realignment

[FBGIRL]

Don't you think that only adds to the anticipation and excitement? Kind of like Bracket Sunday on CBS. You find out Saturday who you play and if you're a 3 or 4 seed, where you're going. So. You have to be the one team left with zero losses to get the gold ball anyway and you're not seeing the same first round opponents year after year. I imagine the 4 seed in region 1 would be glad to drive past Alcoa to play someone else.

 

Personally, I think it adds to the playoff excitement. Coaches might disagree because of the fear of the unknown, but let's face it, we'd still be using leather helmets if it was up to the coaches. They hate change of any kind.

I am too old for anticipation and too much excitement! It might kill me! HA! I just hope it will be fair to all. I guess I just don't fully trust the TSSAA.

Edited November 15, 2006 by FBGIRL

[jacksoncounty]

Who are/were the "large" private schools you're referring to? I don't recall a private school in TN that was considerably bigger than the publics they were playing against. Or were any bigger for that matter. Actually, most of the ones I can think of were smaller......Jog my memory

 

 

This public-private split came to be because Riverdale and Brentwood Academy were going head to head about Brentwood Academy's status as a private school that recruits.

Those of you who defend private schools by saying the private schools are smaller in attendance thus the field is level, obviously have your heads in the sand.

The private schools recruit, they can bring in athletes from other counties even other states and we all know they do. I am not bashing them for this what I don't like is having to compete with them from small rural counties where we have to take what we get. Jackson County lost over 9% of the high school population since the last evaluation period. How goes Jackson County stack up with Goodpasture. Do you really beleive Goodpasture justs opens their doors to whoever wants to be there and then dominates in football?

One more suggestion, send all private schools to 5-A or Division II, let them choose.

[BUC4LIFE]

Three teams moving up to 3A in the Chattanooga area contributed to this, there were complaints about 3-2A just having five teams when it would have had eight.

How many want to travel to another area of the state for a non-region game, though?

Indian, which 3 teams moved up?

[Sequatchie]

Indian, which 3 teams moved up?

He is talking about before last season when Meigs Co., Polk Co. & Tellico Plains moved from 2A up to 3A and that put nine teams in 3-3A and left only five in 3-2A.

[defender25]

This public-private split came to be because Riverdale and Brentwood Academy were going head to head about Brentwood Academy's status as a private school that recruits.

Those of you who defend private schools by saying the private schools are smaller in attendance thus the field is level, obviously have your heads in the sand.

The private schools recruit, they can bring in athletes from other counties even other states and we all know they do. I am not bashing them for this what I don't like is having to compete with them from small rural counties where we have to take what we get. Jackson County lost over 9% of the high school population since the last evaluation period. How goes Jackson County stack up with Goodpasture. Do you really beleive Goodpasture justs opens their doors to whoever wants to be there and then dominates in football?

One more suggestion, send all private schools to 5-A or Division II, let them choose.

 

So it's not a numbers issue, it's a recruitment issue That was my point to start with

[Mr. Serious]

So it's not a numbers issue, it's a recruitment issue That was my point to start with

 

 

I'll never understand the whole recruitment issue argument. It seems to me every school strives for excellence. Why do they do this? Because if they are great then more good students and athletes will want to attend there. If it is a private school, they will pay tuition. If it is a good public school they will buy a house in that district. Don't small communities try to make their schools and facilities attractive so that people will want to live there and go to school there. To me any kid can go to school at any public school their parents just have to move into the district. Isn't this the same as paying tuition to go somewhere?

[rcombs]

I'll never understand the whole recruitment issue argument. It seems to me every school strives for excellence. Why do they do this? Because if they are great then more good students and athletes will want to attend there. If it is a private school, they will pay tuition. If it is a good public school they will buy a house in that district. Don't small communities try to make their schools and facilities attractive so that people will want to live there and go to school there. To me any kid can go to school at any public school their parents just have to move into the district. Isn't this the same as paying tuition to go somewhere?

 

A lot of people can't just pick up and move if they want their kid to win a state title. The larger majority of people around have to play the hand they are dealt and hope for the best. Most people who can afford to pay tuition at privates are the one who can just pack up and move. And even some of those people are doing their best to pay tuition and keep food on the table.

[Mr. Serious]

A lot of people can't just pick up and move if they want their kid to win a state title. The larger majority of people around have to play the hand they are dealt and hope for the best. Most people who can afford to pay tuition at privates are the one who can just pack up and move. And even some of those people are doing their best to pay tuition and keep food on the table.

