Ok. I'll say it. For YEARS, I'm talking 40 +, I can never figure out why class a thinks they have to play in Devaney or pba. I've watched a bunch of high school bb on strive and ncn. The class x on down draw way more attendance for regular season games than A. A lot more small school/towns follow they're school than A.
School pride...
- Thread starter Jaemekon
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Who knows if our mindset will change, but as of now, if we stay in Millard we don't want our kids going to a class A school.
Proximity wise, that leaves Skutt. I love the private, catholic schooling our kids are currently receiving + most of my kids' friends will probably be at Skutt. But Skutt is still a big school & I really don't want to pay tuition for 5 kids.
We thought of Platteview, Yutan & DC West, but we'll see what those schools are like 6+ years from now.
We've brought up moving back to my hometown (central Nebraska) to our 2 oldest and they hate the idea. Only because they'll miss their current friends, but I know after a few months they'll be perfectly fine if we moved. Decisions decisions....
It's the ability to be able to run around with your buddies, playing games & just having fun at the park that's near the football field or near the end zone on a Friday night. And as a parent, allowing them to run off on their own knowing that they'll be just fine.
I've never been to a football game in Omaha so maybe parents do let their 6 yr olds & 9 yr olds do that, but I know in small towns, that's the norm.
In the early 70's my friend and I were driving down South Street in our letter jackets and a car with two guys in their letter jackets pulled up beside us at a stoplight.
One hung out the window and yelled at us, "Pius SUCKS!"
My friend looked at them and calmly replied, "We know. We go there."
Them: "Hey, cool man! So does Southeast!"
One hung out the window and yelled at us, "Pius SUCKS!"
My friend looked at them and calmly replied, "We know. We go there."
Them: "Hey, cool man! So does Southeast!"
Not all of them, but a lot that I know of do. 40yo. Born and raised in Omaha, attended Gross High, now living in Millard. Millard schools (including Skutt) are pretty blah. Maybe Millard South has a bit of a vibe, but nothing I'm impressed with.
Prep/Westside is a fantastic rivalry. The pride of South O pours through Gross. Elkhorn schools and Gretna have it. Bennington too. North/Central are every bit as good as Prep/Westside. I believe there are factors in Omaha that may have changed some of the vibes, but on the whole, I believe the pride of community is still very well alive at the HS level.
Yep. I understand. Seacrest in Lincoln and the 3 stadiums I've been to in Omaha didn't have kids running around. The stadiums just aren't built the same in addition to the sheer amount of people and traffic nearby.
I understand what you're saying about Friday night games. I started doing the same for my kids last fall, turning them loose. In Lincoln kids usually start hanging out at varsity football games around 7th grade.
If you don’t mind me asking, how old are your kids? The older they are, the harder it is to move. Especially to smaller towns. There are a lot of cliques. We have been able to become part of the community, but not without some work. Lifers can take some time to warm to new comers. Maybe that’s different in central NE where the migration to small towns is spurring growth and everyone wants to keep their town small.
I like Yutan a lot. I have some family out there and it definitely has the small town feel. And they have the Rusty Rooster. (Springfields biggest down fall is the lack of a true townie bar - The Blind Pig has gotten way better under new ownership, but it’s 50-50 bar and restaurant. It’s not the same as something like the Rooster).
In my opinion, the sooner you move, the better you’ll be. It will be way easier to become part of the community when they’re younger. Let me know if you have questions about Springfield.
DC West is an interesting school, such a huge divide of super well off and not well off out there. That school has yet to find a great sports culture but that is not the end of the world. It has a bit of a reputation as a "flight" school for a few different reasons but I have never heard anything bad about it and I have one "friend" out there and they like it.
Springfield, like the one poster mentioned, is going to grow (Louisville too, is my guess), They are they next "Gretna", again, just my guess and I am usually wrong.
Springfield, like the one poster mentioned, is going to grow (Louisville too, is my guess), They are they next "Gretna", again, just my guess and I am usually wrong.
That was me.In the early 70's my friend and I were driving down South Street in our letter jackets and a car with two guys in their letter jackets pulled up beside us at a stoplight.
One hung out the window and yelled at us, "Pius SUCKS!"
My friend looked at them and calmly replied, "We know. We go there."
Them: "Hey, cool man! So does Southeast!"
Go Spartans!
9, 6, 4, soon to be 2, and soon to have a newborn.
There's a family of 3rd cousin I have who grew up in Omaha, lived near Millard North I believe. They sent their 2 older girls to school in Springfield, while the younger 2 girls decided to go to MN. The older 2 thrived while the younger 2 girls.... 1 did okay, the other seems to be struggling through life. I know a lot more can be in play other than the high school they went to, but their mom is a firm believer that their school choice was a huge factor in shaping out their lives.
