Decatur (St. Teresa) girls team celebrating their fourth consecutive Class 1A state cross country championship
“FAIR IS FAIR” is from the movie The Legend of Billie Jean. This is one of my most favorite quotes ever to be said. It’s short, simple, and to the point. It doesn’t take a lot of thought; it means what it says- what is fair is fair. I am a firm believer of standing up for what you believe in and fighting for what is right. That is why I am writing this blog- to take a stand .
The Illinois High School Association has just recently passed a initiative called Board Policy 17, which states that all non-boundary schools that achieve certain post-season success will be moved up an entire class. The rule only applies to non-boundary schools. For example, the same success that is had by a non-boundary school is considered different than the success of a public school. For more information and explanation, you can watch the video, created by a group of high school students at www.fighthebump.org.
You can also search “Fight the bump” on YouTube. This new policy affects a lot of schools, and not just my own. Champaign (St. Thomas More), Quincy (Notre Dame), and Kankakee (Bishop McNamara) are some of the private schools affected by the bump, and there are more. This means that any sport which these schools have had recent success will be moved up in class. In other words all the hard work they have done, and all the success they have earned to get where they are, will be "rewarded" by competing against much larger schools.
Even though I’m graduating this year that does not mean this new policy won't affect me. I was fortunate enough to run and be a part of team that worked year after year for our accomplishments. I have been going to school with these girls since kindergarten, and we have worked throughout our high school years to become who we are. We put in countless hours and miles, we pushed past the pain and injuries, and we conquered numerous obstacles and dealt with losing talented runners throughout the years. We listened to our coaches, we worked together as team, and we became a family. To see my fellow teammates get punished for our success is discrimination.
I had the opportunity to do something truly incredible by having the chance at four consecutive state titles. It was my goal as a freshman to shoot for and I achieved it, but for the underclassmen on my team, the girls who came in their freshman year just like me and set that same goal, are now being cheated out of ever reaching it.
With this new success factor the Saint Teresa Girls Cross Country team is being bumped up to 2A. Moving them to 2A would take away their chances at defending their state title, take away their chances at making history, and essentially take away their dreams. We worked for everything we achieved, we ran the extra mile, we went home early on nights out with our friends, we pushed each other to compete to the best of our abilities, we watched what we ate, and we always gave full effort. We did all the things any other team would do to be top dawgs, and now we’re being punished for that. What the IHSA is doing is unfair, unethical, and uncalled for.
Let’s end this thing together. Fight the bump!