RichlandsAlum

That game against Radford was in 1983. The Blues were led by Randall Dills, Fred Phillips et al. Radford was undefeated coming into the game and already counting on a state AA title. It was pretty enjoyable in a vicarious sense when Martinsville humbled them in the state semifinal.
 
The Michaels brothers (among others) took a really good George Wythe team down to the wire in '85. If Bobby Absher's shot hadn't rimmed out in the final seconds that RHS team could have run pretty deep into the postseason.

IF they go to 1A then they are where they have to be in the BDD, but if they stay 2A for whatever reason, they should be in the SWD. 
 
They should have never been put in the BDD in the first place as a 2A school...Christian Jackson should have been on one of the "all something" teams this year, kid is all state caliber WR and DB but got nothing.
 
I thought the entire point of the VHSL changes was to force people to play where they are classified...then you see the SWD get busted up and Grundy stuck in a 1A district as a 2A team. Why bother?  8 to 10 team SWD would solve a lot of problems...and as that goes, the VHSL should go back to the format where winning your district gets you in to the playoffs, then points for the remaining slots...this crap with 1-9 teams going to play 10-0 teams in first round is a waste, not everyone should make the playoffs or have that shot only the best of the bunch. Larger 8+ team districts would breed better competition at a local level, remove schedule issue, and restore traditional rivals...but, whatever...VHSL never has done anything right so why start now.

The whole thing has been (and continues to be) communicated very poorly.  While I'm not exactly sure about the intent of the operating model, I think it's set up along the lines of the lower divisions in the NCAA.  In that analogy, the Virginia high school districts are roughly comparable to the college conferences (like the ODAC).  Beyond a mechanism which guarantees a minimum level of scheduled games on a regular basis, they don't mean much more in the grander scheme of things.  Carrying that forward, the Virginia high school conferences form the basis of the competitive structure for overall state championships in much the same way that the Division III regional playoff system works.
 
At least that's what I think I think.
 
My cynical side strongly believes that the current "conference" system was deliberately set up to fail.

I like to think that Grayson County was added in homage to the days of old when Carroll County was in the SWD, and everyone griped annually about the 2.5 hour trips to Hillsville.  Good times.

Grundy should be in the SWD...don't give a dying rats ASS what anyone else thinks or says.

I'm willing to confess that this was one of the first thoughts that went through my head when I read the original post -- but I've always had an odd sense of humor.  

I'm willing to confess that this was one of the first thoughts that went through my head when I read the original post -- but I've always had an odd sense of humor.  

I realize that they are a charter member of the district, but the composition of it has changed dramatically to the point that they are now an outlier in a league that is centered more toward Wise.  And its predecessor (the CMD) was only formed in 2006, so it's not like there is some tremendous history which generates affection.  Unless they're happy there, which is fine.  
 
To that point, Virginia High has apparently always identified closely with the core of the SWD.  There's no obvious reason behind that, but it appears to be a very tangible concept for the Bearcat admin.

Grayson County has a rich tradition in baseball and from 1988 to (i believe) 2009, lost something like 4 district games total.  They have averaged 2 loses per season since 2009, including several to Galax, a first in school history.  Most see that as a lack of competitiveness within the district dragging them down.  That assessment is probably accurate to be honest.  MED isn't much of a baseball district outside of Grayson County.  Don't underestimate how important baseball is to Grayson County citizens.  The baseball games routinely outdraw football games and, for the most part, by a large margin.
 
As for James River and East Mont.  James River is significantly larger than any other Pioneer school, especially since Glenvar left the Pioneer for the Three Rivers many years ago.  They view a drop in athletic performance as a lack of competitiveness within the Pioneer.  East Mont will most likely have better success making the playoffs in various sports now that they will be competing against schools of a similar size and ability.
 
The moral of the story is, the less competition you play, the less competitive you become.

Upon closer inspection, some of these assignments are perplexing to say the least.
 
James River(Buchanan) makes little sense for the Three Rivers. Nor does Eastern Montgomery in the Pioneer. But those two could be swapped pretty easily.
 
And since classifications obviously mean nothing at all, what's the rationale behind Grayson and Carroll being anywhere other than the MED?
 
I'd like to volunteer to serve on this committee but my command of geography would probably disqualify me.

