High school softball

[_MIA_]

I edited... was trying to be sarcastic and that didn't come out quite right this is better

Fair enough.

DD's HS softball team has sucked for a while and will likely continue to suck when she gets there in 2.5 years. From what she told me, her MS coach was horrible this year. My total involvement with it, since she seemed to be enjoying herself, was picking her up from practice..

 

[radness]

1.Public High School
2.Private High school
3.Academy High Schools

Each of these high schools offer a glimpse in the profile of the family and player.

 

[PapaBear]

What I notice is there is so much junk involved in high school softball
that college coaches already know it.

They may take a look and see what high school you go to, but it is usually more for academic notoriety. But the fluctuation in level and junk that's involved in high school kind of makes it irrelevant in its feedback. Of course there are a few standout high school programs that their Athletics are noteworthy in softball but that is extremely Limited.

My share this feedback knowing for decades of speaking with college coaches... knowing what they talked about and what they reference and it is not high school.

Same could be said for travel ball too in regards to junk. Majority of the HS coaches know colleges don't have contact with them unless you have a 10% player in your program and those are traditionally regional schools. In most cases I know about in kids not playing it is because they couldn't crack the lineup, not grades.

 

[Cannonball]

I am so glad that I don't live where some of you live. I continue to beat a dead horse but HS softball in my area is still pretty intense. People in my small town community follow HS sports and my community expects to win in all sports. The school I coach at is roughly 1,000 students. It plays a schedule of school twice its size and plays in tournaments that contain state-caliber teams. The conference and my area produce state championship teams. We have a small-town newspaper that comes out once a week. Sports coverage fills that newspaper and everyone in town knows the student-athletes. We have 4 D-II colleges and 3 D-I colleges within 45 minutes so those coaching staffs make it to local games. They especially attend a couple of tournaments. I know that I am blessed and wish for better HS experiences for some of you. BTW, the local HS players have to overcome some old guys coaching but seem to be able to get into college anyway.

 

[radness]

Same could be said for travel ball too in regards to junk. Majority of the HS coaches know colleges don't have contact with them unless you have a 10% player in your program and those are traditionally regional schools. In most cases I know about in kids not playing it is because they couldn't crack the lineup, not grades.

Agree about travel ball.

My point is usually when a college coach is looking at what's going on at High School,
they are really interested in their grades.

And they will take note of what type of high school the player goes to. that is what the player should consider.

 

[_MIA_]

I am so glad that I don't live where some of you live. I continue to beat a dead horse but HS softball in my area is still pretty intense. People in my small town community follow HS sports and my community expects to win in all sports. The school I coach at is roughly 1,000 students. It plays a schedule of school twice its size and plays in tournaments that contain state-caliber teams. The conference and my area produce state championship teams. We have a small-town newspaper that comes out once a week. Sports coverage fills that newspaper and everyone in town knows the student-athletes. We have 4 D-II colleges and 3 D-I colleges within 45 minutes so those coaching staffs make it to local games. They especially attend a couple of tournaments. I know that I am blessed and wish for better HS experiences for some of you. BTW, the local HS players have to overcome some old guys coaching but seem to be able to get into college anyway.

I live in Norman, OK..one could perhaps expect the HS in Norman to better at softball but alas it isn't that way. They have gone through 4 or 5 coaches in the last 10 years. On a brighter note, my DD's future HS has a top notch girl's basketball program

 

[Hillhouse]

Because forcing kids to split time between two teams simultaneously is unfair to the kid, and it's detrimental to the high school teams. And since the IHSA cares about high school teams, it makes sense.

As for legality: How could it not be legal? They're not saying you can't play travel ball. They're saying you can't play for a high school team if you're playing travel ball. The association that governs high school sports getting to decide who's eligible to play those sports doesn't seem strange to me.

Should professionals (quite a few sports, like tennis, have pros who are HS age) be allowed to also compete in HS competition? State associations govern that, too.

Nobody is forcing a kid to do anything, except in many cases to choose TB or HS.

How could it not be legal? Really? Because a school is dictating to a kid what they can or cannot do away from school property. Personally, I don't see a difference between a school saying you cannot play HS and TB at the same time and the school saying: she's not allowed to play basketball for her church team during HS softball season. That may sound extreme but, I don't see a difference. If the school can dictate what my kid does in regards to softball, why does it stop there? Why can't they say Sally isn't allowed to play other sports too?

 

[Shiloh]

Nobody is forcing a kid to do anything, except in many cases to choose TB or HS.

How could it not be legal? Really? Because a school is dictating to a kid what they can or cannot do away from school property. Personally, I don't see a difference between a school saying you cannot play HS and TB at the same time and the school saying: she's not allowed to play basketball for her church team during HS softball season. That may sound extreme but, I don't see a difference. If the school can dictate what my kid does in regards to softball, why does it stop there? Why can't they say Sally isn't allowed to play other sports too?

The more time I spend in and around youth sports, the more I realize the entire thing - and I mean *all of it* - is centered around football, and money.

Exhibit A - the NCAA

And everything flows down from there.

So, next time you run into nonsensical rules about players being forced to choose between HS and travel softball or HS softball and any other sport, pls remember, travel/club football does not exist at the HS level.

All 85 full, headcount scholarships for football at every D1 school in the nation are determined by relationships between the HS and college coaches. And as you might imagine, those HS coaches and state athletic associations are not eager to give up their relationships or control over their most prestigious, lucrative asset.

Therefore, ergo, thus, the state HS sports federations will continue to favor HS over club, dictating who may and may not participate on their teams, for whatever reason they can dream up. Has nothing to do with softball or fairness.

(Who knows...maybe HS softball in Iowa got pushed to summer cause the football teams wanted to use the softball field for drills. Would not surprise me.)

 

[Lemond]

There is an academic component of this, as well. I don't think it could be argued that playing both HS and TB at the same time would greatly diminish the time allowed for studying. They are, after all, student-athletes until school is out.

 

[YoungBuck]

Nobody is forcing a kid to do anything, except in many cases to choose TB or HS.

How could it not be legal? Really? Because a school is dictating to a kid what they can or cannot do away from school property. Personally, I don't see a difference between a school saying you cannot play HS and TB at the same time and the school saying: she's not allowed to play basketball for her church team during HS softball season. That may sound extreme but, I don't see a difference. If the school can dictate what my kid does in regards to softball, why does it stop there? Why can't they say Sally isn't allowed to play other sports too?

There is definitely too much overreach when it comes to high school sports. I believe Indiana has a rule that only so many players from one high school (not sure of the exact number) are allowed to play together outside of the season. In other states that is the only way some non-school related teams exist.

I would be ok with K-12 dropping sports altogether.