Response to the No Private School Tournament Responses

My blog hit its biggest day ever Monday with over 600 plus hits. Most controversal column of the year so far. It was really interesting on some of the comments and the posts on MBR about this subject.

It seems that those that are fans of public schools think Private Schools have a big advantage and those that are fans of private schools don’t see it that way. That is understandable. I am nuetral as I have worn the shoes of both sides.

The biggest complaint seems to be that because a semi-private and it is a semi-private school as it has town kids attend without paying tuition has a prep school program that it has a big advantage.

Well lets really look at that picture. There Prep School is located 20 miles off the Interstate in a very small rural town 60 miles north of Bangor.

It also is not the most successful Prep School Program in the State as that one is 35 miles south of Bangor and 3 miles off the interstate. In fact, the Rural prep school is not even in the New England Prep School League and they have not been as strong as the semi-private prep school 3 miles of the interstate.

The rural prep school program has been in existence for 6 or 7 seasons while the prep school south has been in existence for a very, very long time.

The complaint seems to be that because the rural semi-private high  school has a prep team that it is a big advantage. If that is the case then why hasn;t the prep school south of Bangor’s, high school team have not  been as successful as the rural high school? Both are semi-private.

The MPA must think it is fair as they have not intervened and changed rules because the Rural High School Team happened to win a state championship last year for the first time ever for their boys team,

It all boils down to “sour grapes”, it wasn’t a problem until the school won a championship. Just like it was never a problem for a private high school in Bangor playing their home schedule at the Eastern Maine Tournament Site until they won 3 State Championships and had 2 Eastern Maine Runnersup in 7 seasons…then it became an unfair advantage.

I have always thought that the way to make things even was to raise your program up not tear somebody elses down to meet your program.

All high schools in Maine could (and some do now besides the prep school high schools) have built housing for overnighters to take in tuition students, foreign students and foreign exchange students.

With budgets being cut and money for education being really scrutinized it seems that because a school works very hard to attract tuition students that they are having an advantage in athleticsl. Public, semi-private and private schools are all on the same level playing field and if they were not then don’t you think that the MPA would do something about it to even the polaying field. After all the sports season policy, the 5 exhibition dates, etc. were all established to even the athletic playing field.

Don’t you think that if the MPA really thought that this was a problem that presented an uneven playing field they might make either of the following changes.

1. Have a recruiting for athletic purposes class for all schools that wish to be the best that they can be regardless if they are pulbic, semi-private or private. Top class in stae and it could be AA.

2. Go back to the old transfer rule and make all transfers whose parents/guardians do not change domicle be ineligible for one year from the date of transfer regardless if they transfer to a public, private, or semi-private school.

 After all if the student is not transferring for athletic purposes then there should be no problem with sitting out a year if they and their parents/guardians do not change domicle.