Just one problem. The private schools felt that this was so unfair that they asked that the proposal apply ONLY to students going from public tp private. Mr. Sears turned it down flat.

 

I am aware of that. That's another reason I can believe my hair brained idea. Why let the private schools look altruistic and seeking only the best interests of ALL students if they believe the private to public part of the rule won't hold up to scrutiny.

 

Something changed Sears' opinion because I clearly remember the televised debate he and Jim McKee had with Rob Mullen and Lisa Speer. The ineligibility of students changing system was brought up (at that time 2 years) and Mullen asked if it would also apply to students moving from private to public schools. McKee very quickly said no and Sears said they couldn't because they were required by law to take all students so they couldn't deny them the opportunity to play sports. What caused the change of opinion?

I have a junior high student (Catholic grade school) that I am 99% sure will go to a private Catholic HS. That being said, if he DID go to a public school and was told he could not play sports for a year, I would be the first guy in line with my attorney. My tax dollars fund public schools just as much as the tax dollars of those people who send their kids to public grade schools. For those kids to be able to play and deny my kids the same opportunity? The Board of Control would have to have a team of morons advising them if they think the courts would side with them.

 

 

I am pretty sure this only applies to Varsity Sports, not all sports, any kid could go anywhere and play Freshman and JV. There are not that many Freshman kids who come in and play Varsity as freshman. That is a small % of freshman athletes. Most of the time teams that have freshman on varsity year in and year out are kids that are from smaller schools, and have been in that school since 1st grade. I still think this is a ridiculous idea, but if it does pass it doesn't mean you can't play sports at all as a freshman, just Varsity.

Wise, proposal 2 is currently worded to be applicable at all levels, not just varsity.

I am pretty sure this only applies to Varsity Sports, not all sports, any kid could go anywhere and play Freshman and JV. There are not that many Freshman kids who come in and play Varsity as freshman. That is a small % of freshman athletes. Most of the time teams that have freshman on varsity year in and year out are kids that are from smaller schools, and have been in that school since 1st grade. I still think this is a ridiculous idea, but if it does pass it doesn't mean you can't play sports at all as a freshman, just Varsity.

 

Yes it does. It means that you are ineligible at all levels of competition for 1 year.

Yes it does. It means that you are ineligible at all levels of competition for 1 year.

That includes practicing with the teams, correct?

 

If this fails something needs to be done about the open season from all parties on MSers. Presently, the state legislature passed a stature that protects their right to play on the HS level, so the KHSAA cannot overrule that.

 

Yet, a MSers' school is not finalized in the process of transferring till they are a freshmen. So when Jamie Walz was averaging 20 ppg as a 7th and 8th grader she still wasn't seen as a member of the HHS girls basketball program as far as transferring is considered.

 

Again, this is mostly an urban problem as in the rural areas, if you go to another school, there usually is a change in residence as you are moving to another county.

That includes practicing with the teams, correct?

 

If this fails something needs to be done about the open season from all parties on MSers. Presently, the state legislature passed a stature that protects their right to play on the HS level, so the KHSAA cannot overrule that.

 

Yet, a MSers' school is not finalized in the process of transferring till they are a freshmen. So when Jamie Walz was averaging 20 ppg as a 7th and 8th grader she still wasn't seen as a member of the HHS girls basketball program as far as transferring is considered.

 

Again, this is mostly an urban problem as in the rural areas, if you go to another school, there usually is a change in residence as you are moving to another county.

Something we can agree on. I don't like middle schoolers playing on the high school teams, BUT, if they are going to play on the high school team, the same transfer rules should apply. I would also apply the transfer rules to a student athlete that plays on any level, freshman, JV or varsity. I think eliminationg these transfers would help alleviate at least a small portion of the bad feelings.

Since only eligible athletes are allowed to practice with HS teams I would assume that an athlete ruled ineligible with this would not be allowed to practice.

 

I also have no problem at all with transfer rules applying to MS students that play for a high school varsity team although given my preference I would not allow an MS players to play for HS teams.

I understand you concern about MSers but it is my understanding in that the state legislators in their infinite wisdom that they know more about things then the experts in those things passed a stature that says on the Board of Education can make a rule prohibiting the closing of Varsity tryouts to anyone in a school district from the 6th grade and up.

