High School Split Playoffs..No More

[duggie85]

They don't, you know a lot of parents don't pay tuition and their kids don't play sports either. There are scholarships and financial aid available for a lot of kids. Also, those parents usually make up part of the tuition by volunteering time at the school for tuition credit. Why don't people get upset at academic scholarships? The private schools are taking away a really good student from the public schools but nobody cares about that. It's because grown men act like children over kids playing a game. Again, if it's better for the kid and his family, what's the problem with that? If it was your kid who could use his talent for a better situation you wouldn't see a problem with it.

Exactly. STM has a program where students stay after school and help out with various chores/jobs to receive financial assistance. Athletes & non-athletes have been in this program. That's a fact.

[Boomer]

Exactly. STM has a program where students stay after school and help out with various chores/jobs to receive financial assistance. Athletes & non-athletes have been in this program. That's a fact.

---I love my HS (Jesuit) and went there on an athletic/financial s-ship (a pretty tough academic admittance exam needed to be passed and many were denied entrance through the years)----the enrollment is about 1300 all boys from 8-12-----tuition is about $8k per year with fees added on and has always been a rich/poor school ------ about 150 kids go there on S-ship based on financial need----all this money for assistance comes from donated funds nearly all by alumni with endowments and yearly fund drives-----Nearly all grads go to college and a high percentage receive S-Ships from the finest Universities in the country----BTW this year we had about 25 Jays choose UL and an Alumni chapter was started last year in Lafayette!!!

[CharlieK]

If you watch soccer you'll know that the relegation battles are often just as exciting as the championship battles. It really is an embarrassment to be relegated.

I honestly think that embarrassment you speak of is the biggest reason why promotion/relegation will never be considered by the LHSAA. The LHSAA isn't exactly in favor of a meritocracy.

I'm no soccer expert, so correct me please. Isn't the promotion/relegation system to promote you to a "higher" or more prestigious level of competition? I'm sure some high schools would see being moved up a class as similar to that, but some may not. Currently there are classes based on school size. Winning 2A at a smaller school size is not less prestigious than winning 5A as a larger school size. For the promotion/relegation thing to work, all teams, regardless of size would need to be placed by past results. Then after a few years of promotion and relegation the system would settle out and you would have a mix of school sizes in all classes, with probably mostly smaller schools in the lower classes and mostly larger schools in the higher classes, but not necessarily.

And I don't think, by any means, that all or even most schools would always strive to be moved up. Especially if they know at the next level they will be mediocre. If everybody always wanted to play the best, this whole split catastrophe would never have occurred.

And, again for clarity, I think the promotion/relegation idea is better than the split.

[CajunJack55]

They don't, you know a lot of parents don't pay tuition and their kids don't play sports either. There are scholarships and financial aid available for a lot of kids. Also, those parents usually make up part of the tuition by volunteering time at the school for tuition credit. Why don't people get upset at academic scholarships? The private schools are taking away a really good student from the public schools but nobody cares about that. It's because grown men act like children over kids playing a game. Again, if it's better for the kid and his family, what's the problem with that? If it was your kid who could use his talent for a better situation you wouldn't see a problem with it.

I'll preface by saying I see both sides of the argument but think it has gone way to far. I do not have any children so I can't say that you are wrong. We all want what is best for OUR children and I'm honestly not sure what I would do in that situation if the opportunity came up. Critics of this would argue that this is not good for high school sports overall and it just shifts the competitive advantage towards private schools. You are 100% correct though in that no one gives a ____ about the academic advantages that are continuously shifting...but this is Louisiana we are talking about.

[CrazyCajun]

I'll preface by saying I see both sides of the argument but think it has gone way to far. I do not have any children so I can't say that you are wrong. We all want what is best for OUR children and I'm honestly not sure what I would do in that situation if the opportunity came up. Critics of this would argue that this is not good for high school sports overall and it just shifts the competitive advantage towards private schools. Your are correct though that no one gives a ____ about the academic advantages that are continuously shifting...but this is Louisiana we are talking about.

Well as a person who was "recruited" to a private school academically, tested in, received academic scholarship, parents volunteered a lot of hours to help with tuition and I also played sports...I do have some perspective. I also then transfered back to public and played sports. This is all about crazy ego of adults, not about the kids. You will never stop recruiting at public or private as long as grown men salivate over the accomplishments of 15,16 and 17 year old kids.

[CrazyCajun]

I'll preface by saying I see both sides of the argument but think it has gone way to far. I do not have any children so I can't say that you are wrong. We all want what is best for OUR children and I'm honestly not sure what I would do in that situation if the opportunity came up. Critics of this would argue that this is not good for high school sports overall and it just shifts the competitive advantage towards private schools. You are 100% correct though in that no one gives a ____ about the academic advantages that are continuously shifting...but this is Louisiana we are talking about.

A perfect example is the big DT from north side transferring to notre dame...if you were watching your kid jeopardize his future by hanging out with the wrong people and getting caught up in the wrong environment and you had a chance to totally remove him from that situation, I think every parent would do it. I don't see anything wrong with that.

[CajunJack55]

A perfect example is the big DT from north side transferring to notre dame...if you were watching your kid jeopardize his future by hanging out with the wrong people and getting caught up in the wrong environment and you had a chance to totally remove him from that situation, I think every parent would do it. I don't see anything wrong with that.

If that is the reason most would agree but you must admit this is not always the case.

[CrazyCajun]

If that is the reason most would agree but you must admit this is not always the case.

It isn't always the case but it still shouldn't matter. If a family sees it as a better situation for their child, and they have an avenue to make it happen...they should be able to do that.im Sorry if it cost some 40 year man a patch on his letterman jacket....this whole deal has gone way past ridiculous. If Galen Alexander was the 3rd man off the bench nobody would be saying ___.

[Duggie35]

One size does not fit all, but I'll say it again. There is a reason the Public school system is losing students and private/select schools are gaining students and becoming more appealing to many. The vast majority of the reasons have little to nothing to do with athletics.

I have a daughter that teaches in the public school system and she has to put up with crap that she would never have to put up with in a private school (and she doesn't even have to deal with high school students)! This is not to say that there are not some very good students that attend public schools, because there are many. But it is the public school system that is failing many students due to the lack of discipline, accountability and teachers having to teach a test or tests as opposed to truly educating the students.

[CajunJack55]

I have a daughter that teaches in the public school system and she has to put up with crap that she would never have to put up with in a private school (and she doesn't even have to deal with high school students)! This is not to say that there are not some very good students that attend public schools, because there are many. But it is the public school system that is failing many students due to the lack of discipline, accountability and teachers having to teach a test or tests as opposed to truly educating the students.

Oh man do not get me started on this. It is getting worst and worst every year and not just in Louisiana, here in Texas as well. They are compensated much more here but are still loosing good workers to other industries every year because of this. There is a HUGE disconnect between what the administration wants and what a teacher should be doing.