The Signal » Sports

View From the Bench: Conference realignment

admin — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 18:49:56 +0000

Due to competition among many schools at many levels nationwide, athletic conferences are being realigned left and right.

This issue really hit home in 2008-2009 when the Southern Lakes conference removed teams including Fort Atkinson, Jefferson and Milton. Due to the disbanding, Fort Atkinson found a new home in the Badger South Conference.

Some athletic programs had a tough time adjusting to the bigger and more talented schools. In the Southern Lakes, Fort Atkinson seemed to be a bigger school in terms of students which in turn brought more athletes. Now, in the Badger South, Fort seems to be a school with a smaller enrollment and therefore less athletes.

At the college level this issue is becoming prevalent as well. Teams such as Texas-Christian University (TCU) feel they can be an athletic powerhouse in a big conference such as the Big East. TCU went on to join the Big East.

This issue doesn’t seem to be a problem if one school makes a conference change. The issue comes into play when fifteen or twenty teams want to become more competitive and ultimately win a championship.

Currently collegiate teams like University of Texas, Notre Dame and Texas A&M all have intentions of moving to a conference in the near future. This causes a problem with alignment and how many teams can be in one conference.

There are currently no restrictions on how many teams can play in a conference. Many conferences (including the Big Ten) are taking advantage of that and adding a few schools. It seems the trend is spiraling out of control.

If realignment spirals out of control, it could lead to the formation of “super conferences”. This would mean putting twenty to twenty-five schools in a single conference compared to the tradition ten or twelve. Experts seem to find one benefit to super conferences and that would be the installation of a playoff system.

Talks have been in progress over these super conferences for the past couple months and the discussions appear more serious. Imagine the Wisconsin Badgers playing teams such as the University of Kansas in sports like basketball. Although this sounds like a match made in heaven for fans and students alike; the fact is there will only be one winner in a conference that could easily host three previous conference winners.

On the high school level, realignment is currently not an issue, but the example being set by colleges and the NCAA doesn’t appear to be a good one. This could lead to high schools second guessing their current system which in turn could lead to turmoil. As the old saying goes: If it is not broke, do not fix it.

Girls’ soccer big on bonding

admin — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 15:44:40 +0000

With every practice that brings new and interesting things, the 2011 Girls’ Soccer team could be compared to a big family. Including pasta parties, Frostie Freeze fun-runs and many other team outings, the fun on the team truly never stops.

“I have many favorite things about playing soccer. One of the best is having a fun way to relieve stress and bond with your teammates,” Sophomore Torri Jordan said.

Many people may think that soccer is just kicking a ball around a field, but Jordan believes it to be a game of strategy, aggression and teamwork. Jordan hopes to compete at the college level. She wants to pursue the game of soccer because the challenge is much greater, and she could still have fun and kill some stress as well. Her coach taught her to be confident in her abilities, just as much as the team’s abilities. Jordan believes the ability to get back up after a fall is the best thing any coach could teach.

“Soccer, as well as my coaches, have(sic) taught me the importance of working together as a team. Sometimes it can’t be all about you. If you work together, you can get stuff done,” Freshman Madison Schroeder said.

Schroeder likes every part of playing soccer and has been playing since she was five. Soccer has always been her favorite sport. Soccer practice begins with a warm up of running and stretching and continues on with drills that focus on the things the team needs to work on, like passing, being the first to the ball and shooting. Practice ends with a scrimmage and more running.

“What I would like the team to take away from the season is a sense of team unity and pride in playing for the Blackhawks’ Girls’ Soccer team,” Coach Jeff Jensen said.

The team , in Jensen’s opinion, has been on track for where he expects them to be at this point in the season. Jensen believes soccer to be a very demanding physically and mentally challenging sport. The team i taking on new opponents this season, making it more competitive environment which Jensen believes to help them to become a better team.

So far the team has competed against Delevan, Jefferson, Baraboo, Reedsburg, Oconomowoc, Milton, Oshkosh North, and Deforest. The team has yet to play against, Monroe, Monona Grove, Janesville, Palmyra, Stoughton, Portage, Madison Edgewood, Sun Prairie, Oregon, and Whitewater.

