NCHSAA
Aug 24, 2008
Charlie Adams, the executive director of the N.C. High School Athletic Association, spoke with HighSchoolOT.com last week about the state of high school athletics in North Carolina, and he said he thinks high school sports have never been better in this state.
"I would say [the state of high school athletics] is very good. I think right now we have the finest athletes, the best coaches, best facilities and equipment, teaching and training. I would say right now that our high school program is as good as we have ever seen it," Adams said.
In school systems straining for money, such as in Wake County, some people have suggested making cuts to athletics in order to save money.
Adams says that is the wrong approach.
"I think there are so many good things that come out of athletics," Adams explained, "I heard a superintendent the other day say that, as far as he was concerned, the athletic departments at his schools was the front porch of the schools."
"And I think he's right on that. I think it unites the student body and brings the community together. And there are so many lessons that you learn from sports, not necessarily just about winning and losing, but desire, determination, dedication, competition, participation, teamwork, and I just think we're thinking about the wrong thing when we start talking about cutting out one of the things that does such a good job at getting kids of all sizes, shapes and backgrounds involved."
Adams also said that athletics are a great drop out prevention program. "You get kids involved in sports, and very seldom do we lose them to drop-outs," he said.
Even with all of the good things going on in high school athletics, Adams said the economy is a major threat to the well being of the programs.
"When you start thinking about how many plants have closed down, how many jobs have gone overseas, and people are out of work, fuel cost, everything that is related to the fuel cost, I think we've got some tough times in front of us, and it's going to force all of us to be creative, to come out of the box, and think about doing things in a different way," he said.
Last school year and over the course of the summer, eligibility was constantly in the headlines. Almost two dozen ineligible players were found in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools last year, an Apex volleyball player falsified her address, and there were a number of other eligibility issues across the state.
Adams said this is something that has become a top priority at the NCHSAA.
"This has gone from something that we just talked about, thought about, and worked on, to the front burner," Adams said.
"We realize that North Carolina is one of the fastest growing states in the country; schools are growing, they're at maximum capacity; we have more, and more student-athletes than we have ever had; we have a lot of parents shopping for athletic programs, we have a lot of the student-athletes doing the same thing."
Adams says that he believes most coaches are in the profession for the right reasons, and he added that he thinks most of them do things the right way.
"I really believe that about 95-percent of the coaches do things for the right reasons, the right way, and there is a lot of integrity in their programs," Adams explained. "But you're going to always have a small few that will do whatever is necessary to try to circumvent the rule, or beat the rule, and I think these are the ones that are recruiting kids from other schools, setting up false addresses, doing things unethically, illegally."
Charlie Adams spent a whole hour talking to HighSchoolOT.com about the state of high school athletics in North Carolina, and in that hour he touched on a number of subjects.
Adams believes the days of four classes in North Carolina are over. By the next realignment in 2013, Adams said we will likely see a 5-A Class added to the Association. He also said that he thinks a realignment every four years is enough, saying more frequent realignments would become excessive.
With Appalachian State playing a nationally televised game on Friday night, Adams expressed his concern about the impact on high school football. He also discusses the incident years ago with East Carolina, and says that high schools need to be prepared for this to become a regular thing. Adams added, however, that the ACC does not allow its members to televise on Friday nights.
To hear more from Adams, including these topics, as well as sportsmanship & ejections, spring football, AEDs, private schools joining the Association, and more, click the links on the right side of this story.
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