Maybe moving to Richmond VA. from Tulsa OK. Which School or Schools have the best baseball program? We will have a choice to live within a 30 mile radius from Richmond.
Any information would be appreciated.
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You're going to decide where you live based on baseball programs rather than the best academics and other quality of life components?
When we moved I chose the school district based on academics. The sports were terrible for the most part. By the time my daughter was in high school the girls sports were very competitive. By the time my son got to high school the boys sports were very competitive. In their primary sport (softball and baseball) their first year on varsity was the beginning of a winning tradition.
They play(ed) college softball and baseball. Their futures are based on their education. It started with a top ranked area high school and continued with highly regarded colleges.
You probably want to be more specific: who is, or who are the best club teams in the Richmond area? You'll likely have a bit of a drive to a club team, unless you luck out with the best club team in the exact same area as the best school system area you move into.
Cokeman68,
I live in Richmond. You will have many choices in the surrounding counties of Chesterfield, Henrico, and Hanover..not so many top baseball choices in the City of Richmond. All my sons are done with high school baseball as that had been a big part of our family life for the past 10 years. In addition to great high school baseball programs based on where you move to, you may also have choices based on your sons academic interests. I know both Henrico and Chesterfield offer specialty centers. I'm not sure about Hanover. My two oldest sons took advantage of the specialty center opportunity (engineering), played high school for a mediocre baseball program, and relied on their travel teams for exposure and development. No regrets on their part. My youngest son played for the best high school coach in my opinion (Coach Lowery at Cosby) at our local home school.
While the high school program is important, you'll also find a few travel programs (Canes, Cardinals, Braves) that play at the highest levels nationally and coach kids to the next level. Richmond is very much a baseball town. If you are a baseball family, you can't do much better than Richmond, VA.
Good luck and feel free to PM me with any questions.
My vote (and I am biased) goes to Cosby HS. Their coach, Tim Lowery, is one of the best in the state and his record backs this up. Also, he coaches with the EvoShield Canes.
Cokeman - I sent you a PM
Welcome! Recently Richmond, VA was listed in Travel and Leasure as the #3 place to visit in 2016 IN THE WORLD! How cool is that!
I live in the Richmond area, too, and echo Fenwaysouth. Son went to James River HS which won state titles in 2007 and 2008 and my son played on a team that went to the state semi-finals twice. (The structure has changed since then and now there are three different state championships levels.)
Check housing values and the commute to work (try the commute one morning and evening before you buy a house, if that matters to you). Basically, you will get more for your money in a house on the Southside than the Westend. High schools and their feeder districts that I personally would look at (not just for baseball) are Cosby, James River, Midlothian HS, Freeman, and Hanover HS, not in that order. On a possibility list would be Atlee, Lee Davis, and Deep Run and several private schools (Trinity, Collegiate, St. Christopher's).
But don't go to the school because of the coach. The James River coach will not be coaching baseball after this year and I had heard a while back that the Hanover coach may do the same after his son graduates. There is a good possibility the Cosby Coach has his 30 years in with the county and we always hear rumblings that he could coach at the college level. It is a coaching carousel in high schools, too.
Fenway mentioned possible travel teams as well as specialty centers at the High Schools plus there are several Governor's Schools in the area for the academically talented. I am pretty sure you have to apply to the specialty programs during 8th grade, maybe unless your son is transferring from an IB program.
Send a PM if you have specific questions.