State Athletic Association and Transfers: Ever dealt with something like this?

[bobbyb]

Amy….Our HS season started yesterday…she played jv last night and tonight.

We had discussed the possibility of an attorney for even making the appeal but AD said his experience has been that it has not made a difference. So we are doing it ourselves and will see what the next ruling is at the hearing.

I don’t think we will carry it further with an attorney if they deny full eligibility. The season will end by the time anything could happen with that route. Depending on the final ruling, I will contact our representative with a few suggestions and grievances about the process.

In the mean time we are getting her mentally ready for either scenario…by pointing out the bad and good of each scenario. We are working on that jug of lemonade!

My understanding about the jacket thingy is… we also have to buy the jacket but it’s the Varsity Letter that they receive that goes on the jacket that is the big deal.

They said the final decision could be in a couple days or a couple weeks.

Ivy’s dad…I understand what your saying….that could be the case and I agree that if she had of changed jobs, it would be a stronger case….however we sent paper work with the appeal proving that she was actively seeking employment from 5 different schools beginning shortly after the transfer…she simply wasn’t offered any…so we will see.

Please note before I go on that I appreciate your input. I also wanted it noted that I do not care which she plays. She cares, she earned it and we believe she has been done a wrong.

If they had of told us when she transferred that she would not be eligible for varsity….she would of still transferred….however doing so AFTER she has earned it, waiting a whole semester, then a whole summer, then till after tryouts, then after 3 weeks of practice and then 2 working days before the opener is a joke imo.

(quote Ivy’s dad) there was no change in circumstances, however, so expecting your DD to remain at her previous school and play softball for them is not an unreasonable expectation of the state. Transferring mid-year also raises red flags.(unquote)

I am ok with a red flag for transferring in mid year…I can understand that it might seem like it was for athletics... however….the state should have no expectation of my child, except that she is passing her grades and behaving while at school and a good citizen. Btw..she is in honor Math and Science classes and is and always been a straight A student. Grades comes first...everything else second.

I also have a problem with the “state” having the ability to ASSUME it was about sport and then having the ability to take action that affects my childs life BEFORE they have even talked to her parents.

I also have a problem with their process because she is being penalized the same as someone who transferred via exemption 1 that has been dismissed, expelled or suspend from their previous school…they too are not allowed to participate on the varsity team.

(quote Ivy’s dad) On the up side, your DD is only a sophomore. If she plays JV this year, she'll still have two years to play on the varsity team. Definitely not perfect, but I don't see significant harm in having her play JV for a year.(unquote)

Yes, at least she gets to play and if that is the way it ends up, I am fine with it, we will make lemonade and she will get fine with it…..however this again is the problem I have with the situation…It shouldn’t be someone else’s role to say there is no significant harm in having her play JV for a year. That very well could be their (the states) attitude about it during this hearing. It should not be the role of the state to say whether her playing on jv or v is good for her, bad for her or significant or no significant harm to her.

She did not transfer because of softball. In my mind I shouldn’t even have to be proving that, the burden of proof should fall on the state to prove why they believe she did and why they are punishing my dd.

I will not even bring up the issues that SoftSocDad brings up…such as you can change for band, science, speech etc.

Now you can see why my teacher wife had to re-write my grievances to the board. She wrote hers, I wrote mine, we meshed them, she edited out most of mine! Her letter started out “ I would like to explain”…mine started out “Explain to me..” haha

 

[bobbyb]

EVERYONE thinks their situation is unique and they should get an exception. That line of thinking wont get you very far.

With out going into great detail....I am going on the grounds that since they had to stick us in a catch all exemption #9...that there is something unique about our circumstance.

 

[PEPPERS]

I have a friend and his daughter who are going through the same thing. To make a long story short she tried out for the SB team was cut, the parents had intended for her to play on a fall travel team and stay in the same school. Later people came to the parents and advised that the coach had told people in the sports community, long before try outs that the kid was banned from any sports team at that school, because of the parents. This was told to coaches at opposing schools and a sports writer, the parents did not hear it in person from the coach, but were told from a number of sources . The kid a straight A student no disciplinary problems of any kind.

The parents are good people were confused and concerned that this could effect the child in the class room as well and at the request of the child changed schools because she wanted to play for a school team. Also concern of a problem in the class room due to a facility member/coach saying they had a problem with parents. The child had made B team in past years, but never played varsity.

She moved to a school out of the district, private school, and was put on B team, due to the rule. She played the first game for the new school B team pitched a perfect game5 innings due to run rule, struck out 12, 4 for 4 at the plate. The new school is trying to get the player on varsity and the parents are letting the new school handle it.

