Why the California HS state meet is the best

[dl]

One division. Yes, one. The nation's most populous states crowns just one state champion in each event. Heck, doesn't Michigan's northern peninsula have three divisions! A state title for everyone!

Okay, if you like quantity over quality, perhaps other state meets are for you. But if you win a state meet title in the Golden State, you know you're the best in your state.

The best thing about regionals is that now the NCAA meet no longer conflicts with the Cal State high school meet!

dan (exaggerating state pride to stir up a bit of interstate trashtalking! ) :-)

[gm]

Re: Why the California HS state meet is the best

That's just great since your schools there can recruit outside their districts, etc.

You also don't have too many schools playing six-man football, do ya?

[Guest]

Re: Why the California HS state meet is the best

We here at the NCAA are working to ban the California state meet because it promotes--i can hardly say the word--competition.

Our plan is that each of the 14 million high school kids in California will get their own division and run their own race and evrybody can be champion! Imagine the glory for the coaching community--every school's coach can claim a coupla hundred state champs! What a resume-builder!

[dl]

Re: Why the California HS state meet is the best

Private schools can get kids from wherever, but public schools can't. Besides, it's the public schools that dominate track anyway.

Of course, this doesn't mean that kids don't use gramma's address in another district to attend another school, but that practice isn't unique to California.

[Guest]

Re: Why the California HS state meet is the best

>Private schools can get kids from wherever, but
>public schools can't. Besides, it's the public
>schools that dominate track anyway.

Sure, and Long Beach Poly's teams use neighborhood kids, if the neighborhood is all of SoCal. States with muitiple classes recognize that the the differences between mega-schools with 4,000+ students and rural schools with less than a 100 don't make for fair competition. Facilities, coaching, budget, travel all play a part. Californis can keep their simple solution to a complex question.

[blacklily]

Re: Why the California HS state meet is the best

Yet you forget that Allyson Felix comes from a small school! L.A. Baptist has no more than 600 students. So a tiny school CAN produce a top athlete. I like that California has one champion for one state. No coddling to parents & coaches, who want to make it easier for THEIR kid to hold up a phony title. When you're California champ, you are TRULY the state champ.

[Guest]

Re: Why the California HS state meet is the best

I was watching the PIAA, the Pennsylvania state meet a couple of weeks ago.

The city of Philadelphia doesn't belong to it..

however, next year the PUBLIC school system will..

The annoucers were discussing the significant impact adding Philadelphia would have.

I'm NOT totally aware of the qualifying details, BUT the main point of interest is PHILADELPHIA is an OPEN SCHOOL district. Any student, anywhere can apply go to any school anywhere within the CITY.

So basically there are NO geographic hindrances..

the big change will be basketball, where if you looked at the top 20 teams in the state, 10 would be in the city itself, and 5 in the neighboring counties...

any PAC-10 BB fans out there, watch Mustafa Shakur whose from Friends CEntral here and is going to Arizona...

Jason Kidd = Mustafa Shakur or the other way around

[dj]

Re: Why the California HS state meet is the best

"I'm NOT totally aware of the qualifying details, BUT the main point of interest is PHILADELPHIA is an OPEN SCHOOL district. Any student, anywhere can apply go to any school anywhere within the CITY."

PIAA schools from suburban and rural schools in Pennsylvania are open to kids from other districts for an out-of-district fee which, although I don't the figure, is far from prohibitive. Which means the entire system is open to abuse, or free-choice--however you choose to view it.

[Guest]

Re: Why the California HS state meet is the best

yeah i think thats kinda tyte. texas should do somethin like that. i think it would be real nice to see all the class 1A through 5A race and crown one winner. i would have loved to race a couple of the guys who were fast and were at the state meet in 98. but we wasnt i the same class.

[Guest]

Re: Why the California HS state meet is the best

The kids have to run a lot more races to make the state finals. What they call the "State Meet" in Texas is the equivalent of the "Sectionals" in CA. For instance, the So. Cal CIF has its 1-A, 2-A, etc. championships, and the following week, it has the "Master's Meet" - the CIF championship, with the best from the divisions squaring off. And that's after having to go through the prelims for each division. It's close to the same for the rest of the state. Yeah, kids do lie, or more correctly, the parents lie in order to get kids to schools that are known for having strong programs, but that goes on all over the country. The rules against it aren't enforced all that well in certain areas, due to it not being "PC". However, it's still tougher to make the state meet finals in CA than anywhere else. The flip side is that some kids are burned out by the time the national meets roll around.

[sl]

Re: Why the California HS state meet is the best

Henry Rono, during his time at Wazoo, was said to have been perplexed by the multiple divisions in NCAA collegiate running, the NAIA and JUCO. "Does every American runner need to be a champion?" he asked.

When you look around at the way most states conduct their "State" meets, I'd have to ask that question also. Seems there is a strong current of that kind of thinking running through our culture.

So you're from a small school and not good enough to make it to State in California? Oh, well. Most of us survive without ever competing in the Olympics. Seems most of the other states could learn a thing or two about the realities of life and the distribution of talent from the Golden State meet--a meet that really counts for something.

[jhc68]

Re: Why the California HS state meet is the best

Seems like the California system is better, at least for states with big population. CA is right,the CIF Southern Section Finals offer team competition in 4 divisions with roughly equal school sizes. And Allyson Felix ran in the smallest school division at that meet but will (I assume) win a couple of state championships tomorrow. It is great coup for the student and the community when small school kids win the California State Meet and establish that they are true "state" champions. It can be done. During the past 20 years our local school has varied between 600-900 students but produced two state mile champions and, most recently, a shot champion. There is little chance for a small school to win a team title these days (except behind the power of a super-athlete like Felix) but it is still a great system for individuals.

[gm]

Re: Why the California HS state meet is the best

hell, why have any weight divisions in wrestling/boxing, either? it's the same sport!

if you little dudes can't hang, too bad

keep having your state HS meet in nutland somewhere near Labor Day and we'll keep ours where and how we have it, OK?

[jhc68]

Re: Why the California HS state meet is the best

Calm down ! Do whatever you like, it is just that the California format is better :-D

[Guest]

Re: Why the California HS state meet is the best

The problem is, California thinks they're soooo much better than everyone. The fact is, in the past 10 years, maybe more, you definitely take a back seat to Texas on the men's side and in some years Florida is just as good or better. Cal women are riding a peak, but everything ends eventually. Quit being so preachy, I used to look forward to the Cal state meet, now I just want to see how badly your men fair against Texas. Most years you would be good comp for TX 3A or 4A. You'll have to go though qualifying before going against 5A.