Is the split coming?

[LadyMustangsCoach]

Everyone needs to keep in mind three important FACTS:

 

1) Most private schools struggle in sports.  So while few excel and do win championships, most are small (under 400 kids).  So a change is going have a negative impact on a majority of the privates and their teams.

 

2) You can't just look at one sport.  A change in the divisions will affect all sports.  While soccer is a glaring example of the problem some see with the current system, check out the other sports.

 

3) If you form a private only division, then the privates will LEAVE TSSAA!  Why participate in a organization that is making you the outcast.  Form you own organization and make your own rules.  You may think that this is great!  But really think about what happens when ALL private schools can offer scholarship money???  What is going to keep the athletes in the public schools?  You know with 10 privates in each big City recruiting kids, instead of 3 or 4, more of the top athletes are going bye-bye. 

 

Make sure you look at the big picture, not just the small section that affects your school and you kids sport.

[1925Kee]

1) Most private schools struggle in sports.  So while few excel and do win championships, most are small (under 400 kids).  So a change is going have a negative impact on a majority of the privates and their teams.

 Multiple divisions of private school athletics would handle this problem. Under 400-kid schools would compete with other small schools.

 

3) If you form a private only division, then the privates will LEAVE TSSAA! Why participate in a organization that is making you the outcast.

Couple of comments to this:

1. Why would privates leave the TSSAA? Doing so would assume some new governing body would do a better job.

2. How does moving privates to a private-only subdivision label them as "outcasts"? In my mind, there's nothing "outcast" about it. It's simply proper classification. Apples and apples, oranges and oranges.

 

3) But really think about what happens when ALL private schools can offer scholarship money??? What is going to keep the athletes in the public schools?

Money. Even private schools do have some shortage of money. They can't offer scholarships to everyone--at least not for long.

 

3) What is going to keep the athletes in the public schools? You know with 10 privates in each big City recruiting kids, instead of 3 or 4, more of the top athletes are going bye-bye.

Why would this classification change result in more privates having more money to throw around? You're saying (threatening?) this change will ultimately result in the gutting of public school athletes. I don't see it.

 

Are you resisting the idea of privates being classified with privates? You lost me a bit on that. If you are, why? I don't believe the answer is because you don't want to see public schools gutted. That can't be it.

[LadyMustangsCoach]

1925Kee -

 

Private schools are already preparing to leave TSSAA if they are all reclassified.  Why stay?  They will be the minority player beholden to all of the public school votes.  In essence they would have no say in the rules.  Trust me this will happen.

 

And are you serious?  Do a better job than TSSAA?  That will not be hard. 

[BigG]

All private schools are evil.

 

SPLIT SPLIT SPLIT.

 

 

[ballbasher30]

2013-14 state championships in the classes affect by private schools:

Baseball: A-Jackson Christian AA-CAK

Girls Soccer: A-AA Knox Catholic

Volleyball: A-Goodpasture

Boys Golf: Lipscomb

Girls Golf: Boyd Buchannon?

Boys Soccer: CPA

Girls Tennis: CAK

Boy Tennis: Knox Catholic

Track anf Field: 10 of the 18 events were won by private schools in the girls side

 

I would say from just last school year (2013-14) it is definetly not just a girls soccer issue. If i had more time i am sure it would look very similar going back even further.

 

Just curious as well. In TN, if a high school coach goes to a middle school or elementary school during recess and picks out athletes they think would be good at their sport and steers them into a particular program, is that not the definition of recruiting which is strongly against the rules to play in division one in our state?

[SRD]

I don't know if it is legal or not in TN, just giving an example of what I have seen in the past in other states where coaches made the effort early plant seeds that would grow into players. In the case I observed I'm not sure there would be a recruiting problem- these were kids in the same school district feeding into one high school.

I was just surprised when we moved to TN how the public school coaches, for the most part, have no part in the early development of players. It is almost as if they only are involved in soccer from mid-July-October.

