School grades for travel ball

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My two cents! Once a player reaches the 9th grade college coaches can not talk to parents. So, when a player has reached the level that garners college interest, that college coach can speak to every one except the player and her parents. So, while it is 100% the player's and her parent's responsibilty for her grades and academic achievements the first line of communication with a coach is often not with the parent or the player. Typically it starts with her travel coach. So it makes sense to me for that travel coach to be aware of the things concerning that players ability to reach the next level. The discipline that it takes to be a successful college athlete requires a player to be able to focus, prepare, and execute in the classroom first then on the field. If that player can not demonstrate the same level of dedication in the classroom that they display on the field then there is a flaw some where that will surface at some point. I am not saying every student has to be a 4.0 student. In some cases that just doesn't happen. However, if that student gives the classroom the same dedication as her sport. The grades will reflect that and it will be all good. College coaches have been doing this long enough to know that the kids who work in the classroom also can be counted on to work on their individual skills on their own also. Travel coaches also take this approach. All to often we hear of that girl with potential that just doesn't work on her skills at home and never reaches her full potential. I would bet that her teachers would say the same thing. Because whether it is school or sports DISCIPLINE is DISCIPLNE and that iswhat it takes to be successful.
 
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If a player wants to play at the next level (college) don't you think she would have a profile sheet available. With everything being online these days there is no excuse for not having the info on what you need to do to get recruited.

As far as grades for an 7th, 8th or 9th grader; give me a break, they in no way represent what she will be doing once she starts having all the HS pressures applied. Also, how many of these kids have an ACT/SAT score before their junior year? These tests are designed as a standard for comparison. Every HS is not the same, a kid with a 3.0 at a Cleveland Public School may barely carry a 2.0 at a private college prep school. Any college coach knows these things and will not be worried about such things until they can make contact. Put the kid on your radar and watch them, get them to your camps, etc...
 
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Okay, this is going to be a shotgun blast since it appears that it pertains to both coaches and parents. After reading some more of these posts and Sammy and XStatic and The3dm kind of eluded to this point, ya'll could use some info on the recruiting process.

First, GPA prior to 9th grade doesn't count for squat (in the recruiting world). Once they become HS freshmen, then they are recruit-able and the GPA come into play. True, a college coach might show interest in an eighth grader and when you are at a tournament, the coach is the only one a college coach can talk to about your DD. And also true is that working towards good grades starts well before the freshman year but that is not what we are talking about here.

Second, once they become freshman, then they should have a profile made and have it available at tournaments for college coaches to see. No matter what style of profile you use, they all have the GPA on it. The coach also should have a team recruiting profile which lists every girl, their address, phone number, email, positions played, ACT/SAT score if available, and the GPA. This sheet is the first paper that a college coach usually sees about a particular team.

Third, When can parents and girls talk to NCAA college coaches at a tournament? Unless your DD has completed the junior year of HS, NEVER!!! NAIA is a different story. Now if your DD is in a clinic/camp in which the coach is an instructor or if you visit the campus then you and she can talk to the coach all you want.

This is the general gist of the matter. There are several other nuances that you can read about.

NCAA Div 1 Manual: http://www.ncaapublications.com/productdownloads/D111.pdf
NCAA Div 2 Manual: http://www.ncaapublications.com/productdownloads/D211.pdf
NCAA Div 3 Manual: http://www.ncaapublications.com/productdownloads/D311.pdf
NAIA Recruiting: http://www.playnaia.org/index.php

Come on parents. You are dealing with your DD's college experience. At least do the research so that she has a fighting chance.

Coaches, you owe it to your girls to become a semi-subject matter expert on getting your girls recruited. Get on the phone or visit colleges to get the "Inside poop" on just what the college coaches are looking for in the ways of profiles and videos.

If your team has freshmen on it, then schedule your team for a visit with a college coach and let the college coach explain the whole recruiting process to the girls and the parents. You will make great strides in the recruiting process if you do this.
 
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The original poster talked about making it mandatory for the girls to bring their report cards and review it with him. Sounds like the better solution might be to make it optional. Those that think it would help their being recruited can bring the coach in on their schooling. Those that are not chasing the magical college softball scholarship or just want to keep their school work in the family can opt out. Everybody is happy!

