I don't understand the logic behind this rocket science??

Golfer, with all respect (and I really mean it), I must TOTALLY disagree with you on this issue. Even if having 110 players on a team does give one team an advantage in a game (which I don't agree with at all) unless we are all hypocrits, the merits of a whole lot of kids getting to participate in athletics (because we all say athletics is a very important part of the educational process) more than out ways any advantage does it not?

Frankly I am in favor or removing any size limit for any sport that safety and space limits permits. Realistically you can only get so many kids sitting courtside at a basketball game. But put them in the front row if you want to. I don't care. They are not going to impact the outcome of any game this year most likely. Admittedly by being able to participate on the team and getting to practice all year long, they should be better next year players next year, but surely the coaches in this state don't want kids to get the opportunity to better themselves. Please tell me that's no so! Put them all on the soccer team if you want. Let them all be on the golf team if they want. Why do we have those limits in other sports to begin with? To me, most of those limits should be local school funding issues, not KHSAA issues, anyway.

I am really disappointed that this "level playing field" tidal wave has now gotten to the point that we are talking about depriving kids the opportunity to participate in sports, to belong to something, to be a part of a team, to have the best opportunity to become the best athlete possible. And its going to penalize everyone. If the coach cuts the sophomores, it will severely hinder their chances of being as good of a football player as a senior as they otherwise could have been (can you imagine the set back from losing one half of your practice time going into your senior year? Is that the real purpose of this squad limit idea: to lower the talent level on the good teams to the talent level of the average and poor teams by depriving the amount of practice times some kids get? When you really pull back the sheets and look what's under them, this idea is not a pretty sight).

Plus the kids who play for the love of the game, that don't have the talent to play in the games but have the passion for football and love for their teammates will most likely get summarily dismissed due to squad size limitations and will basically be told: "you cannot be on the team because the coaches of Ky. are more interested in their team winning than your participation on a team". And you can dress that bunch of crud up any way you want to, but you still have a bunch of crud. Terrible, terrible, terrible.

I personally think a whole lot of coaches and other supporters need to think again why they got into coaching and what the REAL purpose of athletics in high school is all about (which is a completely different mission than college and the pro's). This concept really disappoints me. Sorry if I've offended anyone out there (especially you Golfer, whom I consider a friend), but this idea of limiting squad size really is totally contrary to what we are supposed to be all about in high school sports. And for the first time blatantly places the priority to win in front of participation in athletics.

Finally, I think the KHSAA, the coaches, the administrators need to be real careful in what they are pushing for. There is growing amount of attention in Frankfort being focused on what is going on and the proposals being bantered about, and its not favorable attention if you know what I mean. The State Board is watching closely. More and more legislators are getting involved. Most of you don't realize this, but the KHSAA basically has a year to year "contract" with the State Board of Education to serve as its agent and run high school sports in Ky. If things keep going that way, it is very possible (notice I didn't say likely) that some legislators are going to start aggresively pushing for another way/entity to run high school sports. And please don't say that will never happen. It just may and you'll just have to trust me on this.

Golfer, if a 4A school only has 40 players on it what's the real issue here? When we push aside the curtains and look back stage, what we are doing here is simply penalizing the programs that do a great job of getting kids to play sports to help out those that don't or can't get the kids to come out. Usually, I'll admit, its the successful teams that do a good job of getting kids to play on the team because admittedly people like being part of a winner. What you want to do is to penalize successful programs because they are successful. That is not only totally against everything this country is about, it should be totally against everything that a coach is about. If this idea doesn't work, what's next: the number of coaches per team; the number of hours you can work out during the off season; the dollars spent on athletic programs; the number of kids per team that are able to bench press 350 lbs or run a 4.6; the square footage of locker room and weight room per player? Are we going to start eliminating a game or two from each state champions following season because they got to practice 5 extra weeks during the championship season? Where will this end? Because if we can start with telling kids they can't play high school sports in order to "level the playing field" all those other options have to be viable in some folks minds. I'm sorry but the coaches and other people pushing this idea are just wrong.

Dang it if Chuck Smith could do it, every coach at every school in Ky can do it. And if a school has a coach who isn't getting it done and winning a state championship is so dang important to that school, tell that coach its time to move on and get some one who can get it done.

Sorry for the long post, its a two cup'er, and sorry if I offended folks (again, particularly you Golfer), but when you start messing with kids being able to participate in high school sports, I get testy real quick. Its totally against what high school sports are supposed to be about.

And finally to comply with the rules I'll address the original question of this thread: I do think that there should be classifications in basketball and soccer, but only two or at most 3.

I've got no problem with you disagreeing with me. I never said we have to now kick kids off the team just a dress limit. The KHSAA has no roster limits as of right now. Any body can still play football practice play JV or Freshman games and can stand on the sideline if they want but they should not be in uniform on Friday Night if they go over the dress limit.

If the KHSAA has those limits for other sports it's not fair for one kid to have to sit on the sideline in his sport while another can dress. It should be equal in all sports. No body seems to care if little peter doesn't make the basketball team but it's for the kids when it comes to football.

Soccer has a limit and they play on a bigger field than football.

I like my idea because I think it saves the private schools from being kicked out of the state. In the six class idea Jim Mckee is still in the same class as Trinity and St. X and he has been the leader of getting rid of them. Do you really think this will stop him and others?

If nothing is done the private schools will be gone very soon.