Monday, December 28, 2009
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Another Backwoods Sports Story From WV
All to often our state of West Virginia is tabbed as a backwoods, hillbilly, ignorant, and holler-dwelling behind the times people.
What's even more sad is that sometimes, we bring those though-sets upon ourselves.
Thus is the case of the powers that be among the state bodies who oversee the athletic and sports goings on concerning the high school ranks in West Virginia.
The WVSSAC and the WV State Department of Education set too harsh limitations on off-season development and show either a lack of basic math skills or a lack of fairness and dedication to do what's right.
While the State Board of Education does, in the opinion of many fans, do an excellent job concerning tough economic times of making the West Virginia secondary schools a place of pride and are on an ever-improving testing and comprehensive path, a wonderment as to the disregard for athletic decision making for all and one of fairness remains.
The most glaring unfairness regarding West Virginia high school sports is the current imbalance concerning the inconsistent numbers of schools per class.
West Virginia high schools, for athletic competition purposes, are divided into three classes. Single A is the smallest class. Class AA is next and the largest class of WV schools man the AAA ranks.
How is it possible for a state with the population of Florida to keep, with 1A, 2A, 1B, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 championships crowned, able to keep their classes balanced?
Heck, my old high school, Orlando Colonial ,had 3876 students last year, Ferguson Miami had 4107 and Lake Brantley( in Altamonte Springs) had 3891 students. Population, yes Florida has population vs WV, but that's not the point. The schools mentioned above played in classes in Florida, like the other classes that saw like-member opponents and the FHSSAC makes it possible to have a playing field that does not show much imbalance in population of enrollment.
On the other end of the population debate for classes being divided for fairness look at Delaware.
The IDAA, has on 50 high schools(!) yet they, in an effort to divide the classes fairly, saw a Class 1 and a class 2 football champion crowned.
We can look closer for the correct way to align schools for athletic purposes by taking a gander at Maryland High Schools classification guidelines.
While governing a WV-like 188 schools the first five words of the MPSAAC guideline section reads "For the purpose of parity" in competition in meets and tournaments the schools will be divided into four classes of schools.
Maryland's top 25% of enrollment-numbered schools make up the 4A class, the next 25 make up the 3A group, the next 25% is the 2A and the lowest enrollment 25% are the class A group.
WOW!!!
What a concept: Actual having classes broken up into four classes(and not just for football, BTW) to create PARITY!!!!!
Why is it that in WV our State Board of Education and the athletic governing body of athletic (WVSSAC) not understand the value in fairness to ALL the schools and student athletes that this simple change would make?!!
MUCH MORE ON THIS LATER........
What's even more sad is that sometimes, we bring those though-sets upon ourselves.
Thus is the case of the powers that be among the state bodies who oversee the athletic and sports goings on concerning the high school ranks in West Virginia.
The WVSSAC and the WV State Department of Education set too harsh limitations on off-season development and show either a lack of basic math skills or a lack of fairness and dedication to do what's right.
While the State Board of Education does, in the opinion of many fans, do an excellent job concerning tough economic times of making the West Virginia secondary schools a place of pride and are on an ever-improving testing and comprehensive path, a wonderment as to the disregard for athletic decision making for all and one of fairness remains.
The most glaring unfairness regarding West Virginia high school sports is the current imbalance concerning the inconsistent numbers of schools per class.
West Virginia high schools, for athletic competition purposes, are divided into three classes. Single A is the smallest class. Class AA is next and the largest class of WV schools man the AAA ranks.
How is it possible for a state with the population of Florida to keep, with 1A, 2A, 1B, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 championships crowned, able to keep their classes balanced?
Heck, my old high school, Orlando Colonial ,had 3876 students last year, Ferguson Miami had 4107 and Lake Brantley( in Altamonte Springs) had 3891 students. Population, yes Florida has population vs WV, but that's not the point. The schools mentioned above played in classes in Florida, like the other classes that saw like-member opponents and the FHSSAC makes it possible to have a playing field that does not show much imbalance in population of enrollment.
On the other end of the population debate for classes being divided for fairness look at Delaware.
The IDAA, has on 50 high schools(!) yet they, in an effort to divide the classes fairly, saw a Class 1 and a class 2 football champion crowned.
We can look closer for the correct way to align schools for athletic purposes by taking a gander at Maryland High Schools classification guidelines.
While governing a WV-like 188 schools the first five words of the MPSAAC guideline section reads "For the purpose of parity" in competition in meets and tournaments the schools will be divided into four classes of schools.
Maryland's top 25% of enrollment-numbered schools make up the 4A class, the next 25 make up the 3A group, the next 25% is the 2A and the lowest enrollment 25% are the class A group.
WOW!!!
What a concept: Actual having classes broken up into four classes(and not just for football, BTW) to create PARITY!!!!!
Why is it that in WV our State Board of Education and the athletic governing body of athletic (WVSSAC) not understand the value in fairness to ALL the schools and student athletes that this simple change would make?!!
MUCH MORE ON THIS LATER........
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Being still: A key for intercession
Maybe the biggest challenge to the American church today is our collective busy thinking.
The hurried schedule in the world around us can lead otherwise loving people not to find the ability to be still in our prayer time.
As the saying goes, I know of which I speak, lol!
As a church-going sinner,as we all are, I initially had to learn this and it took awhile.
My understanding of prayer was to go before the Lord and ask him for what I WANTED, lol.
While that is an important part of my relationship with God even today, there was still,at that time, a lack of what He wants in our prayer life.
John 4 :23-24 'The hour cometh,and now is,then the true worshipper shall worship the Father in Spirit and in truth, for such doth the Father seek for His worshippers. God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him un Spirit and in truth.
Simply put, to worship God is our higest glory. Our most awesome privlidge.
Even thinking about His holiness,mercy anf grace,much less the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross, just makes the understanding that we are in a battle that he is STILL helping us win more obvious.
John 1:13 tells us that life is given to us,not by the choice of man,but by Him. And Phil 2:13 tells us that God works within us to will us to act according to His will.
The battle of course is one of flesh vs Spirit.
In The Fall, Adam represented the failure to be led by the Spirit of God and the reults of us being guided by our fleshly surroundings.
*This is part 1 of a two-part series.
Please continue with Intercession: A glorious duty
Thanks for reading and all responses are certainly welcomed.
The hurried schedule in the world around us can lead otherwise loving people not to find the ability to be still in our prayer time.
As the saying goes, I know of which I speak, lol!
As a church-going sinner,as we all are, I initially had to learn this and it took awhile.
My understanding of prayer was to go before the Lord and ask him for what I WANTED, lol.
While that is an important part of my relationship with God even today, there was still,at that time, a lack of what He wants in our prayer life.
John 4 :23-24 'The hour cometh,and now is,then the true worshipper shall worship the Father in Spirit and in truth, for such doth the Father seek for His worshippers. God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him un Spirit and in truth.
Simply put, to worship God is our higest glory. Our most awesome privlidge.
Even thinking about His holiness,mercy anf grace,much less the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross, just makes the understanding that we are in a battle that he is STILL helping us win more obvious.
John 1:13 tells us that life is given to us,not by the choice of man,but by Him. And Phil 2:13 tells us that God works within us to will us to act according to His will.
The battle of course is one of flesh vs Spirit.
In The Fall, Adam represented the failure to be led by the Spirit of God and the reults of us being guided by our fleshly surroundings.
*This is part 1 of a two-part series.
Please continue with Intercession: A glorious duty
Thanks for reading and all responses are certainly welcomed.
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