Originally Posted by
LABulldog
Help me understand something if I'm not getting your post. You say that you're not jealous of Southlake but you take a shot at them. You say that you have a better football program than Southlake but you take a shot at them. They are in a different division than you but you take a shot at them. Sounds like you have a problem with Southlake.
Do people only criticize things that they are jealous of? I don't have a dog in this fight (I went to school in Arkansas and my daughter won't be in high school for a long time since she is only 6 months old), but I don't think it's necessarily the best idea to have such huge high schools. Does that mean I have to be jealous of something?
I'm sure the coaches love having to pick and choose from a larger group of student athletes but that still doesn't guarantee that the team(s) will be winners. Hard work by the coaches and student athletes is what produces consistent winners, not student body size.
Then why do they have classifications to begin with? Of course in a given year (or even for a given stretch of years) a great coach or community support can help a smaller school "play up." But there is a reason that high school sports associations try to group schools by size.
Obviously this doesn't work as well at the top and the bottom, although I suppose you could argue that after a certain point (and before another one) it doesn't matter as much.
(Red text by Inudesu)
Good responses Inudesu.
No you don't have to be jealous to criticize something.
But when you specifically pick out a single entity and say something is wrong with it but then later use additional examples to back up your criticism, then, to me, you have a problem with that single entity or you would have made a broader argument originally. The entity I made the original comment about was Allen then I also broadened the arguement by bringing up Southlake.To be bothered by a single school in an adjoining town because you think it's too big tells me that you have an issue with that school, either athletically, scholastically or some other issue. If you have a problem with Mega-Schools, then say it, don't pick out one example particularly when every appearance is your example is very likely an opponent.
You are making assumptions again. I didn't go to Keller HS, never played against Southlake or Keller and really don't care who wins when Keller plays Southlake. Keller is where I live now, not where I went to school.
I agree that these Mega-schools are not good for the students but it's not the students fault that the schools are these sizes. If anyone is to blame, it would seem to me that it's the school districts fault for being short sighted. The students and student athletes have to deal with the cards they are dealt. If parents move into a school zone with one high school, then that where their kids usually goes. Typically there aren't any alternatives, except for moving to another district, going to a private school (if available) or home schooling.
Never blamed the student or student athletes.
If the school has a history of being athletically good (any sport but in this case football) then the student athlete will most likely be enthusiastic about attending that school. Again, it's not the new student's fault the school was good (or bad) before the student attended that particular school. If the school outgrows itself, then there are only a couple of options available. Either build additional schools (is there space available, is there money available, etc.) or expand the original school to handle the larger student population. Again, it's not the students fault in any of this. It's just the way things tend to happen.
In Southlakes case there is enough money to build 20 more schools. To give you an example: The Cowboys use their practice facilities. Jealous? No. Glad they have it. I am a free market capitalist who doesn't believe in wealth re-distibution. But if you don't spend it because you seek athletic success that is a different story. Wouldn't a better student/teacher ratio be the best thing for the kids.
Your dead on on your comments concerning classifications. They are there to have some way of providing "equal" competition between the schools. Yes a school of 5000 should be better (statistically) than a school of 3000 because of the larger selection of student athletes to pick from, but as you mentioned and from what I've seen personally, this isn't always the case. Smaller schools can and have regulary beaten the bigger schools. Do the bigger schools like it? No way! Some will then start pointing fingers in the direction of the smaller school and try to accuse them of some wrong doing because they think that the only way the "smaller" school won was due to some advantage (fair or unfair) that the smaller school had that the larger school didn't have (or didn't know about).
This typically doesn't happen here as privates don't play publics.
If you don't like the rules, then work to get the rules changed. If a school has cheated or whatever to win games, then call them on it. Don't blame a school for winning that is playing within the rules that they are given just because they are bigger (or smaller). Either get better coaches, better facilities or pick you athletes better.