My former school is changing...again

[mantleisthebest7]

Hey y'all!

I figured that this was the place to post this topic, so here goes.

I used to go to Payson High School in Payson, Utah, and I played football for them for a few years (I now attend a charter school in neighboring Elk Ridge, UT). Anyway, the football program does something every year that bugs the crap out of me. Though they are notorious for being a Tampa Bay Devil Ray-like bottom feeder in the standings, what bugs me the most is that they change not only thier unis, but thier WHOLE identity! And sadly, its annual. Yes, they do it every year. The talk of the summer is usually, "What are the Lions going to wear next year?" Anyways, They are the Lions and thier colors (depending on thier uni that year) vary from Green and White to Green and Silver with a hint of Black. Three years ago it was A Black, silver, and Green Purdue-type uniform (topped off with a silver helmet with a green Purdue "P" and a black facemask. Two years ago they went with a copycat NY Jets uniform and logo, only with the Purdue "P" replacing the NY in the backround and "Lions" in italics replacing "Jets". Last year the JV went with the same helmet but switched to a plain hunter green uni with white numbers and plain white pants. Now this year they went with an Alabama type thing with plain unis and numbers on the helmet, but just change the helmet to white and replace Crimson with green. sounds like a headache, huh? Yeah i got a headache just remembering it - I wore two of them! I dont have any pics as of yet, but im planning on posting some.

Why do you think that my school did that? Football was the only sport that did it too. Ive been unable to come up with a reason as to why they kept changing. do you guys have and idea? If you have any feedback or input on this or if you have any other experiences or stories like this about your school, id like to hear them. As retarded as my former school is, im sure there are others that do the same thing. Im looking forward to hearing from y'all!

[mantleisthebest7]

IDK why that censored is there...I didnt type anything vulgar...I apologize if that is a distraction. I meant to say WHITE numbers, perhaps i made a typo and typed an "s" instead of a "W". im truly sorry

[Discrim]

every year, eh? I know at least around here, that'd get expensive. shoot, usually our schools will unveil home jerseys one year, then new whites the next season if a change is made. So usually, for at least one season the homes and aways are completely different designs, usually meaning completely different cuts.

[oddball]

The fact that they do it every year means they either are in a rich neighborhood and have very, very generous boosters. I know when I took Sports Management years ago, the teacher who coached football at one time talked about how much money it costs to change uniforms and depending on where you were located and the area money wise usually dictated how long you'd wear a uniform. I do see teams change around here, Orange County (I'm 20 minutes west of Disneyland), and yet some of the more affluent areas change very little. I've yet to see a change with Newport Harbor and that's been since '89, and of course the big Parochial school, Mater Dei, I think the last change they made was going from silver helmets with red and white stripes to red helmets with white stripes and that was around the Todd Marinovich era. Yes, I did type Todd Marinovich! I have a problem with your former school changing so much because it looses an identity, and really you waist money doing it, especially for a bottom rung team.

[mantleisthebest7]

Yeah, I agree with you oddball. It always ticks me off cuz not only they terribly suck (believe me, I played for them for two years - it was the most humiliating experience of my life lol), but usually what they change to sucks. Before they went gun-ho on thier identity changes, they had a classic look that lasted for about 30 years - a white helmet with a green Detroit Lions logo, white facemask, and unis that looked alot like BYU's current unis (just change the navy with green, of course. Oh, was that sweet. Then they did thier Purdue-themed rehaul that I actually liked. Then after that they went wrong. and whats funny is that we are a 4A school (which in Utah is pretty big), but we have like no money because we share a district with neigboring powerhouses Spanish Fork and Springville (the district shells out all the money to them). so yeah Payson is sort of odd in that sence. Dont ask me why or how they did it, but they did it

[oddball]

Ah, I knew I heard of Payson before, it's near the infamous Spanish Fork, or so the people down here who spent time in Utah would consider it infamous.

[mantleisthebest7]

Oh yes, oddball. We all hate Spanish Fork over here haha. They're like the Red Wings, Yankees, Cowboys, and Lakers of Utah - they're the team that EVERYONE hates.

Well, now that the season has ended, there is no news of a change - but that doesnt solidify anything.

Here are some pics I was able to dig up - sorry if the quality is bad

Last year at Mountain View (Jets style)

Last year vs. Olympus (Jets style)

I'm unable to come up with any pics for this season or the the one before the Jets rehaul, but as soon as soon as some come up, I'll post them. Whaddya think?

[chuckymack]

Those are indeed very Jet-like. Wish my former high school had something groovy like that. The year after I graduated, they went with side panels. Thank God I was gone and didn't have to wear 'em!

[Mac the Knife]

Why do you think that my school did that? Football was the only sport that did it too. Ive been unable to come up with a reason as to why they kept changing. do you guys have and idea? If you have any feedback or input on this or if you have any other experiences or stories like this about your school, id like to hear them. As retarded as my former school is, im sure there are others that do the same thing. Im looking forward to hearing from y'all!

My guess is pretty basic - the school's athletic department has more money allotted to it in the fiscal year than it can actually spend. About a month before the end of the fiscal year someone orders all new gear so their budget allotment gets spent, and therefore doesn't get cut the next year.

I only wish the high school I'd gone to had that kind of dilemma. I played H.S. football with shoulder pads that had the name of the original guy they were issued to written in their interior, along with "Class of '77!" No problem really, but it was 1985 at the time...