I hope your Wednesday was far better than mine and your Thursday is off to a better start than mine as well. I’d also like to take the time to thank Mr. Ricky McCollum of WNAU for stepping in to take care of the second half of the boys game for me.
I started feeling pretty bad during the Ingomar and Calhoun City boys game Tuesday night and am not feeling much better today, but here is something that surely don’t help me feel any better when thinking about the future of our kids and the state educational system.
I’ve had a chance to talk to various coaches and administrators in passing about the recent meeting with State Superintendent Hank Bounds and after their concerns expressed over some of his ideas expressed during the meeting my opinion on Bounds has went from respect to distaste.
Bounds views seem to suggest he sees very little, if any, importance in the role athletics play in our state school system.
Brandon Speck of the Monroe County Journal said it best, “I won’t say athletics is more important than academics, but I also won’t say academics are more important than athletics when it comes to kids getting an education… they are basically on a 50/50 playing field.”
Brandon was right, academics and athletics are equally important to and dependent on each other.
Players have to be academically eligible to participate in sports. That means they have to take care of business in the classroom as well as in their respective field of competition thus meaning they will get a high school education and eventual diploma. Take away athletics and the academics will greatly suffer. It is a proven fact that sports have been a great tool in curbing what was a rapidly growing dropout problem across the state and we all know student-athletes that are still in school or have finished school just because of the opportunity athletics afforded them.
If Mr. Bounds feels a need to make some adjustments with athletics in the state to save money he needs to start by cleaning up the corrupt, money-hungry establishment known as the Mississippi High School Activities Association.
Once he does that more coaches and administrators would be more open minded to some of the suggestions he has for the future of the state’s educational system. Until then I hope he finds life to be a living hell trying to employ his changes.
On the agenda for Thursday:
If I start feeling a little better later in the day I hope to cover the Aberdeen at Baldwyn game tonight, but until then I am getting back in the bed.
An additional note, the Calhoun City vs HW Byers game scheduled for Saturday has been canceled.
Posted by Adam Gore 
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