[1925Kee]

1925Kee -

 

Private schools are already preparing to leave TSSAA if they are all reclassified.  Why stay?  They will be the minority player beholden to all of the public school votes.  In essence they would have no say in the rules.  Trust me this will happen.

 

And are you serious?  Do a better job than TSSAA?  That will not be hard. 

You didn't answer my questions. Yes, I was serious. Are you against privates being classified with privates? Why? Your latest post appears like splitting would actually BENEFIT the privates. So why not do it?

[LadyMustangsCoach]

You didn't answer my questions. Yes, I was serious. Are you against privates being classified with privates? Why? Your latest post appears like splitting would actually BENEFIT the privates. So why not do it?

I thought it was pretty clear from my original post, that I do not believe a FULL reclassification is necessary or the right thing to do. 

 

And I also think it was pretty clear from my original post that splitting all private schools will HURT most of the private schools. How will it  hurt them?  Lets see, higher travel costs would be a major problem, and MOST private schools will be the smaller David in the Goliath story.  SO yes, they will have to offer money (boosters will make it available) to compete.

 

And what is the real benefit to the public schools?  They have a better chance at winning a state girls soccer title in one classification????  That does not justify the impact on all of the other sports.  Private schools already are playing up in class in most cases due to the multiplier rule.

 

Truth is that girls soccer is not important to most public schools.  That is pretty clear to see in the facilities they use, the quality of coaching, low numbers and the fact that a large number of schools do not even offer soccer. 

 

So I turn the question back to you, what is the benefit of reclassifying all private schools?

[SRD]

Perhaps the problem is TSAA. I was trying to give examples of other states and sports where public schools do quite well. Another good example- Texas Football. Most of the perennial power house programs there are not private schools but public schools. So public schools can compete, it just takes leadership, coaching, vision and patience. A good program does not get built overnight.

[SRD]

Truth is that girls soccer is not important to most public schools.  That is pretty clear to see in the facilities they use, the quality of coaching, low numbers and the fact that a large number of schools do not even offer soccer. 

 

Bingo. There is the problem.

[1925Kee]

I thought it was pretty clear from my original post, that I do not believe a FULL reclassification is necessary or the right thing to do.

So what do you suggest? Your original post didn't specify any of that.

 

And I also think it was pretty clear from my original post that splitting all private schools will HURT most of the private schools. How will it hurt them? Lets see, higher travel costs would be a major problem, and MOST private schools will be the smaller David in the Goliath story. SO yes, they will have to offer money (boosters will make it available) to compete.

If the boosters can make money available for scholarships, can they make money available for travel costs?

 

And what is the real benefit to the public schools? They have a better chance at winning a state girls soccer title in one classification????

Yes.

 

That does not justify the impact on all of the other sports. Private schools already are playing up in class in most cases due to the multiplier rule.

I'm not focused only on soccer. The disparity in programs spans all sports. Yes, privates are playing up, but look at the state championship results. It's not enough to correct the lopsided problem.

 

Truth is that girls soccer is not important to most public schools. That is pretty clear to see in the facilities they use, the quality of coaching, low numbers and the fact that a large number of schools do not even offer soccer.

No argument there. But it's not the students' fault. If a young girl wants to play soccer, she should not be forced to compete against programs that COMPLETELY outclass her program.

 

So I turn the question back to you, what is the benefit of reclassifying all private schools?

As I said, it properly classifies programs in an apples-to-apples way. Example: Grace Christian, CAK, and Catholic are reasonably competitive in soccer, football, basketball. They're close in proximity too. They should complete with each other and not compete with Sunbright and Midway.

 

The disparity is less severe in the larger classifications. Maryville and Farragut are big enough to compete with the privates. Harriman and Oakdale are not.

Edited November 5, 2014 by 1925Kee

[LadyMustangsCoach]

I am glad u brought up football. They have what, 8 classifications. How does that work? Everyone gets a trophy? No, of course not, some schools will never win. That is a reality for which there is no solution. No system is perfect, TSSAA is not going to change it now for the very reasons I have stated in my posts. Just look at what they have discussed in their meetings. It is on the record.