[BillyMac]

About thirty years ago, there were two separate associations, one, IAABO, with different local boards, covered all boys games in Connecticut, and the other, the "girls board", actually our commissioner/secretary/treasurer called them "Brand X", covered all girls games.

As Title IX kicked in, and as more, and more, girls started playing basketball, some of the girls teams began to be coached by men, who wanted to teach their players a "man's game". These coaches didn't want their girls walking the ball up the court, and didn't want to sit back in zone defenses, like the girls used to play back in the olden days when the players wore bloomers. These coaches wanted to coach aggressive teams, teams that would fast break at every opportunity, teams that would play man to man defense, teams that would press full court.

Well, the "girls board" officials, officiating only girls games, couldn't handle these changes. These officials handled these players like delicate flowers, i.e. don't touch. Incidental contact wasn't part of their vocabulary.

So, some of these aggressive style, mostly male, coaches appealed to their athletic directors to hire IAABO officials for their games. It started with just one conference, and year, after year, new conferences were taken over by IAABO.

About five years ago, there was only one "girls board" association remaining, and they only covered a few Catholic school girls games, and a few boys games at schools that didn't like our IAABO officials for some petty reason, or another. My local board merged with this one last remaining "girls board" association a few years ago and now Connecticut is 100% IAABO for all high school games, all prep school games, and most middle school games, both male, and female.

Anybody ever hear of the word "monopoly"? Well that's what we've got here in the Land of Steady Habits. We should fall over the control of the Public Utility Commission.