From 2008: Sounds like Stan is happy.

 

RICHMOND, Ky. - When Stan Steidel gets a chance, he likes to sneak up to the last row. There, perched high atop the 6,500-seat McBrayer Arena at Eastern Kentucky University, he can appreciate what his little tournament for the little guys has become.

Now in its 25th year, the Touchstone Energy All "A" Classic, has become part of Kentucky's basketball culture. What the former basketball coach at Dayton High School helped start in 1980, an eight-team tournament for Northern Kentucky's small schools, is now a 244-team statewide tournament. Organizers hope to draw 50,000 fans to the weeklong event.

 

"This wasn't even a consideration," Steidel, now the president of the event's committee said. "We were just trying to do something quality for small schools in Northern Kentucky. Once we met people from around the state, we said, 'Gee, wonder if we could do this on a bigger stage?'"

 

In 1990, the tournament moved to Lexington and went statewide. Steidel and his board members were given a police escort to the venue.

the All A allows a subset of schools the opportunity to experience a statewide tournament .. feted upon like the KHSAA tourney, with hotel stays and post-game press conferences, etc .. that in all likelihood, is their only opportunity.

Yes - and I can name a ton of large schools that can't get out of their District and aren't going to the Sweet 16 either. And they don't have a 2nd option for the experience.

 

Sure .. there are teams that experience both the All A and the state tournament .. but the number who DON'T, that only experience the All A, far exceeds the number that do.

Equaled or exceeded by the number of large schools that won't experience either event.

 

You need to look at the All A tournament in its totality, not the few who win it. It's still a fantastic EXPERIENCE that most will not enjoy at the KHSAA tournament (and no .. I'm not about the "everybody gets a medal" mentality .. please don't go there!). Obviously, the idea is to WIN the tournament, but the 15 participants who DON'T win (in either tournament) will tell you a lifetime of stories about being there, whether a first-round exit or a championship game loss.

Sounds to me like the argument is about the experience, not so much whether it's another shot at a championship. And in that, the All-A is failing miserably. The same schools over and over realistically are the only ones going to experience the All-A state (and most of them private I may add) and many with the chance to double-dip the experience in the KHSAA. So the smallest of schools who this was built for are left behind. And the bigger schools that won't sniff a KHSAA Regional Championship are out too - of both.

 

To get the All-A back to it's intentions, I think a good place to start would be to make the All-A public only, or reduce the enrollment.

 

(I will also add that I am referring only to Girl's basketball. I have no idea how well or how poorly the All-A is working in other sports. I will say that having a blanket enrollment number for all sports is a terrible idea, and a better way would be to have different numbers for different sports. Either way, someone can start All-A threads in every sport and I will be happy to chime in there.)

To get the All-A back to it's intentions, I think a good place to start would be to make the All-A public only, or reduce the enrollment.

 

Eh, nice try, but not going to happen. Just come on out and say take the Catholics out of it. Not sure why you have such an ax to grind about this. It's here to stay the way it is for the most part and that is how it should be.

Your gripe seems to be with the fact/frustation that there are schools too big for the All A but yet they are also not good enough to win the end of season region tournament and make it to the KHSAA Sweet 16. Is this right?

I as a grad of All-A love the idea. My 2009 HC Indians baseball team shut Bellevue, and spurned Beechwood in the All-A regional final. One of the best games I have been apart of. I am biased of course. I hope they don't do away with this concept. It makes it fun for the smaller schools. And in some sports I feel is pretty competitive.

When Stan gets tired of helping kids have great experiences in the All-A and running it the way he does maybe he will turn it over to the few who want to change things. Then you can limit it or "take it back to its original intent" which if you read above was, according to Stan, to "do something quality for small schools". So sounds like Stan is still doing that the way he thinks is best.

