Come on Clyde, lets a get someone to nominate a 5th grader to be the prom queen, lets have a 3rd grader be the editor of the year book, lets elect a seventh grader as the president of the senior class, do you want me to continue?

 

Lets let the HS kids play the HS sports and keep the middle school-er in middle school! If Billy wants to play HS sports then by pass his 8th grade year or tell Billy parents that just because he is old enough to be a freshmen, he is still in the 8th grade!

 

BTW sorry for this late reply but our electric and Intenet went down for a bit.

 

Agreed you do learn to deal with failute but you also learn to grow as a member of a team. A young freshmen who gets to play on his HS team grows in confidence of himself and that more important than any super stud 8th grader playing in front of him.

Keep HS sports for HS kids, the middler schoolers will get their turn soon eough!

 

 

He grows in confidence if he is successful. If he just sits and watches, or plays and is completely overmatched on those rare occassions he does play, or everyday in practice, how is that helpful. Your points about prom queen, or yearbook editor again aren't relevant, as there are certainly plenty of better qualified candidates at the high school level that CAN do those jobs well. Again, I point to my youngests experience with middle school basketball....he was as good as the 10-15th kid on the roster. He could have been a part of the team, got beaten and dominated by the top 3-5 kids on the team every day at practice, and played only a few minutes a game in blowouts. Or gets cut, and decides he wants to do something, wrestles, and finds something he is really good at. As a parent, you just have to encourage your kids to keep trying different things until they find something they are good at. Just putting a team on a team to make him feel good about himself isn't helping him. And it's taking valuable coaching time away from the kids who can truly benefit from it.

Sorry Clyde Internet is going nuts....it's up it's down as our electric in our complex keeps going off and on. Hard to keep up at the moment! Hopes this goes through

Just curious....what happens when frosh get to make room for the talented 8th graders, and they decide to go to a different high school?

Just curious....what happens when frosh get to make room for the talented 8th graders, and they decide to go to a different high school?

 

Do you think that matters?? If you're borderline, and not good enough to beat out a few 8th graders for the freshman team, what makes you think they would be able contribute at a higher level as a sophomore or junior?? Think about, of the 12-15 kids on every freshman team, how many do you think actually get to contribute at the varsity level?? It's certainly less than half. The rare kid or two that decides to go elswhere, isn't going to make a difference or keep some kid from playing varsity ball.

Just curious....what happens when frosh get to make room for the talented 8th graders, and they decide to go to a different high school?

 

Good question! BTW, we are not only talking about 8th graders, Boone County cut freshman and kept some 8th graders and at least one 7th grader.

Just curious....what happens when frosh get cut to make room for the talented 8th graders, and they decide to go to a different high school?

Sorry--missed the word "cut" and edt time expired

I don't see where anybody was against cuts or was crying for a juice box. I don't think high school players should be cut in favor of kids that aren't in that high school. It's that simple. I also don't see where anyone wanted spots given to inferior upperclassmen when there are more talented underclassmen.

 

I agree with TOG, let the high school kids play high school sports and the middle school gets play middle school sports. I also wonder, like he does, how many of these kids playing up were actually held back or started late in order to improve their chances at sports.

Well, let's just not cut anybody....every kid makes the team, and gets a juice box and a cookie after every game. I don't see how it's denying a kid an opportunity if he isn't good enough to deserve it. And let's just apply this type of thinking across the board. Play the less talented senior over the super talented freshman, because the senior deserves the right to experience of playing his senior year. What about the handful of eighth graders that play varsity baseball, basketball and almost every other sport? Should they not play even though they earned the spot? You don't see 8thgraders taking AP courses over high schoolers because no matter how smart you are, typically an 8th grader isn't ready to take AP calculus. There are 8th graders ready to play freshman sports, and even JV and varsity. And I can guarantee if Joe Eighthgrader proved he could handle AP Calculus, and Physics, or whatever, the school district would do whatever it needed to do to allow that kid to take those classes. Conversely, they aren't going to allow Joe Freshman (or any other kid regardless of age) to take AP classes if they AREN'T prepared or academically able to just so they can have the experience of doing so, even if they will likely fail miserably. So, I guess I do agree that sports shouldn't be handled any differently than athletics. Put children (and adults too in the adult world) in positions where they can succeed.

 

On the point of high school athletics NOT being there to prepare kids for college sport, I ask why isn't it? You certainly have a much better chance of playing college sports if you play in HS. Yes only a few kids will have an opportunity to play at the next level, but what you learn in high school sports certainly does prepare you. And if you don't make the baseball team, there are plenty of other sports, clubs, classes and extracurricular activities that DON'T cut that kids can participate in. When one door closes another one opens.

 

This post so exaggerates my position, I'm not sure where to start.

 

Well, let's just not cut anybody....every kid makes the team, and gets a juice box and a cookie after every game.

 

Did I say this? I simply stated that HS kids should not be CUT in favor of MS kids. If a HS kid is cut in favor of a more deserving HS kid, I have absolutely no problem with that. Such is life.

