does anyone know if the fairland coach resigned last night?

[earp]

Well first off Fairland is an excellent academic school and that is a fact.Their test scores are in the top 5 or 10% every year.Right now I feel the athletic programs are in a transitional stage,We have very talented athletes "Especially the kids that will be seniors next year."As far as everything on here I wouldnt pay much attention to it,I know most of these people that post on here and for the most part they are good poeple.We just tend to have strong opinions about things around here.But we do have a winning tradition in all of our sports but the coaching situations have hit a bump in the road here the last few years.So at the end of the day I think it would be a good move to enroll youre kids at Fairland.AS far as facilities,Football is not too good,Good field poor stadium.Basketball is state of the art opened in 2002 ,And baseball is very good as well.

[RationalVoice]

I respectfully disagree. The athletic programs are in "transition" simply because they're being torn down from the powers that be. There are talented athletes, but some may be leaving and, from what I gather, some that stay will not play certain sports next year. This next point is a matter of opinion, but the winning tradition comment is shaky. The last time Fairland won the conference consistently in football was in the 70s & they have had one winning record since 1998...and I personally think the recent changes will make things much worse. Basketball has been up & down through the years with a recent upswing (which may go down again after transfers). Baseball has been good the last several years, but if you talk to the baseball parents, the program is still underachieving. The football field is not good. It hasn't had grass for the last few years.
So, in the end, if you want academics only - yes - good choice. If you want an athletics/academics balance, you can find better, at least until there are changes in the board and at the top of the athletic department.
One last point...if it were a good choice, why are there so many kids & parents disillusioned ?

[earp]

Improvements are being made on the football stadium as we speak.The inside has already been repainted top to bottom and work is beginning on the outside right now.Its a mess right now but an effort is being made. I am sure at some point this summer I will be one of the people doing some work on it.I dont know how you can say we didnt have winning tradition.Did you guys sleep through the whole decade of the 90s.Football team made the playoffs for the 1st time in school history,Boys basketball had 2 Sweet 16 appearances 1991 and 1996,Girls basketball had a sweet 16 appearance 1994,Girls Softball won a couple of district titles and had nemerous 20 win seasons.Baseball team had 2 Sweet 16 appearances and numerous OVC titles.So there is tradition here.

[RationalVoice]

You mentioned one accomplishment in football...two in basketball. And that's in a 10 year span. In boys sports, it's been inconsistent at best - good when the talent is there & poor when it's not - no consistency in the programs. Anyway, my major point is not to contest the athletic tradition, but to answer "the truth's" question. And it is definitely in shambles right now & not a good choice if you want a nice academics/athletics balance.

[earp]

8 out of 10 years in the 90s Fairland finished above 500 in football.And 9 out of 10 years finished above 500 in boys basketball.And I dont believe the baseball,softball or girls basketball teams had any losing records.So I would say that is pretty consistent.

[Futurebkstar]

I dont think I missed a boys Fb or BK game 1993-96 and they were very good....They had years they were good at everything. The inconsistency started in the last 5-6 years in everything except Baseball. I think they need new faces in the programs only because Bellville resigned. I think bringing in an old face in FB was a great move. He is definitely an elite baseball coach.

[RationalVoice]

No matter what numbers you throw out there, I still say the boys programs have been underachieving for years. Only 2 football playoff appearances in the 37 years the playoff system has been in place...that is underachieving, considering the talent that's been here. And they should have had more OVC titles, too.
Success is relative. For example, going 6-4 & finishing 3rd in a conference is not successful if you should have won 9 and the title. I've been told they should have won several titles in the 80s. And the latest move in the football program defies logic.
Again, talk to many of the baseball parents (and a couple of them have a lot of experience with baseball & are very knowledgable). You would find many arguments opposing the claim that he is "an elite baseball coach".
But, again, I ask, if Fairland were a good choice at the present time, why are there so many kids & parents disillusioned ?

[fhsfan]

People keep talking about the 90's, but I say look at right now. Boys basketball was 5-16 the year before Belville took over the program. They either graduated their top talent or some players did not want to play the first year Belville took over (Hill, Huff, Fuller) and the team went 3-18. Since that time, Fairland went to 3 straight District Championship games, 1 Regional, and won the OVC 1 time. This is definitely not underachieving! From what I have heard, Belville told the school of changes that needed to be made to take the next step with the program, and the school did not want to make any changes. He therefore resigned.

My feeling is that athletics are just not a top priority for Fairland. I am not saying that is wrong, but it is what it is.

[sportsnut mom]

Earp, I have a news flash for ya.. there's not enough paint out there to help that stadium.
You're lucky you're not a female and trying to use those disgusting bathrooms oh and work the concession stand once and tell me what you think. People have mentioned on here that the kids should have loyalty to the programs no matter who the coach is. Why? There's no stability or continuity in anything and that starts at the top. And POOPER: I 'm teaching my child to stand up for what's right and wrong, not be a blind follower. I agree the academics is top notch - unless you have a learning disability.

[bgmonster]

Isn't it funny how the improvements to the stadium started taking place when the AD was made head football coach? Earp, you try to make the handful of small successes in Fairland's history impressive but the fact is, they simply aren't when compared to other schools in the OVC and southern Ohio. The truth of the matter is this: there are a handful of individuals in the school district that can't let go of their former "glory" days and will not move aside or support a change for the better. As for kids leaving the program, it's happening from the middle school up and will continue to happen until people start making decision for the good of the program and not their own egos or agendas. I wouldn't ask any kid with hopes of playing ball in the future to ride a sinking ship simply to help out the good ole boys for one more year. And for the poster who said that a couple years doesn't make a difference to a kid with talent, wake up. Fairland is a small school with an unsuccessful athletic program with no exposure. How many kids from Fairland have gone on to play ball in college from those successful football, basketball and baseball programs? That's your answer.

[earp]

Yeah we should have had more titles in the 80s but the bottom line is that the conference was much stronger then than it is now and that is a fact.And the playoff system was much different then that it is now.Up until 1999 only 4 teams made it from each region so you had to be a much stronger team to make it then.And Mom I agree with ya to some degree about the stadium,I think a new one is needed.I have heard it may go on the ballot again maybe in november.And BG we obviously have alot different views on things but the last thing I want to do is pick a fight on here thats not my intention.I personally am proud of alot of our teams back then and I will continue to support Fairland sports long after all of the present players are gone.Overall though I am trying to say positive things nowadays because in the past I said some negative things on here and I guess at the time I didnt realize that kids read this stuff as much as they actually do so I have tried to keep things in a positive manner and not ruffle any feathers.

[bucking red]

Back in the eighty's they only took two from each region. IMO fairland has always had good athlete's.They had some good teams in the eighty's but could hardly ever beat CG. They have never been known as a football power. They were usually pretty good in basketball over the years and have had baseball talent like know one in the OVC over the last 12 years. There is always talent but no tradition and little school spirit for the most part over the last several years if ever. Most people don't even stand for the school song. I've had many people tell me from other schools how sad our crowd is and that is embarrassing. The weight room is also lacking and that hurts all sports and I think a big reason why Fairland has never been a power in football.

[earp]

I think FHSFan hit on something.At some point academics started outweighing sports and I think the pedulum swung more towards that.And like they said there is nothing wrong with that but it is what it is.I personally think you can have it both ways though we just got to meet in the middle somewhere.Just trying to stay positive about things.And I knew they only took 2 playoff teams back then,I guess I was stuck talking about the 1990s.But you are talking about way back when it was still A,AA,AAA classes.I guess I was talking about when divisions first started which was about 1987 I believe.