Things haven’t been normal in the sports world for around two years now, but Covid is getting closer to the rearview mirror than it used be. And that is really the normal that I am seeking. For the most part in this area of the world, we all have learned to deal with Covid and have adapted the best we can to the bad and good of the pandemic.
Normal is not a thing when it comes to the current basketball season, and Ron, our sports editor, is going to have a difficult job as the district tournament starts this week. Jim Steele, who covers McKenzie, and myself, who covers Huntingdon, will have a little easier road for coverage because we follow our two local teams. The problem is that five county schools that play basketball will start district tournaments this week in three different locations.
Math was never one of my best subjects, but I am pretty sure that three of us can’t be at all the different places at once. It was a lot easier in the past when all five schools played in the same district and the district tournament was held at Bethel. Life was good for all of us back then. In the past, we would just split up the assignments, and Ron would just simply put all the info together.
For at least this year and next year, things will not be normal for the county schools in basketball and baseball and softball as they are facing the same situation. I am thinking that the possibility of things returning to normal will probably not happen anytime soon. The reason for the change has been that the TSSAA has gone from three classifications to four for the sports I just mentioned.
I am on both sides of the fence when it comes to the issue at hand, because, as I have said for years, basketball, baseball, and softball should have more than three classifications. Last year I got my wish, but the problem is now that all the county schools are split up in different districts. Only West Carroll, Hollow Rock-Bruceton, and Clarksburg are in the same district. McKenzie is in a different district, as is Huntingdon. All the first-round games are at the site of the higher seed, and that means three people needing to be at five different places. And there again, it is a problem of math.
I guess we will do the best we can for now, and maybe someday things will return to normal for Carroll County.
For more of my ramblings, check out The Beating Around the Bush Podcast that can be heard on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Facebook and other places you get your podcasts.
