A new change in the rules has snowboarding coaches excited for the 2009 racing season. In previous years, the men's and women's competitions would be counted equally in qualification into the Michigan state championship. Now, each gender will be considered separately when qualifying. This will allow schools whom may have a stronger team in one gender versus the other to qualify, where as before the two teams would have been “averaged” together. With a staggered growth of boys and girls teams as top players graduate and new players enter, many schools have not been able to qualify.
It use to be that a strong girls team would suffer from a weak boys team and vice versa. Now, the skill level of each team is considered on its own, much to the benefit the of the schools involved. Across Michigan, only two teams from the Alpine Valley and two from the Mount Brighton regions will compete in the championship. Thanks to the rule change, school which had teams penalized by the old ruling have a chance to make a strong showing. This will greatly increase the number of participants and make the sport more enjoyable for the schools.
Other schools have been petitioning to join the Mount Brighton league of schools. Right now, the league consists of Hartland, Howell, Brighton and Dexter, while the Alpine Valley is represented by Milford, Lakeland and two schools from Walled Lake. Many of the schools host seniors whose wish is to end their school careers by winning a championship. Many of these seniors might not have been able to compete under the old rules.
In many Michigan schools, there is growing interest in the sport, as the numbers of students joining the teams increases. Many of the riders who are joining will only have one year or less under their belts. The old rules would have penalized the seniors for this by effectively averaging skill levels. Now these top seniors have a chance to shine before graduating.
Brighton high school is renowned for their excellent sports program, having produced greats across a number of sports. Their soccer and gymnastics teams are considered to be the top in the state, while their softball and rugby teams are well respected. In the sport of snowboarding, the school has also achieved acclaim as one of their women's sophomore snowboarders claimed an international snowboarding championship ranking.
One can hope that northern schools truly develop and foster athleticism in all of the forms it happens to foster itself, especially given the interest in snowboarding and other sports of the younger generation. Fostering physical activity of any kind will help to improve the overall health of our younger generation and promote the values associated with competition and sportsmanship. Shining in a championship will not only provide the opportunities to graduating students but also foster even more interest in the sport. That is why the decision to changes the rules is a good one which has all of the coaches excited.
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