Trinity alum

The problem is that there are also public schools that make that type of effort, so why kick out just the private schools? There are also private schools that put little effort into sports. Why not kick Woodford County, Union County and Campbell County out of wrestling? They are very dominant in that sport. Isn't that proof of some advantage? And make no mistake about it, Prop 20 kicks the private schools out of championship play. Football is the most extreme example. Class 3A and 4A would consist of two teams each. Since the state takes the revenue from the championship, Trinity this past season would have lost out on four games and $80,000 to $100,000 in revenue. There is no way that that can be seen as an equitable situation.

LBBC, You seem to take great offense at some of the "just work harder" comments and I'm not sure that I blame you. Let me tell you what I mean by working harder. The community starts high quality youth leagues. The community puts emphasis on sports participation by all kids. The community works to provide facilities for the kids. The community works hard to provide good facilities for the high schools. The school works hard to find the kids that are not participating and get them involved in something - some of them will choose sports. The voters of the area tax themselves enough to pay for great schools AND great sports programs. Most of these things are beyond the ability of an individual coach to provide. They are a community responsibility, but I can't see why our kids should be punished because we choose to provide all of those things for our kids.

I think that when you look around the state you see a lot of teams that can compete. I know the kind of effort that Trinity puts into all sports, especially football. Look at Woodford County in wrestling. Is there something unfair going on that causes them to be so good? Is it maybe possible that they have made an effort to develop a program that is just better than the others? I for one will never deny that some of the private schools have advantages. What I will deny is that those advantages are unfair or that those advantages are due to anything other than the efforts of the school community. It isn't easy, but schools like Woodford County in wrestling show that it can be done.

I think there is a little local politics involved that cause some of the Trinity guys to want to make sure that everyone knows how they feel about Coach Beatty. Some of our ex-men brothers seem to find it necessary to paint Beatty as a guy that parents and players can't stand. You hear hints of it on this board and it is much stronger in private conversations. My sons enjoyed playing for Coach Beatty and have a great deal of respect for him. I think that the negative whisper campaign has its origins in two things. First Coach Beatty is not a warm and fuzzy guy. If you ask him something you will get a straight answer with no sugar coat. The second thing is that x has a lot of trouble beating him on the field, even when they have better talent. You know the old adage, "If you can't beat them, spread rumours about them".

I think that this issue will never be settled to the satisfaction of both sides. One side thinks that equality of opportunity is fair. The other side will not be satisfied until there is equality of results. Any reasonable compromise will not change the results on the field.

Or stated another way, what could be worse than Prop 20?

I think that any compromise will be along the lines of what the private schools have already offered. Briefly that is: - Geographic restriction of the drawing area for student athletes with an exception for students from defined feeder schools. - Strict enforcement of the existing rules regarding recruiting and financial aid. Enforcement of the rules must apply to both public and private schools. - Some type of eligibility penalty for students that are from outside the geographic drawing area or defined feeder schools. I hope that some sort of deal can be reached, but I am not holding my breath while waiting. I think that some of the leaders on the public side know that the results on the field are not likely to be changed by implementing anything like what I listed above. I am afraid that they won't agree to anything and will be back next year and every year for as long as it takes until they wear everyone out. Without a compromise, things will stay close to what they are today and we will be back talking about this again.

There is still aproblem. The playoffs can be an important source of revenue. Four rounds of the playoffs are worth $80,000 to $100,000 to Trinity. (Just a guess.) How do you propose to replace the chance at that type of revenue for the private schools? Separate is UNEQUAL.

There is another factor. When I was in high school girls athletics did not exist in public schools. The private girls schools in Louisville had strong athletic programs that are now 70 or 80 years old. They have long traditions and emphasis. They also are the featured sports in their schools. I am a firm believer that you get out of an athletic program what you put into it. That goes more for the administration and feeder schools than it does for the coaches and players. It is a given that the coaches and players will work hard.

That's good.

