays the city of Casper a total of $16,680 to host volleyball, wrestling and both basketball tournaments, and $700 for the track and field championships. In turn, the WHSAA receives almost all of the gate receipts.

The WHSAA currently doesn't pay any other host fees, such as for skiing in Jackson or swimming Gillette.

Still, according to budget summaries distributed at past WHSAA board meetings, the WHSAA netted more than $6,000 from last year's track and field finals at Kelly Walsh High School's Harry Geldien Stadium, and it has netted more than $57,000 annually for the basketball finals at the Casper Events Center and Swede Erickson Thunderbird Gymnasium in recent years.

Casper was publicly criticized during WHSAA board meetings in February and April 2004, with some saying members and businesses of the city have gouged the WHSAA, overcharged visitors and offered rude treatment. The group also voiced concerns over conflicting sponsorship campaigns between the city and the WHSAA.

Casper leaders said they have addressed those concerns and have made a solid proposal to keep the championships here.

"We did get better business support than we've had in the past," said Max Torbert, the city of Casper's leisure services director. "We didn't leave anything on the table."

Torbert said Casper's bid includes support from the lodging tax board, the Natrona County School District and private businesses, but he wouldn't disclose specifics.

Renee Penton-Jones, director of sales and marketing at the Holiday Inn and a member of the Casper Chamber of Commerce's Joint Powers Board, said each tournament puts approximately $1 million into the Casper economy.

"And that's conservative," she said. "These tournaments are very valuable to the community."

Casper's stiffest competition could come from Laramie. Albany County School District and Laramie business officials have teamed with the University of Wyoming to offer bids for basketball and volleyball.

Handley wouldn't say if the bids were for all four classifications. Last spring, the WHSAA board discussed the possibility of splitting the finals between two or more sites.

"We just tried to put our best bid on the table," Handley said. "The university has been great to work with. The facilities are some of the finest in the state, and there are so many opportunities for the public."

Handley wouldn't say if public or private funds or both were part of Laramie's bid.

Cody and Powell bid jointly for all-class volleyball and the Class 4A/3A basketball tournament, according to Park County Travel Council marketing director Claudia Wade.

"Park County is interested in hosting these type of events, and this was a good first step," Wade said.

She said the group's bid includes three years' worth of funding from the local lodging tax board, but Wade would not disclose the amount. She added that the Park County School Districts Nos. 1 and 6 also offered support toward the bid.

Cody's high school gymnasium was recently remodeled and Powell officials are expecting a gymnasium will be included in the construction of a new high school there, according to Wade.

Officials in Cheyenne, Gillette, Rock Springs, Riverton, Evanston, Sheridan and Rawlins said they did not submit bids for the state's largest tournaments at this time, but each said that could change at the next selection interval.

Cheyenne, Sheridan and Riverton expressed interest in the track and field finals, but, otherwise, hotel space and/or gymnasium availability limited the number of potential hosts.

"Right now, there just aren't many buildings in the state that can hold those events," Evanston Activities Director Kay Fackrell said.

Gillette voters are scheduled to decide on whether to build a proposed events center in May, and depending on the potential facility's size, the Campbell County city could make a play for the indoor tournaments in the future.

Rock Springs voters recently defeated a proposal to build an events center, but the area is growing and officials may revisit the issue. If approved, the town could also be in position to host the volleyball, basketball or wrestling finals.

High school sports coordinator David Mayberry can be reached at (307) 266-0634 or david.mayberry@casperstartribune.net