My son played on a All A State Championship soccer team a couple years ago. Great experience, fun times, but weeks later played St X in sub sectional and lost 4-2. Can a co-ed school compete with a all boys school? We have 100 boys in school, they have 600 boys, so chances are slim. So our little All A championship trophy means one thing, and that is, we can compete on a level playing field. Same in basketball, these teams who win, have a chance to see how they compete against schools the same size. Some of these teams even make it to the bigger stage and do quite well, in all sports.

You can split all the hairs you want, it was meant to do one thing and one thing only, and it is a success. According to a few posters on here, using the same logic, the team who wins the 2A football championship really didn't accomplish anything. The ones who get a chance to play in the All A understand what it's about, the ones who don't, well, are the ones who start threads asking why its revelant.

Can you research what the All A champ has done in the state tournament over the past 10-15 years? Has an All A champ ever won the state tournament?

 

I have and don't remember the results. But I do remember that over the (how ever many years of the state on the girls side) there were very few winners in the grand scheme of things. My point is, using an argument that they don't win state is not really a good one. Because only like 10% of the teams have ever won a state on the girls side.

 

OK, how about these questions:

 

What is the smallest school to win the state tournament?

 

How many schools with less than 500 students have won a state championship?

But WE can make suggestions for change. I bet that's how some of those other enhancements evolved over the years. You guys ask "why change it?" It's been changed multiple times over the years! I say "why not change it". Are you afraid of change?

 

Then by all means you and dallas have your little dinner with whine oops I mean wine and come up with a way to present these changes to Stan i am sure he will listen he is a good man.

Here's an interview I conducted about the All-A based on all the arguments that have been posted:

 

Are we a "class" state or not for basketball?

no. no one wants classes

 

Then why do certain teams get a second shot at a state championship and state championship experience and some don't?

because they're small schools and they deserve their own special state tournament

 

Why?

because it gives small school a chance to compete

 

But hasn't it been shown that teams going to the All-A state round of 16 have no problems competing in their KHSAA Region?

no comment

 

And that the same schools are dominating the All-A over and over, rendering it just as un-competitive for many All-A schools as the KHSAA tournament?

no comment

 

I content that the All-A is just another invitational tournament and not a state championship.

You're wrong. Whoever wins is the All-A State Champion. The State Champion of the small schools. It's a great big event and the experience of a lifetime for many

 

So we have 2 State Championships?

No. I mean yes. no comment

 

And only small schools get a second chance because they can't compete, even though it's been shown they can.

correct

 

What do you tell all of the large schools who also can't compete, but don't have a second chance at a championship?

The All-A is fine. Leave it alone. It's not for you. You don't understand.

 

Is that a fair answer?

It is if your school dominates the All-A every year. We're not giving up our chance to double-dip

 

Now let me ask the questions - you know football has classes right?

Oh yes, the football argument. First, football has classes for safety reasons so someone doesn't get permanently injured. That's universal across the country. Second, each team still only has 1 chance at a State Championship, right? You have multiple class champions, but it's a different team in each class. Equal chances for all. No double-dipping.

Oh - I didn't think about that.

 

I think it's worth discussing what the All-A has become, what it was intended to be, what changes could be made to help the smallest of schools, and, the big picture, if it's fair to discriminate against larger schools by giving smaller schools a 2nd chance at a great experience.

I think you're an idiot with an axe to grind. Go start your own tournament for large schools and fix it so only your school qualifies so your daughter can be MVP.

I would say the passion shown both for and against the All A answers the thread question with a resounding no.

Edited March 13, 201511 yr by 75center

When Stan gets tired of helping kids have great experiences in the All-A and running it the way he does maybe he will turn it over to the few who want to change things. Then you can limit it or "take it back to its original intent" which if you read above was, according to Stan, to "do something quality for small schools". So sounds like Stan is still doing that the way he thinks is best.

 

Except the schools playing in it now are not the small schools...

