Rural schools in Florida will soon compete in their own sports division. Florida High School Athletic Association’s board voted unanimously this week to create a division for schools that reside in areas designated rural by the state’s office of tourism and that also have fewer than 500 students. This affects all schools but was probably implemented to assist smaller public schools, whose resources are considerably less than small private programs that can also recruit players. Like in most other states, private schools have a decided advantage over public schools in sports – even in states where multipliers are used. This plan will be scrutinized by other state athletic associations, that’s for certain.
Another interesting action: the FHSAA board discussed whether to change from aluminum to wooden bats – a far safer approach in an era where balls fly off composite bats at increasingly faster velocities.
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