The push to reduce participation numbers in state tournaments made it through the first day of the 49th annual Hawai'i Interscholastic Athletic Directors Association conference.

A gathering of athletic directors representing 94 schools met in committees at Ala Moana Hotel late yesterday afternoon, and the early response was that many are considering the reductions.

Under a recent format change, the committees take only a "straw vote" on the first day, allowing the state's five leagues to discuss and plan for official committee votes during caucuses last night. Official committee votes will then be taken at this morning's meetings.

But proposals to reduce state tournament participation — including shrinking most team state tournament fields from 12 to eight — got strong support in yesterday's straw voting.

The O'ahu Interscholastic Association's proposal to reduce the state tournament fields for baseball, softball and boys and girls basketball, soccer and volleyball from 12 teams to eight got 21 votes in favor, 14 against and one abstention. The OIA also has proposed reduced participation for track and field, golf, tennis, swimming, wrestling, cross country, paddling and air riflery.

The rationale cited for each of the proposals is the Department of Education's mandated 50-percent budget cut for athletic equipment, supplies and transportation.

OIA executive director Dwight Toyama had said that his league partially subsidizes state tournament travel for member schools.

But except for track and field, the OIA proposals call for maintaining a mathematic formula to determine the amount of state berths, based on a proportional relationship between the number of teams in each league and statewide. As the state's largest league, the OIA still would receive the most state berths.

In other leagues with public schools, state tournament travel money is raised mostly through booster clubs or fundraising.

"They say they want to save us money, but the DOE does not give us any money for state tournament travel (anyway)," said Waiakea athletic director Tommy Correa. "Our families pay out of their own pocket (for teams) to go, and it's the same with the rest of the Neighbor Islands. Our constituents are telling us they like to go to state tournaments."

Correa also took issue with the proposals to stick with the formula determining state berths along with reducing participation.

"If the OIA loses one berth, that's 20 percent, but if we lose one berth, that's cutting our representation by 50 percent," Correa said. "The formula looks equitable, but the actual cut is not equitable."

Proposals approved by committees today still need to be voted on in tomorrow's general assembly.