Rumblings - Georgetown Prep May Leave the IAC, Setting Up Ripple Effect

[Anonymous]

I don't this merit program is aimed towards the Landon lacrosse program but maybe an attempt to get more athletes for football and other sports. The lacrosse program will always remain very strong on Wilson Lane. Landon's current freshman class is loaded.

Mark my words, several other schools will follow the "Merit Based" scholarship in the next few years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Now, if there were a move to create a private school league for NoVa comprised of EHS, SSSA, Flint Hill and Potomac, that would be an issue for both the MAC and IAC and would necessarily change the landscape in the area.

I think that's the great threat to the IAC.

I can see why SSSA and Episcopal would want to play almost all their games in Virginia. Getting from EHS or SSAA to Prep or Landon or STA and back again on a week day afternoon at rush hour is just grueling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is remarkable how important IAC sports are in this area. Second only to NFL.

Yes, so important to civilzation as we know it.

You are obviously lost.

The "Issues important to civilization" thread is on another forum.

[Anonymous]

I have heard a few "let Prep back in and kick out Bullis" (at least in football) comments, but it would take a much longer period of the current approach at Bullis for that drastic an action to occur. Most likely the other IAC schools will ride it out and grumble, while they see whether Bullis does the classic independent school move when they hire their next Head of School by making him/her the polar opposite of the current Head of School. On the other hand, if there is a decade of Bullis winning the IAC while ALSO getting into fights with the opposing team, having the coach go Bobby Knight on officials, and bringing in upperclass transfer students . . . then some trigger fingers might get itchy.

All sort of silly given that in football, at least, "best in the IAC" is like "best ice hockey team in Alabama."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree with the others who suggested that the issue across these leagues are based on competitive imbalance issues related to single-sec versus co-ed institutions.

I do not believe Potomac and Flint Hill would join the IAC to put themselves in a position of such a competitive imbalance to Landon and STA on a regular basis (and now Prep since they are rejoining for football).

At the same time, Sidwell left the IAC in the mid 1990's exactly because of this imbalance - not because "they sucked at sports" but because they realized trying to compete in certain sports when they simply didn't have the enrollment population to draw on for regular competitiveness (and weren't willing to compromise academic standards for success on the field) - not sure why other co-ed schools would sign up for that today.

Now, if there were a move to create a private school league for NoVa comprised of EHS, SSSA, Flint Hill and Potomac, that would be an issue for both the MAC and IAC and would necessarily change the landscape in the area.

LOL. Potomac and FH would join the IAC in a heartbeat. Being part of the IAC would be a huge boost to their athletic programs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with the others who suggested that the issue across these leagues are based on competitive imbalance issues related to single-sec versus co-ed institutions.

I do not believe Potomac and Flint Hill would join the IAC to put themselves in a position of such a competitive imbalance to Landon and STA on a regular basis (and now Prep since they are rejoining for football).

At the same time, Sidwell left the IAC in the mid 1990's exactly because of this imbalance - not because "they sucked at sports" but because they realized trying to compete in certain sports when they simply didn't have the enrollment population to draw on for regular competitiveness (and weren't willing to compromise academic standards for success on the field) - not sure why other co-ed schools would sign up for that today.

Now, if there were a move to create a private school league for NoVa comprised of EHS, SSSA, Flint Hill and Potomac, that would be an issue for both the MAC and IAC and would necessarily change the landscape in the area.

And why would Potomac and Flint Hill join the IAC? Would they compete in the IAC JV?
LOL. Potomac and FH would join the IAC in a heartbeat. Being part of the IAC would be a huge boost to their athletic programs.

[Anonymous]

Potomac's new headmaster is pro sports. Its only a matter of time before Potomac leaves the MAC for the IAC. Flint Hill could compete in the IAC right now for football. They have more students than Potomac and I believe more boys.