 

I don't see how it's denying a kid an opportunity if he isn't good enough to deserve it.

 

He is good enough to deserve it. He's better than enough kids from HIS school to make the team. Unfortunately for him, kids from OTHER schools are better & have been brought in to supersede him.

 

Play the less talented senior over the super talented freshman, because the senior deserves the right to experience of playing his senior year.

 

Please show me where from my post I said anything even remotely related to this.

 

You don't see 8thgraders taking AP courses over high schoolers because no matter how smart you are, typically an 8th grader isn't ready to take AP calculus.

 

And the "typical" 8th grader is not ready to play HS sports either. Some are - they are untypical. There are plenty of untypical academic MS types who are more than capable of taking certain HS AP courses, and if they do, great for them. If the HS "cuts" a HS kid from an AP course in favor of a MS kid, shame on them. The MS kid will have his chance to take that class in a few years. The HS kid may never have another chance.

 

And I can guarantee if Joe Eighthgrader proved he could handle AP Calculus, and Physics, or whatever, the school district would do whatever it needed to do to allow that kid to take those classes.

 

"Whatever it needed"? Are you sure? Would the district "cut" a HS kid from that class to make room for the MS student? I have never heard of such a thing, but if it happened to my kid I would scream bloody murder to the Principal and the school board. Add the MS kid to the class, I think that's great. Cut a HS kid to make room for him, no way.

 

Conversely, they aren't going to allow Joe Freshman (or any other kid regardless of age) to take AP classes if they AREN'T prepared or academically able to just so they can have the experience of doing so, even if they will likely fail miserably.

 

Duh.

 

Look, my son played Frosh baseball as an 8th grader. The school did not have enough HS kids to fill the roster, and I had, and still have, no problem with him playing. Had the school had enough HS kids, however, it would have been a different matter, for me at least.

Do you think that matters?? If you're borderline, and not good enough to beat out a few 8th graders for the freshman team, what makes you think they would be able contribute at a higher level as a sophomore or junior?? Think about, of the 12-15 kids on every freshman team, how many do you think actually get to contribute at the varsity level?? It's certainly less than half. The rare kid or two that decides to go elswhere, isn't going to make a difference or keep some kid from playing varsity ball.

 

Yes, I do think it matters. The talented 8th grader got 5 years of high school ball, and did not have to make any kind of commitment to the team or the program or the school. The frosh who was cut (to make room for the 8th grader who now plays for another school, or even if he still does attend that school) missed his maybe one and only chance to be part of his high school team. And who knows where that experience may have taken that frosh.

 

I am all for bringing in those 8th graders if you need them so that you can have a freshman team. I just do not agree with cutting any freshmen to make room for 8th graders. I have one who got to play frosh soccer as an 8th grader, because they needed the players. It was a great opportunity.

 

Does not matter what I think, schools do it anyway, just offering my Friday morning BGP opinion---so ignore, delete, etc.

No baseball players or 8th graders or 7th graders in my house.

So if the school your son went to had enough HS players to FIELD a team then you would not have allowed your son to try out for that team, correct? As a guy I used to coach with always said "I only need nine". It's a shame if a school does not have at least 12-14 kids that would like to play, regardless if they have talent or not.

Good question! BTW, we are not only talking about 8th graders, Boone County cut freshman and kept some 8th graders and at least one 7th grader.

 

Are you sure? There is like 20 or 25 players on that team. Did they have cuts?

Do you think that matters?? If you're borderline, and not good enough to beat out a few 8th graders for the freshman team, what makes you think they would be able contribute at a higher level as a sophomore or junior?? Think about, of the 12-15 kids on every freshman team, how many do you think actually get to contribute at the varsity level?? It's certainly less than half. The rare kid or two that decides to go elswhere, isn't going to make a difference or keep some kid from playing varsity ball.

 

Just curious. Do you feel this way for baseball, or with all high school sports?

Just curious. Do you feel this way for baseball, or with all high school sports?

 

I'm ok with it for all high school sports. If the kid is good enough to play and in a position where they can succeed, then fine. Some are ready, some aren't. It happens in almost every sport except football. I'm not for moving a did up strictly because of numbers if he/she isn't ready. If there were more middle school sports opportunities besides football, basketball, wrestling and volleyball, I might have a different opinion.

 

I guess I just don't see why it's a big deal to keep the best players available to play for a particular team. And most of the time these 8th graders are getting the opportunity because of lack of numbers. But either you're good enough to play or you aren't.

 

In terms of academics I wasn't endorsing "cutting" a kid to make room for a brilliant middle schooler, and apologize if it came out that way. When I said do what needs to be done, I meant the school would find a way to make room for the kid to get the enrichment he/she needed....not at the expense of another deserving kid.

The KHSAA has set the rule, so if a coach is following the rules, why can't he choose a middle school kid? If they thought it was a problem, they would change the rule.

Edwards won his first start for Campbell County vs Holmes. I went to the Highlands game and CC also has a freshman starting at catcher named Robert Metz. Threw out a runner stealing third and hits the ball a ton. Very good behind the plate.