I like the SWD alignment, although I wonder how long it will take Grayson to request a move back to the Mountain Empire.
 
Looking at the other districts, Carroll County has to be pleased and Patrick County has to be very unhappy. I'd be shocked to see them score against the likes of GW-Danville, Halifax, and Franklin County in football, let alone be competitive.

I'm willing to confess that this was one of the first thoughts that went through my head when I read the original post -- but I've always had an odd sense of humor.  

I'm willing to confess that this was one of the first thoughts that went through my head when I read the original post -- but I've always had an odd sense of humor.  

I'm willing to confess that this was one of the first thoughts that went through my head when I read the original post -- but I've always had an odd sense of humor.  

OMG there are so many Richlands jokes going thru my head! Lol

Good on ya, Ryan!  You can do this, and I'll be pulling and praying for you along with the other folks here.  Go get 'em!

Good on ya, Ryan!  You can do this, and I'll be pulling and praying for you along with the other folks here.  Go get 'em!

My name is Ryan Dye. Today is Janurary 6th, 2016. Today is the day my life changes.
 
There is no easy way to start this. I'm morbidly obese. As a 6' 2" twenty-five year old, the ideal weight for someone my age/height/weight would be between 144-210 lbs. I weigh 345.
 
If you go back and look at pictures of you youth, you'll see a very skinny version of myself. Nearly always active. Always happy. I was the prototypical child. But something changed. Somewhere along the way, you see a chubbier child emerge. This is somewhere around the time that I began school, and looking back I think I know the trigger. My parents divorce. It's something I've never really talked about much, but as I grow older, I begin to see the effects that one single act early in my childhood would cause.
 
Maybe I was too young to immediately truly comprehend what was happening. Yeah, my time was split with my parents and my relationship with my father suffered immensely from it. But a 5/6 year old can't see that fully, or at least that's the common perception. In all honestly, it was very saddening, almost traumatic. I didn't actually know why my parents split until I was in my late teens. I'm beginning to believe this set the stage for what would be the next 20 years.
 
My weight grew as I grew, and I was never "skinny." But I certainly didn't let that bother me. I made friends, I hung out with all the crowds, and I had no issues with talking to girls. I was a very typical teen, in that regard. I lost some weight when I started playing basketball at the Rec. weekly at about age 15. I was still overweight, but I wasn't anything ungodly obese or anything.
 
I've touched on my grandmother passing away at age 18 and its effects on my mental state, but what about my physical state? Depression leads to over-eating which leads to depression. It's a truly vicious cycle that I know all too well. I've lived this cycle for the last 8 years.
 
I wake up every day and look in the mirror, absolutely disgusted by what stares back at me. I dream of being back to a smaller size. Doing the things I used to love (basketball, marching band). Wearing shirts you can buy without special ordering. (There is no pain quite like having to search special sections of stores/online stores just to find a 3 or 4x shirt to fit you) But even when I think of those things, what do I do? I go eat. Not because it makes me feel good. It actually makes me feel worse, guilty even. Nope, I eat because it's what my mind tells me to do. And it's something that I don't have a lot of control over.
 
Until today. Until right now.
 
I type this with full transparency. This will be hard. And I'm not going to act like I won't need help along the way.
 
Last year, I was sitting in my room and realized I had drank 14 cans of Mountain Dew in a day. I immediately put it down and quit cold turkey. Now, 18 months later, I still haven't had a soda. Instead, I stick to water, milk, and power/gatorade...and maybe the occasional lemonade. All this to say, I've cut things out before, I can do it again.
 
And this is that time.
 
When I wake up, I'm going to go help my mother like I've planned for a month now, and then I'm going to figure out what to eat. But not anything unhealthy. I'm going to figure out a filling meal that I can eat twice a day and have it come in under 2000 calories for a day. I'm also going to find an elliptical and go for 10 minutes. Fight for 10 minutes. 6 days a week I'm going to fight. And I'm going to succeed.
 
The ultimate goal is 200 lbs. and I know that won't come quick or easy. But I will see 200 lbs. I will march in the Marching Virginians this season. And I will wear a shirt with the size L.
 
I won't be stopped. As Buzz Willams says over and over, you don't succeed with what you did yesterday, it's what you stated with a year ago. Time to lay my foundation for next year. Making up ground is the hardest thing to do in life.
 
