The WPIAL has decided to do something a little different this spring: combining the Class AA and AAA boys and girls track championships into one big meet May 14 at Baldwin High School.

This certainly has "nightmare" written all over it. I don't know what went into the decision-making, but my concerns are many.

Here are just a few:.

• Having been to most of the Class AAA championships in my 13 years here, it's tough to get everything done in an orderly fashion. I credit the organizers at Baldwin for doing what appears to be a monumental task. However, the Class AAA boys and girls meet runs from about 2 or 3 p.m. to about 10 p.m., sometimes 11.

Once, the final results and awards weren't finalized until after midnight.

Now, we want to add the Class AA boys and girls, who usually have their meet at South Side Beaver? Logistically, how is this going to work?

The WPIAL finals are comprised of three qualifier meets the week before, which allow eight athletes to advance to the finals. That's 24 athletes in 18 events in four divisions.

• Where is everyone going to park? I usually arrive at Baldwin for both its annual invitational and WPIAL finals at 4:30 p.m. after about 90 minutes of driving through traffic from Butler to Baldwin, and I usually get one of the final spots in the parking lot. That's well before most of the parents arrive and before the crush of rush-hour traffic.

You could catch a shuttle from across the street, park in the residential area to the side or park at a business up Route 51 and walk even farther. When Baldwin plays football, they use a huge field for additional parking. However, some of throwing events are taking place there.

• The welfare of the athletes. Does anybody at the WPIAL care about them? With this meet scheduled to run very late, will they be excused from attending school on Friday because they'll be arriving so late?

Maybe the WPIAL thinks parents will whisk them home immediately after their events. Then, there's homework. When are they supposed to get that done? Between heats? On the bus ride home?

Eight hours of sleep? Not for you.

• The weather. There is no margin of error for this new plan. None. You think Mother Nature is going to cooperate? Good luck with that.

At last week's Pine-Richland Invitational, lightning and torrential rain canceled nearly one-third of the meet.

If something like that happens, you'll have to make people come back on Friday. Athletes would have to leave school early again, the district would have to gas up the buses again and get the drivers.

This is just a brief outline of what the WPIAL isn't taking into consideration.

Last spring, I wasn't crazy about the team playoffs being combined, but host West Mifflin ran it perfectly. This is a lot more complicated and it's not going to work. Hopefully, the WPIAL will rethink this and avoid a disaster in the future.

Rest up, folks. You're going to need it.

Sam Tallarico is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.