Game tonight
- Thread starter cumbfanatic
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I sincerely hope this is one of those cyclical things For Allegany. I have seen the Braddock team play and they are good. I hope this helps and that the program survives this down cycle.
This is the concern I have with what is going on not only in Cumberland but nationwide. Our society loves sports and is obsessed with being on a "winning" team.
In many cities a program begins to flourish and then parents, who want their kids to play on the winning team, will do whatever necessary to get their kid into that program. This happens if if they will not play but may start on the other team.
As this unfolds the power balance get's thrown off and we see what is happening in our area now. Fort Hill is by far the dominant team in the area and has been for the better part of the last 10 years.
Fort Hill has a great blueprint for what a high school program should be as does Martinsburg and many other schools. Nobody in the eastern panhandle comes close to them anymore. Talk to people who live in that area and they will tell you that players drive, move, etc. to play for them.
In time kids at the other schools lose interest, numbers decrease and teams fold. Unfortunately the kids don't create the problem but are the one's most affected by it.
This is the concern I have with what is going on not only in Cumberland but nationwide. Our society loves sports and is obsessed with being on a "winning" team.
In many cities a program begins to flourish and then parents, who want their kids to play on the winning team, will do whatever necessary to get their kid into that program. This happens if if they will not play but may start on the other team.
As this unfolds the power balance get's thrown off and we see what is happening in our area now. Fort Hill is by far the dominant team in the area and has been for the better part of the last 10 years.
Fort Hill has a great blueprint for what a high school program should be as does Martinsburg and many other schools. Nobody in the eastern panhandle comes close to them anymore. Talk to people who live in that area and they will tell you that players drive, move, etc. to play for them.
In time kids at the other schools lose interest, numbers decrease and teams fold. Unfortunately the kids don't create the problem but are the one's most affected by it.
MoCoFootball.com
One of their football boards is JV/Middle/Youth. With several active threads
One of their football boards is JV/Middle/Youth. With several active threads
I got to see Alco play last night for the first time. Pound for pound, Christian Welch is the best player in this area.
Yes.....
In time kids at the other schools lose interest, numbers decrease and teams fold....
. Our society loves sports and is obsessed with being on a "winning" team.
In many cities a program begins to flourish and then parents, who want their kids to play on the winning team, will do whatever necessary to get their kid into that program. This happens if if they will not play but may start on the other team....
As this unfolds the power balance get's thrown off and we see what is happening in our area now. ..
In time kids at the other schools lose interest, numbers decrease and teams fold....
. Our society loves sports and is obsessed with being on a "winning" team.
In many cities a program begins to flourish and then parents, who want their kids to play on the winning team, will do whatever necessary to get their kid into that program. This happens if if they will not play but may start on the other team....
As this unfolds the power balance get's thrown off and we see what is happening in our area now. ..
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And like you he has a warrior spirit. As I remember from your post, you came into varsity when it was a losing team. You didn't transfer or quit. You were a competitor with a commitment - you stayed and played.
With juniors heading for the exits after last year's losing season, Welsh was still there, showing everyone what its all about - displaying qualities that we wish all young athletes had and what we wish all of us had more of.
God bless this young man. His future looks bright.
I cannot disagree with these things as society has moved to what it is. Private schools have taken this scenario to a whole other level preying on parents who want their kids to be other places they think are best for their kid. No loyalties or commitments anymore. So it should be no issue when it happens at the public school level.
One thing always leads to another and in most cases they aren't good. Look at the cost of college.... absurd. Guaranteed loans have allowed excess borrowing only to be followed by colleges atmospherically raising prices. Needless to say, sports scholarships have become increasingly valuable.... get noticed.... get on the right team.
Things I thought were of value have been weaseled out of the system. Having loyalty and playing by the rules makes one a chump. I always thought that God, family and community made you the best person. That is why I have posted so many times that schools should play 10 games... end in a rivalry game.... then hit the books. Now, its the friggin' playoffs.
Okay.... end of my Sunday sermon.
The Carroll County Times had a long article today about re-examining the policy of allowing students to go to any school in the county for any reason - including sports. Some school board members are getting flack about schools 'stocking' athletes and becoming too big, thus throwing the competitive balances way off. A number of issues that have been raised here are discussed in the article and in an accompanying editorial. The editorial weighed in for allowing free movement because it attracted kids from private schools in the area to public schools and it gave some athletes a opportunity to pass players who were blocking their path to varsity.
http://digitaledition.carrollcounty...spx?guid=bf8527fb-6c19-4d66-8571-91447305a745
http://digitaledition.carrollcounty...spx?guid=bf8527fb-6c19-4d66-8571-91447305a745
http://digitaledition.carrollcounty...spx?guid=bf8527fb-6c19-4d66-8571-91447305a745
http://digitaledition.carrollcounty...spx?guid=bf8527fb-6c19-4d66-8571-91447305a745
It's so out of whack that a correction is probably not possible. An easy answer is that if you transfer you have to sit out of sports for a year. Of course a lawyer would go after that (perhaps this has already been attempted and failed somewhere).
I think kids in failed schools should be able to get out... then again, that is for academics. Sadly, we have so perverted what sports were supposed to be about, that if you were to attempt to explain 'extra curricular activities' to the public at large you would get a blank stare.
The Carroll County article was an interesting one. As I discuss some of the issues we are seeing in high school sports with people who coach at that level they all concur that some troubling trends are being seen.
Many wonder when school systems, who are already struggling with meeting budgets, will cut athletics loose and focus on just the educational side of it. Adminstrators will frequently tell you that problems with athletics are a big part of their daily job.
I for one hope this never happens but with travel teams becoming more prevalent in several sports it makes you wonder about the long-term future of high school athletics.
Many wonder when school systems, who are already struggling with meeting budgets, will cut athletics loose and focus on just the educational side of it. Adminstrators will frequently tell you that problems with athletics are a big part of their daily job.
I for one hope this never happens but with travel teams becoming more prevalent in several sports it makes you wonder about the long-term future of high school athletics.
Allegany County used to have a rule that you had to sit out of all in-county games for the year. BW was also subject to this rule. An older friend of mine who left FH after his sophomore year to go to BW had to sit out the football games against Beal, Alco, FH, And Westmar. He would have been the starting at OG and LB for FH but chose to go back to BW where he attended up through the 8th grade.
No matter the level of play, this is obviously the age of narcissism. Much of the population is only interested in themselves. The NCAA transfer portal, the free agency in pro sports, whatever. There used to be a time when your favorite pro athlete was on the same team his whole life.
On a positive note Braddock had the biggest when today then they’ve had in about 10 years. Coach Hansel was there talking to the players before the game. Having the high school coach at the game and talking to them brings excitement from the kids about Allegany football and something it needs.
I don't think they had to follow it, they just chose to when they wanted. Then they stopped following it and Allegany stopped playing them in basketball because of it. After that, the county changed the rule.
So coach Hansel can get the middle school kids pumped up to play but can't get the job done with his team? That was your opinion following the Mt. Ridge game. Interesting. I understand what you're saying, but interesting positivity on your part. What a difference a win makes
That’s a true statement. Middle school kids look up to high school players and especially the head coach. The head coach going to a youth game makes an impact and on the kids and the kids will remember that. I think it gets them excited about Allegany football, it didn’t have anything to do with their win. As they goto Allegany they will remember him putting the effort on coming and talking to them. Very true he did not have the varsity team ready to play Mountain Ridge. It wouldn’t have made a difference in the outcome as far as getting the L, but the kids should have been better prepared and performed much better
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