Honestly, this is how I feel too.
I don't really care about athletics at all. I think it's dumb. What do they bring to society? Very little if you ask me. I get the personal growth stories, but as a whole, it doesn't add much to society.
Athletes should not be making millions or be held up as role models either.
I am a Nebraska football fan only because I was born in Omaha and it was something my Dad got me into.. it gives us something to talk about. But the reality of what you're asking as far as importance I put on athletics.. from a societal view, it's nearly zero..
In fact, it's actually negative.. I think athletics has a net negative impact on kids in the US.
I graduated from Norris in 93 so when it came time to move my family to the Omaha area I purposely chose Gretna to live in for it's proximity to the SW area and for the School as it was what I wanted for my kids... 6 years ago when I moved to Texas I searched extensively for a school that matched both Gretna & Norris and landed on Aledo which at the time was still a smaller 5A Div II school... Since that time this place has exploded in growth and we will most likely be a 6A school by next year... my son has one year left and once he graduates I'm most likely out of here... Love the school, they excel in literally everything in both sports & academia but the place is too big now and far too crowded... plus, my taxes are beyond stupid... time to go build my barndo some where...
Very interesting. I have pretty much the opposite view.
When Nebraska was at it's peak, I rooted for Florida St, in the early 2000's I started wearing Oregon gear, it wasn't until the year that Callahan got fired that I really started to follow the huskers. That recruiting class was shaping up nicely. Everyone I know used to be husker fans if nothing else, but I had to be the contrarian.
Athletics were the only part of school I enjoyed, "I didn't come here to play school". Sports were a great outlet for me to be competitive, otherwise I take out my competitiveness on people in a less "healthy" way, sports were great for building friendships, and great for having time to hang with friends.
I usually judge people's reactions to things on whether or not I believed they were at least a competent athlete. I believe competitors have a better perspective on life, but that's just my bias.
We live 4 states away from where I grew up so obviously not the same school. We are quite invested in the activities and sports our kids participate in. The traditional football/basketball, we are not as involved because sports have become so much of a year round commitment that it is hard to not be participating in some sort of activity. We do attend most FB games but not all.
This past weekend both of my kids(Jr daughter and Fr son) qualified for the varsity state bowling tournament. One of the girls my daughter competed against last year is a Fr at Nebraska this year. Mine will almost certainly have a scholarship somewhere if she chooses to bowl.
Smaller populations certainly have more coherent community involvement(not pride) than larger cities just due to the specialization allowed/required with bigger schools.
This past weekend both of my kids(Jr daughter and Fr son) qualified for the varsity state bowling tournament. One of the girls my daughter competed against last year is a Fr at Nebraska this year. Mine will almost certainly have a scholarship somewhere if she chooses to bowl.
Smaller populations certainly have more coherent community involvement(not pride) than larger cities just due to the specialization allowed/required with bigger schools.
I think athletics CAN teach kids discipline and a "hard work pays off" attitude. And don't underestimate the positive impact of sports bringing people together as fans. Even if it's just giving a father and son something to talk about.
I think the really beauty of sports is later on, the memories.
You get 4 years to make those memories and then it is gone, there is no going back. Hell, the idea of going back is such a big idea that movies are made about going back to HS.
I don't remember the scores of all the games I was in but I remember screwing around in the locker rooms, or on the bus. I remember wearing my jersey to school and how it seemed so cool and pep rallies that I was either a part of or that me and friends would ditch to go eat or play video games or drive around.
Unless you are on an amazing team you won't have a ton of memories about wins and championships.
We usually close the door to the coaches office when our players are coming in from practice but sometimes it is open and hearing those HS kids talk about practice, school, girls, jobs, college all that stuff, it is pretty cool to hear, as much we like to complain that things are so different now, they really are pretty much the same for HS students.
Also, side note, if your kid is in HS speech, they might as well be in a soft core porn movie. I had to do asst speech for one year and those speech meets are just a bunch of HS kids doing a speech and then coming back to the cafeteria area and making out.
Speech meets & band trips were the best in HS! Not sure I would go as far as soft core porn (at least not in my experience), but I know what you're saying.
Probably another thing I loved about being at a smaller school. I was able to be a part of the football, basketball & track teams along with band, one-acts, speech, all-school-play, etc. No way would have I played varsity had I gone to a Class B or Class A school.
In other words all you snowflake leftist dipshits from California etc. Stay the eff out.
Do you have intel that there is an influx of California liberals coming to the Springfield area?
Absolutely. I moved to a small town six years ago. I attend local plays and sporting events even when my kids are not participating. I know a lot of the other kids and families. It is much easier to participate for kids in activities they enjoy, but maybe aren’t skipped enough to do in a bigger place.