Shiloh escapes banishment
After a long summer of debates and recriminations and defensive posturing, the Arkansas Activities Association, through its member schools, voted down Proposal No. 7 by an 114-93 count last week.
The proposal would have made Arkansas private schools who are members of the Arkansas Activities Association, ineligible for participating in state tournaments, championships or playoffs. The private schools would have been consigned to playing each other in all private school state tournaments and competitions.
Instead, the AAA voted to pass Proposal No. 8, which states that any athlete who transfers to a private school after the 7th grade must sit out a year of eligibility before being allowed to play. Private schools that have no junior high school would have the rule effective after the beginning of the 9th grade year.
After being asked his opinion on the new rule adoption, the Shiloh principal stated that the change would have no real affect on his school. The history of the past four years would seem to indicate otherwise.
Four years ago, a sensational Bentonville junior high girls basketball player transferred to Shiloh to play varsity ball.
Schools in 7A and 6A have a rule that denies 9th grade students eligibility in sports like basketball and football. The aforementioned Tiger transferred to Shiloh and was subsequently named the Northwest Arkansas High School Player of the Year as a freshman and later led Shiloh to a state championship. Had rule No. 8 been in place at that time, this would not have happened.
Three years ago, the fastest athlete in Arkansas (Meet of Champs 100 meter winner and football player) transferred from Fayetteville to Shiloh his senior year. Had rule No. 8 been in place, this never would have happened. Two years ago, one of the top defensive players in the state transferred from Fayetteville to Shiloh for his senior year. Had rule No. 8 been in place this never would have happened.
Lastly and most famously, a quarterback sensation from West Fork transferred to Shiloh and then led the Saints to the state football championship, being named the championship game's Most Valuable Player in the process. Again, had rule No.
8 been in place, this never could have happened.
Yes, I think this rule will have an impact on Shiloh's athletic fortunes as I think it will be a tough sell to get an athlete to forfeit a year of eligibility for the honor and glory of playing for Shiloh. Currently, there are 17 football players who are on scholarship playing for Shiloh.
How many of them were there in the 6th grade, home grown through their own school system? How many of them were standouts at various public schools until recruited, subsequently getting scholarship offers from Shiloh?
While I was a supporter of proposal No. 7, I think the passage of No. 8 will go a long way to level the playing field somewhat for the public schools of our state. While supporting No. 7, I would have regretted the negative effect that rule would have had upon private schools that don't use their wealth and power to cherry pick public schools in their neighborhoods. Very few private schools had been involved in the type of shenanigans that have caused so much friction and turmoil over the past few years.
I used to coach basketball in a private Christian school in a big city and we had some kids who were in our school on partial or full scholarships. None of them were allowed in because of their athletic abilities but because of their life situation. I coached one boy who came from a very rough neighborhood and his folks feared for his safety in his attending the local school. He eventually ended up at our school and became my best varsity player, being a 6'4" center in a small school league. There are lots of Christian schools like that.
I do have a question that rule No. 8 does not seem to address, at least to my way of thinking.
Suppose a kid moves to, say Springdale, from someplace like Dallas or St. Louis. Suppose this kid has always attended a Christian school and he participated in sports where he used to live. Would this student be forced to sit out a year if he choose to keep attending Christian schools? This would seem to me unfair, but that scenario could well happen, especially in an area of shifting populations as is northwest Arkansas.
At any rate, the vote to banish private schools from the public ones was much, much closer than the effort to accomplish a similar goal a few years ago. If the things that have angered the public schools don't get corrected, next time a vote is taken on the same subject, it just might well pass.
Golf and baseball changed
Starting next year, golf region meets will be no more. Instead, teams and individuals will qualify for state championships directly from district tournaments, thus boosting the number of athletes who will be able to experience state competition in addition to cutting down travel expense for the schools.
In another accepted proposal, baseball and softball seasons will begin a week later and will end one to two weeks later than has been the custom.
Sports, Pages 7 on 08/12/2009