I think the mandatory part is what most really have the problem with.
 
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The original poster talked about making it mandatory for the girls to bring their report cards and review it with him. Sounds like the better solution might be to make it optional. Those that think it would help their being recruited can bring the coach in on their schooling. Those that are not chasing the magical college softball scholarship or just want to keep their school work in the family can opt out. Everybody is happy!

I think the mandatory part is what most really have the problem with.

Well, I don't think it should be mandatory as long as she doesn't want to be recruited. But why leave possible recruiting money on the table?
 
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My post was not so much about the recruiting process as much as it was about the ability for a coach to be able to sell the product. I do not feel that it is the business of the coach to meddle with the family business. However, when your child has the potential to play at the next level then the travel coach should have the ability to answer any and all questions that might be asked. For example if I am trying to get a feel for some one I don't ask that person or someone who is biased. I did not bring up profiles in my earlier post because this thread was not about recruiting as much as it was about acoach trying to figure out what route he should take to make sure he could help his athletes as much as possible.
 
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Okay, I just got done reading through my latest NFCA paper and the ranking of team GPA (those who reported) for All NCAA divisions as well as NAIA. I can honestly say that I was surprised that there were so many sub 3.0 teams, primarily DI & DII.

D1 & D2 teams with a team GPA below 3.0??? I would really like to see a list of those teams!!
 
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When we posted our tryouts, part of the requirement to come and tryout was a min GPA of 3.25. Our focus is to get the girls as much college coach face time as possible. Having a college coach on staff we have an inside track on what is important. Grades simply are important to the college coach.

More generally, my DD's both took TaeKwonDo, and at the belt promotion ceremonies, the student would have to present their grade card to their master. He would review the grade card and if they had grades below his expectations, he would ask why. This was done in front of all the promotion class and their parents. It was embarrassing for those who had below expected grades. He would state that without grades and service outside TaeKwonDo teachings, that he would merely be creating hoodlums. So more reinforcement to do their best in everything doesn't hurt, punishing is up to the parents though, as far as missing games and what not. But does anyone really think a kid should be spending hours and hours in softball games and practice and lessons if she is getting C's in HS?
 
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More generally, my DD's both took TaeKwonDo, and at the belt promotion ceremonies, the student would have to present their grade card to their master. He would review the grade card and if they had grades below his expectations, he would ask why. This was done in front of all the promotion class and their parents. It was embarrassing for those who had below expected grades. He would state that without grades and service outside TaeKwonDo teachings, that he would merely be creating hoodlums. So more reinforcement to do their best in everything doesn't hurt, punishing is up to the parents though, as far as missing games and what not. But does anyone really think a kid should be spending hours and hours in softball games and practice and lessons if she is getting C's in HS?

Both my dd's took Hapkido, and the same question's were asked. That's probably why I don't have a problem with the coach asking.
 
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This is not a conspiracy to replace parents.

Many kids do not have parents who care about thier grades. They will go to the wall to get a coach fired for not getting their kid enough playing time, but will never speak to a teacher during 4 years of high school when thier child does not commit themselves to doing the best they can in school. The coach may be the only person who encourages the kid to work hard in school. Should a child miss that opportunity because their parents are misguided? You can't single them out because that creates more problems. If you are a parent of a daughter who cares about grades allready then your family serves as positive reinforcement for that child that school does matter. It also reinforces the idea to your child. That is not doing your job. For many kids the most influential person in their life other than a parent is a coach. For others it is the only person of influence they will ever have.

I am glad Centerville FP brought the example of TaeKwonDo. We lose sight to often of what playing sports is all about. It is to build leaders of tomorrow. Athletics should help teach children how to be successful in life and how to make a positive impact in their community. We can not do that alone as parents. As someone else said our kids get tired of hearing things from us. If I keep going I will start to ramble too much. To me, a good coach will do something more that just teach softball skill.
 
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This is not a conspiracy to replace parents.

Many kids do not have parents who care about thier grades. They will go to the wall to get a coach fired for not getting their kid enough playing time, but will never speak to a teacher during 4 years of high school when thier child does not commit themselves to doing the best they can in school.

