Prepster's- Something to think about

Sounds like a great idea. Fielding a team is more than putting nine players out there. There are several colleges that do not field teams. Some of it is due to school size. Other reasons they do not have the dollars for the expense of put a team out there. Hey I know of a school that has an Ice Hockey team. Although, no dollars come from their Atheltic Department not 100% sure on that one. What if we all had to put one out there. I have seen the attendance at some games of other sports that I bet did not clear enough to pay the umpires. It would have to be a school, AD decision and well thought out.

 

I believe the transfer rules in Charlotte contribute heavily to this problem. By allowing a kid to EASILY go anywhere he wants it's too simple. We have transfers in Guilford County however it's hard to do and can be expensive. I can see where coaches at weaker programs would get frustrated. No excuse to give up but it goes back to teh thread of coaching a losing program. If there's no attempt to keep a kid in district the coach is fighting with one arm tied behind his back.

 

umm...since this is a baseball forum, baseball transferring has absolutely nothing to do with the inherent problems with the "weak" baseball teams in Charlotte. The problem arises because the students in that community do not like baseball. It is not something they grew up with nor have much interest in....that's the problem (a complex one). Transferring has nothing to do with it.

 

I know kids right now in the Charlotte area (some visit this site) that transfer out of their district to another school to play baseball. It's not just in football. True, the game is not played as much in certain districts. But kids attending school anywhere they want plays a role. We can't continue to bury our head in the sand.

 

Brain Strom

Now guys if you know me as some of you may. This really hurt and was a lot of strain on the gray matter. As we see the term magnet, IB and other such schools let's create sports magnet schools. The studies will still be those as now but with classes such and sports management, sport medicine ect... These classes will carry pre college credits. This will be a field of study just not fluff classes. This will get rid of the transfer problem. If a player is a weaker school they could transfer enter the program (it cannot be dropped) if so you return to your old school.

 

Good lord....for those that live in Charlotte and are familiar with the schools that are in this situation, they understand that transferring is not, nor ever will be the problem for its occurence. It may be a solution, perhaps, but don't play the transfer card in this situation. It does not belong here. We are discussing inner city schools that show very little interest in baseball. It has absolutely nothing to do with transferring or one burying their head in the sand.

If you are looking for solutions, instead of blaming others, try tackling the reasons that inner city kids do not like baseball and how to overcome those indifferences. To suggest that it relates to student transferring is so far off base that it actually deflects the real problems of this issue.

 

inner city schools

The reason inner city schools usually can't field a competitive baseball teams is because the feeder system is weak. From the rec leagues to middle school baseball, there is not of much interest. I believe that if you would look at the very strong teams you would see where the the programs that feed into them are very strong and well organized. Where we lost those kids is baffling. It cost money to play aau basketball and rec football, maybe not as much as baseball but it still cost. When those kids get in high school they are so far behind in baseball,. so they do not play or the ones who do play are not very good. That is one of the reasons those schools are not very good. I don't have the stats but if i was a betting man i would say that the coaches are not baseball only. As competitive as this area is, if your coach is not a baseball man only who puts in quality time, your school will not be successful.The school has to also have administrators and AD's who care about the sport. Although the baseball at those schools are not good, i still rather see them field teams because atleast we know those kids are doing something positive and not running the streets where bad things awaits. Think about it this way. If a kid is not prepared academically in Elementary or Middle School, he damn sure isn't prepared fot High School. The same thing applies in baseball.

 

It's not about playing a card. Hell, my kid transferred. Just saying it matters and can't be ignored. There are lots of other circumstances that bring about the current situation.

You want to discuss the tougher issue? How do we get more minorities back in the game? ie.. blacks and hispanics and latinos.

There are some guys in Greensboro doing their part. They run a USSSA/AAU program called the Aggies. A guy named Louis and some other guys run it. They take kids from financially stressed neighborhoods and train them, equip them, sponsor them, mentor them, and they are now starting to enter the HS years. You'll see the baseball at Dudley improve in the next year or so. But it took some men with means and time to make a difference. These kids are getting opportunities that were not possible just a few years ago. These guys are making a difference and everyone in this area loves it.

This is just one idea that has worked.

BTW, I was an academic recruiter for a major university covering some of the Charlotte High Schools for 6 years. While I don't live in the area don't assume I am blind to the situation. I've sat in a few guidance councelor's offices.

 

Good point Pirate. One of the things that has helped Ragsdale is the Jamestown Youth League. The league does a good job getting the HS coaches involved in the program at a early age.