School Ball or No?

[cobb_of_fury]

Settle down This is not THAT Thread -
I'm Not asking if School ball is good or bad -

My question is, Would you be better off NOT playing school ball if it ment you could use the extra time to study and raise your GPA by a few percentage point?
So lets say you are a 3.5 GPA and with the extra time you could be a 3.8, Is that enough of a bump to sacrifice school ball?

I know Colleges don't recruit from High School Per Se but would the lack of playing be an issue?

What is the real Bottom Line QPA number to be recruited if your a decent recruitable player?

This question came up in a conversation and I thought I'd see what you guy's thought.

 

[mike_dyer]

When my kid commits she is probably done playing high school ball. She is probably even done playing summer ball the way she has for the last few years. She may sub in now and again, but that's about all.

Unless you're a pitcher what do you really get out of high school ball season or from 8 - 12 weekend long tournaments.

My kid plays 3rd, she probably fielded 5 balls last night and had 4 at bats, she was tied up with it from the minute she walked out of school at around 3pm - 7pm or so.

In contrast, I took her to the field the night before after her practice. We were there for a little over 1 hour, she fielded 100 ground balls and hit 3 buckets.

 

[NotDeaf]

In my opinion school is next to college ball, why? Maybe is doesn't have the talent as college ball. But, it does have the time management skills needed. In both, you have to study, make the grade, hit the gym, take the finals and make it to the field. All that goes hand in hand with High School ball and College Ball.

If you're in High School and opt out of Softball, to up your GPA. Then you're in College and still has to manage all the things, just like you were in High School.

 

[Pacerdad57]

Ive heard college coaches say if you dot play HS ball it is a red flag to the , as in why not, not a team player?, not coach able? I agree the big thing should be the gpa,
But with a 3.5 and good act scores, not sure that a 3.8 would make a great difference in being recruited, but could make a diff in academic dollars.
Either way, I know the politics can be bad in school ball, but my DD has had a pretty good time in JV, and has a lot of good memories from school ball, so I say keep playing.

 

[mike_dyer]

Ive heard college coaches say if you dot play HS ball it is a red flag to

I've heard it too.

The question is who have you heard it from? They couldn't have had their own agenda, right? I know for sure everyone I've heard it from either had an agenda or they were just repeating something they had heard from someone who did.

 

[cobb_of_fury]

Ive heard college coaches say if you dot play HS ball it is a red flag to the , as in why not, not a team player?, not coach able? I agree the big thing should be the gpa,
But with a 3.5 and good act scores, not sure that a 3.8 would make a great difference in being recruited, but could make a diff in academic dollars.
Either way, I know the politics can be bad in school ball, but my DD has had a pretty good time in JV, and has a lot of good memories from school ball, so I say keep playing.

Cease and Desist - We are NOT talking about how GOOD or BAD School Ball is Les this turn in to THAT Discussion

 

[Pacerdad57]

I wasn't trying to infer that Cobb, sorry if misconstrued. Just saying that I don't think the diff in gpa would matter that much with a good act or sat score, so why not just go ahead and play? Great if ya can play and bring up the gpa,'it will probably make a difference in academic monies made available to a player, so I guess I see it as a sacrifice not really needed.
Don't want to sound like I don't want a player to do well in school, but 3.5 is pretty solid. It would also have a bearing depending on what major the player intends I would think. If ya wanna go engineering or nursing/pre med then I guess the 3.8 would be more of a factor, but I still think sacrificing school ball might work against you with some college coaches.

 

[cobb_of_fury]

PD - I didn't mean to Chide you - I just didn't want to be accused of Starting the Scholl Ball VS Travel Ball thread

I was ruleing on the:

I know the politics can be bad in school ball, but my DD has had a pretty good time in JV, and has a lot of good memories from school ball, so I say keep playing.

I agree with what you said -My DD is only in 8th so I kind of guessed on GPA - I assume I should have gone a little lower say from 3.0 to a 3.4 maybe

 

[mike_dyer]

If a kid has a 3.5 gpa, scored mid 20s on their ACT, can drop 225' bombs at will, runs home to 1st in around 2.8 - 3.0 ticks, and looks like a duck on water playing the field I don't think there is a college coach anywhere who is going to care if she's ever played on any team before.

 

[Pacerdad57]

For sure didn't want to beat that horse again Cobb! A mid 3's is good, the test scores mean a lot.

 

[Bink44]

Cobb of Fury, I've talked to many of college coaches over the years and yes, barring injury, it does put up a red flag. The future coach most likely will want to know the circumstances as to why she didn't play for her HS team. Someone mentioned the "Time Management" aspect which is very important for the student athlete to experience before college! Also someone mentioned, not playing travel ball after committing...all I know is both Karen and Jodi would've have flipped out if either of my girls would've done that. Your future college coach wants you to play the most challenging travel schedule as possible those last 2 years, so that you are ready to compete for a starting position as a freshman. You take 2 years off and you are going to be left behind

 

[mike_dyer]

Here is what I was talking about when I mentioned people with their own agenda.

