Under the current system, there are eight trophies awarded: Championship, second place, third place and fourth place for each class. With four classes, the amount of trophies expands to sixteen. Some can infer that the tournaments are now watered down.
"I think the change to the new class system is good, simply because it gives more kids opportunities to win championships,� said Rock Island Baseball coach Andy Campbell. �I know the argument is you don't want to water down the competition, but with the amount of talent in Illinois in the variety of sports going to the 3 and 4 class systems, I don't believe the system is watered down very much."
Keep in mind that as a result of the new four-class system, the state tournament has changed as far as teams participating: only four teams per class will advance instead of eight.
Why can�t it stay at eight teams? The inference of Dakota Softball coach Kevin Cline:
�To me, this is a mistake,� said Cline. �I realize this new format will be awarding twice as many state trophies as before, but to me, this plan should give more schools and more communities the joy of experiencing a State Tourney. If they reduce the tourneys to four teams, they are still only giving 16 schools per sport this chance. Let's face it, winning a state title is great, but it is making the tourney that is everyone's goal. The whole concept of "going to state" is what every kid dreams of. Under this plan, no more kids will get that opportunity than before."
North Boone Athletics Director and girls basketball coach Dale Purvis agrees.
"Change is something that people are uncomfortable with,� said Purvis. �I am not opposed to the move; my "problem" is that more teams do not get to experience the state tournament. The IHSA is not taking eight teams per class; they are taking four per class. The only difference is that six more trophies will be awarded. On the good side, I am happy for the smaller schools."
The process of watering down the system can have an effect on the credibility of a true champion. Take, for example, Indiana. They have eight classes in basketball and fewer high schools than Illinois does. The arguments that stem from that are the concept of everyone getting a trophy.
"Today�s society has turned into giving everyone a trophy - just look at park district programs. When I was a kid, only the best received trophies,� said Hampshire girls basketball coach Sue Ellett. �The same will happen in basketball - 16 teams will receive trophies - four of which will go to schools with 289 kids or less. I can't see anyone writing a novel like "When We Were Giants" about the state champion of A. I recommend keeping the two class system, having a better seeding system, and making a state title mean something not just giving out trophies to make everybody "feel good." |