Jensen has been coaching Girls’ Soccer for seven seasons. He has also combined 13 years of coaching experience between the JV Boys’ and Girls’ soccer programs in Fort Atkinson. Jensen’s favorite thing about coaching soccer is helping the soccer players reach their full potential and helping them in applying those skills to the soccer field and in their everyday life. He believed that regardless of the score and outcome of the game, as long as you can walk off the soccer field with your head held high and you can say that you have done your best and given it 100%, a coach could ask for nothing more out of a soccer player. Whether you are on the soccer field, in the classroom, or at your job, striving to do your best in achieving goals make you a better person.

Boy’s basketball drills in success

kohlale — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 22:27:17 +0000

The Boy’s Varsity basketball team had a drastic turn around compared to last season’s woes.

A major contribution to the team turnaround has been the defense. Going into the season, head coach Mike Hintz said defense would be a key component in winning more games. Drills the team has conducted this season have focused on defense so far this season. The defensive drills have paid off, as the Blackhawks only give up 54 points per game.

“We do many drills from many different standpoints. We start with 1-on-1 drills and transition to 3-on-3 work. Then we switch back to a 1-on-1 closeout drill. After that we do 2-on-2 rebounding. We then do a lot of 3-on-3 work which is followed by 4-on-4 drills. To conclude our defensive work, we do a 5-on-5 scrimmage like drill,” Head Coach Mike Hintz said.

Offense is one aspect of the game the Blackhawks have lacked compared to previous years. The team only averages 49-7 points per game. This means the team’s average margin of victory is -4.3 points per game.

Although the team would like to spend more time on defense, it is becoming more important to work on the offensive aspect of the game.

“We work on offense in a variety of ways, whether it be 5-on-5 shooting drills, or just running our offensive sets. We probably practice offense 90 percent of practice because even if we are doing emphasized defensive drills, we have players playing offense that are trying to make us better,” Sophomore Tanner Boos said.

The Blackhawks are currently 5-10 (2-4) and have eight games remaining. The team has already won five games, which outweighs their win totals from the previous two years combined. They hope to finish the season strong and make a strong playoff run.

“It all depends on if we come ready to play. I feel this team is talented enough to beat just about anyone. If we execute and hustle all game, we will be a very hard team to beat,” Junior Jim Hanson said.

Girls Volleyball sets up for playoffs

ramseystatz — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 21:33:47 +0000

The three month season has begun for the varsity, lady Blackhawk, volleyball team. While former senior athletes are off to new places, the team is working hard to enhance their game and competition.

Janelle Gerds, Madeline Podmolik and Alison Kozulla are the starters in the front row.

Back row starters are Shelby Graffin, Courtney Haferman, Lauren Pfeifer and libero Hayley Chisolm.

Abbigail Scoonover brings attention to the team as the only freshman to make varsity this year.

“My favorite thing about being on varsity is that I get to work with amazing athletes and improving,” Scoonover said.

Head Coach Amy Spies starts her seventh year coaching the team. Developing her team’s skill set is a priority.

“The one thing that I would say about our team is that they are a very talented bunch of girls that like to practice/compete at a very high level,“ Spies said.

The regular conference season ends on October 14; however, if they’re successful in the playoffs, they could potentially compete through the first week in November.

“I feel good about the season so far. We have had our ups and downs, but overall I have a great group of girls that like to work hard,” Spies said.

As of September 29, the girls have won nine games and lost four. They rank third out of the seven schools in their conference. The girls will be in action at Monroe on Thursday, October 7.

BCS system reevaluated

ramseystatz — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 19:48:37 +0000

