The death of the SW4A Conference

Thru-out the years, this is sorta what happens everywhere, statewide, whenever there's a new alignment. The NCHSSA gets the new attendance figures, and then trys to group schools together into conferences based on geography. I don't know if you can read a whole lot more into the process than that.

 

I'm directionally challenged, but isn't West Meck, Berry, Harding and Olympic farther away (Geographically Alligned) than Butler, East Meck and Myers Park from SM, AK, PHS?

 

SCSR and Braves have jumped ahead of me in providing some answers because I am slow, but I thought I would try and continue to answer some of your questions in your first long post with my opinion, which means nothing.

For the record, I have coached at West Charlotte and Harding. I coached at Sedgefield Middle school which, at that time, had one of the largest free lunch percentages of student population which is an indicator of family economics in the CMS system. I also have had the opportunity to coach at South Meck and with East Meck. I have been a graduate assistant coach, a lead assistant collegiate coach and a head coach of a top university program. I have coached many games in the Garinger gym and track meets at Olympic. I believe that I have researched to have an informed opinion. I know that there are other members of this board that are far greater credentialed than I. With that said, it is rather presumptuous on your part to make a statement like the above.

Some of the facilities that I took over were deplorable. But you don’t accept it as if there is nothing you can do. You set out to make it better, even if it is a little at a time. When the track was in need of repair, I patched it, then stripped it. Then you work to get it resurfaced, since that is going to happen, you redesign it to make it better. If the gym was in need of a “spit shine” I did it. I would always make sure the visitor locker room was cleaned and ready for them with water and cups. When we were the visiting team, it was a point that we would always clean up the area that we used. Our floor was always dressed before every game. When the floor became so damaged, I would spend the time and money to strip it down and apply fresh varnish so we would have a nice playable surface and not a skating rink. If you sit and wait for someone from CMS to do these things you may wait several years to have them addressed.

Somehow, someway, we would find and area that we could use just for our team. It was always maintained. Practice gear was washed daily for our players and hung in their locker. Game day uniforms were always wash and hung ready to go. If the uniforms were so old and tattered, we would find a way to get new gear. It was all just part of the pride in our program but did nothing to win a single game.

While I do not have the allotments received from CMS, I am confident that they are equally divided. I do know that these allotments are quiet small. The facilities that were initially built at the current SW4A schools were nearly identical to other CMS schools built in similar eras. What has transpired from that point of installation was up to the stewards of the school’s program.

There was a school in the SW4A that, though it was upgraded via private support and once considered one of the best fields in the state, (I think it was ranked number two behind Manteo) had recently fallen into disrepair to the point it nearly was unplayable because of the lack of care for the facilities. When they hired a new coach, I think I saw him out on his field that afternoon starting to work to bring it back. Continued fund raising on his and his program’s part has now restored the field and made additional improvements.

Providence, when constructed in the early 90’s looked like it was an afterthought. Built in a hole, additional dirt was trucked in, to form a surface barely large enough to play ball at the high school level. That is why the field is smaller than most in the area. There was nothing else there; hardly any room for spectators; no facilities, no concessions. Because it sat at the bottom of the hill, drainage was a huge issue. In short, it was not a good situation. Since coach Hignight took over he has instituted capital fund raising as part of his program and the facility has blossomed into one of the best. Each year you find something that is better. And as long as coach Hignight is there, it will continue because he sees that has part of his responsibilities as head coach, to care for what has been trusted to him and to make it better.

When Ardrey Kell was being constructed in 2006, there was little more than a standard backstop and dugouts. No batting cages, no bullpens. Coach Bagwell was then hired. No team. No parents. He went to inspect what would become his new field. As he stood in centerfield, he could not see the mound because it was about six feet below grade. From that point he would start developing a plan to make improvements because that field as it was, was not how his programs was going to be represented. Because the allotment from CMS for athletics is the same at Ardrey Kell as it is at the other CMS high schools, with no funding for capital improvements, to make these enhancements the funding would have to come from outside the system. Spending hundreds of hours in fund raising, planning and sweat equity, the field slowly evolved. Did eventual parent involvement make a difference? Absolutely! But that is true at any school and in any program within that school.

Similarly, across the schools in the league, have capital improvements occurred. In fact, these improvements are systematically planned as part of their programs. The league as it presently is constructed is currently blessed to have coaches that are good stewards of their facilities and recognize that as an integral part of their programs. In fact, they are frustrated when that does not happen across the board in the league. But facility improvements are not unique to the SW4A. You see it all across the state, and not just in high socioeconic areas.

Earlier you asked what would happen if Coach Hignight or other top coaches were to take over at Berry or Harding. It may take a while for them to have teams that win on a consistent basis, but without question, they would immediately begin to work to upgrade the facilities.

I do know that the coaching stipend is identical for these CMS coaches that do all this work on their facilities, have fall and winter programs, contact and work with college coaches on behalf of not only their players but others that ask for their assistance and so much more as the coach who does none of this, shows up the first day of regular season practice about Feb 15, plays a 15 game schedule, is off during the school’s spring break ,and is done for the year on May 1.