This is day one.

Random observations about Williams and Bennett....
 
The genius of Buzz (at least at this point) seems to be his ability to motivate his players to play beyond themselves.  Assuming he attracts more talent to Blacksburg, it will be interesting to see if and how he makes adjustments to his coaching style to compensate for the difference in personnel.  Based on his career to date, the Sweet Sixteen appears to be his ceiling -- which would be an extraordinary and much appreciated level of accomplishment for Tech if he can duplicate that kind of success.  But it is way, way, way too early to even speculate about the likelihood of getting that far.  
 
I think Bennett is certainly within a very exclusive circle of extraordinary coaches -- and the talent that he is able to assemble in Charlottesville on a consistent basis is ample testimony to that.  However, it is perplexing that he can't seem to budge that talent toward a breakthrough at the highest level.  Their recent exits from the NCAA tournament have been a result of simple bad breaks, being outmuscled, and/or faltering down the stretch -- which irritates me personally because they've been wrecking my brackets -- and as a Hokie fan, that kind of academic exercise is the only level of tournament participation I get to enjoy for the foreseeable future.  (Of course, the first year that I don't pencil them in the Final Four will probably be the year they win it all.)
 
As an admittedly simple minded Hokie, I'll offer a football analogy.  UVa's basketball program seems to be occupying a similar position to that of the Tech football program from 1995 through 2000.  With just a few positive breaks, the talent and opportunities appear to be there for the 'Hoos to acquire some serious trophy hardware -- but those breaks haven't materialized.  I would imagine that the fact that this isn't new or novel for UVa fans (they've been there before -- and actually farther -- with Holland) probably doesn't work much in Bennett's favor.  
 
The impact of the Hokies on UVa (to the extent that there is any) is probably similar to that of Pitt on our football team during the time frame that I referenced.  A nice win for my guys, and I'll certainly savor it.  But beyond some unique challenges faced by both head coaches and the fact that they are conference mates, these two programs still operate within very separate planes of existence right now.

Here's my explanation, which is probably wrong:
 
Tony has often said that while he learned his basketball prowess from his father, he inherited his mother's disposition and temperament.  Dick Bennett was a fiery perfectionist, so much so that he doesn't watch basketball games today because he gets too wound up about all the errors made in college basketball.  Tony has been extremely even-keeled, with the exception of the Maryland game at home in 2010 where the officials straight up jobbed UVA out of a win, and he received a T for taking his jacket off and throwing it on the ground.  
 
One thing that I notice most about Virginia is how unfazed the team is by any situation.  The vast majority of the time, this is a good thing: it leads to UVA robotically throttling inferior teams and having the perseverance to whittle into leads and win games when other teams crack under the pressure.  They are every bit as calm and collected playing Morgan State as they are playing Duke.  However, I think that works against UVA when playing disciplined (MSU) and intense (VT) teams.  My favorite example of this comes from last year's game against MSU.  I had fifth row seats to that thing, so I could see more detail than I otherwise might.  The entire team, except for Darion Atkins, looked cool to the point of being emotionless (Atkins had earlier compared the game to a "dick-swinging contest", which is one of the greatest descriptors I've ever heard).  The entire team, except for Darion Atkins, stunk up the Queen City with their offensive effort.  One of the most frustrated times of my fandom was seeing London Perrantes walk the ball up the court, under 2:00 to play, down 9.  No urgency whatsoever.  That's the flip side.
 
Brian O'Connor was cut from a similar bolt of cloth.  Gaudy win totals against elite competition, but postseason chokes, especially in 2014.  The 2015 season went poorly, but a late surge (and a sweep over fellow bubble contender UNC) helped put UVA in the field.  O'Connor loosened way up...and the team started winning and never stopped.  O'Connor changed that season, and the team made a historic run for it. 
 
Long story short, it's mental and behavioral.  The vast majority of the time, it's a good thing.  Occasionally, it's not.

There will be a draft held at the Lebanon Bonanza in February and All coaches from Southwest Virginia will meet there and show off their most talented players.
 
There will be winners and losers in this draft but everyone will be fed steak tips and an all you can eat buffet including those damn delicious rolls. 

Is it possible to post a non sequitur within this thread?