Please don't take this post the wrong way--it is not meant as an afront to amateur coaches and those involved in amateur softball, but rather as an explanation of the realistic world of statewide interscholastic athletics.
The issue is too many private citizens mean well but do not understand that the OHSAA is responsible for and governs interscholastic sports. There are many more dynamics that come into play in interscholastics than is amatuer athletics. Academic progress, enrollment legaility, lawful residency, school size, geographic locations, school fiscal limitations, Title IX issues, college recruitment issues, out-of-state travel issues, socio-economic issues, racial equality issues, special needs issues, and a pleathora of other things that also affect the governing of state-wide athletics.
After 20 years of coaching high school sports in all season for both genders, I still don't understand all the dynamics. Getting 5000 complaints from people who have never coached at the high school level really would be as irrelevant as getting one. The OHSAA listens to the people it directly is accountable to; the high school head coaches, athletic directors, principals and supertintendents--which is the way it needs to be to maintain an order of things. If they were to openly listen to and consider everythign from everyone it would be huge chaos.
I agree that some rules are vague, and difficult to understand and on their face may not make much sense--but that is why coaches/administrators can call or email the OHSAA any time and get a detailed explanation. There is just far, far more in play on the statewide interscholastic level than the typical amateur recreational/travel/tournament coach or parent would ever have to deal with.
