Charles City looking to form new conference after racial issues

[WooBadger18]

Agreed. But, I think there's also a tipping point where "but we've played them every year since creation" is no longer a compelling reason.

But it also depends (at least to me) why you’re reshuffling. For example, it doesn’t make sense for Waukee to play the same schools in 2022 that they did when they were a small town unless those schools have also grown.


At the same time, I hated that the CIML went to districts in football and the Des Moines schools had to stop all playing each other because the suburb schools didn’t like that the Des Moines schools had an easier path to the playoffs. I thought, and still think, that was a stupid reason to break up the CIML metro division

 

[cyballrulz93]

It’ll be interesting to see what Little Hawkeye does with Grinnell leaving for WaMac in 2023. Bounderant, North Polk, urbandale, DMC, and ottumwa possible additions. Also Newton, oskaloosa and PC kicking tires of the Alliance Conference.

It wouldn't surprise me to see something new created between the big dogs from the Little Hawkeye and Raccoon....with maybe an Alliance school or two thrown in.

 

[brett108]

I would expect the majority, if not all, to accept NEIC invite.

I don't understand how Sumner -Fredricksburg would benefit in that conference. They dont really have even a punchers chance to succeed. These schools are all too small to compete. This isnt college and a B1G pay day. When you won a single game last year and where not competitive in any other why would you want to play bigger schools?

 

[ca4cy]

I don't understand how Sumner -Fredricksburg would benefit in that conference. They dont really have even a punchers change to succeed. These schools are all too small to compete. This isnt college and a B1G pay day. When you won a single game last year and where not competitive in any other why would you want to play bigger schools?

Agreed. Sumner-Fred is in a good spot, geographically and size wise. There is no benefit to them making that move. You can make at least a plausible argument for all the rest but I don't see it for them.

 

[CyPhallus]

It’ll be interesting to see what Little Hawkeye does with Grinnell leaving for WaMac in 2023. Bounderant, North Polk, urbandale, DMC, and ottumwa possible additions. Also Newton, oskaloosa and PC kicking tires of the Alliance Conference.

Grinnell leaving LHC for WaMac makes absolutely no sense. I don't see those additions to the Alliance Conference very likely. If Ottumwa leaves then Osky is on an island. Newton would definitely make sense. I'm not sure PC is even actually serious, can't see that working out.

 

[theshadow]

But it also depends (at least to me) why you’re reshuffling. For example, it doesn’t make sense for Waukee to play the same schools in 2022 that they did when they were a small town unless those schools have also grown.

Population shifts and district enrollments. For example, if every school is 2A it's great. But then one or two schools shrink to 1A and half of the 2A schools grow to 3A, and suddenly you have a huge disparity top to bottom.

 

[cyfanatic13]

They can't compete anywhere due to socioeconomics so the NICL gives them at least a puncher's chance. I think they'll do whatever Sumner-Fredericksburg does.

It’s sad that puncher’s chance in the NICL for Oelwein this year resulted in 3-19 boys basketball with all three wins coming outside the conference. 2-20 for the girls with one conference win. Volleyball 2-24.

The NICL is usually very solid but I don’t expect things getting any easier for them wherever they end up

 

[brett108]

Agreed. Sumner-Fred is in a good spot, geographically and size wise. There is no benefit to them making that move. You can make at least a plausible argument for all the rest but I don't see it for them.

Its alarming to me to see some of the changes in the Iowa demographics, specifically small farming towns. For reference I grew up and went to school in Denver. We were always a bedroom community but we felt smaller and less self sufficient than the farming towns like Readlyn and Fairbanks. Now Denver has continued to improve its town and those later two are just depressing. Hampton, who we used to play, has all but disappeared. Oelwein is just in shambles. And a town you would never admit to living in when I was in HS in the late 90s/early2000s(Janesville) is doing better than most of the above by following the Denver model and being on HWY 218.

 

[1UNI2ISU]

It’s sad that puncher’s chance in the NICL for Oelwein this year resulted in 3-19 boys basketball with all three wins coming outside the conference. 2-20 for the girls with one conference win. Volleyball 2-24.

The NICL is usually very solid but I don’t expect things getting any easier for them wherever they end up

If you take out the Eric Sanders/Ryan Majerus group in the early 2000s, Oelwien is literally going on 60 years of not being competitive in any team sport.

 

[cmjh10]

View attachment 98269
Didn't realize the Iowa Star conference is this small.

I’ve been crushed by 4 or 5 of those schools in high school football. #PTSD.

 

[JM4CY]

View attachment 98269
Didn't realize the Iowa Star conference is this small.

Red headed step children.

 

[1UNI2ISU]

Its alarming to me to see some of the changes in the Iowa demographics, specifically small farming towns. For reference I grew up and went to school in Denver. We were always a bedroom community but we felt smaller and less self sufficient than the farming towns like Readlyn and Fairbanks. Now Denver has continued to improve its town and those later two are just depressing. Hampton, who we used to play, has all but disappeared. Oelwein is just in shambles. And a town you would never admit to living in when I was in HS in the late 90s/early2000s(Janesville) is doing better than most of the above by following the Denver model and being on HWY 218.

