Scioly.org

matthew101802 wrote:

qwertyuiop1234567890 wrote:Did they step aside? I saw some of them crying when they got third place.

I don't think they stepped down. Personally being from SAA, I was shocked because it was the first TIE at IL State in the top 3 EVER. Marie put up a fight , it sucks to have to go down to how many first place medals the team got to decide a winner.

ckssv07 wrote:I understand, but it is a competition, and the competitiveness makes people want to work harder. I missed making the team in 6th grade, and the next year, I worked harder and made the team. Then my whole team failed at Nats, and we ended getting 11 last year at nats, despite me failing. Then this year, I have been that much more determined, and it has gotten me 35 placements this year. Competition can be stressful, but as long as you take any shortcomings positively, it makes you a better person.

mrsteven wrote:but really, they wouldn't. Or shouldn't by the time you're in high school a level of maturity is expected of you greater than that. They should be able to put what is going on around them in more perspective then thinking that a singular competition defines their self worth.
A vast majority of people in the high school level are aspiring engineers, scientists, and technologists; they really tend to act like it more often than not. You didn't see NT getting physically upset last year after they got 2nd, nor IMSA after they got 3rd (a number of years in a row, though not as close this one)

The point I'm making is not to point fingers at a team and single them out, just that the level of intensity this seems to bring out in the higher level of competitions is probably too much for them: 1 to handle, 2 to process that not winning is not failure, 3 to understand its about learning, not winning, 4 this in no way will have affects anywhere outside of that auditorium. And certainly Scioly produces meaningful affects to them in letting them experience some limited hands on science, which by all accounts is a plus as long as THEY'RE the ones doing it, not the parents.
With some of the "coaching" i've seen in years past (and even this year walking around my campus) so much more stress is placed on them than is entirely appropriate, in some cases. There really should be more protection of the younger people from overly competitive parents. What ever happened to 'its about having fun' or 'learning'? This is no different than a soccer game in many ways.

Now I should qualify that last bit to say I speak of the MS crowd. In the HS crowd, it is more competitive, as it should be. Those people are competing for college entrances, personal interest, and (possibly) scholarships. If you put on your college application you won state in MS, they wont care. HS has much more weight to it. I believe that if B div is to do an upper level competition it should to be focused on personal growth and knowledge, not a score up on a screen. They shouldn't rank, or if they do its ONLY the winner with no other available scoring to coaches or otherwise.

I believe that will yield a much more safe environment for learning and appropriate for the maturity.

EastStroudsburg13 wrote:While I agree to an extent, can you imagine announcing that middle school teams will no longer be able to compete at states or nationals? While it is true that middle schoolers are still in a maturing stage, I don't think you can ban them from states just because of that. Think of all the other competitions that take place in middle school: GeoBee, the Spelling Bee... both of those put middle schoolers in high pressure environments. Heck, the Spelling Bee is broadcast on TV! But those kids respond great to the pressure, and while it's natural to get emotional if things don't go your way, I think that's an important part of growing up, and we shouldn't run Division B like it's a second-class competition. The best teams from middle school deserve to be able to attend the event, and the only way to determine the teams who can go is by using a state competition.

AJTheGreat1729 wrote:I would not be surprised at all to see Grayslake going to Nationals in a short time. Everyone deserves to see their epic capes.