imo

Even if you play your bench, I don't think it is fair to ask them not to score. That is the object of the game. I do think that it is good to have a mercy rule.

I wouldn't mind having to pay to play. I too pay for school supplies and books, so I agree that parents shouldn't expect sports to be free. As far as the comment in the initial post about "tax supported schools" charging players to pay.....taxes are supposed to give our kids an education, not a ball team. Please remember that sports are extracurricular activities. I don't think taxes should be used at all to support sports. If taxes are used then all students should be given the chance to play all sports. There shouldn't be try-outs, you should just get to sign up for the sport and play, no one student denied. After all, when was the last time your child had to "try-out" to take a math class.

So in 2008 there were 4 to 7 graduates in the eighth grade class at St. A? Five came to St. Patrick so there had to be at least five, which means the majority did not continue their education at Augusta or Bracken Co. And you are saying only 2 graduated in 2009? I was told that there is at least one going to St. Patrick, so that leaves one that will attend public high school. Still not "all or most" attending public schools in Bracken County. I know in the past "all or most" did go on to public school, but that was before St. Patrick made it more convenient for the graduates of St. A to attend St. Patrick and since my comment was in reference to the future of the girls basketball program at St. Pat, I was referring future students from St. A and St. Michaels that may choose to attend St. Pat. It was just an observation. I can't predict the future, just saying that if they have one or two incoming freshmen each year that are interested in playing basketball added to the current students that are playing, then the program can survive I think my source of information has been pretty accurate.

To correct myself, I was just informed that there were actually five incoming freshmen to St. Patrick that formerly attended St. Augustine. How many did St. A graduate in 2008? Just wondering?

I din't say that all or most of the St Augustine kids go to St. Patrick, just saying that there are some kids that have and there is the posibility that some girls from St. Augustine could continue their Catholic education at St. Patrick in the future thus changing the demographics when it comes to athletics at St. Patrick. "if not all" ... where are you getting your information? There were three students that I know of (maybe more) that entered the St Pat freshman class last year that were from Augusta and as far as I know were former students at St A, (or maybe they attended Augusta pulic school..idk) two of the three were girls and both girls participated in sports. Just saying that a couple of girls from St. A plus a couple from St. Michaels in Ripley and the number of girls playing ball could increase.

I understood this to mean there would be no girls basketball in two years not that there would be no school. I can understand this observation due to the fact there there is a shortage of players on the middle school level. Each year St. Patrick High school has new students who were formerly attending Catholic elementery schools in Ohio and Augusta so it remains to be seen what new students will sign up to play sports of any kind upon enrolling at St Pat.

Coach Douglas knows how to further develop the talent she has on her team. I say keep Coach Douglas. I'm sure you Royal fans would rather St. Patrick bring back Coach Orme because the Lady Saints would be less of a threat to the Lady Royals. If Coach Orme is is so wonderful why didn't Mason County snatch him up last year after Busser retired????

They have been saying that for years.

Went to a camp last week with 25 teams (plus or minus) .....about 17 Varsity and 7 or 8 JV. six games each night with two gyms per loacation so there was always a varsity game being played and the admission was $2 kids under 12 were free. Could get your hand stamped to go fromn gym to gym each night. I thought that was very reasonable. I went to the same camp last year and I thought the admission was higher. I could be wrong about that. Still it was a good deal and there were a lot of teams to watch. With the economy in the shape it is, you would think a lower price would bring more people in. Then you just make up for it in concession (bottled water) sales!!!!! LOL

I totally agree. I have seen it happen...a teacher who never even played the sport now coaching it without a clue. KHSAA has reviewed this from what I am told and they say that the Ky Education Association is in favor of keeping that rule intact. Doesn't make sense to me.

Which makes me ask this question....., does Brossart require their coaches to be teachers?

Just to clarify.....you do not have to have teaching credentials to coach hs basketball in Kentucky. To be a teacher in Ky you have to have a teaching degree or a teaching certificate. Teaching certificates are given to people who went to college to get a degree in something other than teaching but are considered quailified to teach a class in a related subject ...for instance a nurse who has a degree in nursing but not a teaching degree may be able to obtain from the state a teaching certificate to teach health class at a school. Coaching in Ky according to the KHSAA requires that a coach have 63(?) college credit hours. They do not have to be in any special area. A coach does not have to have teaching credentials unless they are also seeking a job at the school in a teaching capacity. So unless she was applying for a teaching position, this whole issue of Douglas not having teaching credentials makes no sense. I seriously doubt she would apply for a teaching position since she is not a teacher.

