Picking up where I left off

[just1np]

What about this?

Put everybody back together. I think there are enough private

schools(or will be very soon) to make several private-only regions

in each area and class. We might have to move a few teams

around, but its possible. that way NO public school, small or large,

is going to miss the playoffs because of playing privates in the

season.

THEN to avoid having a private school end your season we: make

the playoffs double elimination. You lose to a private school in the

playoffs and you play another public loser. Then no one can say

that a private school ended their season. This is obviously going

to take drastic measures, so why not make them impractical as

well?

I was hoping for something different when I started this thread

and it turns out this IS fueled simply by old grudges and hatred. I

set up an equation(vauge and hypothetical as it was) in my initial

post that would GAURANTEE that no public school would face a

private school until the title game. And everyone said,

unequivacally, that they did not want to play them... period. That

, to me, speaks volumes. In other words all you guys are saying

that private schools are preventing you from winning it all. Well

I've got news for you! Only one team wins it every year, so if the

privates were to leave you would still have earn it! I still think

there are inequalities as they are now, but you guys are saying

even if you got to the title game and had to play a private school

it would be a travisty. I'm deeply disappointed by that. If you are

good enough to make it to the title game you should be good

enough to beat anybody. At that point this debate schould

disappear. heck, if I hated private schools this much that would be

the ONE scenario that I would want! A chance to take it to them

with everything on the line! But no.

"No peace in our time"

[Chakra20]

Good Post...Public School suppoters just want the system to work to their advanatge, which i dont blame them for. In single a in the 90's publics won 7 of 10 state championships thats enough said.

[southernpride]

Chakara you are just plain blind if you can't see that private schools have an unfair advantage. I will tell you how to end this debate once and for all! FORCE THE TSSAA and the private schools to create a GEOGRAPHIC ZONE for each private school and don't allow anyone to play sports at that school unless the athletes live within that zone. The zones can't overlap with other private schools and no transfers who live outside of the zone will be able to play any sports in that school unless they sit out 12 months. This will end the main point of contention in this debate. Until you are willing to do that, there can be no answer but a total split. I live in Antioch and I know how the game works! At the AAAA level it takes a team of good athletes to make a championship team, but at your level it only takes one or two great athletes to turn a team around! Stop the loop-hole that allows private schools to bring in talent from all over the area or state and you will virtually end the whole debate!

[rollredroll]

I don't see a private zone working where there can't be overlap. For example, Father Ryan and FRA in Nashville are probably a mile apart - how could their zones not overlap? I don't know how the private schools lay out geographically in Memphis and Knoxville and Chattanooga, but I'd bet you'd have some difficulties there, too. I am not necessarily against the zoning idea, caesar, but the zones would have to be much wider than what the public school zones are given the far smaller number of private schools than public schools, and that would preclude overlap.

 

Does anyone have some data to support or refute the statement that private schools (other than boarding schools like McCallie or Baylor) are bringing in students "from all over the area or state"? When I was at MBA, I'd say at least 95% of the students came from within a ten-mile radius of the school. We had a few guys (non-athletes or mediocre athletes outside of the classroom) who came from places like Donelson and Hendersonville, but any guys from all over the state? Absurd.

[rollredroll]

caesar, I'd like to hear you elaborate on this comment:

 

"At the AAAA level it takes a team of good athletes to make a championship team, but at your level it only takes one or two great athletes to turn a team around!"

 

So, you're saying that a private school team with one or two stud athletes and the rest mediocre or poor athletes (thus, in the spirit of your post, "un-recruited" athletes) is better than a public school team with all good athletes? I'm having a difficult time buying that one.

[just1np]

While I disagree with caesar about 'recruiting', I do think there is merit to his idea.

As Rollredroll said, the 'zones' would have to overlap in some instances. But I think this idea could be useful.

On another note: goldenboy had a 'price' thread going before we swithced over to this one. I thought of something today...daycare! Any of you parents out there know how expensive daycare can be. The cheapest place here in Gallatin is $75 a week. On average it is closer $85 or $90. Over the course of a year that comes out to over $4000 a year. Or the equivilant of some of the less expensive private schools. While that is still a lot of money, I think considering this helps us realize that private schools are not out of reach to everyone. Keeping this in mind could be used on both sides of the debate. For example one could say "A lot of people can afford private schools, but in the end it is the private school that selects its student body".

