Winter Sports
As the winter sports season draws to a close, I hope you have had the opportunity to attend the sporting events in your communities. I would like to complement the students who participate in these activities on their sportsmanship and conduct on the mat and on the basketball floors. The student athletes represent the schools and communities wherever they travel. A few individuals have asked me about the Region 20 basketball tournament. Some of the questions are why does Region 20 hold a tournament when other regions do not. Why is the Region 20 tournament in Cedar City? Would it be possible to have the local schools host the region tournament? The decision to hold a region tournament is voted on by the Region 20 committee which is composed of one principal from each high school in the region. The committee could choose to change the play-in method anytime with a majority vote. Some other regions have chosen to play one game to determine the seating while others place teams based on their region records. At some point in time, the Region 20 committee voted to move the tournament to Cedar City. I can only speculate as to the reason why, but some of them include seating capacities in the gyms, home court advantages, and accommodations to host traveling teams just to name a few. Schools in Region 20 contract with Iron County School District to host the tournament. Proceeds from the tournament go to the region where abridging fees and other regional expenses are covered by the region. Some events such as volleyball and wresting still rotate between schools in the Region. Would it be possible to have local school host the tournament? Yes, if the Region 20 committee had a majority vote to change the location of the tournament. I understand the financial benefits to the communities when a regional event is held in the local area. No matter how you look at it, watching the students participate in extracurricular activities is always exciting and enjoyable during the long winter nights.
–Superintendent Ben Dalton