 

 

So you are saying people have no choice where they live? Look nothing is ever gonna be completely fair. You said yourself that people who can afford to go to private school can afford to pick up and move. So what is the difference between the two? One, noone cares about and the other everyone makes a big deal about. So my question is what is the difference between picking where you live based on the school you will attend and picking what school you attend. Sounds like a slippery slope to me.

[LARGEANDINCHARGE]

So you are saying people have no choice where they live? Look nothing is ever gonna be completely fair. You said yourself that people who can afford to go to private school can afford to pick up and move. So what is the difference between the two? One, noone cares about and the other everyone makes a big deal about. So my question is what is the difference between picking where you live based on the school you will attend and picking what school you attend. Sounds like a slippery slope to me.

rcombs, you cannot win this argument no matter how correct your argument is because plain and simple the private schools that are not in dII do not want to have to play against brentwood academy every year. if they stay in a region they don't have to face the other privates and they have a chance at winning. its basically the same as if they would allow public schools to drrop at least 2 classes. think about what camden, milan, huntiongdon, lewis could do if they were in 1-a. would goodpasture and cpa be as strong if they played in the playoffs against ba every year? i think not.

Edited November 16, 2006 by LARGEANDINCHARGE

[Mr. Serious]

rcombs, you cannot win this argument no matter how correct your argument is because plain and simple the private schools that are not in dII do not want to have to play against brentwood academy every year. if they stay in a region they don't have to face the other privates and they have a chance at winning. its basically the same as if they would allow public schools to drrop at least 2 classes. think about what camden, milan, huntiongdon, lewis could do if they were in 1-a. would goodpasture and cpa be as strong if they played in the playoffs against ba every year? i think not.

 

He can't win the argument, because you can't legislate everything, unless you give out an individual "participation trophy" to every team, in which case there is no need to even play the games. Most private schools like most public schools are willing to play anyone. some people act like every year we need to realign classifications based on who was good the previous year. Lets put all last years playoff qualifiers in one class, average teams in another and bad teams in another. That way at least one bad team will have a chance to win? You can't even everything. The innercity schools with with a very high population of transient students have a disadvantage to smaller county schools where students stay together and play together for years. Should we drop those schools down a few classes? What about schools with ELL populations, It is harder for them to communicate with their players and therefore a competitive disadvantage. What about failing schools where a large percentage of student sis academically ineligible? should schools like brentwood be allowed to compete with them even though they have more eligible players to choose from? The list of ifs and problems could go on forever, the point is why choose one thing to target and leave all of the other factors untouched?

[rcombs]

First of all, I'm not trying to 'win' any argument. I am just offering one person's perspective. Don't assume I am taking a side, because I am not.

 

Secondly, you're right. you can't legislate everything. But that has nothing to do with anything I was stating, I was merely stating things as the way I see them. I grew up in Camden, and while we were not poor, we could not just send me or my siblings wherever we chose. And a lot of the families are there because that's where they grew up, and their parents also, so the place was there and affordable for them to stay.

 

Third, I personally don't care a thing about the public/private debate, because things are the way they are, and a bunch of people posting on a forum will not change a thing. Public school children and private school children all put their pants on one leg at a time.

 

The only way things will change is for someone (ie. THE SCHOOLS!) to stand up to the TSSAA and say 'ENOUGH!' but that will never happen because too much money is involved in all these things.

 

I think with years of development, the likes of Camden and Milan, etc. will be able to beat the private schools. There are junior football programs in Benton Co. now, and since they have started, the teams just get better and better. The atheletes just keep coming.

 

The realignment seems like the right thing to to to me because we will get to test our mettle against some of the best programs in the state in out of region play. This in and of itself will improve the quality of the teams, because the only way to get better is to play up in competition. Being put in a region and forced to play some of the worst teams in 2A is not doing as much for our programs as this new alignment will. I think what the TSSAA is trying to accomplish is a little more parity.

Edited November 16, 2006 by rcombs

[ksgovols]

But you can legislate home schoolers and prevent them from playing in the TSSAA? Private schools would go under if they didn't recruit students. They can't just open the doors and expect to fill the classrooms. I fully understand that. They also attract a larger percentage of athletes than are enrolled at the public schools. Anyone can move from apartment to apartment in different school zones or even buy a house if that's what they want to do. The way to legislate it is to make all transfers sit out a year after each move OR allow everyone to have open enrollment. Neither is going to happen. The closed zone publics suffer because of it.