Two surrounding schools tried to recruit her to play for them when she was in middle school, but she wanted to play with her friends and stayed at this school. Yes her parents know it is a violation to recruit a player, I know it happen once because I was with the parent when it happen, she ia a junior now.

 

[bobbyb]

While i wait on the ruling...one thing is for sure. Everyone has their opinion about transferring and athletics. I have parents that came up to me during the game the other night, they give me their condolences..then are giving me names and sport of people locally..that supposedly have transferred for sport. Some would say..you oughta bring that up. I'm like...i don't even want to be in the position i am now..i just want her to get her letter that she earned...for that jacket...why would i want to bring up those issues...that would also make it look more like we moved her because of athletics. I mean geeze..i think most of the people think we did move her because of athletics! I am rather disappointed in that.

Then the conversations seem to come back to whether you should be allowed to transfer for sport if you chose too.

I really haven't given it much thought until all this came up. This is my first athletic child...so none of this has come up before to us. I do recall Tim Tebow (quarterback from florida, now a pro) ...making national news about it.

While i am sure where i stand on the states ability to have an association that can judge/rule/penalize THEN try and resolve the issue..........I am not sure where i stand on the recruitment/transfer issue over all.

I would have to initially say....I lean towards it being allowed if...money & physical bribery was not involved or...was not part of the recruiting process.

When i think of who is hurt by allowing people to go wherever..i can only come up with...that a child that would of been starting or playing wouldn't get to if they got beat out. So if my dd can't handle the competition...she would have to get better..it would be about competition and i am for that. So i don't know who gets hurt by allowing it to occur. Not even sure i have considered all the ramifications.

Soo..in an effort to understand....i will propose a question: Are you for allowing sports transfers and recruiting at the high school level? If so..why..if not why not?

 

[Amy in AZ.]

I don't know if I support it or not, but I know of at least three families that went so far as to move and buy a home, in order to transfer for softball or baseball.

My favorite story is a friend of mine that got mad on Friday night (at a softball game), bought a house in an adjoining district on Sunday, and his daughter was in school there, Monday AM.

 

[bobbyb]

My favorite story is a friend of mine that got mad on Friday night (at a softball game), bought a house in an adjoining district on Sunday, and his daughter was in school there, Monday AM.

Hahaa...i like that! The team we played on Monday was one of the best HS softball teams in the state...they have little toothpick size girls that can just rip the ball both v and jv so their program is strong. I was kidding with the wife that we should move there for sports reasons....she would only have a 4hr round trip commute though..so she nipped that one in the bud!

 

[SoftSocDad]

I don't know if I support it or not, but I know of at least three families that went so far as to move and buy a home, in order to transfer for softball or baseball.

My favorite story is a friend of mine that got mad on Friday night (at a softball game), bought a house in an adjoining district on Sunday, and his daughter was in school there, Monday AM.

L O L!!! Classic.

 

[Coachmom]

I support transfers with full eligibility to play any sport that the kid wants to play.
Government schools are funded with my tax dollars, how dare they decide when and for what reason my child should play any sport.
Grades should be the only reason that a child would not be eligible to play.
If we are truly a free America then stop trying to legislate every aspect of peoples lives.

 

[livingontheroad]

I'm like...i don't even want to be in the position i am now..i just want her to get her letter that she earned...for that jacket..

Maybe things are different where you are, but making a varsity team does not usually get you a varsity letter in most sports. You often need a to meet playing requirements. Pitch so many innings. Certain # of plate appearances, play in a majority of games, etc. That is the norm that I have seen. What Im saying is that your DD may not have earned anything yet...but opportunity.

 

[PEPPERS]

Maybe things are different where you are, but making a varsity team does not usually get you a varsity letter in most sports. You often need a to meet playing requirements. Pitch so many innings. Certain # of plate appearances, play in a majority of games, etc. That is the norm that I have seen. What Im saying is that your DD may not have earned anything yet...but opportunity.

When I played football you were required to meet a certain criteria such as play so many quarters before you lettered if you were varsity and did not meet the requirement you did not get a letter.

Last year on my DD HS team the coach moved a B team player to varsity one week before the end of the season she never set foot on the field as a varsity player and got a letter. To me it cheapen the letter for the girls who did receive a letter.
One of her parents is on the school board, although I like the kid and her parents I thought they were other B team players who deserved the opportunity before she did.

Just my opinion.