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Air Force 1 wrote:East Grand Forks Senior High has 490 students in a community of 8,600. None of the hockey players are from Grand Forks as somewhat suggested earlier.

The fact is EGF and the Grand Forks area because of its size draws a more diverse and higher economic demographic and hockey is largely a money game. At a 26% free/reduced lunch rate they are lower than the average 8A school (Crookston 34%...Warroad 29%...Detroit Lakes 29%...Bagley 45%....LOW 34%....Park Rapids 32%....Red Lake Falls 32%. Thief River is lower at 23%. I couldn't find Kittsoms. It's not a coincidence that the top 3 teams in 8A also have the lowest F/R rates....across all sections and both classes I'd expect the same thing with regards to public schools.

Deathblow wrote:I'd be curious to see what the cost of travel would be if EGF had opted up. Playing a 8AA schedule would mean trips to Sartel, St. Cloud, etc...

I would think the school district is on the hook for any travel costs, and I thought that EGF has gone through some budget cuts within the district. But maybe I don't understand how it all works, either...

This is true.

Travel costs for outstate teams are a big expense, for both the schools and fans.

Not like the metro, where your opponent is down the road.

puckbreath wrote:

Deathblow wrote:I'd be curious to see what the cost of travel would be if EGF had opted up. Playing a 8AA schedule would mean trips to Sartel, St. Cloud, etc...

I would think the school district is on the hook for any travel costs, and I thought that EGF has gone through some budget cuts within the district. But maybe I don't understand how it all works, either...

This is true.

Travel costs for outstate teams are a big expense, for both the schools and fans.

Not like the metro, where your opponent is down the road.

In my experience, the district sets a budget. If a particular sport or team wants to go beyond that dollar amount, their booster club is responsible for picking up the extra cost. Teams like Duluth East and Moorhead are two examples of teams that travel great distances to play top tier competition. I would say this philosophy has worked out fairly well for these teams.

curtiscurve wrote:

puckbreath wrote:

Deathblow wrote:I'd be curious to see what the cost of travel would be if EGF had opted up. Playing a 8AA schedule would mean trips to Sartel, St. Cloud, etc...

I would think the school district is on the hook for any travel costs, and I thought that EGF has gone through some budget cuts within the district. But maybe I don't understand how it all works, either...

This is true.

Travel costs for outstate teams are a big expense, for both the schools and fans.

Not like the metro, where your opponent is down the road.

In my experience, the district sets a budget. If a particular sport or team wants to go beyond that dollar amount, their booster club is responsible for picking up the extra cost. Teams like Duluth East and Moorhead are two examples of teams that travel great distances to play top tier competition. I would say this philosophy has worked out fairly well for these teams.

Both of which have substantially larger populations, and I would bet budgets, than most, in this case, northern schools.

I believe you're correct about how budgeting works.

why is it that every year a class A team is good they get beat down becasue they didn't opt up to AA.

Teams especially from NW MN are so far from AA enrollments it is not even funny. In most cases they still have less than half of the highest enrollments in A.

Keep the top A teams in A and you have a very nice class of hockey.

black sheep wrote:why is it that every year a class A team is good they get beat down becasue they didn't opt up to AA.

Teams especially from NW MN are so far from AA enrollments it is not even funny. In most cases they still have less than half of the highest enrollments in A.

Keep the top A teams in A and you have a very nice class of hockey.

Pretty much every year I pose the question "what do you want of the two class system?"

If we wanted two really great tournaments, we wouldn't allow teams to opt up. (You could split the private schools so some are in AA if you really wanted) In many years we'd end up with a better A tournament than AA.

If we really wanted a "small town class," as many point out, then we'd have the bottom 64 in A, allow small good teams to opt up. Having basically 5A football in the top class and everyone else in the other doesn't achieve small town anything.

A third option that's rarely brought up is a third class. The teams people complain about could still be put down for not winning the "big boy trophy" and the small towns could have a tournament.

Ultimately, people just like to complain about something.

black sheep wrote:why is it that every year a class A team is good they get beat down becasue they didn't opt up to AA.

Teams especially from NW MN are so far from AA enrollments it is not even funny. In most cases they still have less than half of the highest enrollments in A.

Keep the top A teams in A and you have a very nice class of hockey.

In another thread they were discussing player moving on to USHL or up to Canadian leagues. With that in mind how could a school opt up without knowing that there players are all going to stay around. The reason these schools are A is mostly the depth of there teams or schools.