Letter to the Editor

LETTERS: CRUCIAL ATHLETIC ISSUE

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To the editor:

This week, administrators of 566 high schools in Missouri are voting on a very important issue. The Missouri State High School Activities Association's official spring ballot includes a proposal to separate public and non-public state championships for basketball, baseball, football, softball, volleyball, wrestling and track and field. This is the most crucial issue for high school athletics in the state.

Splitting non-public and public school sports is not the answer.

Some individuals want to set up separate state championships. It is their concern that non-public schools have an unfair advantage over public schools in high school competition.

As a member of the ad-hoc committee that has studied this issue for the past year, I realize their concerns. Unfortunately, a few bad apples can spoil the whole bunch. The people who favor separate playoffs are in an uproar because there are a handful of school in our state, public and non-public, who are not abiding by the rules. Do we want to allow a few schools to change what has been healthy competition for 70 years? The MSHSAA has legislated penalties for schools, athletes and coaches who break rules for fair play and conduct. Let's demand fair play, not punish student athletes because a few schools have been unethical.

Changing the current playoff system would be a big mistake. Other states have tried and have failed. Kendall Simcox, principal of Orrick High School and a member of our committee, implied that the committee avoided discussion of separate playoffs. I am sure Mr. Simcox is well-respected in his region and is a fine principal/coach/athletic director, but in fairness to the committee, he only attended half our meetings. The committee discussed this option in great length. Separating playoffs was a recommendation that was voted on by the committee and unanimously rejected on three different occasions (one straw vote and two formal votes).

We must consider the burdens that would be placed on many non-public schools across the state. Half of the non-public schools are located in St. Louis. Many non-public schools are spread out across the entire state. Scheduling of games could become a nightmare. Non-public schools would have to face a huge financial burden to travel to play other non-public schools in their district. Notre Dame High School of Cape Girardeau would have to travel to St. Louis if expected to compete against other non-public schools. Traditional rivalries and conference alignments would be lost for many schools.

The ad-hoc committee was made up of members who were elected by their peers. At these meetings, the discussions were lively. However, a consensus existed that our student athletes can be best served by the current system with certain revisions. The committee has approved several recommendations that may help. Will they fix the problems overnight? No way. There is not a quick-fix solution to the problem. The problem is violations are not being officially reported. They are simply being discussed among separate schools. One recommendation of the committee was to create regional enforcement committees. The members of this committee will receive reports of local infractions. They, in turn, will report to the MSHSAA violations that they feel need to be investigated.

The question we must ask ourselves before establishing such a radical change is: What is best for the children of Missouri? Separation of a very healthy association could be devastating to many schools. Would the non-public schools want to maintain membership in an association which does not allow them to compete for a state championship of all schools? Maybe not. If non-public school formed their own association, would they place limits on recruiting, geographical attendance or undue influence? I don't think so. If non-public schools formed their own association, they would not be allowed to compete against members of the MSHSAA. This would mean that non-public schools could only compete against other non-public schools. This is not what is best for our students at Notre Dame where our toughest opponents are public schools. A wise coach once said, "Love your toughest opponent, for only he can bring out your best performance."

Unfortunately, today's society has placed too much emphasis on winning and losing. The main objective should be to instill the proper values that will enable an athlete to be successful in life. Values cannot be legislated. They must be learned from people whom we respect. To enable our athletes to be successful, they must work hard, follow rules, practice teamwork, be patient and follow directions. Are the adults who are wanting to separate school competition practicing what we preach? Are they respecting the rights of all students in Missouri? Or are they concerned because a few school are dominating a particular sport? I hope that high school administrators use careful thought before making a hasty decision that could negatively affect many students.

CHRIS JANET, Athletic Director

Notre Dame High School

Cape Girardeau