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All-area team complaints: How do you respond?

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by TheHacker, Apr 2, 2011.

  1. Sports Barf

    Sports Barf Well-Known Member

    You're calling me a troll, seriously? That's the very definition of racism
     
  2. cisforkoke

    cisforkoke Well-Known Member

    This thread is the gift that keeps on giving.
     
    cjericho likes this.
  3. Old Time Hockey

    Old Time Hockey Active Member

    I just checked three different online dictionaries and two in the office. Didn't find "troll" included once in a definition of racism.
     
  4. Sports Barf

    Sports Barf Well-Known Member

    You checked THREE sources? Deep.
     
  5. nietsroob17

    nietsroob17 Well-Known Member

    I can't wait for this one ...

    One of the girls swimmers in our county swam in the Olympics over the summer, but for Yemen (her father's homeland), using a loophole that allowed swimmers to represent countries that might not have otherwise had a representative under more stringent qualifying processes. We also had two other local athletes compete in swimming and taekwondo for Haiti.

    Problem is, she's only middle-of-the-pack when it comes to other swimmers in the county.

    Can't wait for the complaints when she fails the make our all-county team and her parents respond by saying, "But she's an Olympian!" :D
     
  6. BurnsWhenIPee

    BurnsWhenIPee Well-Known Member

    I would think sports like swimming and track would be the easiest to have an all-area team.

    Sure, there may be some factors like weather conditions and being pushed/not pushed by the level of competition, but for the most part, it's the individual against the clock. Any parent who argues against that is never going to be placated. Golf is probably close to that, too, assuming the schools are playing on largely the same courses throughout the year and you go with a stroke average.
     
  7. JBHawkEye

    JBHawkEye Well-Known Member

    Actually, that gives you a perfect response for every all-area complaint forever.

    "Hey, there was once an Olympic swimmer who didn't make our all-county team. That's how tough it is to get on the first team."
     
  8. HanSenSE

    HanSenSE Well-Known Member

    I had a similar dilemma a few years back in picking the girls water polo team. Had one athlete who, hands down, was the best player in the county - named to Cadet national team (essentially, a couple of levels before the national/Olympic team) in her junior year and signed with USC her senior year. But coaches went with another player for league and regional MVP her junior year, and, looking at the numbers and postseasons, rightly so. In her senior year, the numbers weren't there for her, or her team, thanks in part to the way the crazy way the Section redraws playoff brackets. So, while not MVP, she did get a spot on the team.

    Plus - and just because it's sj.com was this a consideration - with her summer club play, there was no way her not being MVP of the Podunk Shopping News' all-county team would cost her a scholarship!
     
  9. Batman

    Batman Well-Known Member

    In describing the odd nature of all-county teams (and sports in general), I often point to one of the best baseball players to ever come through our town.
    He was a no-brainer all-county pick as a sophomore. As a junior, he wasn't very good and didn't even make the team. The next year he went 13-0 with a 0.40 ERA and 160 strikeouts in something like 80 innings, his team won the state championship and finished in the top five of USA Today's national rankings. He was obviously our POY, and a few years after that he was a first-round draft pick. He wound up playing a couple of seasons in the majors.
    But, at one point, he was a justifiable snub for our all-county team.
     
  10. PaperDoll

    PaperDoll Well-Known Member

    I've picked a lot of swimming and track all-area teams, and you're right. The only complication is when a kid is really good at multiple events and there's no clear No. 2 choice. Also, the Team and Coach selections can get interesting.

    Unfortunately, around here a lot of the best swimmers don't bother with high school. They're club-only. For the ones who do, the club coaches don't let them shave or taper for high school championships. Often, the time difference makes it obvious when the kids care -- or when they're being pushed.

    I have a stock e-mail replying to parents who are upset we don't cover YMCA/U.S. Swimming meets, and encouraging them to submit results with hometowns throughout the season. I think one or maybe two swim moms took me up on that in 15 years.
     
  11. TyWebb

    TyWebb Well-Known Member

    The only complication I've had with sports like that, like I mentioned above with cross country, is when an athlete wins state in his or her classification but might not crack the top five in a larger classification. For instance, a cross country runner wins a Class A title with a PR of 17:30, but other local runners that compete in Class AAA regularly break 17:00 without winning state. Could definitely also apply to track and field and swimming

    It didn't happen often, but it definitely did a few times when I was in charge of All-Area teams. I always had a hard time not putting someone that won a state title on an All-Area team, so I usually found a spot for them. I don't remember ever hearing complaints that a faster runner was bumped.
     
  12. Sports Barf

    Sports Barf Well-Known Member

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