Considering all these teams but one are on their 09-10 schedule, this should a good indicator of the upcoming season. I did notice that they are not scheduled to play St. Patrick yet. This is always a good "crosstown rivalry" game.

That would be an interesting move. Maybe girls in high school would be interested in playing again. Let's not forget it is a high school team. I can understand where smaller schools have to go to lower grades to have enough players but in a school as big as Mason County, there should be enough (athletic) girls in high school to have a team without going down to middle school. I personally think that their practice of bringing up 7th and 8th graders to start varsity over high school girls has hurt their program the last few years.

Well, we all know that she won't be head coach at Brossart. Hinson's job was cut at St. Patrick so he lost primary income at the school. Coach Douglas is not employed by the school so you can't compare the two.

I can't see her leaving unless the school should close or unless she is told to leave. I would be very suprised if she were to leave voluntarily. And again, as far as the schools cutbacks...coaches are not paid out of the school budget, they are paid through SPAC, which funds all extracurricular activities. It is a totally separate fund. Yes everyone there is concerned about the future of the school, but Elaine Douglas has too good of a thing going with the team she has now to give it up. She has had the girls since they started playing ball. They work hard and they want to win. I can't see her leaving this group of girls like that. She cares too much about them and they love her....it's not anything like Hinson. The bond with this team goes much deeper.

As far as i know, Coach Hinson didn't have a teaching job at St. Pat. He has been taking courses to finish his degree. The only jobs he held were elementery AD, PE proctor and Head Coach of High school Basketball, from what I understand. I could be wrong. He may have finished the courses needed to get a teaching certificate, but the last i knew he was still taking courses to get it.

No one knows....very vague answers from Covington on that subject. One says "I have no doubt the school will be open for the 09-10 school year" which to me means he has no doubt, but isn't a definate yes it will be open. And from the bishop in Covington "It is not my intention to close the school" which imo really doesn't mean it won't close, he isn't going to close it intentionally, but what if it should fail financially, will he have to close it?. Who knows. It won't survive unless some big changes are made.

So what will he be doing at the school other than coaching?

St Pat didn't have anything to do with him leaving the coaching job, they only cut his job in the school from what I understand. It was his decision to resign his coaching position. If he is also receiving a job at Augusta School with the coaching position, then I would say this is a good move. If not, then I can't understand why you would leave a head coaching position to be and assistant coach at an equally small school.

Actually the coach at St. Patrick is not paid by the school. SPAC pays the coaches and their money is totally separate from the school budget. SPAC does funraisers to fund all the sports programs at the school. Secondly, until about a decade ago I don't recall there being a PE teacher in the grade school. The teachers conducted the class, having the kids do organized sports such as soccer, relay races or kickball type activities. I think the teachers can handle PE. Back in my day teachers taught PE and there was no epidemic of childhhood obesity, now we have PE teachers and more kids than ever are overweight. The PE teachers don't seem to be making a diiference, but how can they when kids today spend most of their afternoons on the couch watching TV or playing video games while they eat their McDonalds french fries? And I agree that the a new PE teacher could be tougher, since Hinson was actually doing the same thing as the teachers used to do (split them up in teams and have them play basketball or soccer). Nothing personal against Hinson, but the point of PE is to keep the kids active, which is what he did and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to do what he was doing. What he did for PE is about all you can do, and anyone can do it.

I agree with this, but to have a great team the girls have to get along and realize that they need to make sacrifices to win games. If the girls have a passion for the game, motivation is not a large factor.

I must have missed where anyone brought up the two losses to St Pat but since you brought it up.....the losses that Bracken had last season against Lewis, Fleming, and Pendelton, and Ludlow, teams that St. Patrick beat, don't help your argument. To say you could were having a bad day in those two games (which was actually three losses to St Pat) may be justified if you had won the above mentioned games. Plus there was a 44 point loss to GRC who only beat St Pat by 3 points. When you consider how Bracken was rated on this site last year in the region preview (number six) and teams like Ludlow, St Patrick, and Scott were not rated, I would have to say, in my opinion that Bracken was over-rated. Plus, if you can't seem to "reach " your players when there are on the floor at game time then you have a problem b/c that is when they should be motivated and if they have to be motivated to want to win then you have a bigger problem. That is how I think St Pat is different. St Pat girls don't have to be motivated by their coach, they all want to win and they hate to lose Since you brought it up..........

Hinson or Kelsch...who is better. I don't know, but just because you are a better shooter doesn't make you a better coach. Those who can, do... those who can't, teach!

There was a lot of hype last year over Bracken. What players will they lose? Who do they have coming up?