Proposed CIML Split

[HandSanitizer]

This is stupid.

First off, the schedules won't change. Just because Ottumwa joins this conference, they will still play the small 2A and 3A schools, and they will still play the big schools as well.

At the same time, Marshalltown is willing to leave the strongest conference in the state because they feel they don't have a strong enough voice in the CIML. That is like Iowa State leaving the Big 12 for the MAC because they feel they don't have enough say in the Big 12.

I agree with this a lot, but it happens,

Racoon River. Why in the heck did Nevada and Saydel (both mid enrollment 3A teams) leave to go play in a 2A league? Bondurant replaces Nevada by litterly switching leagues. I wouldn't be shocked if the Racoon River picks up North Polk and Gilbert to join for 10. This will cause the HOIAC to regroup.

DCG leaves the Racoon to play larger schools and ends up in the Hawkeye10 which makes no travel sense.
I really think DCG and Norwalk will be in the CIML at some point.

Waukee will get their new highschool, but I bet they keep one team.

crazy life we live in..

 

[rhino3382]

The only sports Mtown cares about is soccer, and sometimes baseball. I think you could cut the football and basketball programs and the collective town would go, 'meh'.

The town must have changed a bunch since I graduated (01), but football and basketball were always great draws. Football wasn't good but we were very competive in basketball

 

[nfrine]

As someone who lives around a couple of 3A Districts in Decorah and Howard-Winneshiek (Cresco), the idea of those schools playing against the Ottumwas and Marshalltowns of the world seems a lot less fair than the Ottumwas and Marshalltowns of the world playing the DSM schools.

Your Decorah team would kick Marshalltown *** 8 years out of 10. M'town struggles to get 45 on the varsity football roster.

 

[Haverhill]

The only sports Mtown cares about is soccer, and sometimes baseball. I think you could cut the football and basketball programs and the collective town would go, 'meh'.

Uh, no. Marshalltown is a huge basketball town. Soccer is virtually irrelevant.

 

[ElephantPie]

Ottumwa and Marshalltown would fit quite nicely in the Little Hawkeye Conference which is somewhat of a high-level 3A conference:

Pella
Norwalk
Dallas-Center Grimes
Pella Christian
Oskaloosa
Newton
Grinnell
Ottumwa?
Marashaltown?
Indianola?

I can see how one can forget that Knoxville is part of the Little Hawkeye but they are in there. And PC is a 2A school so that would be rough for them against those 4A schools.

 

[Incyte]

I can see how one can forget that Knoxville is part of the Little Hawkeye but they are in there. And PC is a 2A school so that would be rough for them against those 4A schools.

Knoxville left the Little Hawkeye for a 2A heavy conference (starting '14-15 school year). And PC holds their own sports-wise and won boys basketball a year or two ago. They just have trouble fielding multiple JV/freshman teams.

 

[ISU42]

This is stupid.

First off, the schedules won't change. Just because Ottumwa joins this conference, they will still play the small 2A and 3A schools, and they will still play the big schools as well.

At the same time, Marshalltown is willing to leave the strongest conference in the state because they feel they don't have a strong enough voice in the CIML. That is like Iowa State leaving the Big 12 for the MAC because they feel they don't have enough say in the Big 12.

I know that Ottumwa plays some former conference opponents (Centerville, Fairfield, Mt P, etc), but what 2A schools are they playing?

 

[Three4Cy]

I know that Ottumwa plays some former conference opponents (Centerville, Fairfield, Mt P, etc), but what 2A schools are they playing?

The problem for Ottumwa is simple, they are on an island. A 4-A school surrounded by smaller schools. The left the old Southeast 7 because they were the largest school by over 400 students (Oskaloosa was the second largest school in that conference). For them to play similar size competition they were driving to DSM anyway, so why not just join the CIML.

If Centerville and Ottumwa have ever been in the same conference it was in the 60's and early 70's. Centerville has been part of the South Central Conference since 1974 and from 1951-1958, and Ottumwa was never a member. I graduated from a SCC high school, so know the conference quite well, and we never played Ottumwa as a conference member.

 

[cloneswereall]

Angry? I answered your question. And that is data for the entire district, which is down.

When I went to Ames High in the early 90s, there were about 1200-1300 students. Now there are 1500. Math.

Really? According to last year's BEDS, Ames had 982 in grades 9-11 in the 12-13 school year. Unless they had about a 300 student increase, I'm not sure they got to 1500.

http://www.ighsau.org/general/1314bedsNumbers.pdf

EDIT: Not that it really matters, since Ames is way too large to drop to 3A.

 

[ElephantPie]

Knoxville left the Little Hawkeye for a 2A heavy conference (starting '14-15 school year). And PC holds their own sports-wise and won boys basketball a year or two ago. They just have trouble fielding multiple JV/freshman teams.

Thanks for setting me straight on Knoxville. I guess I should know what I'm talking about before I try to correct someone. And to the PC point, I've always been impressed with how well they compete with the rest of the conference. They already play a 4A school in conference (Newton, which I forgot was still 4A, enrollment of 639) but Ottumwa's enrollment (953) vs PC's (183) just seem crazy to me.

