Petition the HS "dead periods"

Example

My DD is not taking a biology class this semester, but she gained many friends who love biology in her class last semester, since they're not formally involved in a school class, they get together a couple times a week and shoot the bull, study, discuss, biology stuff.
If a school system placed a restriction on this type of extra curricular activity, then all hell would break loose.
Common sense just has a way of avoiding all state and federal organizations!

 

But for the coaches and players who do want to work and get better, isn't this what seperates those programs from the pack? You can tell the ones that work and the ones that don't.

I know what you mean about coaches who know how to work it out to their benefit. We've been doing it since June and with parent involvement (the parents are NOT coaching), but EVERYTHING goes through the HC. And sometimes she says NO. But what we are doing is going to be HUGE going forward when we as parent and player are gone. The ones coming in behind us will benefit greatly if other pick it up were we leave off.

But so many kids get discouraged when they want to be apart of it and are limited. I've heard the complaints from the parents, and those good atheletes either give up or we lose those kids to another sport.

We just try to leave the place better than when we got there even it doesn't always show up in the wins/loses column. But the hope is that eventually it will.

 

Some of the most important aspects of softball are conditioning, building a strength base, speed, agility and quickness. Learning how to run—accelerate, decelerate, etc.

There are periods in the year when those things mentioned could be worked on. Those periods only have a restriction of being open to all and required of none. As long as you don't use softball equipment you are not considered to be doing softball-specific skill training. There is much that can be accomplished during those times.

The periods where there is no kind of workout allowed is there to make sure the athletes have time to prepare for their exams, etc.

I agree that what happens outside of the school year should be relatively free of school association rules. I understand why the rules are there but I really don't think they should be aimed at baseball or softball.

But for me it still comes down to the fact that they don't use the time they are already allowed. Why ask for more time?

If there are kids complaining that they don't come out because of the one-player-less rule I will be very surprised. Even then I could find a way to help them come out. I think that would be just a lame excuse.

By the way, if anyone (including parents or friends) work with players during dead periods with any input from a coach, present or not present, they are, in effect, a coach. Just saying.

 

Regardless of intent or purpose, if you do away with the dead period rules there ARE HS coaches who would abuse it.
And what if the roles were reversed? What if the volleyball (the most common "other" sport) coach wanted their kids to work all the time during the off season?
Why should the kid have to choose? And at our school we're lucky to have enough for softball. If you take out the volleyball kids we don't have enough.
Not only that but we've seen some really talented kids that played multiple sports. What about the Loudermilk kid at AC a couple years ago. She ended up w/ a softball scholarship but could just have easily played volleyball.
The rule is in place to protect sports FROM themselves.
But the most important factor is the winter "dead period" covers the two weeks of EXAMS which is really what the most important thing.

 

I find it sad that rules have to be placed to prevent a coach from abusing a sport to the point that they give a kid an ultimatum to play on a team vs another team in HS. But you are correct. I see TB teams schedule tournaments and practices during SB when they know some SB teams are stretched thin and know one injury could kill a season, or tell players that an academic commitment is no excuse it miss a practice or tournament.

So that's what it's come down to. Protect a sport from itself. Good grief.

 

Don't like the dead periods, Never have, never will. I wanted my dd on the field as much as possible. Not because I wanted to push her but because if shes there shes not got time to do other things that could get her in trouble. As for the dead periods foe exam time the kids in basketball still practice and play during that week so what is the difference in having workouts for other sports? If anything just say they have to be done by a certain time so the kids could go home and study. As for the August dead period well that is the worst. My dd played for a tb team whos coach was a high school assistant well come August he was suppose to quit coaching them. Yea that's a real good idea there. STUPID!!

 

Cheeze....you make some great points. This past Fall my DD did not play TB. She instead elected to participate in Sports Med, attending two football practices a week and JV and Varsity games, taping ankles, delivering water to player huddles, learning. Despite the time consumption with that, and academics she still played Rec Ball with other JV and Varsity CAP 7 girls so she could use it to work on her game.

It was HER choice as has been everything else we've done. And that is the way it should be...the players choice.

If some coach out there doesn't understand that kind of a commitment and work ethic, well.....all anyone can do is control what you can control and not worry about the rest. No matter always someone to make trouble for you.

One really good thing that has come out of our involvement in youth sports and softball in particular is that I wanted the experience to be a real eye opener to my DD as to how people act. That what she see's and learns will no doubt transcend into the real world once she leaves home. That she stays true to her beliefs and ability and work ethic, and eventually she will start to attract the quality kind of people that reflect her faith and values.

Points well taken Cheeze, but I still like a little less government intervention. Thanks for the good conversation.

 

SCal, you would be good with a coach not letting your daughter play in the spring because she chose to work on her education in the fall?

That is what could happen to your daughter or maybe some other player at a different school without Dead Periods.