It isn't too late...

[gobigred]

I am just crazy enough to believe that there are a lot of you out there that are concerned about where Tennessee high school athletics are headed in the future as a result of the recent vote. Below are two posts from the middle of another another long thread that list some ideas for a reasonable compromise on the major issues. I'll admit one of them is mine and the other is by Dandy85. (Dandy85, if you don't want to be quoted, let me know and I will edit this) BTW we are on opposite sides of the aisle (public/private). If you are interested, read and answer the questions at the end.

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By Dandy85,

 

Homeschoolers should be allowed to play in the district they live. This means no private schools.

 

All athletes should give their district (address) to the TSSAA.Publics do this now. Your classification would be determined by a combination of out of district athletes, and financial assistance given to the athletes. The more assistance or student athletes out of district,the higher the classification. Many private schools may not have district lines. A reasonable distance could be created. Depending on the dollar amount spent per student, per county,would also play a part in defining the classification of a private school. Now, for the most contraversial aspect of this, private schools can only play in 2a-5a classifications. If private schools could agree to this, 90% of the problems we have would disappear.

 

All public magnet schools could only play in the two highest classifications.

 

Now, before everyone starts shooting holes in this, think for a minute. I'm sure there are enough flaws here to keep us busy for a while. I'll go back to one of my earlier posts. The publics believe they have the answer with a split. Many privates don't want this, so the burden falls on the privates to come up with a reasonable solution. Contrary to popular belief, I believe there are many public officials willing to listen. Someone needs to take the first step. Who will it be?

 

In response, by gobigred

 

No problem with the home schooler idea. They should get to play. Keeping them in zone eliminates the recruiting issue.

 

I cannot agree with the district idea for independents because it could place a hardship on the smaller schools that struggle to attract students outside of metro areas. I would choose to implement a reasonable multiplier that is negotiated by a TSSAA committee that equally represents all interests (publics, independents, open zone systems, magnets etc.) This should accomplish the goal of moving almost all privates out of 1A. Realistically, teams like LH Christian may want to consider joining the Christian School Association as it is already very difficult for them to compete in the current 1A scenario.

 

I would also support an automatic requirement that all independents that give financial aid play in the highest classification in all sports period.

 

No team in any classification, public or independent should be allowed to choose the level or district they want to play in (up or down). The only exception would be to allow any school the option of moving all of their teams to the highest classification.

 

Dandy, it will take the reasonable cooperation of the entire TSSAA membership to make something like this happen.

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Questions:

 

1. Is it still possible for there to be a reasonable compromise that would allow all all high school athletes in Tennessee to compete together? If your answer is YES then proceed. If your answer is NO then make that your reply and kindly exit the thread.

 

2. Do agree with any of the ideas above? If so, which ones? If not, post a logical alternative idea with a brief supporting paragraph.

 

Please keep your remarks positive (no bashing or emotional drivel). Thank you for participating.

[Edited by gobigred on 11-13-02 1:28P]

 

[skeebob]

gobigred:

 

Under what circumstances can you imagine the TSSAA membership letting the financial aid independents back in the mix, even at the highest level?

[Edited by skeebob on 11-13-02 1:59P]

 

[swamp]

1. Maybe

 

2. Multipliers or T$$AA just puts its foot down and says "This is how it's going to be!" I don't like multipliers and I really don't like the other option, but nobody would accept my solution - schools play where they fall by their enrollment, and T$$AA creates 8 balanced regions across 4,5, or 6 classifications. No 5-team regions & no 10-team regions! 7 or more classifications is too many, and 3 may be too few.