We lose sight to often of what playing sports is all about. It is to build leaders of tomorrow. Athletics should help teach children how to be successful in life and how to make a positive impact in their community.

Good Stuff right there!!!!
 
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This is not a conspiracy to replace parents.

It also reinforces the idea to your child. That is not doing your job. For many kids the most influential person in their life other than a parent is a coach. For others it is the only person of influence they will ever have.

We lose sight to often of what playing sports is all about. It is to build leaders of tomorrow. Athletics should help teach children how to be successful in life and how to make a positive impact in their community. We can not do that alone as parents. As someone else said our kids get tired of hearing things from us. If I keep going I will start to ramble too much. To me, a good coach will do something more that just teach softball skill.

Agreed and following CFP's remarks... good stuff!

I also agree that the coach isn't there to replace parenting.... take this angle... how about how often people slam TV, MTV, video games, and bad lyrics.... funny how this is an easy band wagon to get on but as soon as some says "hey, show me your grades" and prove that you have earned the right to be on this team because your life is going to be on a solid path and potentially better vs. if you slack off in your school work. C'mon people, take the context of grade discussions as just mere reinforcement of whatever level of home focus is there and it's not some type of subconscious power trip of coaches. That's how I see it... Nothing like a good thing be run across the coals. Is it really a bad thing? Ok, blast away...:cool::cap:
 
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I think either travel coaches or the parents need to be educated on the whole Athletic money vs Academic money issue. I know I learned a lot going through the process. I did a lot of assuming in regards to the issue. I think that kids and parents who are completely aware of how money is disbursed checking grades would be a non factor. I love the idea of going and talking to a college coach on an unofficial visit, The recruiters at colleges will set this up. Make an appointment and request a meeting with the softball coach.

I applaud any coach that takes the time, their time to help the kids they coach outside the sports realm. When my daughter took karate it was mandatory you bring in your report card with a note from your teacher regarding Your behavior to test. Trust me, my kid made sure her instructor was happy with what he seen. So IMO any extra motivation a kid gets to keep their grades up is positive.
 
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No, I don't think it is a bad thing by any means. I am of the mindset that it is my (and my wife's) job to ensure our dd is prepared for whatever she chooses to seek in life, whether it be playing ball in college, joining the service, etc...

I don't have an issue with a coach wanting to know my dd GPA or pushing the importance of doing well in school either, but I do have an issue with a coach passing some sort of judgment about grades. As I stated earlier, there is a big difference in course load, schools, parent expectations etc. and I know very few coaches that are qualified in these areas.

Let's say you get this coach and they set this arbitrary GPA that you must maintain to play on their team. He put this out at tryouts and everything is out in the open. Great, now you have a kid who is maintaining that GPA to play ball and most likely not challenging them self with more difficult classes for fear of being removed from the team.

As with many ideas there are unexpected consequences so why not stick to the job at hand and teach the kids what you know best and leave the education concerns to the parents and school counselors. JMHO
 
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No, I don't think it is a bad thing by any means. I am of the mindset that it is my (and my wife's) job to ensure our dd is prepared for whatever she chooses to seek in life, whether it be playing ball in college, joining the service, etc...

I don't have an issue with a coach wanting to know my dd GPA or pushing the importance of doing well in school either, but I do have an issue with a coach passing some sort of judgment about grades. As I stated earlier, there is a big difference in course load, schools, parent expectations etc. and I know very few coaches that are qualified in these areas.

Let's say you get this coach and they set this arbitrary GPA that you must maintain to play on their team. He put this out at tryouts and everything is out in the open. Great, now you have a kid who is maintaining that GPA to play ball and most likely not challenging them self with more difficult classes for fear of being removed from the team.

As with many ideas there are unexpected consequences so why not stick to the job at hand and teach the kids what you know best and leave the education concerns to the parents and school counselors. JMHO

I think mostly the grades we are talking about are for the girls with collegiate expectations. If you advertise yourself as a college showcase team, that means you are helping the girl get what she needs to play in college. That includes the grades. Every single coach we have talked to at every single visit has expressed importance of grades. Especially D3 coaches. If your DD has college playing aspirations and she plays for a coach who has no clue or interest in her grades, she isn't getting the best advice on how to play in college.

