oldunclemark

2 hours ago, coach_schreibjr said:

I could be wrong about this but the similarity amongst those schools that have suspended summer conditioning, including school city of Hammond and East Chicago is that none of those schools have introduced reopening plans as individual districts. In my opinion, that plays an incredible role, it seems that a district would have a plan in place to reopen before allowing fall sports to proceed. School City of Hammond is announcing their entry into fall athletics on Tuesday. 

True, suspended is not cancelled...........and schools are still scrambling with the reopening plans...

The 8 schools (so far) could all decide to go forward with football

20 hours ago, Titan32 said:

This is why Indiana will play in the fall.

In NW Indiana, Portage, Boone Grove, Calumet and River Forest have suspended ALL fall athletics until further notice

On 7/14/2020 at 10:11 AM, Coach Nowlin said:

Fort Wayne doing phone interviews now with parents to find out their thoughts.   Seems late in the game to start that personally......

 

 

 

Very late. This discussion should have been had in May.

What you're basically asking parents to do is sign a 'death waiver' 

On the teeny, weenie miniscule chance your kids dies from the virus he caught at our school, please dont sue us.

On 7/14/2020 at 9:54 AM, Temptation said:

I want to add that I believe that suburban and rural schools will probably be fine.  They might have an outbreak or close around flu season but I think the Indy schools are in trouble.

“Awaiting the July 4th spike” is now the new buzz phrase...

For some reason in NW Indiana..the virus situation is worse lately in Porter County than it is in Lake County

(for those who dont know, Porter County is the border to the east of Lake County)

19 hours ago, Coach Nowlin said:

As long as the games are on Saturdays, right @oldunclemark  🤣  

Now, you're talking, coach!!!

When we get to the playoffs, half the classes play Friday and the other half play Saturday. 😉

(and the world will be a better place) 

18 hours ago, Lysander said:

Just bear in mind that baseball isn’t the only alternative Spring sport you are contending with.  Most every school is also going to have track.  Many other schools are also going to have golf, lacrosse and rugby.  

I played football both ways in HS but if had been forced to make a choice between track and football, I’d have chosen track.  Not because I liked running in circles until I puked vs playing football but because running in circles paid for my college....something football wasn’t going to do.

Not to mention the point @Temptation made earlier about underclassmen would basically be playing continuous football from literally January through the end of November in the case of teams that would make deep runs.  That’s 11 straight months of football for underclassmen.

I think spring is problematic.

 Lysander. This whole situation is problematic (I'm not sure what that word means, half the time) 

LaCrosse and rugby are not IHSAA sports so they will just have to suffer.  This is an emergency.  

The spring season would end in June. The school year ends in June.  Nobody would play or practice 11 months in a row. 

Everyone would be free to choose the sport they wished to play.    

Folks. Time is running out to make a decision. Once half the schools in your conference cancel fall sports, youre done whether you want to be or not.

The whole state needs to go to the spring. It is happening elsewhere.

Up here, Portage announces Wednesday (7-15-20) that they will have no in-school classes for the first nine weeks (beginning Aug. 12) ..

Portage Township has 7,000 students.   All athletics have been suspended.

Lake County (LC, Crown Point, Munster, Lowell, Merrillville, etc.) has not done that. They still plan to open. 

47 minutes ago, wabashalwaysfights said:

Guys, if we are bringing honest there is next to zero chance of having a viable vaccine by this coming spring. If we play football at all this school year, we play with the spectre of Covid. Period.

@oldunclemark, I completely understand your premise and kind of figured that your primary exposure had been with larger schools. I get it, but the fact of the matter is that if you say to small schools that only juniors and seniors can play in the spring of 2021, you have no football at the 1A and 2A level. It just can't happen. No Jr. High ball can be handled, we didn't have a Jr. High team for a bit and we remain competitive at the Varsity level. If bigger schools wanted to limit underclassman participation in the manner you describe,  more power to them, but for the IHSAA to mandate that would be... not good...

No. Not what I'm saying.  Freshman and sophomores most surely can play at 1A and 2A schools as needed. Nobody will be denied a chance to play varsity if they are good enough.

3A, 4A, 5A and 6A teams can load up the varsity with freshmen and sophomores if they want to so young boys can get the Friday experience....

But they will be denied a chance to play freshman or JV ball.....because 2021 spring ball is just for the varsity...for the seniors (who have only one more year remaining), and for that dirty money. 

