For now, the Wyoming High School Activities Association is still looking at changing Wyoming's classification system.

But on Tuesday, the WHSAA board of directors gave itself a little wiggle room.

The board voted to pass a version of a new classification system that would allow it to use "natural breaks" in enrollment to classify the state's 70 high schools into four divisions.

Class 4A could expand to as many as 14 schools if the proposal passes again at the WHSAA's next meeting, which is scheduled for September. Class 3A could be as large as 16 schools, while Class 2A could house up to 20 schools.

The key word is "could."

The WHSAA amended the original proposal to include a key phrase in its wording - "no more than." As in, Class 4A will have "no more than" 14 schools, 3A "no more than" 16, and so on.

With new enrollment figures coming to the WHSAA in June, the board gave itself some extra flexibility with its classifications in order to fit what WHSAA Commissioner Ron Laird called "natural breaks" in the enrollment of schools.

Laird said the 14 in 4A-16 in 3A-20 in 2A-remainder in 1A setup would only be a guide for the maximum number of schools that would fit into each class.

"We might have less than that, but we won't have more than that," he said.

The changes in classification would go into effect for the 2009-10 and 2010-11 school years.

The WHSAA now places the 12 largest schools into Class 4A, the next 16 largest into Class 3A, the next 20 into 2A and the remaining schools into 1A.

The proposal is still filled with some gray areas.

Board member Dan Espeland of Douglas asked if there was a concrete definition for what a "natural break" would be. Laird replied there was not, but that the responsibility would fall to the WHSAA's Reclassification Committee when it meets to set classifications in the fall.

"It may make a whole bunch more sense (in September) than it does now," Espeland said.

Board member Bill Fullmer of Burns asked if the classification system actually needs to change.

"Is it broken?" he said. "Why do we need to fix this?"

Laird said there has been more shifting with school enrollment over the past two years than he's ever seen in Wyoming. The uncertainty of where schools might fall into classifications was one of the reasons the WHSAA gave itself some extra space to work with.

"At least this way, it gives us a little more flexibility," Laird said.

Cody Activities Director Tony Hult, an ad hoc member of the WHSAA's Reclassification Committee, said his school would be forced to travel more by moving from Class 3A to Class 4A. Right now, Cody is the 13th-largest school in Wyoming and plays in Class 3A.

"If we were in the middle of the pack and had to deal with travel issues, well, then, OK," Hult said. "But now we (will) have to deal with travel issues while we're the smallest school in the class."

The board also gave approval on first reading to a revamped football classification system that would include the start of a six-player league while reorganizing the existing makeup of most of the existing classifications.

So far, eight schools have committed to six-player football beginning with the 2009 season - existing programs Guernsey, Hanna, Meeteetse, Midwest and Ten Sleep and new programs Fort Washakie, Kaycee and Rock River. Farson and Snake River are also in the early stages of starting new programs.

The proposed changes would put the 10 largest schools in Class 4A, the next 12 largest would be Class 3A, the next 16 would make up Class 2A, and the remaining schools would comprise two divisions of Class 1A, one for 11-player teams and one for six-player teams.

Class 1A schools would be allowed to choose if they want to play in either the 11- or six-player league, but would have to stick with that commitment for two years.

"We didn't want to put anybody in a box," said Cliff Hill, the activities director at Gillette and also an ad hoc member of the reclassification committee. "We didn't want to say, 'You're 11-(player), you're six-(player)."

The board also:

- Approved on second reading, by an 11-6 vote, a proposal to allow students to become eligible by using make-up work.

The crux of the approval rested on the credibility of the make-up work. Board member Ken Stoick of Midwest said the work counts toward graduation, so it should also count toward eligibility for WHSAA contests.

Espeland agreed with that sentiment.

"If we can use activities to promote that, then let's do it," he said.

Board member Tobin Novasio of Ten Sleep said the new rule could place some activities directors in uncomfortable positions, where the pressure would be on making a student eligible for activities rather than placing the emphasis on the academics.

"You are held to a higher standard as a student-athlete or as someone who participates in activities," he said. "I don't see where this (rule) is valuable for that."

- Gave final approval to change football tiebreaking procedures beginning with the 2009 season. The new tiebreakers eliminate references to power rankings, which will only be used through the 2008 season.

- Increased ticket prices for state basketball and soccer and for regional basketball, soccer and wrestling. The increase in ticket prices is designed to offset the cost of additional officials that will be needed to cover those events.

- Approved its budget reports for its winter activities. The state wrestling championships in February took in a record gate of $64,745, while the Class 1A-2A state basketball tournament took in $60,270 and the 3A-4A state basketball tournament took in $68,880, each down about $6,000 from prior years.

- Extended Laird's contract by one year.

- Tabled a proposal to move the start and end of the fall golf season one week earlier.

- Gave preliminary approval to a proposal to set an end date for spring golf and tennis that coincides with the end of the track and soccer seasons.

- Awarded Lusk the 2009 Class 2A state golf tournament.

- Heard a presentation from Basin-based TCT West on television broadcasting and streaming Internet video of high school sports.

The board will meet again at 8 a.m. today.

Contact high school sports coordinator Patrick Schmiedt at (307) 266-0615 or patrick.schmiedt@trib.com.