By Kyle Nagel, daytondailynews.com Staff Writer

West Carrollton High School had been close to new conference membership before.
“We’ve been to the altar, we almost exchanged rings, but we haven’t had someone say ‘I do,’ ” said Rusty Clifford, the West Carrollton schools superintendent. “It was kind of a runaway bride type of thing.”

On Wednesday, Nov. 4, two matches were made. Greater Western Ohio Conference principals approved West Carrollton and Greenville as new members beginning next year for some sports. Full membership will be completed by 2012.
Both are currently without a conference. Greenville schools Superintendent Susie Riegle received a text message from GWOC Commissioner Eric Spahr at 10:08 a.m. confirming the approval and the end to independent status, a difficult situation for any district.

“There’s a sense of excitement,” Riegle said. “You could almost feel the news spreading through the whole town, which was a really great feeling.”
West Carrollton will join the GWOC South Division, and Greenville will join the North Division, giving each division six members and boosting conference membership to 18 districts. The Central Division already had six members.
The conference desired to balance the North and South divisions, and both districts made geographic and size sense, Spahr said.

“These are two great communities with two great followings,” Spahr said. “They support the characteristics of the GWOC.”

The new members will begin conference competition next year in cross country, swimming, bowling, track, wrestling, cheerleading and academics, Spahr said. They will begin conference football competition in 2012, and the addition of the remaining sports will be determined later, he said.
“It’s like running a marathon and crossing the finish line, that sense of accomplishment,” Clifford said. “We made it. Someone finally said ‘I do.’ ”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7389 or knagel@DaytonDailyNews.com.

GWOC expansion
Here’s how the Greater Western Ohio Conference will look next year, after the approval of West Carrollton and Greenville as new members on Wednesday, Nov. 4:

*New members as of 2010-11
North
Greenville*
Piqua
Sidney
Troy
Trotwood-Madison
Vandalia Butler
Central
Beavercreek
Centerville
Fairmont
Northmont
Springfield
Wayne
South
Fairborn
Lebanon
Miamisburg
Springboro
West Carrollton*
Xenia