Merge LA section into the Southern Section, then split that into 3rds. Create an Inland Empire Section, LA Metro Section, and South Coast Section. Leave San Diego Section the way it is, maybe a few of the most southern, Southern Section teams could move into the SD section to balance out the numbers.
Above:
SF public schools merge into CCS
Oakland public schools merge into the NCS
Sac Joaquin section splits, with the Sacramento area schools moving into the Northern Section and the Stockton to Merced schools joining the Central Section.
Call the two new sections the Sacramento Section and the San Joaquin Section, because they would lie respectively, in those two valleys (for the most part)
For team sports, this gives you a nice 8 team bracket for state tournaments
For individual sports, you're going to get pretty close to parity in section distribution. 57% of the population of CA is below the grapevine, so there'd be a little more gravity in the 4 southern sections. That could easily be addressed with floating at large berths for cross country (as we currently do) and at large standards for track, swimming (which already exist in track...not sure about swimming)
The reason this will never happen is that CIF is a Federation, which means that it is governed by the votes of its 10 section representatives, who would probably never vote to disband their own sections.
What about central section?
Also, as this user mentioned, it's just politics. Any coach in California can vouch for this. California, more so than any other state in my opinion, is infested with traditionalist "oldheads" who insist on doing things the way they have always been done "because thats how how things have always been". I'm a coach in CCS and I can tell you first-hand that it is a problem at every level. The league i'm in had a whole host of issues during the season and at the post-season meeting half the coaches (all above the age of 60) didn't change the bylaws because they didn't feel like it and just wanted to maintain tradition.
I'm probably gonna move to another state eventually. California track and field is amazing but they don't accept people who want to change things for the better in this state. I honestly have 0 clue how the 4x800 ever got added to the postseason considering these conditions.
The biggest, most important, and honestly EASIEST change that needs to be made to CIF T&F is a change to the event schedule. Having the 3200, 4x800 and 4x400 next to each other is the stupidest thing ever, but i'll be shocked to see that change in the next decade.
I was in on the decision as to where to put the 4x8. I'm only 53 :). My suggestion (put it as a straight final on day 1) lost. It's what we do in our section, though.
Oh, and I said the Central section should merge with the southern half of the SJS and be renamed the San Joaquin Section, after the name of the valley that most of the schools would be in
This post was edited 1 minute after it was posted.
Reason provided:
Fixed a mistake
I think trying to figure out how to realign the sections is a bit premature. First you would have to get the old timers to agree to realignment first.
Just a thought experiment that has been rattling around in my head for the past 20 years. Every year, the Southern Section types whine about good teams getting left home from the state meet while some C tier team makes it out of the city sections.
Unfortunately for us, the sections have other sports to worry about and like it or not, there are real financial survival type things they have to consider. Most sections have very little cash reserve for operating expenses and the work is done by a skeleton crew. I believe the SJS has only 7 employees and financial stability is always an issue. Even something like changing letterhead to represent a different geographical make up would eat away at their budgets.
I think trying to figure out how to realign the sections is a bit premature. First you would have to get the old timers to agree to realignment first.
Just a thought experiment that has been rattling around in my head for the past 20 years. Every year, the Southern Section types whine about good teams getting left home from the state meet while some C tier team makes it out of the city sections.
Unfortunately for us, the sections have other sports to worry about and like it or not, there are real financial survival type things they have to consider. Most sections have very little cash reserve for operating expenses and the work is done by a skeleton crew. I believe the SJS has only 7 employees and financial stability is always an issue. Even something like changing letterhead to represent a different geographical make up would eat away at their budgets.
Getting all the Sections to agree about anything at the same time is next to impossible. The only thing that any of them can agree on is that Football is most important. So if Football needs a realignment then MAYBE it could happen.
I'm from the SJS. 2nd largest section in the state.
SF and Oakland Sections merge into CCS. CCS is pretty much all bay-area, and my father coaches at CCS. He's the one who told me how stupid those sections are, and he literally coaches football.
Split up Southern Section to AT LEAST 2-3 smaller sections. LA City and San Diego can remain the way they are. Southern Section could have South Coast, LA Metro (like another post was saying) etc. No need for SS to be that damn big.
I strongly agree with another post saying that the Sacramento-Modesto/Merced schools should be split. I'm from Sacramento and I'm sick of having to drive 2+ hours to get to a damn meet.
I do think there is basically no reason for them to exist given they are both like <20 schools vs basically 100+ for every other section.
Somewhat off topic, but I am a bit confused about the abbreviations. I am seeing both OK for Oakland Tech schools and then one instance of OS appearing in the list. Not sure why CIF can't proof read their own document. Also a few other typos like random capital letters for sections.