Source: http://www.iahsaa.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/2013-2014_Enrollments_Numerical.pdf

 

[Three4Cy]

Knoxville left the Little Hawkeye for a 2A heavy conference (starting '14-15 school year). And PC holds their own sports-wise and won boys basketball a year or two ago. They just have trouble fielding multiple JV/freshman teams.

Knoxville is going back to the South Central Conference with 3A members Chariton, and Centerville, and 2A members Clarke (Osceola), Davis County (Bloomfield), Albia, and Eddyville-Blakesburg. They were in the South Central from 1950-51 until 1996-97.

https://sites.google.com/site/iahsaasports/conferences/current-conferences/south-central

 

[wartknight]

Remember this does not apply to football which is all decided by the state in districts.
Conferences in HS are merely for scheduling consistency. There's not much else to it.
I kind of see what they are doing and kind of don't see what they are doing.
Conference records don't matter. Overall record does in some sports at a certain # of games into the season when they seed whatever district teams get put in. Depending on how many conference games a school has played by that point it may or may not have much bearing on that.
On the surface I think its stupid because while you may have a better record, it won't change the quality of your sports teams when district time rolls around and then all of the sudden you have to play the teams you just left because you couldn't beat. If record is the goal, go for it. If advancing far in the postseason is the goal, not going to matter IMHO.
Now thinking a little longer, maybe there will be a long term payoff. Schools that routinely get beat suddenly have a bunch more wins on the schedule and more kids and community members start paying more attention and eventually numbers of kids out for sports goes up and maybe then it pays off? Seems like a stretch but it makes a little sense.

 

[ISU42]

The problem for Ottumwa is simple, they are on an island. A 4-A school surrounded by smaller schools. The left the old Southeast 7 because they were the largest school by over 400 students (Oskaloosa was the second largest school in that conference). For them to play similar size competition they were driving to DSM anyway, so why not just join the CIML.

If Centerville and Ottumwa have ever been in the same conference it was in the 60's and early 70's. Centerville has been part of the South Central Conference since 1974 and from 1951-1958, and Ottumwa was never a member. I graduated from a SCC high school, so know the conference quite well, and we never played Ottumwa as a conference member.

You are right about Centerville. They used to be with Valley, not Ottumwa, but it was a long time ago.

*Edit*

For some reason I thought Centerville and Ottumwa were in the Southeast Conference together.

 

[Incyte]

Knoxville is going back to the South Central Conference with 3A members Chariton, and Centerville, and 2A members Clarke (Osceola), Davis County (Bloomfield), Albia, and Eddyville-Blakesburg. They were in the South Central from 1950-51 until 1996-97.

https://sites.google.com/site/iahsaasports/conferences/current-conferences/south-central

Gotcha. In reviewing some enrollment trends it looks like Chariton and Centerville are headed to 2A in the next few years. Some of these southern iowa schools used to be big schools and it's disappointing seeing them dwindle with continued urbanization of Iowa.

 

[Gonzo]

Call me when they land Notre Dame.

 

[milrtym]

Born and raised in Mtown. They have a history in a lot of sports (basketball, baseball, swimming, cross country, volleyball, and golf.) The problem that they are having is there is a huge shift in the demographics of the school. Although, the enrollment has not taken much of a hit, their extra curricular participation is way down, along with their test scores, etc.. The hope for them, is to be more competitive, raise the school spirit, increase participation and crap ton of studies show the extra curricular participation increase those test scores. They have had a revolving door of principals, lately, and this guy is really working hard on getting those test scores and grades up.

Also, living in Waukee school district now. They will have a new hs with 7-8 years.

 

[Three4Cy]

You are right about Centerville. They used to be with Valley, not Ottumwa, but it was a long time ago.

*Edit*

For some reason I thought Centerville and Ottumwa were in the Southeast Conference together.

Maybe you are thinking Oskaloosa? They were in the SE 7 and left the same time Ottumwa did. Osky went to the South Central Conference and would have played against Centerville.

 

[Three4Cy]

Born and raised in Mtown. They have a history in a lot of sports (basketball, baseball, swimming, cross country, volleyball, and golf.) The problem that they are having is there is a huge shift in the demographics of the school. Although, the enrollment has not taken much of a hit, their extra curricular participation is way down, along with their test scores, etc.. The hope for them, is to be more competitive, raise the school spirit, increase participation and crap ton of studies show the extra curricular participation increase those test scores. They have had a revolving door of principals, lately, and this guy is really working hard on getting those test scores and grades up.

Also, living in Waukee school district now. They will have a new hs with 7-8 years.

More like 4-5 years, they are in the process of securing the land right now.

 

[IowaStateClones]

The lost enough students to be classified as 3A rather than moving voluntarily. If they still had >700 students they would have to be in 4A for football. Ottumwa, Mason City and Fort Dodge cannot move to 3A.

So you are telling people that schools cant just join 1A with 1500 enrollment? You are a God Damned Genius.

 

[Three4Cy]

Gotcha. In reviewing some enrollment trends it looks like Chariton and Centerville are headed to 2A in the next few years. Some of these southern iowa schools used to be big schools and it's disappointing seeing them dwindle with continued urbanization of Iowa.

Chariton has lost about 50 kids over the past few years, which for that size of school is a big deal. Centerville used to be a bigger school than Chariton when I was in high school, but has lost a lot of kids. The problem for Chariton is there are a lot of people who work in Chariton, but don't live in Lucas county so no growth in the school.