WOW, I never expected this post to generate this much interest. I really appreciate those of you that have provided information on the rules in your state. It is apparent to me from reading all the replies that the experience a "family" has with either a high school team or travel ball team depends on the quality of the teams coaching and administration. I am not against high school sports nor do I believe that every travel ball team is superior. There are good and bad in both areas. Here are a few additional facts that I would like to offer for the groups edification.
I recently made a call to the AHSAA and spoke to an official about this rule. I specifically asked this official why this rule was enacted and to this officials credit he was open and honest with me. He told me that the state coaches organization had lobbied for this rule and that player safety and protection had nothing to do with the implementation of this rule. The coaches were concerned that certain coaches of successful programs were using travel ball practices and tournaments to gain an advantage. In other words a majority of coaches did not want to put in the extra work required to utilize travel ball to their teams full advantage. As a result the high school coaches and administrations that I am involved with on a regular basis have no motivation to provide anything but the minimum amount of resources required to keep their sports programs viable. In our district and probably other districts in Alabama the only government funding provided for athletics is the salary of the coach/teacher and a $2,500/year supplement for the head coach. All uniforms, equipment, facility upkeep, and travel cost ( the team has to pay $1.50/mile if a school bus is used for travel to an away game and $15/hour for a bus driver if the coach does not drive). We also have to pay for all meals and hotel rooms when we travel to the state playoff tournaments. All coaches must fill a teachers position and teach a minimum a 4 classes each day so when a coach decided they no longer want to put up with the long hours and late nights they resign as a coach but because they are tenured still are able to keep their teaching job. Since there is now a coaching vacancy but not a teaching position available a quality coach can not be hired and the coaching job is given to a teacher already employed at the school regardless of his/her qualifications. I would love for my daughter to be able to play for her high school but the team is always disorganized, unprepared, unmotivated and an embarrassment. My daughter hates ever minute she is with this team but I will not allow her to quit. I know from experience that quitting is a slippery slope. Even though my daughter is only 15 she plays on a very successful 18U club team that won their World Series 2 years ago and finished 4th last year. Her club coach is a former college and minor league baseball player who started a baseball and softball training business in our area a few years ago. Playing for him is the exact opposite from her high school coach. He is organized, punctual, prepared and has forgot more about softball then the high school coach ever knew. Every girl that stays with his team gets a college scholarship, and he puts their signing day picture on the wall of his training facility. Through his coaching, my daughter has grown from a pretty good player to an exceptional player. When we go to D1 camps the coaches are amazed that she is only 15. During some of the winter camps we attended in December I asked the coaches how many high school games they attend to scout players. The three coaches from different schools I ask (1 D1 coach, 1 D1 assistant coach and 1 JC head coach) said they are only able to see a couple of girls play high school ball and only then if the game is very close to their campus. They all told me that they do 95% of their recruiting by watching video of girls they are made aware of and by going to travel ball tournaments. So the next question, for those stout souls that just read my rendition of "War and Peace", is, "Given the situation and facts I just explained why would parents continue to waste 4 months of their daughters time on a broken high school program?
I recently made a call to the AHSAA and spoke to an official about this rule. I specifically asked this official why this rule was enacted and to this officials credit he was open and honest with me. He told me that the state coaches organization had lobbied for this rule and that player safety and protection had nothing to do with the implementation of this rule. The coaches were concerned that certain coaches of successful programs were using travel ball practices and tournaments to gain an advantage. In other words a majority of coaches did not want to put in the extra work required to utilize travel ball to their teams full advantage. As a result the high school coaches and administrations that I am involved with on a regular basis have no motivation to provide anything but the minimum amount of resources required to keep their sports programs viable. In our district and probably other districts in Alabama the only government funding provided for athletics is the salary of the coach/teacher and a $2,500/year supplement for the head coach. All uniforms, equipment, facility upkeep, and travel cost ( the team has to pay $1.50/mile if a school bus is used for travel to an away game and $15/hour for a bus driver if the coach does not drive). We also have to pay for all meals and hotel rooms when we travel to the state playoff tournaments. All coaches must fill a teachers position and teach a minimum a 4 classes each day so when a coach decided they no longer want to put up with the long hours and late nights they resign as a coach but because they are tenured still are able to keep their teaching job. Since there is now a coaching vacancy but not a teaching position available a quality coach can not be hired and the coaching job is given to a teacher already employed at the school regardless of his/her qualifications. I would love for my daughter to be able to play for her high school but the team is always disorganized, unprepared, unmotivated and an embarrassment. My daughter hates ever minute she is with this team but I will not allow her to quit. I know from experience that quitting is a slippery slope. Even though my daughter is only 15 she plays on a very successful 18U club team that won their World Series 2 years ago and finished 4th last year. Her club coach is a former college and minor league baseball player who started a baseball and softball training business in our area a few years ago. Playing for him is the exact opposite from her high school coach. He is organized, punctual, prepared and has forgot more about softball then the high school coach ever knew. Every girl that stays with his team gets a college scholarship, and he puts their signing day picture on the wall of his training facility. Through his coaching, my daughter has grown from a pretty good player to an exceptional player. When we go to D1 camps the coaches are amazed that she is only 15. During some of the winter camps we attended in December I asked the coaches how many high school games they attend to scout players. The three coaches from different schools I ask (1 D1 coach, 1 D1 assistant coach and 1 JC head coach) said they are only able to see a couple of girls play high school ball and only then if the game is very close to their campus. They all told me that they do 95% of their recruiting by watching video of girls they are made aware of and by going to travel ball tournaments. So the next question, for those stout souls that just read my rendition of "War and Peace", is, "Given the situation and facts I just explained why would parents continue to waste 4 months of their daughters time on a broken high school program?