Solution: select a school that places the student first. If they don't accommodate cross over seasons, then the school has bigger problems than its sports programs and you should really question whether its the right place to be.
quote:Originally posted by RedSoxFan21:
Solution: select a school that places the student first. If they don't accommodate cross over seasons, then the school has bigger problems than its sports programs and you should really question whether its the right place to be.
RedSox...
We're talking HS.. IMO, the vast majority can't choose the right place to be. They go to the school that their address dictates.
Ny son is currently a freshman and he plays baseball and basketball. He attends a high school with 2000 students. Our baseball team has placed many kids many kids in D1 and the Minors, not to mention NAIA D2 and JUCO . Its very tough to play more than baseball if you are a baseball player. We basically go year round in baseball living in the southeast. My son is on track to get a D1 deal in baseball but not basketball. He would likely be a NAIA or JUCO basketball player. So while he is an underclassman we will play basketball, to build his legs for pitching, and he still throws all winter. But when he is a upper classman and needs to attend winter workouts and camps at colleges for baseball we will hang basketball up.
We chose to live in the school district because it's highly regarded academically. It has a 97% on to college rate. This means students are taking academics seriously. Athletics were not part of the evaluation even though the high school is competent to very competitive in sports. My son was recruited by a couple of privates who told him pick baseball and a fall sport. Winter would be for baseball prep. By getting cut from basketball he got the same at the high school for 25K less a year.quote:Originally posted by RedSoxFan21:
Solution: select a school that places the student first. If they don't accommodate cross over seasons, then the school has bigger problems than its sports programs and you should really question whether its the right place to be.
My son plays a varsity sport in the fall, and while he loves playing, baseball is his true passion. He has sacrificed "brownie points" with the coach for missing a practice and a game for AZ fall classic and two practices when he played at NTIS in NC, ultimately losing his starting job. We totally agree with the coach's decision, and realize that it's the price for my son not willing to put baseball totally on the backburner during the fall season.
Multi sport athletes are still there ... BUT for reasons beyond their control they can't participate. Personally I think the biggest obstacles are the parents. Parent are looking for ways to have their child succeed. Success is measured, not in how many sports a kid plays, but how many kudos their kid gets. Parents for the most part have control over their kids activities during the high school years. Fungo arranged and paid for baseball lessons, Fungo researched and found the best teams, made the calls, and wrote the checks. Fungo designed the baseball specific training equipment and baseball training schedule and prodded my son to "just do it". Fungo threw away the skateboard. The football COACH asked my son to play football because he had seen him punting and kicking after baseball practice. I suggested he tell the coach his "future" was in baseball. Back and forth the discussions went until Fungo felt the coach was badgering him and I got involved. Fungo relented and explained to son about how to do both. Fungo built the goalpost in the yard and bought 7 footballs so son could kick and punt.... He played football and received many kudos including AP All State honors both as a punter and kicker.
Kids like to play. Parents like their kids to succeed. That "clash" has altered high school sports more than anything else. Parent pay $$ for camps, lessons, equipment. They also invest a great deal of time and effort in seeing their son succeed. There just isn't enough time and money to have your son play multiple sports .... and be the best you KNOW he can be.
Fungo
Kids like to play. Parents like their kids to succeed. That "clash" has altered high school sports more than anything else. Parent pay $$ for camps, lessons, equipment. They also invest a great deal of time and effort in seeing their son succeed. There just isn't enough time and money to have your son play multiple sports .... and be the best you KNOW he can be.
Fungo
We are very fortunate at my sons high school that they encourage and embrace multi-sport athletes. Our ? was can he compete and make an impact in all of the sports. So far so good. He goes to one of the largest 4A 3 yr high schools (1850 kids) in Washington State. He made the varsity bseball team as a freshman and the varsity football team as a sophomore and now is playing JV basketball. All of the coaches at the school work together and even combine conditioning workouts in the offseason as well as fundraising efforts. They want athletes period. My son has been able to play QB/K/ DB in football which was not easy with 44 seniors on the team, he was the only sophomore to letter on a team that only lost to the #1 and #2 ranked teams in the state this past season. Last year as a freshman he split time at catching and had a couple apperances on the bump. We as a family are thankful for that approach and that he has not had to make a choice yet on what sports to play. He has known nothing any different since he was young. He started playing Hockey and s****r at age 4 then moved onto baseball basketball and football. Most years since he was 10 he would have basketball game, flag football game and a baseball workout on the same day mostly in the months of Jan and feb.He played Junior football since he was 9. Going into the recruiting process we are even looking at the possibilty of playing 2 sports at the college level. You never know what is possible until the people that make the decisions tell you no. Looking around at some of the D-III schools this could be possible. He is no Bradley or Starling yet but he is only a Soph that loves to compete and has the gifts to do so. In our area there are not a lot of kids who play the 3 main sports and are impact players.His travel ball coach is the only coach that wants him to just focus on baseball because he says that is where his future is. We always try to keep the conflicts down and the communication lines open. No doubt there will be some tough decisions coming in the future like this year when he was invited to play at the WWBA in Fort Meyers but had football commitments. I think the tough thing to balance out will how can he get enough exposure in baseball while still trying to lead a football team. He did a one day workout at the Northwest PG event because he had football the other day but was still able to garnish a pretty good score and show some of skills. Most people that I have had comversations with on this topic love multi-sport ahletes. Plus it gives the recruiters a lot more info from multiple coaches. The other challenge is trying to give a peak performance while not being at the top of your game at the time in a showcaseor camp. Because of where we are located I feel this affords the opportunity to play the 3 sports at the highest level cause baseball is pretty much indoors from NOV thru Feb. If we were in a warm climate state he would probably only be playing 2 sports.
