School sporting scholarships

I'm not close enough these days to say for certain , but would appear to be a combination of things, including a very competent Director of Rugby, together with an emphasis on developing coaches through education and mentoring. I think the school has also been blessed to an extent, having a core of about 5 or 6 very good players who've just finished year 12, coming right through the system from the Prep school.

Having said that, the scholarship holders have played key roles, no doubt. It's a catch 22 unfortunately, maintain the same historically dismal performances or play a more significant role? They've chosen the latter in the interests of building a winning culture.The means are not ideal I'd agree.

Apologies if I categorised you with the other Luddites, did not mean to offend

Churchie will have kids on scholarships in the seconds

Churchie will win 1sts to 5ths in their Centenery year

sounds like they are offering plenty - might run out of sporting scholarships and have to offer some left over music ones to the front rows

but good luck to Churchie in Centenary year

Has anyone got the new QLD GPS guidelines for sporting scholarships? They were supposed to be agreed on a few weeks ago.

supposedly Terrace are going to start chucking a dollar or three around in 2012. Very different to the past when they absolutely refused sporting schloarships - not guaranteed goss but just a strong rumour

We have a never ending circle of discussion on this scholarship issue.
Bite the bullit and let everyone have X number on scholarship. Open books to audit anyone over the odds would have a penalty e.g. Premiership removed, game point taken, you get the drift.
However, with Principals and boards and old boys involved the circle will just contiune.

I agree mate, if you cant stop it you might as well regulate it.

Random audits of the books and ban the school from playing rugby for a season if the rules are breached. I'm sure that way the school will think twice about the "enrolement" value of a rugby premiership.

That's not what the schools are signed up to, so you have to change the charter. A public debate along those lines would be very interesting as the parents of boys already at the schools confronted the distinct possibility that some of their offspring could be displaced by Hopoate's offspring....

regulating scholarships would just make the whole process even more flawed and secretive, all you have to do is look at the problems faced by the NCAA in america to see how messed it is

It an interesting comparison: NCAA makes a fortune from TV revenue hence justifying giving scholarships to sportsmen (yes, I know they give 'em to women but thats only because they have to!). The money generated pays for college infrastructure and non-scholarship sports, like rugby.
Where's the return on the investment here???
Giving the old boys a hard on - but is it cheaper than viagra?

The money coming into GPS schools is coming from cashed up old boys rather than ESPN or other networks. Then there's the money schools receive from alumni, most recently it was Ohio State who got caught out for this. Scholarships can't be regulated without dirty play getting involved somewhere, the best way to manage them is either to completely allow them or completely ban them. If they're completely allowed then it's just up to the school how much of their integrity they wish to risk - Nudgee college and Churchie already seem to have sold their souls.

Whether to have scholarship athletes or not is a philosophical issue.
At the moment its a moral issue because the rules do not permit them.

Hang on right there. Dean Mumm and Benn Robinson (along with 5 other guys in the team) were at the school since year 4 and had played together since the U10s. Hangers got a scholarship because he's bordering on a genius and Dan Conn was put through by the Bulldogs. And for the record, no one got the shits and played soccer.

Thanks for the info- you seem to know more than me on this so apologies for the inaccuracies.

However it doesn't detract from the large amounts of imports at the Kings school in those years. There were imports I remember that didnt even end up playing in the 1's that year. Shaun MacCaffrey I remember was one of them. Who else in the 1's like Hangers were imported?

I have no allegiance to any of the GPS schools but I have respected what they have stood for in the past. Things such as tradition and honour were the selling points to potential parents but things have changed somewhat.

I have colleagues who attended these schools who still talk endearingly of the year their school won the competition and to a man it means so much to them because it was done by a group of kids who had been together since day 1 and had skill and a bit of luck on their side that year to defeat the other contenders (normally Joeys) and as quickly as they rose they also dissappeared after for a number of years until the odds stacked up in their favour again. That is the tradition and honour that once appealeaded to me as a potential customer of these schools.

To be more regularly competive a couple of schools have greyed the rules of scholarships. Nothing to be ashamed of there but if someone has forked out $100-125K they won't see the honour of seeing their child running around in the seconds for a ring in no matter how good he is not to mention the childs own self esteem.

Do you pay the $25k annual fee for 4/5 years only to see your child receive neither of the above values and virtues when it is deemed necessary for the schools honour to be upheld by bringing in a scholarshipped player in an attempt to win the rugby shield. Now before we get apoplectic and have meltdowns about scholarships and importations of player talent let me say I personally don't have a problem with it except that everyone wants to deny its existence when it's as obvious as the nose on Pinnochio's face and that headmasters should inform potential customers that they have such a policy.

Sorry, managed to stuff that reply up.

Thanks ON85, my direct experience is swimming where there have been a number of non-performing "All-Rounders" including the son of a council member. My New nephews, full fee paying, think it is hilarious.

hold on - this discussion is becoming very fair and balanced and I cant think of anything to say that might change that..at the moment