When a conference is as widespread as Bethel, Strong, North Anson and Thomaston, travel is a critical part of the equation.

With costs rising and budgets shrinking, the Mountain Valley Conference sports teams have had to be as much concerned with nickels and dimes as they are Xs and Os. The addition of St. Dom’s to the mix of MVC teams may help that cause.

“I think this is going to be a great opportunity for our conference,” said Steve Ouellette, the athletic director at Monmouth Academy and the president of the MVC. “We’ve had 15 schools for the last eight years. It’s been very difficult with scheduling. With St. Dom’s, it’s a school that provides an equal population base. It provides very good competition in the majority of our sports. It allows us an opportunity, in these economic downtrodden times, to have, in a majority of the sports, the setting up of divisions.”

With an odd number of teams, it has made scheduling a challenge. Trying to appease teams and save on travel costs has made for a constant burden. With St. Dom’s, the number schools is 16 and that allows the separation of teams by region, much like the KVAC A North and South.

“The two biggest factors in looking at our budgets are cost of officials and transportation,” said Ouellette. “This will benefit the Mountain Valley Conference tremendously. In the middle of the week, we won’t be traveling from Telstar down to Georges Valley, unless it’s a playoff game of some sort.”

Teams will play each other within their division twice and crossover to play within the other division for the remaining games. The crossover pairings would rotate each year.

“It’s always hurt because you always have to go to Madison,” said Jeff Ramich, Lisbon’s co-curricular director. “You’ve got to go to Carrabec, and you’ve always got to go to Mt. Abram. Now, we can rotate it where you’re not going to Madison and Carrabec the same year.”

Right now, only the divisions for boys’ and girls’ soccer are set. The teams in the respective conference vary because the teams that have soccer are different, but the divisions for basketball, softball and baseball expected to be the same. Because there are only 11 field hockey teams, there will be no divisions and the tennis schedule has not been determined yet.

“The outlying schools like a Carrabec or a Mt. Abram, that’s going to help them tremendously,” said Ramich.

In boys’ soccer, one division would have Georges Valley, Hall-Dale, Lisbon, Monmouth, St. Dom’s, Winthrop and Wiscasset, while the other division would have Carrabec, Dirigo, Livermore Falls, Mt. Abram, Mountain Valley, Telstar and Jay.

In girls’ soccer, St. Dom’s will be in a division with Carrabec, Dirigo, Jay-Livermore Falls, Madison, Mountain Valley and Mt. Abram, while the other division would include Lisbon, Boothbay, Georges Valley, Hall-Dale, Monmouth, Winthrop, Wiscasset.

“We can have a true Mountain Valley Conference championship game where whoever comes in first in the two divisions goes to the MVC championship,” said Ramich. “I think that’s going to work out really well.”

The effect on travel will also benefit the Saints. St. Dom’s is accustomed to road trips to Traip, in Kittery, or Sacopee Valley, in Hiram.

“Not that we won’t have long trips, we will, but instead of going to Traip, Sacopee or Fryeburg, we have Monmouth in our backyard,” said Lee Hixon, St. Dom’s athletic administrator. “Lisbon’s right beside us. Jay, Livermore and Hall-Dale aren’t that far away. There’s so many schools that are right there beside us that it’s a good fit and the timing was right.”

The move makes for some changes in the Western Maine Conference. Hixon was attending a meeting of the WMC Friday to discuss scheduling for the fall. He had made the league aware of St. Dom’s application to the MVC and informed them of the official vote Friday.

“The timing of this is not the best,” said Hixon. “They certainly understood why we’re moving from one to the other. They’re certainly going to miss us. That was made very clear.”

The WMC features a combination of B and C schools. This lessens the number of C teams and will force the league to adjust its scheduling.

“We do a lot of Western Maine Conference games between Class B and Class C anyway,” said Hixon. “I don’t think that’s going to have an impact. For example, in field hockey, there are a couple of B schools looking for a C schedule. So the remaining B schools will just have to play home and away with everybody.”