Here's an interview I conducted about the All-A based on all the arguments that have been posted:

 

Are we a "class" state or not for basketball?

no. no one wants classes

 

Then why do certain teams get a second shot at a state championship and state championship experience and some don't?

because they're small schools and they deserve their own special state tournament

 

Why?

because it gives small school a chance to compete

 

But hasn't it been shown that teams going to the All-A state round of 16 have no problems competing in their KHSAA Region?

no comment

 

And that the same schools are dominating the All-A over and over, rendering it just as un-competitive for many All-A schools as the KHSAA tournament?

no comment

 

I content that the All-A is just another invitational tournament and not a state championship.

You're wrong. Whoever wins is the All-A State Champion. The State Champion of the small schools. It's a great big event and the experience of a lifetime for many

 

So we have 2 State Championships?

No. I mean yes. no comment

 

And only small schools get a second chance because they can't compete, even though it's been shown they can.

correct

 

What do you tell all of the large schools who also can't compete, but don't have a second chance at a championship?

The All-A is fine. Leave it alone. It's not for you. You don't understand.

 

Is that a fair answer?

It is if your school dominates the All-A every year. We're not giving up our chance to double-dip

 

Now let me ask the questions - you know football has classes right?

Oh yes, the football argument. First, football has classes for safety reasons so someone doesn't get permanently injured. That's universal across the country. Second, each team still only has 1 chance at a State Championship, right? You have multiple class champions, but it's a different team in each class. Equal chances for all. No double-dipping.

Oh - I didn't think about that.

 

I think it's worth discussing what the All-A has become, what it was intended to be, what changes could be made to help the smallest of schools, and, the big picture, if it's fair to discriminate against larger schools by giving smaller schools a 2nd chance at a great experience.

I think you're an idiot with an axe to grind. Go start your own tournament for large schools and fix it so only your school qualifies so your daughter can be MVP.

 

You really don't like the ALL A do you? LOL

 

Here is your answer to all you of your little rants even though you don't have a dog in the fight because your kid goes to a larger school, because Stan says so that's why it is what it is. Stop complaing, crying whatever you want to call it and just send your kid to a smaller school and join in the experience.

I have no problem with the All A, but it seems to me usually a handful of the schools that make it are also competitive within their region, meaning they aren't little "David" against Goliath as much as perceived in relation to their school size.

 

So, here is a possible solution to maybe get some "fresh blood" in the tournament.

 

If you make it to the finals of the All "A", those two teams cannot compete in the tournament the following year. Heck, maybe even go out as far as the semi's. That would make two things happen. One, it would ensure some turnover and quite possibly get some other teams advancing every couple of years. Secondly, it gives even a little extra incentive to "get it done" if you know you can't come back the following year.

My son played on a All A State Championship soccer team a couple years ago. Great experience, fun times, but weeks later played St X in sub sectional and lost 4-2. Can a co-ed school compete with a all boys school? We have 100 boys in school, they have 600 boys, so chances are slim. So our little All A championship trophy means one thing, and that is, we can compete on a level playing field. Same in basketball, these teams who win, have a chance to see how they compete against schools the same size. Some of these teams even make it to the bigger stage and do quite well, in all sports.

You can split all the hairs you want, it was meant to do one thing and one thing only, and it is a success. According to a few posters on here, using the same logic, the team who wins the 2A football championship really didn't accomplish anything. The ones who get a chance to play in the All A understand what it's about, the ones who don't, well, are the ones who start threads asking why its revelant.

 

Then you are in favor of classes in all sports?

You really don't like the ALL A do you? LOL

 

Here is your answer to all you of your little rants even though you don't have a dog in the fight because your kid goes to a larger school, because Stan says so that's why it is what it is. Stop complaing, crying whatever you want to call it and just send your kid to a smaller school and join in the experience.

 

CAP, they just don't understand. It's a private tournament. It's not a KHSAA event. I am going to petition Major League Baseball and say that my select team should be included in the league. They aren't even Class A size. Well wait, I guess I could start another tournament and set it up how I want and invite who I want. No wait, that makes too much sense. Ha ha ha. So out of touch they are.