On the other hand, another person reinforcing what I am telling my DD's at home doesn't bother me, if it does, I have the right to not allow my DD to play there...
 
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No, I don't think it is a bad thing by any means. I am of the mindset that it is my (and my wife's) job to ensure our dd is prepared for whatever she chooses to seek in life, whether it be playing ball in college, joining the service, etc...

I don't have an issue with a coach wanting to know my dd GPA or pushing the importance of doing well in school either, but I do have an issue with a coach passing some sort of judgment about grades. As I stated earlier, there is a big difference in course load, schools, parent expectations etc. and I know very few coaches that are qualified in these areas.

Let's say you get this coach and they set this arbitrary GPA that you must maintain to play on their team. He put this out at tryouts and everything is out in the open. Great, now you have a kid who is maintaining that GPA to play ball and most likely not challenging them self with more difficult classes for fear of being removed from the team.

As with many ideas there are unexpected consequences so why not stick to the job at hand and teach the kids what you know best and leave the education concerns to the parents and school counselors. JMHO

Nobody is talking removal from team because of grades. I think all would agree that is absurd. Again, you can not always leave education concerns to the parents. How many kids cite their guidance counselor as a mentor as compared to a coach? The original post was about placing an emphasis on education not judging grades.
 
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Agreed and following CFP's remarks... good stuff!

I also agree that the coach isn't there to replace parenting.... take this angle... how about how often people slam TV, MTV, video games, and bad lyrics.... funny how this is an easy band wagon to get on but as soon as some says "hey, show me your grades" and prove that you have earned the right to be on this team because your life is going to be on a solid path and potentially better vs. if you slack off in your school work. C'mon people, take the context of grade discussions as just mere reinforcement of whatever level of home focus is there and it's not some type of subconscious power trip of coaches. That's how I see it... Nothing like a good thing be run across the coals. Is it really a bad thing? Ok, blast away...:cool::cap:

Sports isn't about building leaders of tomorrow. That's a bunch of crapola. Some of tomorrow's leaders may develop because of sports but that is not what sports is about. "Athletics should help teach children how to be successful in life and how to make a positive impact in their community". WTF??? Talk about wanting to sound good.

My Dd plays travel softball because it's fun, period. We, her parents support it because it's wholesome fun that helps us bond and be involved with her.

Saying the coach should discuss the players grades is PC correct, sounds good, cuddly fuzzy warm crapola. Les, the kids sitting around playing video games and watching TV all day are not the travel softball crowd. You want to do some real good, go get the video game TV watching lazy ares off the couch and playing ball! And good grades to EARN the right to play travel ball. Geez what crapola. So kids that struggle in school should be left out to sit home and play video games?

And no it's not a bad thing, just not something that should be MANDATORY for all.

The coach that says he's going to require they discuss their grades is just trying to look good. What's he going to do if the grades are not great, maybe a D in there. Go to her house and help her study? Kick her off the team? That would surely help things. Spank the parents for not doing a better job (can't spank kids you know).

OFC is confusing. Many have spouted off about how little scholarship money is out there and parents are kidding themselves into thinking it's the answer to getting a college education then get on this thread and say the coach should be doing the grade thing for all kids to help them get a scholarship. I wonder how many players on the average team are college scholarship material. Must be most of them if we are going to make it mandatory for all the players to discuss their grades.

Again I think it is the mandatory thing that is wrong. If my DD's coach wanted to see her grades I would let her show them as they are good. I'm not against it I just don't think it's necessary. I would rather he spend the time making the team better. A better team that get noticed would help get girls recruited.

I'm not too opinionated on the subject but it's fun to blast Les when he asks for it.
 
