T
hrow a dart at a map of Jackson County and it’s going to hit something unique.
The beauty of the Blue Ridge Parkway, mountain lakes, rivers and streams, quality higher education institutions and the rich Cherokee heritage encompassed in the Qualla Boundary are just a few things that set us apart.
By any measure we’ve hit the jackpot.
Unique can be a double-edged sword, however, and there’s a Jackson County uniqueness that’s not so much a blessing as a conundrum: We’re one of only six school districts in the state that uses a K-8 educational structure as opposed to a middle school structure.
That might not seem like a big deal, and we’ll leave it to others to debate the educational merits of either system.
But it is a big deal when it comes to athletics. Until the past few years, school-based teams from Fairview, Cullowhee Valley, Scotts Creek, Smokey Mountain Elementary and Blue Ridge presented the only athletic option in most sports in grades 7-8. Exceptions were sports such as football and wrestling that formed district teams.
When district teams were formed in other sports, such as basketball, school-based teams continued.
This formulation has put county athletics at a disadvantage. Think of middle school sports teams as something of a farm system for high school squads. Middle schools provide an environment for local sports teams to build relationships, skills and familiarity with high school rivals down the road.
In a real sense that farm system doesn’t start here until high school in many cases. As it is, aspiring young athletes around the county are essentially split six ways to Sunday in the elementary school format as opposed to being able to mingle and grow with their county peers in a more cohesive athletics structure.
Now the Jackson County School Board is working to decide how middle school athletics will operate in the future.
Some in the community have gone so far as to suggest that the district teams be abandoned if there are school-based teams in that sport.
That is a non-starter and would result in irreparable harm to the high school athletic program.
The Blue Ridge Conference has said if some of the Smoky Mountain district teams are discontinued, middle school football and all other sports will no longer be allowed to play in the conference. That would put the future of middle school football in doubt, which is something that can’t be allowed to happen.
At the other end of the spectrum is the best option – discontinue school-based teams and have only district teams.
This would allow athletes to grow up playing together and provide the competition they need to be their best when they reach high school.
Sending kids into high school having played only on school-based teams is the equivalent of sending a baseball prospect straight from Class A to the big leagues.
In a lot of cases that’s just too steep a climb, one that’s more inducive to quashing a talent than developing it.
We understand that some are concerned about the loss of opportunity for players if school teams are eliminated.
That’s a valid issue, but it’s something we can overcome. After all, every other county around here has figured out a way as they don’t have school-based teams in grades 7-8.
The Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department provides excellent opportunities for youth. We’re confident they could fill the void left by eliminating school-based teams.
The availability of quality coaching is another concern under the current system. Nothing against anyone coaching any of the teams, but common sense says it’s easier to find one good head coach rather than four or five.
Let’s be clear, at the high school level talent wins out overall. Smoky Mountain 21st Century standouts such as Cetera DeGraffenreid (women’s basketball), Jackson Simmons (men’s basketball) and Cal Raleigh (baseball), who all went on to play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, would have excelled and made their high school teams strong regardless of what system they came through.
What needs to be done is level the playing field so if local middle school athletes are on par talent-wise with those from surrounding counties they will have the same opportunity to do well in high school.
If high school coaches are to be held to a performance standard, they must be given the same opportunity for their athletes to be prepared when they enter high school that other schools have.
Blue Ridge will not be impacted by this decision. Those athletes will continue to play on their school teams in middle school and high school. The schedule might change some, but that issue is already being dealt with. Blue Ridge players have the luxury of growing up together and playing on the same middle school teams before they reach high school.
Don’t Smoky Mountain athletes deserve the same opportunity?
For district-only teams to work, the school system must step up to the plate and provide transportation to and from each elementary school for all practices and games.
If the decision is made to keep district and school teams, something has to change. Not only are school teams developing a rivalry with each other but there is also a rivalry with district teams in a battle for players. No coach or school employee should ever be allowed to get away with discouraging anyone from trying out for the district team.
In fact, trying out for a district squad should be a requirement before anyone is allowed to play on a school team. Those who don’t make district can then play for the school teams in what would be akin to a JV program.
One way to solve this problem, although it would take a few years, is to move toward converting to a K-5, 6-8 and 9-12 format for the Smoky Mountain district. It might be time for the county to take a long hard look at why it’s such an outlier in the state, and whether it’s time to put that uniqueness to bed.
