(3 min 48 sec read)
As we enter the first week of the school year, I thought it would be a good idea remind the earth that A.C. Flora High School is the current home of the Class-AAAA Carlisle Cup.
What is the Carlisle Cup, you ask? Well, here’s a video that explains it in about 45 seconds. This page explains, in depth, the rules and point system (click and scroll). A state championship, for example is 100 points, and a state runner-up is equal to 80 points. The points are tallied at the end of the year, and a champion is announced.
Truth told, I think it’s quite an accomplishment for Flora to continue to rank as high as it does. The building is somewhere between 60-70 years old, and what the school was built to “reduce school crowding,” is now landlocked by in the middle of a small/medium municipality called Forest Acres, SC that is branded as, “A City Apart.” (pop. 10,000)
Flora competes at the highest level, annually. As you can see from this page, Flora was 2nd overall and 1st Place for traditional public schools. Bishop England, a private Catholic based school in Daniel Island in Charleston, SC edged Flora a year ago.
I have two A’ha moments as it relates for Flora. 1) When our oldest daughter, Finley, was about eight years old, I walked her into the gym while she was attending the annual Falcon Cheer Camp. Well, I felt like I saw just about every person I attended college with and all sorts of other friends. It was everyone that I was about to see tailgating at USC games in just a few weeks. I was taken aback, and when you grow up in Anderson, SC and attend T. L. Hanna High School, and enjoyed the experience and knows what parental support looks like, you know what you’re looking at.
2) Two springs ago, I sat next to Flora’s athletic director, Michelle Yeater, while attending the Flora girls soccer match (against Bishop England). Before the whistle blew, I leaned over to Michelle and said, “Hey coach. You have a lot of these games and a lot of state championships under your tenure. I mean…C’mon? What’s this all about?” In less than two seconds she responded, “It’s these coaches, man.” I raised my eyebrows and raised my hands with palms up with a gesture of, “well, there ya go…”
All this to say, I’m so impressed that I had to type about. The commitment of the student-athletes, parents, and coaches is at Flora, and it shows up.
This is an awesome award for the school and the communities that support A.C. Flora High School. I’ve written many times and said it out loud 1,000, “Nothing is more important to a homes value tha the schools. Don’t hate the pun here, but schools are A+, #1 driver as it pertains to a home’s value.
Thanks for the read and let’s keep it up as we go for more of those championship games!!!
Thank you!
Franklin Jones
