Something else that may be a factor.

If football is added, a male sport, would they be required to add a female sport?

Interesting point. The girls volleyball program has always been very strong at St. Henry. I checked the website and it looks like there is a boys volleyball program, too. There are girls cheerleaders for basketball, and a football team would offer more opportunities for the girls interested in cheer squad.

Edited July 19, 201214 yr by hoops5
Checked website

I would think not. St Henry has a very strong girls volleyball program. The girls at St Henry have more choices than the boys for sports. All the other sports have BOTH a girls and boys team, except for volleyball.

 

According to their website, SHDHS has boys volleyball. The only sport with no boys equivalent is cheer.

Oh, I definitely am not taking any of your comments as an attack. Good points and a good discussion.

 

Good.

 

I agree with you that administration may have to change to get football at St. Henry's. While I do not think he is anti football, I do think he has to be convinced that the school could introduce football successfully from all aspects before he would offer his support, including everything I have mentioned in my previous posts.

And when a city falls down who comes to their rescue!?

 

I get what you're saying, really - in the end it really does come down to one entity. However, sports teams and school programs stayed out of the diocesan clergy abuse lawsuit without losing their funds, similar to the way that state, county, and city funds were untouched by the settlement the federal government just recently made with various American Indian tribes: the settlement funds are paid out of the federal government's coffers...not the state governments.

Regarding feeder football programs....

We used to live in the Indy area. All the Catholic grade schools had football teams. 3rd-8th grade CYO league. Plus, you did not have to go to that school to be on the team, but you had to be a member of the parish. The program fostered a great Parochial school football culture that I think is missing in NKY. I know there is a middle school football program at some of the NKY Catholic schools. But in Indy they started it in the 3rd grade. I think Cincy may have a similar program?

I am not sure if there is a requirement for a private school to do this, but St. Henry's already has more girl sports, 12, than boys sports, 11, according to their website. Cheerleading has no male equivalent right now at SHDHS.

 

Cheerleading is not a sport, it's an activity. :sssh:

Cheerleading is not a sport, it's an activity. :sssh:

 

True, but still requires a KHSAA physical form...

Cheerleading is not a sport, it's an activity. :sssh:

 

Tell that to SHDHS, they list it under girls athletics on their website.

Cheerleading is not a sport, it's an activity. :sssh:

 

Get what you're saying. But for Title IX purposes, cheerleading is a sport.

 

And frankly speaking, when I watch what some cheerleading squads and individual cheerleaders do today, I'm convinced they are some of the best athletes in any high school.

I am only sharing what was directly told to me.

 

I do think that it is important to point out a few things that I know working in private schools in many capacities for over a decade:

 

1. Football start up costs are the most prohibitive of just about any program. Unless you get a chunk of funds that are earmarked for starting the program or have access to a lot of cash, it is very difficult for a school as small as St. Henry to absorb those costs.

 

2. Any boost in enrollment would not come close to offsetting the costs of football because most parochial schools do not rely solely on tuition to cover costs for educating students. The diocese will foot part of the cost and fundraising will cover the rest. That means that they will have to decide how to cover the costs for educating additional students before even thinking about how to allocate additional tuition dollars to football, and in all likelihood football will never see any of those additional tuition dollars.

 

3. Football does not generate the type of revenue that would cause it to be cash flow positive in short order at the overwhelming majority of high schools around the country and I would imagine that it would be similar at St. Henry's. I am not on the inside to confirm this, though.

 

I hope this does not come across as an attack, VOR. It is not meant as such. I am just sharing what experiences I have had and the information gained from said experiences.

 

Likely the best post in the thread. This seems to sum up the reasons St. Henry doesn't have football pretty well.

The short and sweet of why St. Henry doesn't play football:

 

1. Cost.

 

2. Cost.

 

3. Lack of administrative support.

 

4. A booster with deep pockets hasn't come in and offered to write a check just for football.

Regarding feeder football programs....

We used to live in the Indy area. All the Catholic grade schools had football teams. 3rd-8th grade CYO league. Plus, you did not have to go to that school to be on the team, but you had to be a member of the parish. The program fostered a great Parochial school football culture that I think is missing in NKY. I know there is a middle school football program at some of the NKY Catholic schools. But in Indy they started it in the 3rd grade. I think Cincy may have a similar program?

 

So does Louisville. Where my kids went to school there were A,B,C and sometimes D teams. Every kid who wanted ti participate was able to do so. And this was/is true for every sport. The CSSA league also classifies schools by enrollment and has tournaments, and my favorite, the Toy Bowl.

The short and sweet of why St. Henry doesn't play football:

 

1. Cost.

 

2. Cost.

 

3. Lack of administrative support.

 

4. A booster with deep pockets hasn't come in and offered to write a check just for football.

Listed in perfect order. I got a history lesson at the Holy Cross football championship ceremony on this matter. When they first wanted football they were to told no because no money was available. They got backing from a supporter and started with assistance from the church.

I will add that #3 was not the case for HC.

So does Louisville. Where my kids went to school there were A,B,C and sometimes D teams. Every kid who wanted ti participate was able to do so. And this was/is true for every sport. The CSSA league also classifies schools by enrollment and has tournaments, and my favorite, the Toy Bowl.

And look at the football powerhouses that they feed into---Trinity, St. X, etc.

Just as the Indy CYO program fed into Cathedral and Brebeuf. The Catholic grade school football program is a huge part of that football culture that is missing in NKY.

If there were 3rd-8th football teams at IHM, St Paul and St Henry grade schools, that would provide the community support for St Henry HS football.

Edited July 19, 201214 yr by hoops5

I am not sure if there is a requirement for a private school to do this, but St. Henry's already has more girl sports, 12, than boys sports, 11, according to their website. Cheerleading has no male equivalent right now at SHDHS.

 

I would say there is nothing preventing a male from trying out for cheerleading.

So I would not classifying cheerleading as a female sport.