 

continued

Because while we sometimes wonder how or why CMS officials come to decisions, they are not stupid when someone comes to them and offers to upgrade their physical plant for no cost to them. CMS does review and monitor the projects to make sure they work with other or do not interfere with systems that are in place. These projects add value to their total school system. If a coach or someone would like to do a capital campaign to resurface the track at Olympic (track resurfacing is a scheduled expense that did occur systematically across the system and hopefully that is an expense that was not deleted out of the CMS budget because it will cost more in the long run) or build a new gym for Garinger, I am sure CMS will gladly work with them because that too will add value to their holdings.

This was done because it was demonstrated to CMS officials that it cost less in the long run to install that type of field instead of natural turf as part of the construction of a new school because of the saving in water, sprinkler systems, paint and maintenance. This also allowed much more play on the surface, allowing CMS to rent the facility out to community groups creating an additional revenue stream that helps offset costs across the board, not just athletics, and not just at Ardrey Kell. In fact, the field turf was the first thing constructed at AK, at least a year ahead of the school, so that revenue stream could start ASAP. Since then, other new schools have also been constructed with field turf for the same reasons.

I agree that they are not intentionally tearing up their facilities. But what are they doing to make it better? Whatever they are doing, great! Keep it up and expand upon it. At the end of a SW4A game or practice you will see every player with an assigned duty to care for their field. That is not always the case at other places in the city. Who is responsible for that? It is back to being good stewards of the facilities entrusted to you.

As far as spending money unwisely or unequally, it is not CMS that is spending the money, rather CMS is the recipient of the benefits of other people spending their money on CMS to improve CMS’s facilities.

It is difficult to make accusatory statements and then say you are not accusing anybody. I can only speak from personal experience in my own coaching career, but I can say I have never been in a meeting on player evaluation when the amount of support a parent gives to a program is ever mentioned in how that player is to be used or if he makes the team. I also know for a fact that the coaches, in their parent meetings, specifically address their capital projects and how no amount of support will affect their decision on if a player makes their team or the amount of playing time they will get.

A little like comparing apples and oranges here. Some of the NCAA investigations are about players or potential players receiving impermissible extra benefits, not about parents making large donations to a school so that school’s program will take their child on the team. In fact, that is allowable and it is frequently called a non scholarship walk-on, if the team will accept them. Otherwise, it is called tuition, books, fees, room and board to attend a specific school. If you give a lot of money, they name a building after you. I know of no NCAA investigations or sanctions because a member institution has raised funds and built superior facilities than another fellow member, even though this does give them an advantage. Will programs with better facilities attract more people? Absolutely. Does having a reputation of having a great program help attract prospects? Yes! Is that unique to CMS? No.

I don’t think the AD and coach were saying this was their only dream. It is a start and that is how it happened at other schools across the system as well. If fencing is a more critical issue than a small building, or dugouts or bleachers, etc. all that can be discussed and plans made to address those issues. In what order should we spend what money we do have and what approach can be used to raise capital for future projects? It does not happen overnight. It sounds like there is a coach and an AD in place that is trying to make this better which is great and it also sounds like your are impressed with how well his teams play and how he handles the kids in his program which is optimum. When presented with the idea by the AD, I have to believe your first thoughts were “it would be nice to have, how can we make it happen” and not “I do think that is really a good idea because it would not be fair to another middle school in the “community” that does not have a secure building on site for their baseball and softball equipment.”

I think you hit the nail on the head when you talked about it being coaching. Passionate coaches at any school will make the program better. Kurt Wessler started his career at West Meck as the freshman basketball coach. From there he went to Providence as the JV coach and then Vance (where his team won a state championship) and then Butler. At the peak of his coaching career he retired last season. http://prepinsiders.blogspot.com/2011/02/butler-basketball-coach-kurt-wessler.html But every school he was at, he was passionate about his team and school and work to make a difference with them and his school. Finding more coaches like Kurt, or Chet Greeson, or Mike Shildt, or the Hills will make a significant difference at those schools that do not have that type of coach leading their program. Is it the only answer, no, but it will make a difference.

This thread started out as an expression of sadness by a poster in the possibly of seeing the deterioration of something that is good. I think you are expressing the same thing, just from your point of view, it is not a possibility, it is reality from what was once good, strong and thriving programs (West Meck a seven time state runner-up, Garinger a state champion, Harding a state champion) to where you see those programs now.

 

Following the booster money

Agreed…Quality coaching, sweat equity, maintaining facilities, work builds character, respect for coaches, successful fundraising….all good things.

MINCMI, I would like to thank you for opening my eyes to the current situation in Charlotte. Cool that you taught at all those schools. When your kids attend public elementary or middle school, you think things will be in place for them as they reach high school. As I see now, that may not the case. Although my half of the exchange may have annoyed some, the conversation and a little research has really educated me. So I sincerely want to thank you.

My original hypothesis was that inequities of funding over time may be relevant to the CMS realignment decision. Further, that inequity builds resentment. Like yours, it was an opinion - an alternate view.

