tornado99

My thoughts on Southern Gap remind me that some communities probably are stuck and may be relegated to 1-2 teams; however, I’m sure it’s possible to work with a neighbor to make it more sustainable for the long haul. That would unfortunately require putting self interest aside in the short-term for long term gain. (Sort of like I’m assuming when Union consolidated requiring Big Stone Gap and Appalachia to work together and not artificially stack a team for Appalachia pride or Big Stone Pride. I’m making that up to prove a point. The old system in Richlands was good at one time, but different areas losing residents and other measures created a lot of imbalances.)

I know some of the middle school comments went a little off the rails, but seeing that Southern Gap beat Bluefield Middle makes me think that group is legit and will be a good trade for Graham at least for for that class, but may not be sustainable long term. Time will tell, though.

Thanks for the details. Do they have a similar culture and grouping as, say Riverheads? They have tradition and a style of play, plus being on the upper side of the classification many years?

This is a good measuring stick game for Richlands. While Richlands and some others have clearly gotten better, there is still a chasm between the elite (Union and Graham) and everyone else.

I’ve heard concerns about Gate City’s health. If healthy, I agree with this take. Otherwise, I see it much closer and could go either way.

The fruits of the youth program, I assume? I’m happy and slightly envious of you guys, but confident that Coach Davis has us on the right path.

How are they built different enough to roll them? (Serious question. I know nothing about the other parts of the state, other than when state was televised and a Bridgeport team years ago upset a more athletic Bluefield by running it what seemed like 100 times from the Maryland I.)

Thank you for your response. I know some of my views, while mainly attempting to be logical and unbiased, has a hint of an emotional or visceral element. I say this because your response echoes my feelings on the subject both from experience and as a parent focused on raising strong, healthy, selfless, cooperative children, which I believe football is the best sport for doing so. Now, it feels like you have to be one of the best at an early age, or be all-in to even enjoy it nowadays. Mine doesn’t seem to have the natural ability so far, neither did I, but the old system had a way of developing more over time, which has benefited me. The very best in youth were still the best, but over time some of us began to develop while others did not making our varsity team quite different than what you would call the all-stars. As a former coach, I also noticed for whatever reason those that were starters and played, but weren’t standouts really developed in their later years through that experience. I think it really speaks to the change in roster sizes at the varsity level (that 3rd string guard who eventually became a starter).

Serious question is why has so many places shifted from this model to the current and can it be shifted back? It is successful at Union, and sounds more fun for a greater number. Is it just seeking early optimization?

Me, too. Just noticed the pattern since becoming D2. There were many more local guys when the Wasps were D3 in the ODAC.

I know there are a few on the Wasps, but it seems more and more of the local kids are going to Wise. On the flip side, E&H has been much more successful.

Thanks for the details. I remember the old system and hated it. It was certainly unfair to our region in many divisions. I was aware of the school size disparity, realizing that greater numbers equals greater numbers of athletes. When in the same division there isn’t a per capita consideration, but I didn’t mean to slight the average Haysi athlete. Definitely, an argument where classification matters.

So, my take is certainly not universal, in that it doesn’t apply to all kids. I have only witnessed a couple of games including this past Friday. The rest of my perception is based on penalty statistics and this message board discussing those penalties. The pattern that I surmise from that is that when things weren’t going well, the players acted out of frustration. To support my own understanding as a cultural phenomenon, there certainly seems to be much more taunting and gesturing nowadays than what it used to be. Again, I don’t know what is acceptable now, but there was much more this past Friday than I had ever seen.

Thanks for sharing. This was very informative and interesting. You, Union guys are very blessed. A couple of takeaways that I think are really pertinent and I wish more could follow suit: 1. The unified in-house youth league is awesome. I remember during my own upbringing that we had some of the same terminology that made things so easy once we got to high school. There was very little learning curve. It’s certainly different nowadays with each team running different schemes and playing in a larger league. 2. Union certainly works hard and has a football culture. I don’t mean to undermine that hard work by my comments because it certainly is a factor. I think Coach Turner’s comment do speak to an area full of great athletes that goes back further and with more titles than I remembered in a few short years. I think it’s ok to admit some places are blessed with better athletes and two players can put in the same or similar amounts of work and get vastly different results. Nothing wrong with that. Use what you have and control what you can. 3. There was no talk of recruiting, but honestly, there really isn’t a need. If you live closer and are athletic why wouldn’t you want to be part of the tradition? Does that system also contribute to less talented kids filling out the roster in order to be part of the tradition? Does the youth system foster that through playing time for more of those kids or identify late bloomers? Anyway, great podcast.

I didn’t witness this, myself. However, I don’t doubt it, as there are always a few in every crowd. As far as player behavior, I have no idea what a really acceptable level of conduct on the field looks like as just fun, vs taunting nowadays.