Since the dawn of college football, controversy has surrounded the determination of the two participants in the National Championship game. Ever since the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) has been used as a determinant, it has only added fuel to the fire.
If a team wins a BCS conference title (Big Ten Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference, Big 12 Conference, etc.) it will automatically qualify for a chance to play in a BCS bowl game (The National Championship game, Rose Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, etc.).
Most of the controversy always seems to stem from the way BCS rankings are determined. The rankings are determined by combining the Associated Press (AP) poll, the Coach’s Poll and computer rankings. The computer ranks teams by strength of schedule and number of wins. If a team plays weak teams and wins all their games, the computer will still rank them low.
Non-BCS conferences have even gone so far as to say that the BCS violates antitrust laws.
In the past few years, teams from non-BCS conferences have beaten the odds and become eligible for a BCS bowl appearance, an act dubbed ‘BCS busting.’
In the BCS’s 12 year history, there have been 16 BCS busters. Of these 16, only six have actually received a BCS bowl game. The BCS buster prevailed in every game except in the 2010 Fiesta Bowl where Boise State and Texas Christian University (TCU), both BCS busters, played each other.
One team that is attempting to beat the odds three years in a row is Boise State University. The Broncos have proven that it is possible to play and win a BCS bowl game. If Boise State could beat the odds one more time, as it has been speculated they will, they may become the only non-BCS school to play in the National Championship game.
Talks have been in progress, since the BCS system was created, about different ways to determine a National Champion. One popular idea is a playoff. The number of teams in the playoff is up for debate, but the most popular seems to be an eight team playoff.
Some advantages of a playoff are that every team has an equal chance to win the Championship, teams would play their hardest (creating a more exciting game), teams could rest their players if they were guaranteed a playoff spot and the list goes on and on.
The BCS system is safe for now, but something should be done to give every team an equal chance at college football’s most prestigious team award, The National Championship.

FAll Sports Updates

ramseystatz — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 02:57:59 +0000

Cross Country
 Both boys’ and girls’ cross country are off to a fast start with six meets behind them already. There have been various individual medal winners in each race, but the team has not taken home any trophies as a whole. The conference meet will be held at the Koshkonong Mounds golf course.
 
Football

 All three football teams are in full swing now as varsity caught their first win in two years against the Monroe Cheese Makers. J.V. has recently grasped their first win of the season as well. Freshman have won all of their games so far.

Girls Swimming
 Lady Blackhawks’ swim team have had eight meets so far, and with the addition of multiple new freshman on varsity as well as returning upper classmen, many have high hopes for the swim team this year.
 
Girls Volleyball

 Girls volleyball is battling through their season also.  Freshman won their home tournament on September 18 while J.V. spiked their way into second place on September 18th.  Varsity is number three in conference as of September 29.

Boys Volleyball
 Boys’ volleyball has had a total of 12 matches thus far in their season and has participated in one tournament too. They are eager for the future matches and hope to improve their record from the past year which was 5-5 in conference; this year so far they are 2-3 in conference. 

Girls Golf
 Blackhawk women’s golf has had 12 tournaments in all but only five were conference.  Out of the six conference tournaments they have placed in one but Mara Simonson and Abby Knutson will be participating in the sectional tournament after competing in the regionals tournament and placing high enough to move on to sectionals.

Girls Tennis

  The girls tennis team has had a total of fifteen matches and their conference match which was played on September 24 and 25. The single sub-sectional players include Lexie Weigand, Katie McCarthy, Courtney Jacobson and Briana Jackson. The doubles players for sub-sectionals are Ellery Barrow and Rhea Bradley, Becky McHenry and Mariah Topel and Rachel Forseth and Anne Kamstra.

Boys soccer

 The Blackhawks boys’ varsity team has had a total of 18 games so far this season. The varsity team is made up of sophomores, juniors, seniors and one freshman. The J.V. team has had a total of 16 games.Varsity has a record of 5-10-2 in conference, and J.V. has a record of 9-6 with an eight-game winning streak.

Bush’s Heisman revocation unjust

ramseystatz — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 02:59:40 +0000

On September 15th, Reggie Bush had his 2005 Heisman award wrongly vacated for receiving improper benefits while he was a running back at the University of Southern California. The improper benefits he accepted put him in violation of NCAA rules and regulations, therefore making him ineligible to play college football. He technically was not able to receive the Heisman award at the time it was given to him, but the Heisman Trust should not have vacated his award.

Reggie Bush was a fantastic college player, racking up 6,890 all-purpose yards, scoring 42 touchdowns, and helping the Trojans to the top of the AP Poll following the 2003 and 2004 seasons, with a second place finish in 2005. Yes, Bush received some especially lavish gifts and yes, he was not eligible to win the Heisman awards because technically he was not an amateur. But those things did not affect the way he deftly darted between dazed defenders, leaving them grabbing at thin air, or the electric buzz of excitement in the air when he touched the football. It’s not like they found that he was using performance enhancing drugs; the way he violated rules didn’t make him a better player. In no way is breaking the rules right, but the Heisman Trust should not have taken away college football’s most prestigious award over some improper benefits.

