Choosing HS based on coach?

[ms244]

The HC of our HS softball team is retiring after several years of coaching this season. I was talking to a team mates parent last week and she told me that there were "several" parents basing the decision on weather they were going to go to this HS or enroll in a private school based on who the school hires for the new HS coach. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. So, an incoming Freshman would select a high school based on who the head coach was?

My reply? "It isn't about academics, but the coach"? Her response? "Absolutely!"

I am still shaking my head.

 

[CoogansBluff]

Depending on the situation, it's not that outlandish. Let's say this high school is good academically. Let's say that's where the child wants to go, and it's where her friends are going. But if it means having a terrible coach and potentially terrible softball situation, then she would be willing to go somewhere else, which happens to be a private school, which probably means a stronger school academically anyway.And some of her friends might also go there to play softball. It would be different if she chose to go to a lesser academic school because of the softball coach. If you're not sacrificing academics, then a top-rate high school program (which is rare) is very attractive thing for a serious softball player, IMO.

 

[riseball]

It is fairly common occurrence. Some put that high a value on HS softball that they will go to extremes up to and including relocation of their residence. I believe that the clinical term is cranial-rectal infarction.

 

[InsidePitch]

DD kind of did this. She was offered a spot in a Magnet school with no sports but chose the private school to play sports. Since DD is a legacy of said school we knew it was good enough to get a number of kids accepted to the Ivy's, Duke's and Stanford's of the world.

She chose for those reasons, I had additional reasons for choosing the school but sometimes wish I had the Porsche in the drive instead.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

My children are raised and we had 2 different HS's for them. If one of them, chose another school because of a coach, I would have been OK. Unless it is a choice, between a poor education and a great one, I would go with the coach that I like.

I chose ISU over EIU, because of a certain teacher, that i wanted to avoid.

 

[CoogansBluff]

Also, consider how often someone will say they partly chose a college because it was a small town, or a big city, or a pretty campus, or in the mountains, or near the beach, or a long ways from home, close to home, etc. ... If you're not compromising your chance to get a good education, then those things become important. There's a new school opening to relieve a crowded one where were are now. If DD has a choice, the prospects of the softball team would certainly cross her mind.

 

[4 girl's dad]

Based on some the coach stories I've heard here, that would be reason enough for me if she was serious about playing beyond HS.

 

[riseball]

...My reply? "It isn't about academics, but the coach"? Her response? "Absolutely!"

I am still shaking my head.

Also, consider how often someone will say they partly chose a college because it was a small town, or a big city, or a pretty campus, or in the mountains, or near the beach, or a long ways from home, close to home, etc. ... If you're not compromising your chance to get a good education, then those things become important. There's a new school opening to relieve a crowded one where were are now. If DD has a choice, the prospects of the softball team would certainly cross her mind.

Kind of apples to oranges. Rationalize it any way you want but it seemed pretty obvious from the OP that the HS Softball Coach was the primary factor if not the only factor in them making the decision. In which case a trip to the clinic by way of the hardware store to procure a rope appears to be the best course of action.

 

[ms244]

Interesting... I'm not saying anyone is right or wrong BTW. I just thought that if you didn't like the HS coach then you would either choose to play HS ball or continue to play ASA ball, not choose this school over that school. For me I look at HS ball as being such a small period of time in the grand scheme of your time spent at HS. Plus there are other choices like I mentioned earlier. I know a few people that doesn't like their HS coach, so they continue to play ASA ball instead. For them to relocate their residence to another HS, or to pay $$$ to be in a private school it doesn't make financial sense. I can afford to pay for private school, but we feel that the education my DD is getting at her HS is above adequate and she likes her HS coach (for the most part). The HS softball season is so short here (Mar-May) so things would have to be REALLY bad for us to consider switching schools.

I guess I was simply surprised by the parent's 'matter of fact' attitude when she was talking to me that shocked me. Her attitude was "Duh! Of course she will choose private over public school. They have a better coach". Not a better education, but a better coach.

 

[CoogansBluff]

Kind of apples to oranges. Rationalize it any way you want but it seemed pretty obvious from the OP that the HS Softball Coach was the primary factor if not the only factor in them making the decision. In which case a trip to the clinic by way of the hardware store to procure a rope appears to be the best course of action.

I wasn't commenting specifically on the OP's example, since I don't have both sides of that story, thus my lead in -- ''depending on the situation.''

My point was merely to say that it's not nutty for a year-round athlete to consider the quality of a sports program when choosing a high school. It's pretty common.

Also, from this quote: ''"It isn't about academics, but the coach"? Her response? "Absolutely!"

That might be the parent saying that the academics are the same.