I know that with teams that are in the Northern KY Middle School league that i believe kids are not able to play multiple grades levels. The school that my daughter attends is not in this league so she is able to play 7th 8th and 9th.

With the Conner middle school girls moving up it will be hard for any 8th grade team to compete with that Highlands team IMO!

They could play 2 on 5 and beat most teams!

So, what's the point of the thread? Are we angling for support? Debating the merits of both ways?

RCC9, if it takrs MS kids to keep the program a float maybe you guys should reach down to the grade schoolers and form leagues to get other kids involved. Seems like over time your current system would fail.

How many schools do not allow kids to move up? Is Highlands the only one now that Boone Co schools are allowed?

Very valid points with the exposure issue. But again, may be dependent on the specific situation. If the girl has an older sibling, she is already exposed to it more than you think. I know dads don't want to hear that!!!!...but it's reality. So if she is the oldest and you are trying to protect her as longs as possible...I totally get it. But if she has older siblings...too late! I only say that because my feeling is it should be specific to each kid and each families discretion. I think if that family feels their daughter is ready, they should have that choice. Will some families make some bad decisions...sure! But if they are making bad decisions on whether to move their child up either they will learn from it or they or making more bad decisions in other areas anyway.

 

If my daughter has the ability, skill, body and mind to play up, no one should be able to tell me if she should or can. Just the way I feel. I want her challenged, just like I would academically. Has nothing to do with with pushing her too far or wanting glory for me or her. It has to do with making sure she is challenged and is pushed. Why would this be any different than anything else in life. Everything we do should be to help us get better and not getting comfortable. In ANYTHING we do, we set goals to reach a plateau and then when we do, what's next? Set another goal! It applies to sports as much as anything else. Keep pushing.

 

I can tell you right now...I have an 8th grade daughter that could absolutely play up in high school. Highlands MS principal has made his own rule that none of his MS kids can play up anymore. The Barth girls was grandfathered in because she was in the HS program before he made the rule. So my daughter and one of her best friends (who is also very good) will be playing 8th grade this year. In the 6th and 7th grade, the only challenging games and time that those two actually played more than a quarter at the same time were against Conner, Another very good team. In the past two years, the two really good girls on the HHS team were lucky to avg half a game. NOW, all the other schools have basically move up anyone that was good. So the last two years, most games ended with "slow down, no layups and we have to make 5 passes before we shoot". Now with the good 8th graders gone and our two still playing 8th grade, please tell me what my daughter is going to get out of her 8th grade bball season athletically. Just my opinion, but her and her friend may not get challenged one time this year. That's not being cocky, it's reality. That's not what I want and it's not what she wants. She loves competition and she will get none. Her and her friend are in the same grade as the barth girl and still can't play with her for another year because of a silly rulle...when she have the ability and the body to do so. Heck, she's bigger and stronger than my JR that has started at PG since the 8th grade!!!

 

Why is it any of the MS principals business. He doesn't own the rights to your daughter. If the HS coach, AD, and Principal are fine with it, and you are fine with it, and your daughter is fine with it, screw him. He can't tell you what to do with your daughter after school hours. What if he were opposed to Girl Scouts because he wanted all of his students to belong to 4H? It's extra curricular.

Example. I coach softball at HHS. We have a freshman, jv and varsity team. We have carried right around 38 players for the two years I have been there. Highlands is a mid-sized school. Out of those 38 players in our program, the most high school kids we've had in the entire program has been 14. So if MS kids were not allowed to play up, we would have no freshman program or JV! Yet I have 25 MS kids that would love to learn the game and play. Should they not be allowed? What happens to my varsity program over time if I can't get any of those kids early? I tell you what happens...it goes away. For two years, our we had MS starters and the first 4-5 kids off our bench were MS kids. Without MS kids, we have no program. And we won the region last year!

 

Your example makes perfect sense. Since the "Boone County Verbal" sparked some of this, let's look at that. The unwritten policy for basketball is that you can move middle school players up but only if they make varsity. That precludes the scenario of stepping up to Freshman (which makes since in many cases) or even JV. It also creates a situation where it appears the middle school players talent was at the level where they were needed to be a varsity player immediately when in fact the coaches hands are tied..they have to put them on varsity in order to move them up at all. That doesn't make a lot of since. I do think it's problematic that schools or systems set their own individual rules on this as it should be governed by KHSAA.

Makes since to me.

RCC9, if it takrs MS kids to keep the program a float maybe you guys should reach down to the grade schoolers and form leagues to get other kids involved. Seems like over time your current system would fail.

 

We are. You can go over to the softball thread to read about us. And just about EVERY softball program in the region is in the same exact position as us. Even the very large schools. Like I said, we won the region last year as is. Do you think I have MS kids beating teams full of JR and SR's. Outside of ND last year, that's not the case. They have a very nice senior class last year, but that has been the exception. All others have very many MS involved.

