High School Sports Thread

[AltoonaFish]

I hope that isn't varsity pay. Most schools are paying $240+ for two Friday night football games.

At least in my area, most schools don’t have curtain raisers any more and if they do, there are two separate crews.

For a single varsity game is usually 140-150. CIML being more.

I would love to have curtain raisers as there seems to be much more travel involved for football than baseball.

 

[wxman1]

At least in my area, most schools don’t have curtain raisers any more and if they do, there are two separate crews.

For a single varsity game is usually 140-150. CIML being more.

I would love to have curtain raisers as there seems to be much more travel involved for football than baseball.

It varies and yeah they are getting fewer every year. Our crew is largely willing to do both for goodwill/get the games played and for the money. Some crews are not willing to do both for various reasons (age/fitness, demanding varsity pay for both games). Pay does vary greatly between schools and conferences. Some that you would think should have no issue paying well don't. I have been paid more at a 7th grade game at CR Taft than I have a JV game at Prairie.

 

[washedup82]

At least in my area, most schools don’t have curtain raisers any more and if they do, there are two separate crews.

For a single varsity game is usually 140-150. CIML being more.

I would love to have curtain raisers as there seems to be much more travel involved for football than baseball.

Most schools have gone away from curtain raisers. Part of it could be related to participation numbers. However, even before numbers issues, it was a financial reason. Play lower level games on Mondays and/or Thursday with varsity games on Fridays. That way you collect two admissions instead of one.

 

[theshadow]

Accept my apologies if this has been discussed here but I’m very disappointed in our State Legislature and the IaHSAA for allowing 8th graders to be eligible to play High School football.

Legislature, yes. IHSAA, no.
Every sport will be a local decision.

There are already several 8-player teams and a couple of 11-player that called off their varsity season, and I wouldn't be surprised if that count goes up between now and mid-August.

 

[CloneJD]

Accept my apologies if this has been discussed here but I’m very disappointed in our State Legislature and the IaHSAA for allowing 8th graders to be eligible to play High School football. There will be small 8 man schools that should combine with other programs that will now have small kids on the field against far bigger and faster upper class men. Hopefully I’m misinformed on this subject. If it is true, there should be a weight minimum included.

25 states allow it. Talk to your school board if you don’t want them participating.

 

[ISUTex]

They should've added that "If any football program puts an 8th grader on the field on a Friday night, they must shut their program down, or combine with another school the following season."

 

[1SEIACLONE]

They should've added that "If any football program puts an 8th grader on the field on a Friday night, they must shut their program down, or combine with another school the following season."

Easy to say that from sitting in front of a screen, but for a lot of these small towns, sharing or combining
sports they see as the first stop toward consolation of the district. Now I am not saying that should not happen, but for many, they are going to do everything in their power to make sure that school can continue as long as possible.
The state has been trying to kill off small districts for a couple of decades with mixed results. Maybe they should have used some of that money going to private schools to encourage smaller public schools to merge.

 

[swiacy]

I was told decades ago by one of the smallest public schools that when the State finally forced closure that they would just become private. At the time, private meant becoming a religious based parochial school but now it is relatively easy to become a private entity. The advantage with public tax dollars headed that way along with less State oversight, I would think that would be an option. Small towns have a very strong desire to keep their school which is understandably hard for Metro residents to grasp.

 

[swiacy]

I was told decades ago by one of the smallest public schools that when the State finally forced closure that they would just become private. At the time, private meant becoming a religious based parochial school but now it is relatively easy to become a private entity. The advantage with public tax dollars headed that way along with less State oversight, I would think that would be an option. Small towns have a very strong desire to keep their school

 

[mkadl]

Easy to say that from sitting in front of a screen, but for a lot of these small towns, sharing or combining
sports they see as the first stop toward consolation of the district. Now I am not saying that should not happen, but for many, they are going to do everything in their power to make sure that school can continue as long as possible.
The state has been trying to kill off small districts for a couple of decades with mixed results. Maybe they should have used some of that money going to private schools to encourage smaller public schools to merge.

If I posted something like that I would have been roasted and told thanks for sending this thread to the cellar.

 

[Three4Cy]

Accept my apologies if this has been discussed here but I’m very disappointed in our State Legislature and the IaHSAA for allowing 8th graders to be eligible to play High School football. There will be small 8 man schools that should combine with other programs that will now have small kids on the field against far bigger and faster upper class men. Hopefully I’m misinformed on this subject. If it is true, there should be a weight minimum included.

It's appears like a last ditch effort for many of the small schools to stay afloat and field teams because they don't want to merge/consolidate. I could be off-target, but how many 8th graders are going to be playing varsity sports at 4A/5A schools compared to 1A/2A?

 

[CloneJD]

It's appears like a last ditch effort for many of the small schools to stay afloat and field teams because they don't want to merge/consolidate. I could be off-target, but how many 8th graders are going to be playing varsity sports at 4A/5A schools compared to 1A/2A?

Yes it was for the smaller schools but preventing district consolidation isn’t the goal. It’s to help smaller schools field lower level teams.