You mentioned that you think the CMS funding allotment is both equally divided and small. Wouldn’t equal and small funding therefore magnify the importance of external donations and fundraising?

If you don’t believe it’s about the boosters and the funding, then read the Ardrey Kell booster club’s own words….”Our Success depends on YOU as the majority of funding for high school athletics comes from gate receipts, season passes and from the AKHS Athletic Booster Club”.

With that said (i.e. "majority of funding"), I thought you might be interested in the 501c filings of the Athletic Booster Club’s in Mecklenburg County. The 990 tax forms are a matter of public record. For the schools not listed, I have to assume that their booster clubs don’t have 501c’s, or fall below a minimum threshold, or were under another name. Maybe they don’t even have active booster clubs.

If you think my hypothesis is “out in left field”, then please consider Ardrey Kell booster’s tax returns from the past 5 years totaling …$1,443,318. (2006=$202,775, 2007=$294,836, 2008=$298,968, 2009=$326,198, 2010= $320,541) AK also has separate Band ($61,825) and Choral ($50,198) booster clubs in 2010 which are not included in those totals.

EIN Name Expenses Total Assets Fiscal Year
830461443 Ardrey Kell High School Athletic Booster Club $320,541 137,144 2010
562263298 Hopewell High School Athletic Booster Club $216,730 28,499 2009
561726789 Providence Senior High Athletic Booster Club $103,727 82,594 2009
562043757 Butler Senior High Athletic Booster Club $98,001 50,486 2009
562016970 Mustang Club (Myers Park) $95,357 38,568 2009
200392303 North Mecklenburg Athletic Booster Club $87,475 38,449 2009
680658059 Independence HS Athletic Booster Club Inc $56,640 22,993 2009
201028032 Harding University High School Ram Club $44,817 9,184 2008
566196482 West Mecklenburg HS Booster Club Inc $34,337 39,951 2009
260284094 Mallard Creek HS Athletic Booster Club Inc $18,475 29,100 2010

I found it interesting that the 3 baseball coaches I’m most familiar with in CMS (Bagwell, Greeson, Hignight) are coaches at the top 3 fundraising schools in CMS.

What was amazing to me was vastly different approach to fundraising between the successful and the not so successful. AK has a nice booster website, a facebook page, and they even advertise corporate memberships in their athletic guide and list prices for everything…from $15k for football scoreboard advertising…to $2k signs on baseball fields. AK’s online store sells memberships, spirit wear, and accepts PayPal. AK’s sells family booster membership for $400. Hopewell promotes “shop to earn” and grocery store cards to earn money for their boosters club, as well as an online catalog. On their baseball page, Greeson has probably the most detailed documents I’ve seen on what a baseball player at Hopewell should do to be successful. That’s leadership. Back to fundraising, they even have a bullpen club that is specific to fundraising for the baseball team. Creative.

By comparison, Providence HS top membership is $250 and only sells spirit wear only at games. Olympic HS’s booster club is so insignificant with its online presence, I had trouble finding it. Eventually I found an Olympic HS booster website on ezteams.com that was last updated in 2006, during the last football coaching years of Maurice Flowers (an excellent coach). Probably not a coincidence.

Notice that I did NOT say fundraising is a bad thing. Maybe OTHER schools need to learn to incorporate successful fundraising ideas into their programs. I know i'm going to investigate further into my son's future HS.

I still think success begins with coaching, not money. But I also still think my hypothesis about CMS demanding the realignment could be true.

 

It has been interesting reading all of the posts about funding, support and fairness. It's hard to imagine that large and diverse groups of people could ever agree that fairness is achieved when it comes to funding and distribution of tax dollars. I believe when people work hard to make improvements for kids they deserve credit, not condemnation. Synergy is that naturally occurring phenomenon when people work together to make a bad thing better or a good thing even better...more power and praise to hard-working people everywhere who have vision and a passion to make things happen.

All of that said, I am amazed at the facilities at the new Hough HS....Wow! Looks like something most small colleges would envy. The football field is all field turf and the seating is massive on both sides of the field.... the baseball field is co-located and first class, too (reminds me of Hopewell and Ardrey Kell). Hard to believe it was built and opened amid so much trouble on the budget side of CMS, but I admire it.

 

New voice of the Huskies?\

And... a nice deflection of attention from AK by "low and slow".

Baseball has truly gone international. (click "play" next to the dog for a laugh.) http://houghbaseball.cmswiki.wikispaces.net/home

Hough has turf and a "sports medicine department". And boosters have plans for a college style athletic training room? Really? Way to go Huskies.

 

Hough...on the rise

IMO Hough will be where the best baseball will be found in northern Mecklenburg county in the coming years. The redistricting that was done to create Hough took a lot of baseball fanmilies from Hopewell and N. Meck and the foundation is there for a baseball powerhouse in the years to come. I don't know the coach, but he has lots of talented players and supportive parents to create something special.

Hough vs. Lake Norman should be some well played and hotly contested games this year.