Ryan4VT

Last I heard, the proposal was 3 years for $324K.
First of all, I would never have left the ball in Bluefield, WV’s court. A little foresight goes a long way. It’s not like this contract expiration snuck up on us — everyone knew it was coming. A responsible approach would have been to plan for this well in advance, not act blindsided when Bluefield, WV made a business decision.
Let’s be honest: Graham High School should never have been in this position to begin with. The county had substantial funds, and instead of addressing the most urgent need — a school without a home field — they split the money evenly. That was the first major mistake. Tazewell got new turf, a track, and new visitor stands. Richlands got a turf field. And Graham, the only school without its own stadium, got nothing of lasting value. That’s indefensible.
What should’ve happened? Tazewell County should have prioritized installing lights and stands at the new learning facility — just enough to host games and gain independence from Bluefield, WV. It wouldn’t have been perfect — there’d still be work to do: concessions, locker rooms, restrooms, and parking. But we would’ve had control. No longer at the mercy of another town or another school system.
With that leverage, we could’ve negotiated the terms we wanted with Bluefield. Meanwhile, future funds — like the ones now being discussed — could have gone toward finishing the Graham facility and updating the other schools more gradually. But instead, we acted like there was no urgency, no obvious solution. Now Bluefield makes a move — a smart one, from a business standpoint — and we act shocked. We left the ball in their court, and they took it. That’s not betrayal — that’s just smart negotiation on their part.
Now, we’re reacting emotionally, not strategically. We’re making decisions out of bruised pride, not in the interest of the students or families affected. And the elected and hired officials are catering more to their own narratives than the people they represent.
So where are we now? The proposed cost is $324K over 3 years. For comparison, we were paying $60K a year before — $180K over three years — plus around $5K per playoff game. At two playoff games a year (and that’s conservative), that’s another $60K — totaling $240K. That means this new proposal is about $84K more over three years. If we could negotiate the playoff games into that $324K figure, then we’re only paying $28K more per year than before — a small price for stability and continuity while we fix past mistakes.
And if Bluefield won’t agree to include playoff games? Then you swallow your pride and pay the $324K plus $60K for playoffs — $384K total. Subtract the $240K we were paying before, and you’re talking about $144K over three years. That’s $48K per year. If we can’t afford that — if we really believe that’s too high a price — then we’ve either lied about having the funds to build our own facility, or we’ve admitted that we simply don’t care enough about the students and families being affected.
So we have a choice: lead with pride, or lead with principle.

Gotta love it when facts get in the way of delusional thoughts and assumptions. 

“Dr. Stacy advised Board members that the Mitchell Stadium agreement was for two years beginning August 1, 2023 and concluding on July 31, 2025 at a cost of $60,000 per year. According to the agreement, the school division would not be charged the extra $5,000 per playoff games, and Graham High School would not have to turn over 25% of the concession revenue, as in past years.” 

If Graham is paying $60,000 per year, plus $5,000 per playoff game, we can estimate an annual cost of approximately $75,000–$80,000. Over three years, that totals between $215,000 and $240,000.
In comparison, the offer from the City of Bluefield, WV, was $324,000 over three years—or $108,000 annually. This means the proposed agreement asks for approximately $28,000–$33,000 more per year than the current arrangement.
Is it really worth disrupting Graham’s football program for the next two or more years over this difference?
This decision affects far more than just scheduling. It risks displacing home games to other schools, disregarding the impact on student-athletes—particularly seniors whose final seasons will be disrupted. Additionally, the local youth football (little league) program would need to modify its schedules and locations to accommodate Graham's Saturday daytime games. If youth games are moved to daytime slots elsewhere, this could reduce fan turnout for the varsity team—ultimately affecting community support and revenue.
Furthermore, the rationale that visitors shouldn’t have to bring their own seating, while expecting local taxpayers—who fund many public resources—to do so, feels inconsistent and dismissive of the community.
In the bigger picture, altering the sports ecosystem for multiple groups—especially student-athletes—for a difference of under $35,000 annually appears to reflect poor planning and limited foresight.
The more reasonable approach would be to honor the current contract, complete the field without rushing, and ensure a smooth, well-planned transition when the time is right.

Will Union participate since they only run 2 plays 

No problem. I asked Bigfoot to do it anyway. 

Does one supervisor get to decide the decisions for the entire board? If that answer is “no”, then I’d like to be educated.

Maybe Graham can play a few games at Mount View's beautiful new facility?
I'm sure some of the folks would appreciate not having to drive far to watch their kids play.

This makes me feel old because I am no longer within the 10 year frame. Time flies.

Brother in Christ, I can not expound on how little your opinion matters to me in such a tiny text box.

https://www.wvva.com/2025/05/17/barrier-breaker-kendi-dye-signs-continue-her-wrestling-career-emory-henry/

https://www.wvva.com/2025/05/17/barrier-breaker-kendi-dye-signs-continue-her-wrestling-career-emory-henry/

What did the board of supervisors do in this situation to stop it from happening? 

I think somebody at Graham needs to get their story out about the need of an on-site facility for a 6 time state champion and start a Gofundme or something.  Maybe the "G-men" could appeal to the New York Giants.

It’s not extortion because the city of Bluefield isn’t forcing Tazewell County to do anything. 
Chris Stacy has mentioned multiple times, including once in the last week, that Tazewell County has other options for Graham to play football games at.  
 
The city of Bluefield is just showing their cards and testing Tazewell County’s willingness to pay. 

Here is the link! Password: hammer
 
https://fantasy.espn.com/tc/sharer?challengeId=257&from=espn&context=GROUP_INVITE&edition=espn-en&groupId=455764cd-98ad-4a2a-ad10-abd89a80cbbb&joinKey=5f9901fc-60b7-39b5-a3d0-dd8e79b3fe08

You don't have a clue do you know how many kids are zone for dobyns Bennett but go to gate city and vice versa, do you know how many kids are zone for Va High but go to John Battle or TN High and the other way around, nothing is legit it's real easy to beat the system. Wise Central is recruiting like crazy, Trivette and the other best player just didn't wake up in abingdon they were recruited, everybody is recruiting but John Marshall is doing it better than everybody else, you act like it's the end of the world that a bunch of 14-18yrs old win class 2 state title 

The irony is that Graham fans are mad about a coach recruiting players and bringing them in from other schools.  I mean....a bit of self-reflection?  😜
That being said, VHSL has to do something about John Marshall.  At least the G-Men are relegated to two states and 3-4 county recruiting footprint.
 
 

It is, the younger kids don’t see race nearly as divisively as the older folk and that’s great. 

To say that I’m proud of her doesn’t do it justice. 

To say that I’m proud of her doesn’t do it justice. 

To say that I’m proud of her doesn’t do it justice. 

To say that I’m proud of her doesn’t do it justice. 

Happy for Ava Stough.  Use to work with her mom.  Shes a good kid and shes whipped tail on the mats for a long time.

First round is done. 
 
The following wrestlers have advanced to the quarters:
Alivia Hanshaw (Carroll County, 100)
Josie Couch (Chilhowie, 145)
Alyssa Saunders (Giles, 132)
Alliya Walker (Grayson County, 100)
Isabella Hill (Grayson County, 138)
Ava Stough (JI Burton, 120)
Kari Streit (John S. Battle, 126)
Hazel Garrett (Lebanon, 185)
Margaret Page (Radford, 152)
Kendi Dye (Richlands, 114)
Chelsey King (Virginia High, 235)

About 15-20 others lost and are now in the consolation rounds.