IVC Conference switch - Did anyone else think was inevitable???

[tornado]

Four years ago when IVC High School (Chillicothe) bolted from the Mid-Illini...the reasons given were supposedly geographic but it was all about trying to get a conference affiliation where Class A IVC wasn't always getting hammered in every sport by all its Class AA conference opponents.

At that time they changed conference affiliations and went with the obscure (at least to Peoria folks) NCIC....
but even then, in 2006, a lot of people said their move was crazy for at least three solid reasons...
-first, they had so many ties to Peoria but the new conference move with their new opponents now being from Dixon, Kewanee, Mendota, Geneseo...etc...
nobody in this area will even know how they're doing as there's not much media coverage out there in LaSalle & Lee County..
-then there were even rumbles back then that the NCIC was weak and was about to fall apart...Spring Valley Hall was looking to get out (they are now in the TriCounty with Peoria Christian & Putnam Co.) as were other schools..
-lastly -- IVC in 2005-2006 was on the upswing - and there was NO need to flee a conference that was all bigger schools and Class AA schools (in the 2-class system that they had then). In fact, in basketball - in 2006, IVC was 2nd best in the state in Class A and was as good as any of their conference mates.
But, the real argument was that IVC was going to get bigger, and it was odd that they apparently didn't see that...or wait jus a couple years before making the ill-fated NCIC move.
They were clearly going to grow and probably in just one or two more years they'll be the same class (now 3A) as all the rest of the Mid-Illini..

So guess what they have now decided...they are going to change conferences AGAIN...moving to the shaky Mid-State conference...

http://www.pjstar.com/sports/x297564711/IVC-to-join-Mid-State-6

I say shaky since Manual fails to even field a team in some sports, and with Woodruff closing, the number of competing schools in the Mid-State is fewer than ideal...plus they are right back into the exact position of being way smaller than their conference mates...plus there's already been some rumble that QND is now not satisfied...
"We are thankful we have somewhere to go,??™??™ (IVC athletics director Denny
O??™Boyle) said. ???But are we putting ourselves back in the position we were in
with the Mid-Illini? I don??™t know."

[Beninator]

To be honest, I don't keep up with HS sports so I don't know anything about this!, However, I do know how decisions have been made in the past at the IVC school district. Let's just say that a lot of times, the people there make decisions that are reactionary of current times without clearly thinking of the future implications!

[Double D]

I taught in the Peoria area in the early 90's and coached against IVC H.S. and their grade schools. Today my kids compete against IVC in multiple sports.

IVC did exactly what it needed to do by leaving the Mid Illini. They have made drastic improvement as a result. The sports culture in all sports, the coaching and the facilities are WORLDS's above where they were at then. Their community support and facilities are excellent, and they have positioned themselves to move forward in a much stronger position than they were years ago.

They are certainly dealing with some conference affiliation issues that are difficult but not unusual. Just my opinion. I would be interested in what someone from IVC thinks.

[Beninator]

I taught in the Peoria area in the early 90's and coached against IVC H.S. and their grade schools. Today my kids compete against IVC in multiple sports.

IVC did exactly what it needed to do by leaving the Mid Illini. They have made drastic improvement as a result. The sports culture in all sports, the coaching and the facilities are WORLDS's above where they were at then. Their community support and facilities are excellent, and they have positioned themselves to move forward in a much stronger position than they were years ago.

They are certainly dealing with some conference affiliation issues that are difficult but not unusual. Just my opinion. I would be interested in what someone from IVC thinks.

I highlighted the areas where I very much agree with you. I think that there were some factors that hampered the growth in football specifically that have since faded away with time. To a degree I would debate the coaching point that you made. That being said, I am not too familiar with their current coaches with the exception of the HS basketball coach.

[real fan]

Not a good move because the Peoria schools have trouble fielding decent teams in the minor sports , Richwoods is the exception.

[BuB]

Many people questioned this move when it happened. I agree it was inevitable that they would move again. But it is not like they wanted to come to the MS6. They were the only option left. IVC was turned down by 3 other conferences before they came to the MS6 out of desparation. I suspect the Mid Illini was one of the 3 and was making a point. They do not need them at this time. The other 2 conferences probably did not want the extra travel.

[wily coyote]

Not a good move because the Peoria schools have trouble fielding decent teams in the minor sports , Richwoods is the exception.

Don't know if this will come into play. IVC is only going to play Mid State 6 schools in football. Maybe down the road they will play all sports but not for now. I wonder why the Mid -Illini didn't take them in?

[tornado]

They have made drastic improvement as a result. The sports culture in all sports, the coaching and the facilities are WORLDS's above where they were at then. Their community support and facilities are excellent...

But every single thing you cited was already happening before they changed conferences, and would have happened regardless of the conference change to the NCIC...with the influx into the school district of lots of new, expensive homes on the far north end of Peoria and east of Dunlap came a huge surge in tax revenue...

So just how did joining a bad, and crumbling conference whose schools are dropping sports and quitting the NCIC possibly help IVC get better...
no way -- they were getting better due to factors (better coaching hires, increasing enrollment, improvement of athletic facilities) that all were in gear before they went to the NCIC and that all would have happened anyway.

Then..to hit your argument even more...somehow jumping from a conference with at least a few thriving schools (like IVC - LaSalle, Geneseo, Mendota, etc..) they align with a bunch of inner city, decaying schools whose enrollments are plummeting so fast, that they are closing some of them down....so that's more proof of what you call "WORLDS's above" and "stronger position"?

Many people in 2006 said they making a bad move leaving the Mid-Illini - and now they'd obviously have begged to get back into it but the MI didn't want them any longer and had already replaced them with Pekin...

[Beninator]

So just how did joining a bad, and crumbling conference whose schools are dropping sports and quitting the NCIC possibly help IVC get better...

My guess from reading the article is that IVC would save money by joining the conference in regards to transportation costs etc by playing more local schools.

With one exception, I don't necessarily agree that they have hired better coaches, but the community support for football has improved certainly from the time I was there, and the facilities are far better as well.