Socrates

That impression would be wrong, although from what I hear, most Board Members are under the same impression. Why do I feel that impression is wrong? Because the KHSAA's own due process procedure ( specifically Section 3.I of the procedure) permits a party to appeal the KHSAA's position to the judicial system. Now I ask you, student, if one of the conditions of becoming a member meant that the KHSAA's decisions superceded all legal court proceedings, why would the KHSAA expressly permit a party to appeal the KHSAA's decision to the judicial system? Wouldn't the right to appeal a KHSAA decision to the judicial system by contradictory to the assertion that the KHSAA's decision superceded the judiciary's decision? What good is a right to appeal to the judiciary (which is granted via the due process procedure) if a school can't follow it and is bound by the KHSAA decision? For Leatherneck and the lawyers out there, can an administrative agency of the state (which the KHSAA is) even legally require, as a condition of membership, that a school agree to accept the KHSAA's decision as final and superceding the judiciary? Taken in another context, could the Employment Compensation agency tell an unemployed person that a condition to filing an unemployment claim meant that such person had to agree that the Employment Compensation agency's decision supeceded a subsequent court ruling on the issue? Having posed those questions, I do find it odd that Highlands would now, at this point in time, request the State Board to direct the KHSAA to reverse the sanctions. The only reason I can think they would do so is that the General Assembly has now told the KHSAA in no uncertain terms, I'm advised by friends in the LRC, that the KHSAA cannot impose such sanctions in the future. Perhaps the Highlands administration believes that if the KHSAA cannot impose those sanctions in the future, it was wrong for them to impose them in the past and that the State Board will agree with that reasoning. Hemlock any one?

I've been following the discussion about kids being so much bigger these days. I'm a skinny runt, but some of my kin on the Mrs.' side are rather big boys that played high school football in another state and that discussion got me thinking. The question to ponder: Since the KHSAA is obviously concerned about the safety of the kids playing sports and has imposed various rules and rule changes as a result of safety concerns (I believe that was the justification given for moving the start of the season back a week), should the KHSAA impose a rule (after consultation with the medical group or association in Ky) stating that if a player's body fat index is above a certain level, that player cannot play, or should they simply leave it up to the player's physician and permit the kid to play if the kid passes the physician's physical? If you believe the latter, should a physician that passes a obviously fat kid with a high body fat index, be responsible if that kid then experiences severe health problems while playing football (or some other high school athletic activity)? Hemlock anyone?

In light of the thread about certain school refusing to play other schools, I'd like to pose the following questions for thoughtful response: What message does a coach send to his players and program supporters, when the coach refuses to play strong programs? Is the message that he knows he will lose and sees more value in a cheap win over the benefit of a weakness exposing loss? Is it the message that he has no confidence in his kids? Is it the message that he's concerned that if he loses often to those schools that some younger kids will notice and attend those schools (if nearby) instead of his school? I remember reading a newspaper article last fall quoting a coach (I'm not sure which coach it was or who they even had played) after a playoff game who said something to the effect of: we knew going in that we didn't really have a chance in this game, but we knew that our program would benefit greatly from playing them as it will make our younger kids realize what it takes to be a really good program. I remember thinking to myself: that coach has if figured out. Isn't that logic applicable to regular season games? What is the message(s) that a coach sends when his players and program supporters know that the coach is ducking certain programs?