I actually sorta like Simmons. Northwood is the outlier in my opinion. North Moore in same conference kinda makes sense to me but would still be a haul for Wheat and Trinity. PAC7, as I have stated many times, was perfect for gates, travel and rivalries but I don’t think it survives because of classifications.
I don’t think so because W. Rowan is 5A and that’s a 3A/4A conference. It’s true that Simmons has W. Iredell in another conference and they’re a better fit there, but I don’t see anywhere in the west that he has a conference with three classifications (and W. Rowan would be the only 5A, which doesn’t seem to work).
Sorta like whoever said S. Davidson to N. Stokes was 1 hour and 22 minutes has never driven it. Plus there is not a safe mile of highway on that trip.
As I was the one who said that, let me address this. I don't know what a "safe mile of highway" is. If you could enlighten us, I would appreciate it. What I do know is that we think nothing of sending busses up some very unsafe roads for kids to play games. Teams travelling to Mountain Heritage or Mitchell will usually go up NC 226. Ask Google "what is the steepest road in North Carolina" and this is the first hit the AI returns. Apparently, there are parts of the road that have 10-14% grades for miles at a time (and I have driven up this road countless times and know for a fact just how steep it is). Only a few years ago an activity bus slid off this highway heading downhill, thankfully no one was seriously hurt.
I've only ever driven down the road from Alleghany towards I-77 once (but only about a year ago, so it's fresh in my mind). I agree that it's a dangerous road for a bus, like any other mountain road, but I don't think it compares with 226 or a few others further west.
I did a control-f search on his link and they weren't there, so maybe that's what he meant.
What Sportsnut is referencing is the number of fatalities om NC109 south between Denton and Thomasville. It’s actually the opposite of the steep, curvy mountain roads in far western NC. It’s a straight twenty mile stretch of road where idiots think they can pass the car in front of them that’s only going 65 in a 55. Lots of head on collisions and rear end accidents where somebody is stopped for a left turn. It’s unfortunate that any activity bus has to traverse long, tough terrain. But just because some must doesn’t mean everybody should.
The NCHSAA didn't bat an eye at putting Draughn in with Mitchell, Mountain Heritage, Avery, Madison, Owen and Rosman. Long drives up and down mountains with fog and ice during winter. Madison and Owen are mostly interstate, but the others are long stretches on two lane roads. But this is only a problem for a certain part of the state, so we're expected to just suck it up.
If it’s number eight, the fatalities are just as devastating.
And equally so if it's number 88, so what? You guys are the ones saying busses shouldn't travel on it because it's dangerous. Show your work.
The man simply said it’s a dangerous stretch of road. You’re making it more than it is. It’s really not a contest.
No one is knocking your proposal, just making a comment. I commend all that has put something out there to keep our attention during the slow time of the year. I am not going to debate which road is the most dangerous.
i don't think I am making more of it than it is. Every Burke County school (excluding E. Burke) has drives of at least an hour up and down mountains multiple times a year because of the conferences we are in. That translates to our kids getting home later, sometimes on school nights, increased travel costs and other associated burdens. Remember, those busses have to crawl down those steep inclines coming home. But when I propose that maybe other schools could travel similar distances, suddenly there are all kinds of objections.
I enjoy spirited debate. I think that's all there's been here.