The MAC is just a terrible athletic conference all around. Why wouldn't Potomac or Flint Hill want to join the IAC. It would help them elevate their athletic programs all around if they were to make the jump.

Winning the MAC means nothing when you are competing against Maret, St. James and Sidwell in football.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Potomac's new headmaster is pro sports. Its only a matter of time before Potomac leaves the MAC for the IAC. Flint Hill could compete in the IAC right now for football. They have more students than Potomac and I believe more boys.

The MAC is just a terrible athletic conference all around. Why wouldn't Potomac or Flint Hill want to join the IAC. It would help them elevate their athletic programs all around if they were to make the jump.

Winning the MAC means nothing when you are competing against Maret, St. James and Sidwell in football.

Of course they would leave the MAC for the IAC. But the IAC could have expanded 8 or more teams years ago. They didn't, so you have to ask yourself why they would do so now.

FH is a marginal academic school. Potomac is a great academic school and could compete in several sports. Neither would be a threat to win IAC football, but both could be competitive.

It's not going to happen, though. The IAC is not interested in either school.

[Anonymous]

Uh, O'Connell still plays WCAC football...http://wcacsports.com/index.php?league_id=19919. They don't compete for the championship but they're not the worst, either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Potomac's new headmaster is pro sports. Its only a matter of time before Potomac leaves the MAC for the IAC. Flint Hill could compete in the IAC right now for football. They have more students than Potomac and I believe more boys.

The MAC is just a terrible athletic conference all around. Why wouldn't Potomac or Flint Hill want to join the IAC. It would help them elevate their athletic programs all around if they were to make the jump.

Winning the MAC means nothing when you are competing against Maret, St. James and Sidwell in football.

Of course they would leave the MAC for the IAC. But the IAC could have expanded 8 or more teams years ago. They didn't, so you have to ask yourself why they would do so now.

FH is a marginal academic school. Potomac is a great academic school and could compete in several sports. Neither would be a threat to win IAC football, but both could be competitive.

It's not going to happen, though. The IAC is not interested in either school.

I have heard that the IAC is interested in Potomac and Sidwell, never Flint Hill. (Doesn't mean that hasn't changed or hasn't been discussed, but I've never heard it.) Out of comity, I don't think they would blow up the MAC by asking just 1-2 teams to join. Some people have suggested that they take the approach of the ISL (biggest independent school girls' league), by having upper and lower divisions, so it is a set-up like English Premier league soccer with "relegation" on a sport-by-sport basis (bottom team in top division swaps places with top team in lower division each year). I have heard that more as a "thinking outside the box" idea rather than a concrete proposal, however.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:P

I have heard that the IAC is interested in Potomac and Sidwell, never Flint Hill. (Doesn't mean that hasn't changed or hasn't been discussed, but I've never heard it.) Out of comity, I don't think they would blow up the MAC by asking just 1-2 teams to join. Some people have suggested that they take the approach of the ISL (biggest independent school girls' league), by having upper and lower divisions, so it is a set-up like English Premier league soccer with "relegation" on a sport-by-sport basis (bottom team in top division swaps places with top team in lower division each year). I have heard that more as a "thinking outside the box" idea rather than a concrete proposal, however.

Interesting. But there is no such thing as "The IAC" in the sense there is a Big Ten or and ACC. There isn't any central entity that would do any kind of planning. There is no staff. There is no President or Director or Commissioner. (I believe the WCAC does have a commissioner, but he has very little power)

The IAC is just meetings between AD and meeting between school heads.

They meet and argue about and sometimes agree on things like the structure of individual sport playoffs.

When the ACC and B1G expanded, it was because these conferences have central administrations that care about the long term health of the conference.

The English football model is a great one. But there is absolutely zero chance it would ever occur in the DC area non-WCAC private school world because there is no one in charge of a single league, let alone a number of leagues.

A concept like inviting new schools would require some one to champion the idea and to sell it to enough of the other schools to have it succeed (e.g, kicking GP football out of the IAC twice.)