In other threads, comments have been made which suggest that private high schools enjoy a decided advantage over their public school counter-parts in sports or athletics.

I believe that many reasons account for the athletic success of private schools, vis-a-vie public schools, particularly the larger, urban, public schools.

Many of those students attending private high schools, or suburban schools in or near the larger cities, grew up together, and had prior associations or had some familiarity with each other pre-dating commencement of high school. Odds were decent that their parents may have known each other, or were at least familiar with a family name. Many, if not most, of these kids shared a common religion, socio-economic, cultural and racial background. These things create a sense of community, pride in their community, which seem to reflect itself in a heightened sense of team spirit, which tends to foster a "one-for all/all-for-0ne" attitude/mentality, which does wonders for this intangible we call "team chemistry" - so critical and/or important, particularly in any team endeavor.

It would not surprise me that a greater percentage of students attending private high schools, were raised in an in-tact family environment, which presumably allowed the parents to become more active in all facets of their children's lives, to include athletics, which I would think bodes well for some semblance of athletic success.

I wold also surmise that students attending private schools, in all likelihood, had a greater percentage of parents, who likely were more financially able to pay monies to help hone their child's budding athletic skills and talents, allow them to purchase the expensive gear and equipment, participate on elite travel teams, participate in the various camps and clinics which serve to increase their skills and talents.

It's not than any one of these factors can not be overcome individually and/or collectively given the right mix of school administrators, teachers, coaches, parents and students. But I think it's probably a little more difficult today. Many of the sports dynasties of years past (i.e. Lawrence football, McPherson bassketball, come to mind) involved teams hailing from communities with just one high school, which communities shared at least some of the afore-referenced attributes of a private or suburban high schools today (i.e. sense of community, shared values, etc...) Hutchinson serves as a good recent example. Would Hutchinson's athletic prowess been as spectacular during the past few years if their available talent pool had been shared with a newly constructed school?

Today, many of these communities have experienced growth, requiring construction of new high schools, which have resulted in spreading the athletic wealth, as it were.

On the other hand, as we all know success at the high school level just may be attributed to a school just being lucky enough to have a good run of great kids and athletes.

The whole notion of recruiting at the high school level is an interesting topic. I suppose recruitment, in this context, takes place when a school allows a student to attend their school for a discounted fee (or fee waiver), and/or admission criteria is ignored and/or relaxed so as to allow that student to attend their school.

On the one hand, it's understandable why a parent of a public school student would want his/her/their child to attend a private high school: students are more scholastically challenged, creating a better learning environment as evidenced by superior test scores across the academic board; the private schools retain the ability to exclude children they do not want and to expel unruly, disruptive children who serve as distractions to learning; parents may believe that a private school setting will serve to lessen the odds that their child will be exposed to some of the more negative and harmful influences perceived to pervade public school education; colleges may look more favorably upon a student from a private school. There are any number of plausible reasons for a parent seeking this option. Why begrudge a parent for doing this?

On the other hand, there is a perception out there among many, that more than a few of thse so-called scholastic opportunities offered by private schools are reserved for the athleticalfly gifted student, with an eye toward unfairly enhancing the athletic prowess and superiority of the private school. Obviously this breeds a good deal of jealously, resentment and bitterness and cries of unfairness from their competitors.

Since I have no personal or inside knowledge of any recruitment, I'd be hard-presseed to make any accusations, but I'd have to admit that I harbor some suspicions that benevolence and high-minded ideals do not serve as the sole criteria in the selection process of who and who does not merit special consideration for admission. call me a cynic, but it would not surprise me that a little extra weight may be given to the steller athlete.

For what it's worth, I do not however believe that this notion of recruiting is so pervasive and prevalent in private education, so as to decidedly account for the overall athletic success of private high schools; nor do I choose to believe that requiring private schools to compete at the next higher level is fair to them.

I'll look forward to other's comments and perceptions.