High School Ball- Why does it get such a Bad Rap

[The Dude]

For me the HS softball system DOES play very important roles. State level records and the All Ohio awards. There are players who are on elite travel teams, but they are not among the leaders in any high school records and are not recipients of the All Ohio awards recognizing the best players in the state.

My point being is that if the competition is poor at the HS level why isn't every single player on the most elite travel teams either showing up among state statistical leaders or All Ohioans? Yes, most if not all, of the players getting those accolades are travel players, but there are several players on the top travel teams that do not.

There are about 200 All Ohioans chosen every year, which means about 50 per the 4 divisions. If an elite travel player can't make that list, I have to wonder how good are they? Yet I see several college D1 signees that never earn that distinction in 4 years of HS, nor are they among the leaders in any state level statistical categories.

If local governments can keep information about lead in drinking water out of the public eye, don't you think that statistics can be fudged, sometimes in an outrageous manner?

 

[manitoudan]

Just speaking from own local experience with state awards .. totally useless.. totally . I know player who is a very solid HS player . Far above average athlete , to her credit due to an injury she courageously stepped in the circle and pitched all season. She was normally a SS , and a really good one . But not the greatest pitcher one has ever seen , her team didn't have any success , she was run ruled by the conference champ ( twice) , and still yet made 1st TEAM ALL STATE as an Infielder that season . Probably didn't play SS 5 times the entire year. The conference champ gave up less than 10 earned runs the entire season , and didn't have a member get state recognition .

 

[Fairman]

I suspect that no college coach will put much stock in either High School of Travel Ball stats. Heck, the college stats are not that much better. As for awards, they are nice but very subjective and won't carry much weight in recruiting. High test scores coupled with a high GPA will do more for your dd's.

 

[daboss]

Wonderful responses to the original post! You guys are rocking this topic and I only wanted to mention how much I have enjoyed everyone's point of view. Great reading!

No one response has all the answers but the responses thru page 3 to this point should give most anyone a chance to formulate an opinion on this subject. I'm looking forward to reading any follow up responses.

 

[Run26]

One of the main issues we see in our area is the pay to play policy. Being that most of these kids/parents have never participated in travel ball it means this is their first time paying a fee. Along with the sticker shock comes an immediate expectation on playing time due to the dollar sign.

Unfortunately, this bleeds down to the coaching staff and it almost becomes a requirement to get everyone playing time. With this comes drama, politics and hard feelings. Some don't understand that just because you write a check doesn't mean you can play shortstop.

 

[Mr. Soft Balls]

Very easy question to answer. High School does not follow the #1 rule in Travel Ball... PLAYING TIME MUST BE EARNED

 

[Shane]

Politic, Politics, Politics

That about sums it up in my mind....

so, true..in big and small towns for sure

 

[coachjwb]

Mr. Soft ... I guess it all depends on the school and the travel program, huh? When I coached a varsity high school program, I treated it just like any other varsity sport ... we were playing to win, and so playing time was earned in that we were playing the players we thought put us in the best position to win. Now did all of the players and parents agree on who the best players were ... definitely not ... and did some of the players and parents not care about winning and only cared about playing time ... absolutely. Why some of those same parents who had boys playing on the football team saw softball as different in that respect than football never ceased to amaze me. When I coached travel, while we were also playing primarily to win, I actually felt much more pressure and some responsibility to play everyone more evenly (not equal, just more so than in HS) ... because they were all paying significant fees to play and to travel, and because many of their goals were to play in college.

 

[brownsfan]

One of the main issues we see in our area is the pay to play policy.

Our HS calls it pay-to-participate. Coach will tell players and parents, once you've practiced, you have participated. Concerning the HS awards, that's why we have a non-parent work the books. At the end of season, our coach tells everytone at the banquet that the awards given tend to get political.

 

[Miller]

We are lucky enough that our pay to play is only $50. I'm also lucky enough to have a supportive AD(my 2nd since being there).The first time I ever as a high school coach have an AD-principal-superintendent or any other administrator give me "tips or suggestions" on playing time will be my last as a coach. Playing time is earned in all cases in my book. That doesn't mean that the way I see things will be the way parents see them but bottom line I fill out the lineup card. It will always be filled out with what I think gives me the best chance to win.

 

[coachjwb]

I only coached high school 4 years, but the AD's never told us who or how many to keep or cut, and definitely not who to play. While I know there are schools and sports where things are political, I strongly believe that the amount of politics is over-rated and that it's often just a believable excuse for parents and players to use. Sorry for offending some people ... again, I do know that it exists ... but I'm not totally convinced that there's more politics in school ball than travel ball. Again, it depends on the school and travel team ...

 

[GeneralsDad]

I want to clarify something. My DD's high school experience has been a great one from day one. We are fortunate to have a non teacher, non parent coaching staff with great experience in HS as well as travel. Some of my best memories when the DD finishes playing will be from a high school field.