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Musty,

Your right. Today that is not what sports are all about. Unfortunatley, it has changed into parents getting into fights at pee wee football games or parents physical assaulting coaches. That is the said reality. Kids play sports because they are fun. Not every kid loves sports. For some it is the band, academic team, ROTC and countless other out of school activities. Of course kids do these things because they are fun. I am not that big of an idiot. All of these activities, when properly supervised should do the same thing as I mentioned. Whether they realize it or not they are kids form their beliefs and attitudes through the activities they engage in as a kid. Parents still have some influence, but today most parents spend less time with thier kids because of work schedules, divorce and other factors than the kids friends, teachers and coaches. For many kids these are the most influential people they are with. It is not about wanting to sound good. There are still some people out there that truely believe this and work hard to develop their players as a whole. These coaches exist on all levels from professional down to little league. It is unfortunate that there are many out there that do not. It is something I work hard at everyday. Something I have watched my father work hard at for almost 30 years. My coaching and teaching mentors that have had such a positive impact in my life have also dedicated their lives to it for numerous years. To outsiders or those not doing it is just something to say in order to look good.

Grades do help get a scholarship to play ball. Because for 97% of the kids playing that is the only way they will play in college. I am talking academic scholarship that helps them pay for college at a school where they can play ball.

I check players grades. What do you do if they are struggling? Talk to parents, have team study tables, talk to the players teachers, help her find a tutor and countless other things that can help. Yes, I have helped kids study myself (not at their home of course).

When you say you would rather spend the time to make the team better, I think I am doing the same thing. Just a different definition of what better means. This is while the team is able to win games, championships and send kids to play ball in college.
 
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Sports isn't about building leaders of tomorrow. That's a bunch of crapola. WTF??? Talk about wanting to sound good.
That is exactly what it is about. Sure it is fun or the girls would not be there, but the end goal is to prepare the girls for something beyond softball. Look at the statistics on the kids playing sports at a high level. A disproportionate amount of them are leaders...are you saying that is a coincidence?

My Dd plays travel softball because it's fun, period.
So are you saying there is no emphasis on improving, winning? That isn't travel ball and that is fine, but I believe this thread is about emphasis on grades for travel ball and showcase teams.

You want to do some real good, go get the video game TV watching lazy ares off the couch and playing ball!
huh? seriously? talk about PC :lmao:

And no it's not a bad thing, just not something that should be MANDATORY for all.
Nothing in travel ball is mandatory, don't like it, play somewhere else

The coach that says he's going to require they discuss their grades is just trying to look good. What's he going to do if the grades are not great, maybe a D in there. Go to her house and help her study? Kick her off the team? That would surely help things. Spank the parents for not doing a better job (can't spank kids you know).
I don't think anyone was talking about specific circumstances for the bad grades other than not being able to play in college, the non-scholarship schools emphasize grades above all else if you have talked to those teams' coaches.

I would rather he spend the time making the team better. A better team that get noticed would help get girls recruited.
The girl won't get recruited if she can't achieve academically, that is just a fact.
 
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Second, once they become freshman, then they should have a profile made and have it available at tournaments for college coaches to see. No matter what style of profile you use, they all have the GPA on it. The coach also should have a team recruiting profile which lists every girl, their address, phone number, email, positions played, ACT/SAT score if available, and the GPA. This sheet is the first paper that a college coach usually sees about a particular team.

While all of the post from the above quote is true and should be heeded, I wanted to highlight this quote. If your team does not do exactly what is outlined above, then you are making the job of college coaches much harder. Not much is more annoying than to not have a team profile sheet available with ALL of the information outlined above. I don't know about other college coaches, but I really do not like it when this information is not available and a team rep will come up and ask which girls I want to know about. I often tell them I don't know until I see a roster that lists GPA, grad year, etc.

And I beg teams to please list all of the information. Don't make us make extra phone calls (which might not be returned for days) to get addresses or other contact information. If you do not want the profiles to wind up in the wrong hands, then designate a parent to watch them. On a few occasions I have actually had to do a white pages search to find a home address for a potential recruit. The home address and probably e-mail address for everyone is out there somewhere, no need to leave them off of profiles.

As far as a travel coach demanding GPAs and watching over them, it's fine either way as long as it's known before accepting a spot on the team. The only thing that would not be fine is someone trying to centrally regulate it and determine that one way or ther other is best for everyone and the other way is now off limits.
 

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