Personally, I think the entire middle school concern is way overblown. My guess is that less than 1% of all 7th and 8th grade students in the state are illegally recruited. Yet Super Sears and his supporters want to enact a rule that will adversely affect the rights of the parents of the other 99%, which is in a word, stupid. That mentality is similar to those that want to deny all peope the right to own guns because a very smaller percentage of gun owners use them irresponsibly. Perhaps its the libertarian in me, but I just don't like rules that take people's rights away unless their is a very, very compelling reason to do so. Taking a parent's right to decide what middle school and what high school they think is best for the parent's child because we have a very small percentage of middle schoolers being illegally recruited, is not a compelling reason. Not even close. I get somewhat tired of hearing how unfair it is to the school that spends two years coaching a middle school player and letting her/him play on the varsity team, just to have the player transfer his/her frosh year. They seem to forget it's a two way street. Obviously that middle school player was helping out the varsity program while he/she was playing for the varsity program or he/she would not have been on the varsity team. So if you want the benefit of playing a middle schooler, you should have the risk of a middle schooler transferring. A varsity coach playing a middle school player has to understand the risk of doing so. If the coach doesn't want to invest the coaching and playing time on a middle school player because of concern the player may transfer, then don't put the middle school player on the varsity team. Simple enough. I realize that some small schools have to do so, but that's just one of many problems associated with small schools. Frankly the unfairness of having to compete with schools having 1400 students in the bball tournament is a much bigger problem in my mind. Furthermore, as I've stated many times, the coach that plays the middle schooler has to make sure he/she runs the type of program and conducts him/herself in a manner that will create the type of environment that players and parents do not want to leave. While I can't see myself ever doing it, I can understand some parents looking at athletic scholarships as the only way their children can afford to attend college, and thus wanting to make sure they attend the school that best increases the chances of that happening. If at the end of the 8th grade, the parents believe their children have the talent to get a scholarship, deciding to put them in a program that has the best coaching and great exposure only makes sense to me. I'm fortunate enough to be able to send my kids to college without the need of athletic scholarships, but I can certainly sympathize with those parents who aren't so fortunate. I realize middle schoolers leaving their school system their freshman yer to go somewhere else for athletics "violates" the old community type way of high school sports, but much like things have changed from the horse and buggy, things have changed in high school sports. The costs of a college education and the abundance of college scholarships have simply changed the way parents and kids look at high school sports, whether we like it or not. And while I agree to a small degree that a college recruiter will find the athlete wherever he/she plays, I think a player's chances of getting a college scholarship are dramatically increased when he or she gets really good varsity coaching, is part of a peer group that is very committed to improving athletically and plays for a high profile program that will get the player maximum exposure to the recruiters.

I have an extreme example of the potential effect of Mr. Sear's rule. A number of years ago there was a player at St Rita in Louisville. He was a nice player, but no one was projecting stardom for the kid. He went to Southern High School. Under the Sear's rule he would have had to sit out his freshman year. Would he have continued to play? Who knows? He did play and have a nice career at Southern, but he still wasn't projected as a big time prospect. He eventually played college ball at a I-AA school. After college he was drafted into the NFL as one of those "Who?" draft picks. The player? Super Bowl MVP and CBS analyst Phil Simms. The Sear's rule is the wrong solution to a problem that doesn't exist.

I was leaning against this proposal anyway, but Leatherneck has officially sold me...good post.

I was leaning against this proposal anyway, but Leatherneck has officially sold me...good post.

 

Thanks. I'm glad my former English teacher doesn't read this site. The post was filled with typos, poor punctuation and structure. That was one big paragraph. I apologize to anyone who took the time to read it. Busy morning. Still, that's no excuse. Sorry folks.

Maybe someone else knows more about this but I caught wind that a state legislator ripped the KHSAA a new one in a recent public hearing over this proposal.

 

Anyone?

Maybe someone else knows more about this but I caught wind that a state legislator ripped the KHSAA a new one in a recent public hearing over this proposal.

 

Anyone?

 

 

I heard Tim Shaughnessy of Louisville has done this several times.

I heard Tim Shaughnessy of Louisville has done this several times.

As he should ...