Consolidation comes about because of economics, not whether you can field a jv 8 man team.

 

[swiacy]

I was told decades ago by one of the smallest public schools that when the State finally forced closure that they would just become private. At the time, private meant becoming a religious based parochial school but now it is relatively easy to become a private entity. The advantage with public tax dollars headed that way along with less State oversight, I would think that would be an option. Small towns have a very strong desire to keep their school

All the continuous pop up ads caused this version to be sent before I added the final nine words. There has always been an urban/rural divide in Iowa on about every issue simply because if you don’t live in it, it is not easy to grasp the significance.

 

[BCClone]

Good job parents and coaches …. keep being ******** to the officials.

My buddy tells parents/coaches all the time. I dont need to be here but you need me here so settle down.

Sometimes it’s not the parents. The association kept me from going further. Then had other refs tell me the top guy would send you long distances if his buddies wanted the ones close to you. Heard a lot of refs complain about him, I think he may be gone now but not sure.

 

[BCClone]

I was told decades ago by one of the smallest public schools that when the State finally forced closure that they would just become private. At the time, private meant becoming a religious based parochial school but now it is relatively easy to become a private entity. The advantage with public tax dollars headed that way along with less State oversight, I would think that would be an option. Small towns have a very strong desire to keep their school which is understandably hard for Metro residents to grasp.

No ability to tax property though.

 

[CyCrazy]

All the continuous pop up ads caused this version to be sent before I added the final nine words. There has always been an urban/rural divide in Iowa on about every issue simply because if you don’t live in it, it is not easy to grasp the significance.

Well that divide happens in every state in the country.

 

[1SEIACLONE]

Yes it was for the smaller schools but preventing district consolidation isn’t the goal. It’s to help smaller schools field lower level teams.

Consolidation comes about because of economics, not whether you can field a jv 8 man team.

Consolidation is caused mostly do to schools that can no longer field teams and therefore parents pull their kids out and start sending them to other schools that can field a team. The economics kicks in because the school loses funding for those kids after they have left.

I saw it happen at Harmony, losing kids, primarily because of lack of competitive teams and numbers, and it's occurring now at Seymour, which has lost at least 7 high school age kids to rival schools because of lack of players and the threat of not fielding a teams in the future. The worst part in both cases it was the better athletes that left both Harmony, and now Seymour and are starting at schools like Wayne, Moravia and Centerville.

You lose the kids because of sports and then you lose the money that the state provides for them which is the economic part. It's the chicken and the egg deal.

 

[swiacy]

Consolidation is caused mostly do to schools that can no longer field teams and therefore parents pull their kids out and start sending them to other schools that can field a team. The economics kicks in because the school loses funding for those kids after they have left.

I saw it happen at Harmony, losing kids, primarily because of lack of competitive teams and numbers, and it's occurring now at Seymour, which has lost at least 7 high school age kids to rival schools because of lack of players and the threat of not fielding a teams in the future. The worst part in both cases it was the better athletes that left both Harmony, and now Seymour and are starting at schools like Wayne, Moravia and Centerville.

You lose the kids because of sports and then you lose the money that the state provides for them which is the economic part. It's the chicken and

It’s not a stretch to think the Legislator’s realized they were stalled closing the real small schools with allowing shared teaching classes with neighboring schoools and came to the conclusion that money following sport’s transfers was the answer.

 

[1SEIACLONE]

It’s not a stretch to think the Legislator’s realized they were stalled closing the real small schools with allowing shared teaching classes with neighboring schoools and came to the conclusion that money following sport’s transfers was the answer.

The next phase of school consolidation is just now starting to kick off and will be centered in the Southern part of the state, from Wayne County to the west. That area is full of small schools that are going to struggle keeping their doors open when they are getting enrollments of 8 to 10 kids in kindergarten. Within the next 5 years most will be gone I would guess.

 

[CYdTracked]

Haven't had a chance to listen to the DCG school board meeting yet but apparently the vote to join the CIML was 3-3-1 so more debate and a vote coming on that still. From those who went to or listened to the meeting heard the ones on the board that have their reservations what a lot of "what if's" like what if it means we lose more and that leads to less interest in going out for sports or what if the district does not grow (hard to believe it won't with the rate Grimes is growing right now.)

My oldest kid is starting 7th grade in the fall and sports probably won't be her thing by the time she is in HS is my guess, TBD if my younger kid might be good enough to have a chance to play in HS so it likely won't affect me either way. That being said based on enrollment DCG is already having to move up a class in sports and will have to play CIML teams in the postseason so I don't see a reason not to just go ahead and make the move now. Sure there may be some growing pains from it early but the FB team moved up to 5A last fall and did pretty well and I have no doubt the other sports will be fine too. Kids and coaches want to compete so I doubt any of the reservations about joining are coming from them.

Just another reason why I hate that we elect a small number of people to make these kind of decisions that affect way more people than the ones they represent. From talking with other parents and people in the community I think a vast majority are in favor of joining the CIML and the superintendent and AD have put in a lot of fact based information that was presented to the board that supports the reasons why it's time to make the move.