Z-Plan Passed

[ddaddy]

The TSSAA Board of Controls passed the Z-Plan today. The member schools were not allowed to attend or voice their views of any of the proposals being considered during the discussion. Contrary to what Mr. Carter has said this is the plan that he wanted all along and he got it. If he had wanted it to stay the same then it would have stayed the same. The biggest argument that was made was because of travel. If that is the case then why is this a ???football issue???. Football teams travel only 5 times a year during the season and in the worst situation a couple of those games is close. So for 2 maybe 3 Friday nights a season (for some teams) the entire format and alignment was changed. I am not convinced that playing schools with an enrollment that would place them in a higher classification to determine where you are seeded in the playoffs is the fairest way to do it.

Carter pushed the Z-Plan a couple of years ago and it was overwhelmingly rejects by the members during the regional meetings. So the next step was for him to push it into the playoffs in 2A last year then politic it through the board of controls (bypassing the members) this year. Lastly, if anyone thinks that the TSSAA is a democracy for the people ran by the people you are sadly mistaken. When there is an opening or if someone bucks Carter too hard he is on the phone getting someone lined up to take the spot. Don??™t get me wrong, it is not Ronnie Carters fault that this organization works this way. I do not blame him for lining up his votes for what he wants. It is the members who stand by and let him do what he wants, when he wants and how he wants.

[worthyone]

I think you are a little wrong on your verbage. Were schools really not allowed to attend the meeting? Any meeting the TSSAA has -- unless it involves litigation or kids appealing ineligibility -- is open to the public. There has been plenty of press about this upcoming meeting.

 

Now, I think you are correct with schools not being able to express input. By the time this meeting hits, all Board of Control members are supposed to have had time to meet with their constituents.

 

But, the TSSAA did hold meetings discussing the football proposals in West, Middle and East Tennessee where people can voice their concerns.

 

Each geographic region of the state also has a representative on its Board of Control. If you didn't like the proposals, you should have told them... or elect someone else next time it comes around.

 

I've been reading updates online all day from news websites. So evidently they got into the meeting. I don't think they would let them in and not the member schools.

[enall]

The meeting was open to the public. There were many members of the press there along with a number of coaches. Schools have been able to provide feedback for a few weeks on the plan. There was even some discussion from the floor about the plan.

 

The overriding issue in going with the new plan was to cut travel costs for schools. In fact, it was the theme through the entire meeting on almost every agenda item. If the board had gone with using the existing plan (5 classes for football) there would have been extreme travel for a number of schools -- for instance Cloudland and Jellico (4-5 hour trip) just to play a regional football game.

[THE KING LEON]

This should be interesting.

[Coach]

First we all need to remember that Mike Tribune, Chuck West, Ike White, and Brian True are to be commended for sticking up for the little guys. They are the only four that listened to their member schools and voted the way their schools wanted them to instead of what was best for their own school. I know several coaches that tried to contact their board member and were constantly told they were unavailable. They emailed them and never received an answer. D-Daddy is right in saying that this was a Ronnie Carter instigated issue. It is his brainchild yet he said in the paper that he was not pushing a plan. In the same Tennessean article "Carter said. "The very nature of classification is trying the best we can to create competitive equity and a balanced playing field, knowing full well it never gets completely level."??? What is balanced when a school is mandated to play a school in a higher classification and it determines if it goes to the playoffs or where it will be seeded? Where is the equity in this format? He is right in saying we may never get to a level playing field because this plan is out in left field.

 

I agree with D-Daddy that considering travel in football is ridiculous when you look at the number of games that the other sports travel. Football is played on Fridays and other sports play 5 days out of the week and half of them on the road. Carter picks up another championship game to make money on and has no concern for those he shafts in this plan.

 

When did Virginia become our model for playoffs? All Board members received a letter from a college coach who told them how bad this plan was. He told them how coaches from states who used this type of plan all wanted to change to our current playoff system. Why did they not listen?

 

We have gone back 17 years and will use districts in a 3A system for regular season. We decided back then it was a bad plan and did away with it. We have gone back and will classify by basketball districts instead of football playing schools. No way to get even number of schools in each classes this way. Carter says we may have six classes may have 5. Why have so many if's in any system.

 

Member schools should make the decision on major issues instead of 5 men. I hope schools will remember those responsible for this the next election for Board spots. Change in the playoffs may be good and may not. Same goes for leadership by those who won't listen.

[patcard18]

So I really don't understand the format. Could anyone help me out with that?

 

For example:

Class AAA

District 11 5A: Centennial, Hillsboro, Hillwood; 6A ??” Brentwood, Franklin, Independence, Overton, Ravenwood

 

How would those teams schedules be and how would the playoff brackets be set up?

[Coach]

Everyone in district 11 will play. 2 teams from 6a will automatically qualify for playoffs and 1 team from 5a. You can get in as a wildcat if you schedule well. Teams from 6a will play in class 6 playoffs and team from 5a wll play in 5a playoffs. Record from district play will determine if you come in one of the spots.

[LSMFT]

coach,

 

I don't understand your theory when you state, "what is fair when a school is mandated to play a school in a higher classification and that determines you going to the playoffs." Aren't you basically playing the same schools that you play in basketball, baseball and softball?

[The Drunken Sailor]

Will this pose a scheduling nightmare for some teams? Some districts have only 4 football teams in them. So each team will have 3 other teams that it will have to play leaving 7 slots to fill to complete their schedule. For some teams it will be hard to fill those 7 slots without having to possibly travel further than they would have with the old system. This won't be the case with every team but could be the case with some of the them.

[FridayMainEvent]

Will this pose a scheduling nightmare for some teams? Some districts have only 4 football teams in them. So each team will have 3 other teams that it will have to play leaving 7 slots to fill to complete their schedule. For some teams it will be hard to fill those 7 slots without having to possibly travel further than they would have with the old system. This won't be the case with every team but could be the case with some of the them.

 

good point. /thumb[1].gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumb:" border="0" alt="thumb[1].gif" />

[Bulldog Fan #2]

Will this pose a scheduling nightmare for some teams? Some districts have only 4 football teams in them. So each team will have 3 other teams that it will have to play leaving 7 slots to fill to complete their schedule. For some teams it will be hard to fill those 7 slots without having to possibly travel further than they would have with the old system. This won't be the case with every team but could be the case with some of the them.

 

 

 

For the last few years Milan hasn't had to travel over 25 miles to any opponent. We will now have to make probably 4 trips of 55 miles or more. It doesn't make sense to me but I would assume that if we (3A) play teams that are really 4A than we will possibly be a little more tested come playoff time. Of course with our 2A region the past few years everyone was tested by the end of the season. /dry.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

[The Drunken Sailor]

For the last few years Milan hasn't had to travel over 25 miles to any opponent. We will now have to make probably 4 trips of 55 miles or more.

 

 

And wasn't this part of the equation? Travel distance being too great with rising gas prices? Now your team will be traveling even further. Good job TSSAA, you guys nailed this one /thumb[1].gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumb:" border="0" alt="thumb[1].gif" />

 

(actually it probably did help help a lot of teams but some parts of this change just don't make a lot of sense yet)