This is an emergency solution for one year. but, to your comment, I agree we will live our entire lives in the 'spectre of Covid' .   I highly doubt that I'll live long enough to see us go back to 'normal' 

We are entering a series of 'new normals'.  What I'm suggesting is just the first one.

51 minutes ago, RegionFBFan said:

I want football as bad as anyone. I want it this Fall though. Uncle Mark you are citing all these other reasons to have it in the Fall other than the most important which is Money. I agree and stated football pays for all other sports. I get it but just don't lose sight of this as the main reason.

In regards to vaccination, I wouldn't hold your breathe on it being approved, manufactured, distributed and injected in time for Spring football. 

What I'm saying is that money isnt an evil motive. Football money helps pay for other sports. 

And I know you know high school coaches and, to them,, its not about the money. Its about the boys playing their senior year.

I also wouldnt try to predict the future on when a vaccine or treatment or cure will come....We are in wildly uncharterted territory.  In would say there is far more chance of a medical solution in 6  months than there is in 6 weeks, OK?

27 minutes ago, RegionFBFan said:

The only reason there would possibly be Spring football is the IHSAA and schools  needs the revenue from football to fund all sports. You can talk all you want about player safety and number of games and yada, yada, yada.  It's usually comes down to the almighty dollar!!

Hold on RFB:

Dont forget. The football dollar supports other sports. 

We may have a vaccine by spring. 

It makes a ton of  sense to play football in March with a vaccine than to play it in August without one.'

That's called played safety.

And there is a second reason to play. So boys who have waited all their lives to get to the varsity can play varsity football.

That's part of high school.  That's why were here.

 Harrison was an early president but the controversy surrounds him leading the military against Native Americans before the was president.?

I dont get the controversy. He was the 9th president of the USA...and he was governor of the Indiana Territory. 

He was fighting FOR the USA..  I would honor him. 

This revisionist push cant come to Indiana.   We're by definition 'the land of the Indians" 

What about Chief Elkhart or Chief Wawasee? Indiana Princess Mishawaka.?

What about General Anthony Wayne (for whom Fort Wayne is named)?  What about John Newton, a soldier in the revolutionary war, for when Newton County (South and North Newton high schools) is named.? I'm sure they led battles where many died. 

Speaking for myself, I dont want to look into the background of everyone whose name adorns and school, town or county to find something that could be considered wrong in the modern day.

I like the fact that Indiana honors both generals and Native Americans.

On 7/13/2020 at 8:09 AM, wabashalwaysfights said:

All well and good, but you initial point that it would just be this years current Junior class that gets "double hit" is still incorrect. Even accepting your premise that JV and Freshman games would not be allowed, which I still find hard to believe that they wouldn't, those freshmen and sophomores will still practice and will still see in some cases significant Varsity playing time at the 1A, 2A, and 3A levels. Freshmen maybe less depending on roster size, but still, even with your suggestion there are still at least 3 classes, freshmen through juniors, who would play in the Spring and Fall of 2021.

Im in NW Indiana so I dont see Class 1A football...but few 3A and  4A, (and almost no 5A or 6A) teams up here use freshmen on the varsity at any time. 1A and 2A public schools would have to but you cant risk no football for the Class of 2021 (opening and closing (a shutdown) the next few weeks) because an alternative is TOO MUCH football.

In my proposal, there would be no spring freshman or JV football in small part, BECAUSE you didn't want boys playing 20 games in 9 months.  The virus is the main reason but I agree you dont want boys playing 20 games in 40 weeks .

So no 8th grade fotOball. No freshman foOtball. No JV football. None of those boys are graduating next June. They'll get another chance to play.

Those freshman (Class of '24) or sophomore (Class of '23) boys could practice with the football team or they could play baseball or run track.

And lets be blunt. Cancelling the season after it begins means boys dont play ANY games in this school year.   I'd rather have boys worry about playing TOO MANY games than losing an entire season.

This isnt a proposal for what would be best for all concerned. This is a 'Plan B', something short of a worst case scenario.

Up here (NW Indiana) Portage and Boone Grove have already shut down athletic workouts indefinetly.  So what I'm suggesting may not be open to negotiation. Again, It does not matter what you and I want.

It may be spring football or nothing.

Portage (up here in NW Indiana in Porter County) has suspended ALL athletic activities 'until further notice' 

I'm worried, gentlemen.

9 hours ago, wabashalwaysfights said:

This is only true at your bigger schools.  Most 1A, 2A, and 3A schools carry freshmen through seniors on their varsity rosters. 