Very few people on the HS forum from Wa does anybody know why that is?
Very few people on the HS forum from Wa does anybody know why that is?
I agree that there are less multi-sport H.S. athletes than in our days. There are a multitude of reasons, IMO, that we all recognize;
- enhanced focus on Sports and winning.
- Coaches that must win to stay employed or move up
- Pressure to pick a favored sport (can be within).
- skill level necessary to compete today.
- academic demands, college entrance competition.
- overlapping seasonal commitments.
- Multi-seasonal competitions in major sports.
- a desire to play a sport in College or go Pro.
Their will always be roadblocks in life. If the athlete wants to play more than one Sport in high school, and he's willing to make the sacrifices, then that's what he/she should do.
There is so much more to do now than in our day, so many distractions, that kids are prioritizing what's important to them, and if they are responsible, are acting on those decisions.
In our area it's most difficult for a baseball player to also play basketball because the hoops post season carries beyond baseball tryouts, pre-season practice and early season game play. When they report their arms and bats simply aren't baseball ready. The coaches can't count on them to be contributors, nor can their teammates. The very reason my son gave up basketball.
Football is the easiest sport to play with baseball. But summer practices, camps & conditioning conflict with Summer baseball making even these two more difficult. There is an injury thought/consideration. We had two baseball starters, my son's Senior year, lose their entire season due to football shoulder injuries.
Life is all about choices, and there are more of them in todays world and certainly more opinions, on every side, about which is the best path.
I told my son to do what he wanted to do recognizing that what you do today, or don't do, can have a profound affect on what may occur later down the road.
- enhanced focus on Sports and winning.
- Coaches that must win to stay employed or move up
- Pressure to pick a favored sport (can be within).
- skill level necessary to compete today.
- academic demands, college entrance competition.
- overlapping seasonal commitments.
- Multi-seasonal competitions in major sports.
- a desire to play a sport in College or go Pro.
Their will always be roadblocks in life. If the athlete wants to play more than one Sport in high school, and he's willing to make the sacrifices, then that's what he/she should do.
There is so much more to do now than in our day, so many distractions, that kids are prioritizing what's important to them, and if they are responsible, are acting on those decisions.
In our area it's most difficult for a baseball player to also play basketball because the hoops post season carries beyond baseball tryouts, pre-season practice and early season game play. When they report their arms and bats simply aren't baseball ready. The coaches can't count on them to be contributors, nor can their teammates. The very reason my son gave up basketball.
Football is the easiest sport to play with baseball. But summer practices, camps & conditioning conflict with Summer baseball making even these two more difficult. There is an injury thought/consideration. We had two baseball starters, my son's Senior year, lose their entire season due to football shoulder injuries.
Life is all about choices, and there are more of them in todays world and certainly more opinions, on every side, about which is the best path.
I told my son to do what he wanted to do recognizing that what you do today, or don't do, can have a profound affect on what may occur later down the road.
One reason not mentioned why HS kids play multiple sports is because it's fun.
It's why my kid lettered in the two sports he played growing up.
I think peeps get too caught up in that their kid is gonna miss something and not make the major leagues or something like that if they don't specialize.
Truth is a good athlete will adapt to the sport in season and will play at the top of their game as long as they continue to have fun doing it.
It's why my kid lettered in the two sports he played growing up.
I think peeps get too caught up in that their kid is gonna miss something and not make the major leagues or something like that if they don't specialize.
Truth is a good athlete will adapt to the sport in season and will play at the top of their game as long as they continue to have fun doing it.
My son plays football basketball and baseball and has started on varsity in all 3 for all four years. He made all-conference in all 3 last year in the largest classification in TN.
Has it been easy? No.
Has it hurt him in baseball? Yes
Was it worth it? In his mind, yes and that is all that matters.
Would he do it again? Yes and encourages his little brother to do the same.
He has loved the high school experience and looks forward to playing College ball at The Citadel next year. He also realizes that playing one sport in college will make life more interesting but will also make him a better baseball player in the end.
I don't think it is for everyone but it should be allowed for all.
Has it been easy? No.
Has it hurt him in baseball? Yes
Was it worth it? In his mind, yes and that is all that matters.
Would he do it again? Yes and encourages his little brother to do the same.
He has loved the high school experience and looks forward to playing College ball at The Citadel next year. He also realizes that playing one sport in college will make life more interesting but will also make him a better baseball player in the end.
I don't think it is for everyone but it should be allowed for all.