How many schools do not allow kids to move up? Is Highlands the only one now that Boone Co schools are allowed?

 

Bingo!!!! We have a winner!!!

It seems state wide that the high schools that allow talented MS players to play up (even on varsity) have made it to Diddle. I know Marion Co year before last had a very talented MS player that had some time on the floor during the state tournament.

Very valid points with the exposure issue. But again, may be dependent on the specific situation. If the girl has an older sibling, she is already exposed to it more than you think. I know dads don't want to hear that!!!!...but it's reality. So if she is the oldest and you are trying to protect her as longs as possible...I totally get it. But if she has older siblings...too late! I only say that because my feeling is it should be specific to each kid and each families discretion. I think if that family feels their daughter is ready, they should have that choice. Will some families make some bad decisions...sure! But if they are making bad decisions on whether to move their child up either they will learn from it or they or making more bad decisions in other areas anyway.

 

If my daughter has the ability, skill, body and mind to play up, no one should be able to tell me if she should or can. Just the way I feel. I want her challenged, just like I would academically. Has nothing to do with with pushing her too far or wanting glory for me or her. It has to do with making sure she is challenged and is pushed. Why would this be any different than anything else in life. Everything we do should be to help us get better and not getting comfortable. In ANYTHING we do, we set goals to reach a plateau and then when we do, what's next? Set another goal! It applies to sports as much as anything else. Keep pushing.

 

I can tell you right now...I have an 8th grade daughter that could absolutely play up in high school. Highlands MS principal has made his own rule that none of his MS kids can play up anymore. The Barth girls was grandfathered in because she was in the HS program before he made the rule. So my daughter and one of her best friends (who is also very good) will be playing 8th grade this year. In the 6th and 7th grade, the only challenging games and time that those two actually played more than a quarter at the same time were against Conner, Another very good team. In the past two years, the two really good girls on the HHS team were lucky to avg half a game. NOW, all the other schools have basically move up anyone that was good. So the last two years, most games ended with "slow down, no layups and we have to make 5 passes before we shoot". Now with the good 8th graders gone and our two still playing 8th grade, please tell me what my daughter is going to get out of her 8th grade bball season athletically. Just my opinion, but her and her friend may not get challenged one time this year. That's not being cocky, it's reality. That's not what I want and it's not what she wants. She loves competition and she will get none. Her and her friend are in the same grade as the barth girl and still can't play with her for another year because of a silly rulle...when she have the ability and the body to do so. Heck, she's bigger and stronger than my JR that has started at PG since the 8th grade!!!

 

Thought about enrolling her elsewhere to get varsity time? Newport, Bellevue??

RCC9 that's great, if you guys have a good grade school program for basketball. I'm a little our of touch, just can't figure out why more girls don't play basketball. It's the greatest sport out there. I used to do some rec league reffing and it just doesn't seem the same number of girls are out there. Anyway I still enjoy going to some games the girls are tremendous athletes.

Thought about enrolling her elsewhere to get varsity time? Newport, Bellevue??

 

No...cause you know I bleed HHS blue! But we have had serious discussions about not playing MS ball and just playing AAU stuff during the season instead.

 

No...she's not coming to Holmes!!!

RCC9 that's great, if you guys have a good grade school program for basketball. I'm a little our of touch, just can't figure out why more girls don't play basketball. It's the greatest sport out there. I used to do some rec league reffing and it just doesn't seem the same number of girls are out there. Anyway I still enjoy going to some games the girls are tremendous athletes.

 

I agree...every school in NKY is having issues filling all their teams. Some years are better than others, but for the most part, it's a concern year to year for girls bball coaches.

 

Here's my opinion on why...in the day of year round sports, kids "chose" a sport earlier on now. They may play two sports, but very rarely 3. And usually when they play two, they have one the focus on and one they, we'll say, "play for fun" in high school. Still very competitive, just don't put in the extra time they do with the sport they focus on.

 

So now you don't have kids that are "Role Players" hanging on to a sport just to do it. They find the sport they are good in and usually dwindle down to two sports and sometimes only one by high schools. In the old days, you might see a very good vball player cross over and be a decent bball player because of her height. You know, vball season was over, what else was she going to do? So she played bball. Now, vball practices years round with clubs and if you miss a couple months, you feel like you are at a disadvantage (not sure I buy into all that, but that's what the clubs sell you!), So parents get nervous Susie is going to get behind and not get her scholarship! So they fore-go basketball to "keep up with the Jones". Therefore, numbers go down. You just don't see many "roll players" hanging on like you used to. The only ones that really play are the diehards. Yes there are a few exceptions, but for the most part thats why overall numbers are down...in really all sports.