Skipping out on traversing the country side to get 15 at bats and get a hand full of ground balls hit to you every weekend and spending your time actually training instead is the opposite of taking 2 years off.

In fact, traversing the country side to get 15 at bats and fielding a handful of ground balls might be considered taking 2 years off.

 

[Bink44]

^^^ Are you implying I have an Agenda???

 

[mike_dyer]

Nope. There's no implication there.

It was more of a direct acknowledgement that you are a person who would want to make people believe that if their kid wants Trine to pick up the tab for their kid's books they have to fly across the country and back 6 times between the ages of 16 and 18.

 

[Bink44]

I have no idea what you are saying...but its all good.

What I'm saying to everyone else who would like an experienced opinion is that playing 4 years of HS shows commitment and dedication to a program that parents can't control. It teaches your DD that the world doesn't evolve around the individual but evolves around the Team. It also is a good indicator of the aforementioned "Time Management" and maxing out your grades during the spring semester. Minus the overall talent...it replicates the college game in a way that it consumes your time for 3 months straight. But remember in college it will consume your time 5 months in the Spring and a month in the Fall

As far as travel ball...yes I am a non parent coach who spends thousands of my own personal income to travel with my team in the summer and fall each year. I put over 60,000 miles on my latest car over a 3 year period and it has now died...It died on the way back from the Indiana University camp where 4 of my girls were camping and I was merely there to support their dreams and talk to the coaches for them. That weekend trip probably cost me at least 200.00. not including the 240.00 towing bill for my car. But yet I make no excuses for what I do for my girls!! I was offered a little over 1 1/2 years ago to coach an out of state organization team...where I would receive 100% travel expenses (gas, food and hotel) + a small salary and I turned it down. The reason...I would lose several of my girls because their family wouldn't be able to afford it. No regrets they are loyal to me and I am loyal to them. Anyway, let me climb back down from my soap box...lol.

Again for those who want an experienced opinion...the last 2 years are very important for many reasons. First off, like I said before the college coaches want you to play the most challenging schedule that you as a family can afford. The main reason is being prepared for when you step foot on campus your Freshman year. Where else can your DD replicate the pressure of battling in the batters box against the most elite pitching possible? Or if a pitcher, battling the best hitters possible game after game. Or replicating on offense how to attack elite corners with the short game or vice versa defending the short game against elite speed. Also, your future college coach will want to continue to watch her develop during these years. Just because your committed doesn't mean they stop coming out to watch you play every year. Trust me, we made the mistake with one of my DD's and coasted that last summer and when she went off to college that Fall...she was behind. Those Cali, Texas and Georgia girls don't stop competing. I'm not saying break the bank, as this is our first year going west of the Mississippi as a 2nd year 14U...but you need as many quality reps against elite pitchers, hitters and defenders as possible...because most players at the D1 level are studs with great work ethic and desire!!

 

[CoachB25]

As a HS coach, I guess you have to weigh the goods and the bads regardless of the direction you want this thread to go. What does the HS team and coach have to offer your dd.

 

[okiedad1961]

We've had this discussion as a family and as parents.Yes HS ball dosnt seem worth it .A lot of the time due to tinkering w what has made some of our players what they are as players.We have accepted our coach's idea's as his own,whether we think there right or not.This is an opportunity to represent our school with her fellow players.It is what it is

 

[FastBat]

This idea of omitting HS ball is, good in theory, bad in practice! HS softball is a must!

 

[Fairman]

This is the lamest excuse for not playing HS ball ever...

Her senior grades are irrelevant to the admission process so lets focus on the Freshman to Junior grades.
If she is carrying a 3.5 has completed 5 semesters and is thinking of sitting out her Junior Spring semester in order to pull-up her grades.
IF she gets a straight 4.0 that semester she will raise her GPA to only a 3.59.
Her high school transcripts for her early college applications will be no better than that 3.59.
(If she works real hard and carries a 4.0 her senior year she could raise her GPA to a 3.79 but the early decisions go out in January, all decisions are out before HS grades are submitted so the senior year is not a factor in the college decision except for completion)

A 3.59 is not very impressive in this age of grade inflation. Her extracurricular activities will play an equally important part in a college's decision including playing a varsity sport.

 

[cobb_of_fury]

this is the lamest excuse for not playing hs ball ever...

Her senior grades are irrelevant to the admission process so lets focus on the freshman to junior grades.
If she is carrying a 3.5 has completed 5 semesters and is thinking of sitting out her junior spring semester in order to pull-up her grades.
If she gets a straight 4.0 that semester she will raise her gpa to only a 3.59.
Her high school transcripts for her early college applications will be no better than that 3.59.
(if she works real hard and carries a 4.0 her senior year she could raise her gpa to a 3.79 but the early decisions go out in january, all decisions are out before hs grades are submitted so the senior year is not a factor in the college decision except for completion)

a 3.59 is not very impressive in this age of grade inflation. Her extracurricular activities will play an equally important part in a college's decision including playing a varsity sport.

^^^ more like this ^^^