 

[larrybowman]

My DD high school AD is also the varsity basketball coach....Is it normal for the AD to be a coach as well? I honestly dont know.....

 

[Fairman]

I'm sure things are different in larger schools but in the small/middle sized schools I certainly don't have 10 kids that I'd go to war with. High school playing time couldn't be political in most schools because of the vast lack of depth on most teams.

I'd bet that playing time is much more evenly distributed on travel teams because the girls on those teams are of comparable skill sets and if a coach doesn't keep those marginal players (and their families) happy they will pull up stakes and move on; can't do that in high school.

 

[chixdad]

I want to clarify something. My DD's high school experience has been a great one from day one. We are fortunate to have a non teacher, non parent coaching staff with great experience in HS as well as travel. Some of my best memories when the DD finishes playing will be from a high school field.

I wish I could say the same thing, but as a couple friends on here could agree, not even close at our school.

 

[CARDS]

As others have stated... I think some of the issues are a lot of HS programs put coaches in the position because of their teachers union has it worked out that staff gets the opportunity for the supplemental contract over maybe more qualified applicants.

With that being said...in our conference (The GMC) The coaching even at the schools that rarely compete for a conference title have built decent programs and yes they have several players that have been left on JV that should or could have been on varsity.

All high schools are always going to have parents/players that feel they have been disrespected when DD is in HS because DD is not on varsity or not starting varsity when mom or dad feels there has to be something else wrong because little Suzie plays on travel team XYZ and they pay X amount for private instruction. Honestly; this occurs in travel ball as well with players #10 through 15 on the roster.

Concerning HS stats... they truly are dependent on the conference...
During DDs HS playing days 2010-2013 I can say the ladies in the GMC/GWOC numbers looked correct to me. (The CMAC stats were nowhere near correct).
Unlike travel ball the stats in the GMC and in several other conferences are reconciled between teams during "in conference" contest. This does not happen in travel ball where generally a parent is assigned to the job of score keeper and I would say 50% of the time these parents do not have enough scoring knowledge to do it correctly.

I agree HS awards were a little off but heck, anytime you hand out awards someone will feel slighted or because of relationship one may feel a player may be more deserving it happens at ALL levels of sport.

As far as the issue of sports and high school?
In my opinion sports not only helps develop the character of the students I think sport also helps build your community.

Just speaking for the schools in our conference/league all sports draw very well and its good to have a neighborhood rivalries like we have in our league.

 

[WalkOffHR]

I don't deny that there can be reasons a player isn't selected that are beyond their control. DDs high school messed up her sophomore year and didn't pay the coaches fee, so she wasn't even eligible for All District or All Ohio that year, even though she was All District as a freshman.

My point is that those awards are important, as well as being chosen All Conference. That is what makes HS ball interesting. Likewise, the state records, even if some may say they can be manipulated, provided at least some historical measure to gauge a player's accomplishments. That is unique to HS sports.

Not saying HS ball can compare to travel ball, just that HS ball is not completely without merit.

From a recruiting standpoint, it sure was a feather in DDs cap to say she was conference Player of the Year, 1st Team All Ohio, 3rd All time in single season HRs and 18th on the all time career HRs list in the state of Ohio after her junior year of HS ball. Having 2 national championships as a travel player was nice too, but it seemed like the HS accolades carried more weight on her resume with coaches.

Final thought, any player that moves on and players softball at the college level (any level) has accomplished an amazing feat! I have been blessed to watch many girls make it and have seen many more fall just short. it all takes more work than you would have ever imagined back at 10U...not just off the field and in the off season but also in the classroom. All the while,avoiding the pitfalls that are so common during teenage years. In the end, after it is all over, whether their best memories are from travel ball, HS ball or even college ball the greatest reward is the work ethic that gets instilled in them and understanding the importance of the team.

 

[Converse Kid]

High Schhol Ball helps you build upon your mechanics and helps prepare girls for the upcoming travel season, very beneficial preparation. I feel the biggest knock on school ball is that there are very rarely college scouts/coaches in attendance. Everyone knows they are in their regular season at the same time as high schoolers. Close to 85% of recruits are through travel ball, maybe 10- 15% of recruits through camp. I believe most parents and coaches feel the absenteeism of the college level coaches is why school ball is not "Top" priority, thus "The Bad Rap."

 

[tjsmize3]

Converse I think there are no doubt high school programs that do exactly as you say and certainly there is minimal college scouting present (if any). I disagree with you slightly though because I think the bad rap comes from lack of consistently good high school programs across the state. For every great coach with great players and great school support there are probably 5-10 dud programs. When my DD was in high school the main concern was how long would it take for her to get back up to speed to play at the travel level once the high school season was done... and she played in a pretty decent HS program. When you add in HS politics and the fact that most HS ball (not necessarily playoff teams) is at the rec to rec all-star level there are just a lot of upset "travel parents" who think HS ball should be more than it is. HS ball serves a purpose and I think those who go in with an open mind and well-defined realistic goals survive the season just fine.