After the Heisman Trust vacated Bush’s award, they decided not to name a winner for the award. They should have given it to Vince Young, the Texas quarterback who led his team to a national championship win over USC, rather than leaving an ugly hole in college football record books forever.

Going…going…??? Fort sluggers step to the plate in sectionals

adviser — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 19:32:22 +0000

The Fort Atkinson baseball team defeated Oregon 9-7 in their sectional match-up.

This win allows the Blackhawks to advance to the sectional final game at 5:00 on June 9 (today) at Riverside Park in Janesville playing either Milton or Oconomowoc!!!!!

For those who can’t make it to the game it will be on 106.5 FM.

Girls Softball plays in Sectionals today

adviser — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 19:27:59 +0000

The WIAA softball tournament shifts into high gear with sectional semifinals Wednesday at locations throughout the area, and the Madison.com coverage team will provide updates throughout the competition.

The games will determine the matchups for Friday’s sectional finals, the last stage before the state tournament June 17-19 at Goodman Diamond.

The Fort Atkinson Girls Softball team huddles and cheers each other on in action from earlier this season.

Division 2

Evansville sectional semifinal: Luke Briggs, in Evansville for the baseball sectional triple-header, will try to monitor the Brodhead-Fort Atkinson sectional semifinal softball game from 300 feet away. It could be a quick softball game with Brodhead ace Erika Stampfli, who had 21 strikeouts in a game this season, and Fort Atkinson’s Emilie Bakken, who has 44 career victories at Fort, going head-to-head.
Division 3

Amount of playing time questioned by athletes

martakotz — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:58:10 +0000

At the beginning of every sports season, a student athlete must pay a $40 fee in order to participate in games and practices.
The only question is if every athlete gets enough playing time for hard work that they put in and the $40 participation fee they payed.
“I did pay that fee and on top of that all the other stuff; I had to pay for such as the new team shoes and knee pads. The bill really started to add up. So considering all the money we spent for the team and all the hard work I put in, it would have been nice for some more playing time. But through out the season I was really thinking about the $40 plus and the hard work that I contributed, and the playing time that went along with it,” Varsity Volleyball player Jessica McCulloch said.
It’s common to see Juniors or Seniors get upset over an underclassmen starting ahead of them, even under these equal stipulations.
When they’ve been playing the sport for longer and put in equal amount of time in, tensions can rise, or respect is showed for the underclassmen’s skill level and hard work to the sport.
“People weren’t always angry when I started over them, they sometimes got playing time at different positions. I felt I deserved every minute of my playing time because I went to every practice and put a lot of effort into each practice. I didn’t care if I would get my $40 worth of playing time, it’s not about that. I love playing football,” Varsity Football Quarterback Drew Dunkleberger said.
There have always been mixed emotions on this topic, which takes place in virtually all sports seasons.
Some athletes feel they would have handled this situation differently.
“I would have considered that each player payed their fee, in the games and every difficult practice. Also, if I was the coach I would have made every player earn their playing time like everyone else. So if a player was good, they would get more playing time than other people that are worse, goof off in practice, or even skip practice,” Freshman Football Player Adam Knox said.
While some players were discouraged about their amount of playing time; others felt it was the skills they had which determined their amount of playing time.
“I feel I got sufficient playing time for my skills. To put it nicely, I’m not the best player. I got ten to twenty minutes per game and that’s what I deserved,” JV Soccer Player Aaron Martin said.
One thing athletes seem to lose sight of, is that coaches are in games to win them, and not to put in every player on the team and make playing time equal.
That stage of competition was left by Middle School.
To earn a starting spot, or more playing time, it takes work and dedication to the sport.
Even when you’re not the best player on the team, being a part of the team can be a reward in itself.
Teamwork, dedication and various other aspects of being in a sport are all things that students will face now and through the remainder of their lives.
“Working together is important, because there is no ‘I’ in team. I like going out for a sport because it’s fun and we do lots of stuff together. And going places together, like camp, also helps,” Junior Victoria Smithyman said.