A private school supporter could say "Private schools are not just for the rich. The tuition costs are mostly affordable."

Just thought I'd throw that in the mix.

[scout]

Caesar,

I'm confused about your proposal. Private schools currently have zone requirements by the TSSAA. If a student has played high school athletics at a private school, they may not transfer to another private school unless they move residence beyond the private school zone.

 

For example, if my child went to Friendship Christian in Lebanon and we moved to BGA in Franklin, that could be an intra zone transfer even though the schools are some fifty miles apart (about the same distance as Gallatin and Cookeville). The TSSAA looks at where Frienship's students live and where BGA's student live. If just one student lives in Antioch and goes to Frienship (about 25 miles) and another single student lives in Antioch and goes to BGA ( about 25 miles) then the TSSAA considers BGA and Friendship to be in the same zone. It only takes one student.

 

If the TSSAA rules the transfer to be intra zone the student is ineligible for private school sports for one year.

 

By the same token, if the same move were from public to public, say Wilson Central to Franklin High, and is at least 30 miles, there is no problem. Also, if the student transfers from private to public, say David Lipscomb to Hillsboro (1 mile), there is no problem. But if it is public to private, then the restrictions apply.

 

So when you say privates should have zoning restrictions, I'm not sure what you mean. They already have them!

[silverpie]

South of the river, you have Boyd-Buchanan (Church of Christ) in the Airport/Tyner area, Grace Baptist and the opening-soon David Brainerd (Southern Baptist) near Hamilton Place, McCallie (all-male) and Notre Dame (hmm... I think that might be the Catholic one) just on the downtown side of Missionary Ridge, and Tennessee Temple (Baptist) a bit more toward downtown.

 

North of the river, you have GPS (all-female) almost downtown, and Baylor (independent co-ed) at the foot of Signal Mountain.

 

Finally, in the eastern reaches of the county, in the 7th-Day-Adventist city of Collegedale, you find Collegedale Academy.

[swamp]

If I leave one out, I'm sure someone will let me know, but in Knoxville you have

 

Knox Catholic - Cedar Bluff Rd., west

CAK - Dutchtown road, west

Webb - Dutchtown road, west

 

These schools are within 2 miles of each other, if not within 1, I think.

 

You also have TSD in southeast Knoxville, but they don't compete for the title, and you have The King's Academy in Seymour, which also does not compete for title.

[Chakra20]

Ceasar,

 

Will i do enjoy your rants they are gotten progressivley worse in content. If you are familiar with the number of private schjools in Nashville you would understand why your proposal of geographic zones for High-Schools is ridiculous. Beyond that the main reason i gave up arguing with everyone on this board is basically cause i am out numbered and would rather save my breaTH.

 

Couple reasons i think the idea is useless. Private schools are not getting their good athlete from other private schools that should be the least of your concern. They are coming from the terrible Metro schools in Nashville. Many of them when middle school ends and high school begins in order to avoid the travesty that has become of Metro Schools. I beleive it is of no fault of the teachers or coaches but more on our representatives not funding the schools. That is who you should be angry at for letting public schools fall so terribly behind in this country.

 

As far as this debate about who is right and who is wrong I think the correct answer is we both are right and both are wrong. Thats why this argument can continue until the end of time until someone makes some kind of recession. I think a split is a good thing, but i also think a split favors the private schools to becoming even more a powerful presence in Tennessee than they are know.

 

Some of the public school supporters have said private schools take alot of the good players from them, and this is my point it will get WORSE. All these private schools with free reign to build their program it would be great for them terrible for public schools. You give my alma mater Ezell the oppurtunity to recruit freeely and openly and they will draw kids from lavergne smyrna antioch and Mt Juliet, which they already draw from and maybe a few more like Glencliff and even some in Franklin. My brother is zoned for Centenial, which is a good school but he attended Ezell since the first grade along with about half of his class.

 

All that to say i think its actually your public school system and government letting you down statewide and not the private schools leading this demise.