TheLounge
02-22-2007, 02:51 PM
How does it feel to be loved and loathed at the same time? Ask Menlo School. The Knights are in a struggle to stay in the Peninsula Athletic League where, depending on the sport, they are accepted or hated. There is also a movement underfoot to move the Knights from the PAL to a newly comprised West Bay Athletic League that would feature the Peninsula’s biggest and best private schools —*that are not in the West Catholic Athletic League.
The biannual realignment of leagues in the Central Coast Section is underway and there is a proposal to take the current, four-league Northern Conference — the PAL, WBAL, Private School Athletic League and Christian Private School Athletic League —*and condense the 45 teams into three leagues — the PAL, WBAL and PSAL. The PSAL would be comprised of the smallest private schools that don’t field full athletic programs. The WBAL is trying to become a private school power league — similar to the two-division PAL.
The one nagging question is: Where does Menlo go? The Knights want to stay in the PAL and have basically been blindsided by this proposal —*which was presented by representatives of the top schools in the current PSAL.
“I don’t know how this is going to go,” said PAL commissioner Terry Stogner. “At a public hearing last week, there were a lot of pros and cons.”
Stogner did make it clear, however, that this proposal did not come from the PAL but from the PSAL.
“They are a solid member of the PAL,” Stogner said.
If you’re a PAL tennis, water polo or swimming coach, you can’t get rid of Menlo fast enough. The Knights dominate play in those three sports, leaving the rest of the PAL battling for second place. But if you’re a football, baseball or basketball coach, the feelings may best be called apathetic. Menlo is competitive, but by no means dominant, in those sports.
I talked to Burlingame tennis coach Bill Smith and Aragon athletic director Steve Sell. As I suspected, Smith would rather see Menlo in a different league while Sell didn’t really care one way or another.
Both Smith and Sell agree Menlo does not run its athletic program with a win-at-all-costs mentality but Smith believes they could if they so choose.
“There is a chance they can dedicate money to facilities more than we (public schools) can and give enticements to students,” Smith said.
Sell philosophically agrees with Smith, but doesn’t believe Menlo would go that direction.
“They probably never will. Their mission is not to be an athletic powerhouse,” Sell said. “Their athletic program is to complement their academic program. I think they have their athletic program in proper perspective.”
And it’s not as if Menlo School is a newcomer to the PAL. While it achieved full-member status in the PAL five years ago, it had been a supplemental member for many years prior.
The realignment proposal is far from a sure thing. The schools get together 9 a.m. March 26 at the San Mateo Adult Resources Technology Center, right next door to San Mateo High School. Even if the recommendation is approved, it wouldn’t go into effect until the 2008-09 season.
While it would be nice to see the PAL a public-school only league, I don’t have a problem with Menlo being in the league. While its is super strong in a few sports, the rest of the program is on equal footing with the rest of the PAL.
Plus, maybe the Knights dominance in the so-called “country club sports” will spur the rest of the PAL to rise to their level.
That’s how Smith views it.
“It’s up to us to raise our level of play,” Smith said. “That’s what our (coaches’) job is, to beat the other team. We’re supposed to win the match.”
Which is the goal of every team in every sport regardless of who they play.
Nathan Mollat can be reached by e-mail: nathan@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 117. What do you think of this column? Send a letter to the editor: letters@smdailyjournal.com.
The biannual realignment of leagues in the Central Coast Section is underway and there is a proposal to take the current, four-league Northern Conference — the PAL, WBAL, Private School Athletic League and Christian Private School Athletic League —*and condense the 45 teams into three leagues — the PAL, WBAL and PSAL. The PSAL would be comprised of the smallest private schools that don’t field full athletic programs. The WBAL is trying to become a private school power league — similar to the two-division PAL.
The one nagging question is: Where does Menlo go? The Knights want to stay in the PAL and have basically been blindsided by this proposal —*which was presented by representatives of the top schools in the current PSAL.
“I don’t know how this is going to go,” said PAL commissioner Terry Stogner. “At a public hearing last week, there were a lot of pros and cons.”
Stogner did make it clear, however, that this proposal did not come from the PAL but from the PSAL.
“They are a solid member of the PAL,” Stogner said.
If you’re a PAL tennis, water polo or swimming coach, you can’t get rid of Menlo fast enough. The Knights dominate play in those three sports, leaving the rest of the PAL battling for second place. But if you’re a football, baseball or basketball coach, the feelings may best be called apathetic. Menlo is competitive, but by no means dominant, in those sports.
I talked to Burlingame tennis coach Bill Smith and Aragon athletic director Steve Sell. As I suspected, Smith would rather see Menlo in a different league while Sell didn’t really care one way or another.
Both Smith and Sell agree Menlo does not run its athletic program with a win-at-all-costs mentality but Smith believes they could if they so choose.
“There is a chance they can dedicate money to facilities more than we (public schools) can and give enticements to students,” Smith said.
Sell philosophically agrees with Smith, but doesn’t believe Menlo would go that direction.
“They probably never will. Their mission is not to be an athletic powerhouse,” Sell said. “Their athletic program is to complement their academic program. I think they have their athletic program in proper perspective.”
And it’s not as if Menlo School is a newcomer to the PAL. While it achieved full-member status in the PAL five years ago, it had been a supplemental member for many years prior.
The realignment proposal is far from a sure thing. The schools get together 9 a.m. March 26 at the San Mateo Adult Resources Technology Center, right next door to San Mateo High School. Even if the recommendation is approved, it wouldn’t go into effect until the 2008-09 season.
While it would be nice to see the PAL a public-school only league, I don’t have a problem with Menlo being in the league. While its is super strong in a few sports, the rest of the program is on equal footing with the rest of the PAL.
Plus, maybe the Knights dominance in the so-called “country club sports” will spur the rest of the PAL to rise to their level.
That’s how Smith views it.
“It’s up to us to raise our level of play,” Smith said. “That’s what our (coaches’) job is, to beat the other team. We’re supposed to win the match.”
Which is the goal of every team in every sport regardless of who they play.
Nathan Mollat can be reached by e-mail: nathan@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 117. What do you think of this column? Send a letter to the editor: letters@smdailyjournal.com.