When high school activities collide with Showcasing

[CoogansBluff]

I tend to defer to those here with more years experience but in this case I have heard it from more than a couple of college coaches that they like kids to have some other sports interests. First it was my lying eyes and now my lying ears?

My understanding was playing other sports develops different muscles and abilities. Plus the letter jacket is more impressive with the extra patches.

AS to the OP, it sounds the tourneys are more than run of the mill and I'm glad DD's season ends the day before BB tryouts.

My DD has talked with maybe a half-dozen college coaches who have expressed serious interest in her. The only non-softball activity they've ever asked about is academics.

Sure, coaches like it. But that doesn't mean you should do it. College coaches would rather have a great softball player who specializes than a pretty good one who plays multi-sports. Fact that college coaches might like multi-sport athletes would not factor into my decision to keep playing another sport. Reason to keep playing another sport is you like playing another sport.

 

[obbay]

OP- is this High School BB you are talking about? (DUH!- I just read tghe title of the thread again!)
In Massachusetts there is a rule (applies to public schools anyway) that a player rostered on a HS team cannot miss a game or a practice in order to attend a game or practice for another sport. Team could be penalized if this happens.

Otherwise I agree with the previous post that said go with the sport that's in season.

 

[CMMom1740]

OP- is this High School BB you are talking about? In Massachusetts there is a rule (applies to public schools anyway) that a player rostered on a HS team cannot miss a game or a practice in order to attend a game or practice for another sport. Team could be penalized if this happens.

Otherwise I agree with the previous post that said go with the sport that's in season.

Would that include a team not affiliated with the school, such as a TB team? How can they regulate what a child does outside school? Just curious because I've never heard that rule before.

 

[obbay]

Would that include a team not affiliated with the school, such as a TB team? How can they regulate what a child does outside school? Just curious because I've never heard that rule before.

Yes, it is to eliminate conflict with athletics due to membership on other teams not affiliated with the school.

the example a coach cited to me involved a team being disqualified from a state championship because one athlete chose to be absent from some practices due to his "commitment" to an outside team (different sport).I don't know how it was discovered or reported, but it was.

Based on past discussions here, I think states other than Massachusetts have similar rules. I think Private schools are free to make up their own rules (which usually prohibit playing ANY other sports or with other teams during the season )

 

[Softball scholar]

OP- is this High School BB you are talking about? (DUH!- I just read tghe title of the thread again!)
In Massachusetts there is a rule (applies to public schools anyway) that a player rostered on a HS team cannot miss a game or a practice in order to attend a game or practice for another sport. Team could be penalized if this happens.

Otherwise I agree with the previous post that said go with the sport that's in season.

Per my uderstanding of rules in Indiana, a student can't go to an in school practice of another sport, but it doesnt eliminate extra curricular activities.
I believe you can't compete in outside competition of the same sport in the same season. For example if you're in tennis season, you cant play in a USTA tennis tournament, but you could play in a softball or volleyball tournament during tennis season.

 

[riseball]

Per my uderstanding of rules in Indiana, a student can't go to an in school practice of another sport, but it doesnt eliminate extra curricular activities.
I believe you can't compete in outside competition of the same sport in the same season. For example if you're in tennis season, you cant play in a USTA tennis tournament, but you could play in a softball or volleyball tournament during tennis season.

Always found it interesting how High School sports require such protection to remain relevant. It would be interesting to see what would happen if parents and students were given free choice with respect to both academics and athletics.

 

[BuckeyeGuy]

Yes, it is to eliminate conflict with athletics due to membership on other teams not affiliated with the school.

the example a coach cited to me involved a team being disqualified from a state championship because one athlete chose to be absent from some practices due to his "commitment" to an outside team (different sport).I don't know how it was discovered or reported, but it was.

Based on past discussions here, I think states other than Massachusetts have similar rules. I think Private schools are free to make up their own rules (which usually prohibit playing ANY other sports or with other teams during the season )

In Ohio the proscription is against teams within the same sport - players may not participate in any organized activity with another softball team (like a TB team) during the interscholastic softball season, which is 2/26-end of season for 2016 (mid May if your school misses the state tournament, mid Jun if it makes a deep run).

There is no restriction on sports that aren't softball. I think maybe that coach was confused about the different sport part?

 

[BuckeyeGuy]

Always found it interesting how High School sports require such protection to remain relevant. It would be interesting to see what would happen if parents and students were given free choice with respect to both academics and athletics.

I'm thinking that the rule is in place more to keep overzealous parents from overloading their kids. Hell, my middle-schoolers are lucky to tread water during the season. If they had to attend TB practices and workouts as well as ours they'd never have time to do homework, practice their instruments, attend student council meetings and club meetings, sleep...and HS has even greater time demands.

 

[riseball]

I'm thinking that the rule is in place more to keep overzealous parents from overloading their kids. Hell, my middle-schoolers are lucky to tread water during the season. If they had to attend TB practices and workouts as well as ours they'd never have time to do homework, practice their instruments, attend student council meetings and club meetings, sleep...and HS has even greater time demands.

That is what they would like you to believe and certainly the party line. But if you dig deep you I suspect that you will find it is much more about a private organization protecting it's best interests and staying relevant in the face of increasing competition from club sports.

 

[John T]

Always found it interesting how High School sports require such protection to remain relevant. It would be interesting to see what would happen if parents and students were given free choice with respect to both academics and athletics.

That is a blade that cuts both ways...I see a lot of "Travel people" on here looking out for their own interests as well.

What I want to know is how the small schools in all of your areas do it with everyone having to be a one sport/no music/no extracurricular/athlete. The town I am in would have to cut programs without kids playing multiple sports and being involved in band and the arts.

And again as I have stated before...ALL of the kids getting scholarships that I know of in my area are multi-sport athletes that choose a particular sport to pursue after high school and NONE were asked by the college coaches to stop playing the other sports.