Petition the HS "dead periods"

Is it really that bad????

Well......since you put it that way, I guess my answer would be YES. I would not mind my DD not playing a sport because she chose academics first. What's more important then grades?

But after re-reading a couple of Cheeze points....I guess he is right. To protect the game for the kids who don't play TB or never will, to be able to play school ball means everything? If we have to protect the sport from itself to allow those kids a chance to play then that is what we have to do.

 

Dead Periods and Coaches

Doesn't really seem that the dead period effects the players, good or bad. It seems like it just penalizes the high school coaches that coach travel ball more or less. The players themselves can still work out together, plus high school teams use parents as a way to get around the rule anyway. Also, I heard that a high school softball coach was caught violating this rule a couple years ago during the month of August. What I did never hear about, was what was the punishment for the coach and/or school. Anybody know??? This post also gets me thinking about the correlation of high school softball and TB. Should a high school coach be able to enforce a penalty against a kid if they choose to practice with their travel ball team or even play during the high school season? When my DD played, it always seemed like players (maybe even their parents) were more scared of high school coaches instead of travel ball coaches. If a high school coach told a kid they couldn't practice with their TB team during the season, they felt like they were obligated to do what the coach. If a TB coach suggested the same thing, they would be crucified. When my DD played TB, each year there seemed to always be at least 1 kid on the team (some years more) that couldn't practice during the school season because their coach threattened to kick them off the team. It was always funny to me that these players and their parents adhered to this or went behind the coaches back, even though most of these kids wanted to go to college on a softball scholarship. As we all know, TB is what will make this happen. I'm not saying high school doesn't help shape or develop a player, but it is not the sole reason or even majority of a reason that a player will get a scholarship opportunity. My DD's high school coach always allowed harmony with both. She understood that the few TB kids on the team needed TB to get to the next level. Where the majority of the team just wanted to play 3 or 4 months out of the year and be done. So the big question is, should a high school coach be allowed to punish or cut a player if they violate the "no TB rule" during spring. Has any parent's DD been removed from their high school team for breaking this rule?

 

I do not have a problem with dead periods for the head coach but it should not apply to volunteer assistant coaches. Our TB team missed 2 big tourneys this fall, one in August(before school started!) and one in November. Players should not have to choose between TB and HS and the coaches should not have to as well.

 

"End" up on JV??? Anything wrong with that??

And....how can a player from last years team know who made this years team and position they are playing before the school even has tryouts??

 

Dead Period

All above have great points. Dead periods afford the student/athlete to concentrate on academics (dead periods around exam times) as well as promote kids to be multisport athlete's.
As a coach, there are many coaches that are not in favor of multi-sport athlete's and will burn a kid out if they have strict or preseason workout rules or intimidation tactics to get them there. (Trust me there are some coaches that are ONLY concerned about winning at all cost) And it cost the kid, either in injury or burn out.
As mentioned above, IF a kid is truly motivated they will work out on their own and not have to have a coach organizing everything they do;way to much of that in my opinion. Kids that are intrinsically motivated will work their butts off in the off season. It is all about where there passion is.
High School is very demanding and kids are pulled in many directions and some just "grow" out of the sport "lose the passion". It is a part of life.
Coaches are often teachers to and have the responsibilities to do the duties they were hired to do and where their "money maker" comes from. Good coaches will follow the rules of 8 men workouts and those who know the system will make it a point (if it is a passion of theirs) to get their name on the "so called sign up list." I do not know of many HS teams that have to turn people away. Some coaches just allow returners to come and do not do anything with the JV or incoming players. Some bust their butts to try to serve all without any help from other coaches.
It is a two-fold answer but dead period are there for a reason and if we have the total student athlete's best interest at heart then we understand it no matter how much our competitive natures want to kick it to the curb.
Many parents expect the HS coaches to teach, train, everyone in all areas and it is impossible-kids have to take responsibility for their own growth in the offseason as well. And if they do not then that is frankly on them to suffer in the spring. Like they say "if you want to be good come March just ask yourself what you did June-January." Most coaches (good coaches) will give players evaluations at the end of the season, video, summer workouts etc for those kids who DESIRE to get better.
Ok, I will jump off my soap box now.