Technology and Corporate Farming.

Families in those towns used to have tons of kids to do farm work and that is slowly but surely being replaced by corporate farms that either automate or bring in labor.

Turkey Valley is the best example. They won a 3A state track title in 1987 and 3A Baseball in 1985. Their most recent BEDS is 88, they're disappearing.

Rural schools are dying and the bedroom communities (Jesup, Dike, North Linn, Denver, etc) that have invested in their schools are maintaining or slightly growing and are the ones that are winning everything in Sports, Music and Speech.

 

[CyPhallus]

Technology and Corporate Farming.

Families in those towns used to have tons of kids to do farm work and that is slowly but surely being replaced by corporate farms that either automate or bring in labor.

Turkey Valley is the best example. They won a 3A state track title in 1987 and 3A Baseball in 1985. Their most recent BEDS is 88, they're disappearing.

Rural schools are dying and the bedroom communities (Jesup, Dike, North Linn, Denver, etc) that have invested in their schools are maintaining or slightly growing and are the ones that are winning everything in Sports, Music and Speech.

Looking at some of these small schools enrollments, how in the hell does is make sense to have a high school with 100 kid enrollment? You can't tell me those kids are getting a quality education, the classes offered have to be ridiculously limited.

 

[Gunnerclone]

Looking at some of these small schools enrollments, how in the hell does is make sense to have a high school with 100 kid enrollment? You can't tell me those kids are getting a quality education, the classes offered have to be ridiculously limited.

Bet there aren’t any “thems” though!

 

[theshadow]

Turkey Valley is the best example. They won a 3A state track title in 1987 and 3A Baseball in 1985. Their most recent BEDS is 88, they're disappearing.

Audubon went from 3A runner-up in football (1977) to 2A (1989) to 1A (1998) to A (2012) to 8-man (2016).

 

[CyPhallus]

Bet there aren’t any “thems” though!

I'm being serious, I feel like that is just setting those kids up for failure when they graduate unless they are one of the few who stay around to farm. I can't imagine going from that situation to a weed out class at ISU.

 

[FOREVERTRUE]

I'm being serious, I feel like that is just setting those kids up for failure when they graduate unless they are one of the few who stay around to farm. I can't imagine going from that situation to a weed out class at ISU.

I know of a least a couple students from one of the star conference school that will do exceptionally well at ISU. Not to mention they would have to be bussed roughly 30 minutes to make it to a larger school.

 

[ca4cy]

Its alarming to me to see some of the changes in the Iowa demographics, specifically small farming towns. For reference I grew up and went to school in Denver. We were always a bedroom community but we felt smaller and less self sufficient than the farming towns like Readlyn and Fairbanks. Now Denver has continued to improve its town and those later two are just depressing. Hampton, who we used to play, has all but disappeared. Oelwein is just in shambles. And a town you would never admit to living in when I was in HS in the late 90s/early2000s(Janesville) is doing better than most of the above by following the Denver model and being on HWY 218.

Yes, there's another level to this whole discussion that I don't want to bring into this thread because it will end up in the Cave in about 15 seconds. Part of this is as simple as the size of families. A small family in these farming communities used to be 3 or 4 kids and it was nothing to see 8+. Now 5 kids is huge and anything bigger is almost unheard of. People think nothing of a 30+ minute drive to work and they'll live where the amenities are nice and the schools are solid. It's been a slow bleed on smaller towns and I don't see what's going to turn it around.

We could do a case study on the socio-economic dynamics of CC and Waverly, but that's a song for another time.

 

[1UNI2ISU]

Looking at some of these small schools enrollments, how in the hell does is make sense to have a high school with 100 kid enrollment? You can't tell me those kids are getting a quality education, the classes offered have to be ridiculously limited.

Not to get too far into the weeds on this either but due to the cost of living in tiny towns (seriously you can rent 2 and 3 bedroom houses for $250 a month in some of these tiny communities) you end with parents with high rates of mental illness and drug addiction that lots of times passes down to kids. You end up with a large percentage of kids that have very detailed IEPs in districts that don't have the staff or resources to effectively educate them and the cycle repeats itself over and over.

 

[Gunnerclone]

Yes, there's another level to this whole discussion that I don't want to bring into this thread because it will end up in the Cave in about 15 seconds. Part of this is as simple as the size of families. A small family in these farming communities used to be 3 or 4 kids and it was nothing to see 8+. Now 5 kids is huge and anything bigger is almost unheard of. People think nothing of a 30+ minute drive to work and they'll live where the amenities are nice and the schools are solid. It's been a slow bleed on smaller towns and I don't see what's going to turn it around.

We could do a case study on the socio-economic dynamics of CC and Waverly, but that's a song for another time.

Make a cave thread on this topic. Sounds fascinating. Would love to read your insights on this matter.