There is this article from 15 years ago about upholding tradition, so it seems it's just a holdover of old times.
Out of their ~45 combined entries, I'd say like 5 would have been able to qualify if they had to go through the North Coast section after skimming through the results. Most of them are hilariously dead last by large margins or in the bottom 2-3 people.
This pretty much answers the OP question. All these old-heads just can't let go.
Hopefully once they leave and the younger generation takes over, we'll see a change, but that won't be anytime soon.
I'm from the SJS. 2nd largest section in the state.
SF and Oakland Sections merge into CCS. CCS is pretty much all bay-area, and my father coaches at CCS. He's the one who told me how stupid those sections are, and he literally coaches football.
Split up Southern Section to AT LEAST 2-3 smaller sections. LA City and San Diego can remain the way they are. Southern Section could have South Coast, LA Metro (like another post was saying) etc. No need for SS to be that damn big.
I strongly agree with another post saying that the Sacramento-Modesto/Merced schools should be split. I'm from Sacramento and I'm sick of having to drive 2+ hours to get to a damn meet.
It don’t know how you could be from Sacramento and think those things, Stockton is only an hour away without much traffic, but driving two hours the other way to Fresno makes sense to you? Both Stockton and Merced have high enrollment schools that need to be in a competitive section. In the history of Sacramento sports, and unless it was a state competition, no one has ever driven to Merced for a HS competition. How could you possibly have to drive 2+ hours to get to a damn meet?
I'm from the SJS. 2nd largest section in the state.
SF and Oakland Sections merge into CCS. CCS is pretty much all bay-area, and my father coaches at CCS. He's the one who told me how stupid those sections are, and he literally coaches football.
Split up Southern Section to AT LEAST 2-3 smaller sections. LA City and San Diego can remain the way they are. Southern Section could have South Coast, LA Metro (like another post was saying) etc. No need for SS to be that damn big.
I strongly agree with another post saying that the Sacramento-Modesto/Merced schools should be split. I'm from Sacramento and I'm sick of having to drive 2+ hours to get to a damn meet.
It don’t know how you could be from Sacramento and think those things, Stockton is only an hour away without much traffic, but driving two hours the other way to Fresno makes sense to you? Both Stockton and Merced have high enrollment schools that need to be in a competitive section. In the history of Sacramento sports, and unless it was a state competition, no one has ever driven to Merced for a HS competition. How could you possibly have to drive 2+ hours to get to a damn meet?
Here’s a question that only a fellow Sacramento native could answer. If you drive to SF, what towering, but-ugly sign, is visible from the freeway, even though the business that owned it closed about 50 years ago? One time, a tractor was sent out to finally knock it down, but some local loony tune chained herself to it, and the plan was foiled.
Same could be said of LA City section. They are surrounded by Southern Section schools with much stronger programs. There was a time when LA City was powerhouse but now it's a joke that they get straight entry into state meet. SF and Oakland are likely large school districts too.
Same could be said of LA City section. They are surrounded by Southern Section schools with much stronger programs. There was a time when LA City was powerhouse but now it's a joke that they get straight entry into state meet. SF and Oakland are likely large school districts too.
SF and LA have the same story as LA. Did you know that the SF section and Oakland section boys 4x100 records are both significantly faster than the CCS 4x100 record?
It don’t know how you could be from Sacramento and think those things, Stockton is only an hour away without much traffic, but driving two hours the other way to Fresno makes sense to you? Both Stockton and Merced have high enrollment schools that need to be in a competitive section. In the history of Sacramento sports, and unless it was a state competition, no one has ever driven to Merced for a HS competition. How could you possibly have to drive 2+ hours to get to a damn meet?
Here’s a question that only a fellow Sacramento native could answer. If you drive to SF, what towering, but-ugly sign, is visible from the freeway, even though the business that owned it closed about 50 years ago? One time, a tractor was sent out to finally knock it down, but some local loony tune chained herself to it, and the plan was foiled.
Not sure why you would have to be a Sacramento native to know and love the Milk Farm sign (I'm from Oakland). Long may it live!
It don’t know how you could be from Sacramento and think those things, Stockton is only an hour away without much traffic, but driving two hours the other way to Fresno makes sense to you? Both Stockton and Merced have high enrollment schools that need to be in a competitive section. In the history of Sacramento sports, and unless it was a state competition, no one has ever driven to Merced for a HS competition. How could you possibly have to drive 2+ hours to get to a damn meet?
To Fresno? Well yeah, of course it makes sense, you know that's where the state meet is at lmao.