eligibility for HS while playing TB

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Aug 23, 2010
582
18
Florida
In Florida the rule seems to have gone away. I used to coach HS back in late 90's early 00's. We had a 5 player rule. It didn't restrict the players it restricted the coach of the HS from coaching more than 5 on a TB team from their HS. Now I am starting to follow HS Softball again, as my DD is a freshman. A local college sponsors a HS softball fall league where all the local HS's put their teams together and play. Last fall I watched a couple games. A few of the teams were even coached by the HS coach themselves. This would have been a huge violation back when I coached HS. They even use the HS name on the shirt. It is almost like fall ball in college at the HS level. I am figuring that somewhere along the road, the rule was challenged legally and couldn't be upheld. Now it is a free for all.
 
Nov 26, 2010
4,784
113
Michigan
Bottom line is that students are being banned from eligibility for participating in legal activities outside of school.

When I said this, GD, I didn't mean that students are being banned from travel ball. I meant that they're being banned from school ball BECAUSE of participating in travel ball, a legal activity.

I also don't think that ''you have a choice to play by the rules or not'' is a good legal defense.

To be clear, I'm not saying it's a good rule or bad rule. I've not been in a state where this was the rule. It might be a popular rule among coaches and parents who want to prevent someone from training a high school team year-round.

I'm approaching this purely from a legal standpoint. In some states, for example, you must sit out a year if you transfer from one high school to another. In Georgia, there is no sit-out rule. One reason given is the fear that it won't stand up in court. How can you prevent a kid from participating in school sports just because he/she moved into another district?

So my question is mostly an academic one. I wonder if it would stand up to legal challenge. Maybe you are right, that it would. I'm just not convinced yet. It might be that no one is bothered enough in those states to challenge it. I might ask a couple of folks from the local high school association and get their opinion. Interesting topic.
Kids being forced to sit out due to school transfer has been challenged and the associations have won. Just about every eligibility rule has been challenged in one way or another and have stood up.

In Michigan as long as its not during the hs season you can play travel with your entire hs team coached by the hs coaches. They just can't use school unis and gear. If you think there are restrictive rules that punish kids for where they play in the summer. Try telling your hs coach you don't want to play on his summer team. It might not feel like it but limiting the number of kids on the summer team protects them.
 
May 17, 2012
2,804
113
The reason I received from the IHSAA is that they want kids to be able to play in multiple sports hence the reason they limit the number of girls that play on a travel team from the same high school. This goes for all team sports.

The easiest way to keep track of it is to think of it as three separate seasons with three separate sets of rules.

Once school starts (August 4th) you can't have more than 5 players from the same HS rostered on the same team. So if you are playing in fall tournaments be careful here.

Once the first official day of school practice starts (March 14 ?) you are in blackout period and can't do anything until the season is over. Be careful when attending batting and pitching lessons privately. Girls from different HS cannot attend at the same time (it counts as a contest).

After the season (summer). It's a free for all. Do whatever you want.

I hope that helps.
 
Apr 9, 2012
366
0
We have this in KS. All the explanations above apply to us.

The other reason stated is socioeconomic. If a HS coach has his "team" and they work year round it excludes and thus discriminates players that can not afford the cost and/or time of said participation.

This explanation is whats holding up in court. If a single parent whose kid does not make the cut steps up and says they were discriminated based said above the school and assoc will be afraid of being sued. Better to uphold the rule than be sued by every kid that didnt make the cut.

Keep[ in mind that legislatives in each state are different. Kansas is very conservative while another state could be liberal etc.
 
Jan 24, 2011
1,157
0
Seems to me these goofy rules would chase kids away from playing HS ball. They would around here.

Around here , a couple of schools will just get together and split their squads (5 from each school) and form a couple of teams. That way those players can legally play Fall ball
 
Nov 26, 2010
4,784
113
Michigan
Open gym pretty commonly means come in and work out but no instruction in any softball (or whatever sport) activities by the coach. The coach can watch open gym, that's it. Opposing coaches (no probably parents) will get on this quick if they have an inkling. There are cameras on phones everywhere, and a kid could innocently post something not knowing.

Michigan just changed its eligibility rules because of open gyms. In MI when you transfer schools you are ineligible for sports for one semester, so a softball player can start in the fall and be eligible for softball. But now if you have been coached by the HS coach on a non school team or have attended any open gyms prior to your transfer, you have to sit out 1 full year.
 
Apr 1, 2010
1,675
0
Open gym pretty commonly means come in and work out but no instruction in any softball (or whatever sport) activities by the coach. The coach can watch open gym, that's it. Opposing coaches (no probably parents) will get on this quick if they have an inkling. There are cameras on phones everywhere, and a kid could innocently post something not knowing.

DD's future high school has open weightlifting room hours in the summer. I noticed that on his page the softball coach "recommends" that girls who intend to try out for softball in the fall take advantage of the open weight room. I don't know which coaches will be there overseeing the kids, but I'd assume that they will be asked which sport they're going out for and would get some sort of applicable training regimen.

I don't have any problem with it; the hours shouldn't conflict with anything else she's doing and I think strength training is very good for her.
 
Jan 18, 2010
4,284
0
In your face
Dead periods:
Open gym is fine in TN, but it MUST be for anyone/everyone who wants to use the facility..........not just athletes.

Also pitchers and catchers are the only ones who can throw a ball ( state rule ), lucky thing for us we always had 20 pitchers and catchers that time of year. :)
 

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