Also, to think that most staffs aren't going to fight for at least JV games (even if only a couple) is fantasy.  Those reps are seen by most small schools as crucial (and they are). You would even see a push for a Jr. H8gh season in most cases.

But what folks 'want and 'push for' isnt relevant this year.   There will be no 8th grade football.    There will be no freshman football. There will be no JV football.  

The testing and protocols will be difficult enough with the varsity.  You dont need to multiply all the tests and precautions and sanitation and transportation concerns by 4.  

..and in the 20 games in 9 month scenario, you dont want 8th grade, freshman and JV football in the spring. 

Again, we're back to the risk and liability. For this year (spring of '21), there will be nothing but varsity football.  Its not a choice. 

It doesn't matter what you and I want.   This is a crisis solution....being done for the older boys so they wont miss their one chance to play and compete. 

With the virus risk, especially in the Indy area, I think spring football in the answer.

6 hours ago, OldschoolFB said:

As opposed to just covering their backsides liability wise, perhaps they should consider the kids mental health by being locked in their homes for 3/4 if a year without school or contact with their friends.  Find a solution to the liability as opposed to cancelling everything. 

What is that solution, OSFB?

Titan. Its not that easy.  Numbers are not a problem at big schools but they are at small ones. Some 1A schools dont have freshman or JV teams

But its bigger than that.

If kids test positive, how long can the school keep holding practices and games....?  Legally, how long can they do it before they get shut down by the administration.?  Liability is the line in the sand. 

Schools wont accept liability for giving a minor a virus that, in extreme situations, could kill him.  Lawyers could bring the season to a halt.

.

6 hours ago, wabashalwaysfights said:

That's what I said when this was brought up before. To my mind, that "grind" would be worse for high school age student-athletes than the threat posed to them by Covid. And I get it, the fear surrounding Covid isn't necessarily just the student-athletes, but still...

Keep in mind, the Class of 2021 would graduate.....and freshman wouldnt have played in the spring because they were not in school yet

Most sophomores would not have played either. 

Spring football would only be for varsity, not JV and freshman teams.

Only the junior class would go through the 20 games in 9 month scenario you point out...and they would have the choice to skip one season or the other. 

The nightmare scenario is to start the season and then have to cancel due to positive virus cases. 

7 hours ago, Obi-Wan said:

Do you let the boys play both sports? and if you do how do you monitor practices with most baseball taking place during key days of game planning practice for football? 

No. Boys would have to choose between football and baseball. You couldnt do both, in my mind.

That's a hardship for small schools where the best athletes do both.   No doubt. But this change would just be for this year and the boys would have a choice.

4 hours ago, DannEllenwood said:

Mark

you know I love what you do for Hs sports, but if these riots, protests, defacing public property, and people being allowed to do midnight yoga in nyc, sane, logical people who want their kids to be able to get in person education and play sports BETTER HAVE THAT SAME OPPORTUNITY!  

I agree with you in theory, but, once there are positive tests, what happens.?  

Parents have to sign waivers saying the school district carries no responsibility for their safety, concerning this issue. I know you know how schools think. They are not going to accept any liability.

Teenage virus infections are a small percentage...and I really miss the games. Its been a rough year.   Senior boys may have only one chance to start.. They have waited all their lives to start and play. This year. 

But what does the school do when 2 kids on the varsity test positive?  Drop them from the team for 10 days to 2 weeks?

What if its 6 kids?  And its the week of the sectional?  See what I'm saying? 

21 hours ago, FormerCoach said:

Indiana won't be far behind.  

 

Exactly, coach. I bet they do it in Texas and Florida, for sure.

In Indiana, there very few spring sports that play on Friday night.  Baseball doesnt

Start in March and end in June.

That gives us time to get a vaccine or a treatment for the virus.....Its radical but it makes a lot of sense...

3 hours ago, Temptation said:

It was fun while it lasted.  I’ll be shocked if there’s not an announcement made by the end of the week...

Up in NW Indiana, Boone Grove has put all fall sports workouts on hold due to the virus.

Over the weekend, the Crown Point Babe Ruth baseball all-star teams reported 3 positive test for the virus.

I just dont see schools doing nothing when positive tests pop up. 

It doesnt matter what we think. Schools have liability to consider.

My idea would be that the ENTIRE 1A, 3A and 5A tournament be played on Friday...

..while the ENTIRE 2A, 4A and 6A tourneys be played on Saturday.

That would up gate receipts because fans could watch two games a week.

Media could cover more games and and boys who play could also see the playoffs.