I think if you look into the situation you will find that it is not as clear cut that LC offered financial aid based on athletic prowess. Rather there was financial aid given to needy students, some of whom were athletes. There is a big difference. There is also no indication that LC ever placed athletics over academics. That said, awarding financial aid to an athlete outside the procedures approved by the KHSAA is a clear violation and deserves to be punished. It has been. There is a very generous benefactor of Trinity that tells a story about when he was a student. It was a long time ago. As I recall the story, his family was having trouble keeping up with the tuition payments. He went in to talk to Father Duer (then principal) and said that he might have to leave. As far as I know, the student was not an athlete. He was told not to worry, that there was no way Trinity was going to let him leave for financial reasons. He has never forgotten and has paid it back many times over. Unfortunately, that type of caring attitude would no longer be allowed, at least for athletes. I understand why, but it is still unfortunate.

Does anyone have a loink to the Bozich column?

There are other factors to be considered. If one kid has a B in remedial math and the other has a D in calculus, should the D be suspended? I think that one consequence of overly inflexible rules is that the kids will "dumb down" their schedule. I think that performance in the classroom is a place where the coach needs to work with the teachers to do what is best for the kid. For one kid a C in a class may be a result of goofing off. For another, it may be their best work. I knew a coach once that sat a kid down for a couple of games, not because he was failing, but because the kids teacher reported that the kid wasn't working at close to his potential. That is the way it should work.

Yes, I am upset about the Oak Hill restriction. I view the public/private debate as unsolvable. One side views unequal results as evidence of unfair rules (or as evidence of rule violations). The other side says that unequal results are a result of time, effort and resources. Any reasonable compromise with privates will not change the results on the field, so those who favor separation won't be satisfied with any compromise. I feel very strongly that separation is grosssly unfair to the private schools. How can those two positions be resolved? I really think that the solution is on the time, effort and resources side. By time effort and resources I don't mean the effort of individual teams or coaches. Private schools don't have exclusive rights to hard work. The real difference maker is the support network for the school and teams. If there is to be a solution, I think that is where it has to happen. If there are rules within individual school districts that are in the way, change the rules or change the leadership.

Bases in softball are I think 60 feet. There is no mound. The fences are also a lot shorter. Those are the big differences.

I'll only disagree with you on one point. We don't establish more teams because we aren't sure who will develop later. We establish more teams because we believe that sports are an important part of education, so we make them available for as many kids as we can. Most of the kids in Catholic grade schools in Louisville play at least one sport. Many play two or three. It is a huge advantage for the Catholic High Schools, but not an unfair advantage. Do you want to build a great high school program? Take your two year old to high school games. Dress them in your schools gear. Let them grow up dreaming of playing for the local high school. When they get a little older, sign them up for sports. Start sports programs in your grade school and encourage ALL kids to play. Make it fun, but also make it competitive. Help coach, it takes a lot of adults to have that kind of program.

RockDad, Where can we get tapes? I had to miss the championship for the first time since 1970. I'd love to get a copy.

Whether it was a fluke or not, on that night, Dixie had the better team. That's why they went on.

You seem to have a problem with the advertising. Trinity, x and all of the other private schools exist soley on the basis of families that have opted to send their children there. Not only that, they also start with a built in competitive disadvantage of $8,000 per year. In other words, if a family does not perceive that a private education is worth at least $32,000, they won't send their kids and spend the money. You don't have to agree with their thinking, but if they don't see the value they won't send their kids. Advertising is used to help educate people about what the school has to offer.

Gosh, I sure do wish Switzer hadn't been injured all season. And I wish I weighed 20 pounds less. And I wish I'd hit the Powerball. You play with the players you have. That's the way it works.

How about this. On September 23, x had the better team. On December 2, Trinity had the better team. All other dates are a matter of opinion. Fortunately for us, December 2 is the one they give a trophy for.

I think that Trinity has a very good chance of repeating. I make it 12 starters returning. That is a HUGE number for Trinity. The strength of the team should be the o-line, quarteback, d-line and linebacker. There are holes to fill, but that is more the norm at Trinity. With that said, it is also obvious that there are a lot of very good teams that will make a strong run. It is always hard to repeat.

My guess is that they will. I know they have in the past. I remember the 3-peat float in the 91 parade. I like your idea for a sponsor. Maybe the group could include some guys on unicycles pedaling backward (back pedaling).

No, he posted a different stat. Over a 40 year period, no other school has been as successful. That was what I posted.

I erased what I was going to say. It was too easy and cheap. No doubt it was a clerical error.