Change of Scenery

You’re saying a kid’s family moved just so he could play on the V as a Soph? I’m sorry, but that’s a pretty stupid reason for an entire family to move. Moving to get better academics or less crime is a good reason, but moving for sports isn’t.

+1

I have no idea where this kid lives, but around here you can change high schools pretty easily without actually moving.  Maybe they changed schools, not homes.

Am I saying that's the reason he moved? I don't know for sure but I have a strong suspicion. I'm sure there was a legitimate reason given for the move which was less than 10 miles from their previous home. And, neither he or his parents would ever admit that baseball was the reason. However, from a baseball standpoint, it was certainly prosperous.

 

There are many kids in my area who choose to attend and play at a school other than the one they are assigned to. However, you have to sit out a year. Most that do this sit out their freshman year and then play. But, if you move, you can play immediately.

 

This eligibility rule becomes a grey area if mom lives in one school assignment area, while dad lives in another, and grandparents (who can become guardians), live in another. Or, if the parents have some conveniently vacant rental property on the other side of town. I know of one kid who attended 3 high schools in the same county during his four years of high school. I guess it worked out for him as he signed a DII football scholarship a couple of weeks ago.

 

Oh, and by the way, the school the baseball player moved to is not so good as far as academics and much worse for crime in and around the school.

This site amazes me.  Everyday I come here, I learn new perspectives, how people live and the decisions they make.  It blows my mind that someone would physically move their family in order to give their son the opportunity for more JV high school baseball playing time. Truly remarkable.  I'm at a total loss in understanding this. 

He is actually on the varsity, but your point is well taken.

 

Not that I agree with this, but, I'll try and put a frame of reference on this. Kid has played travel since he was 9. Then he was a key player on his middle school team which wasn't very good. He then gets to the high school and there are a bunch of kids who have also played travel and played on a better middle school team. He's now behind kids who are either in his grade, or a year ahead. Coming up behind him are kids who are just as or more talented. As a result, he was looking at another year on the j.v. where he would have got playing time, but likely no future next year on the varsity. Most likely he would have not even started as a senior due to the talent of kids in the grade behind him.

 

From his parents view, they have put a lot of money and time into baseball. From their viewpoint, he was not getting a fair deal. Both the kid and his parents believed he should have been ahead of others in terms of playing time. Now that they have moved, and he is playing varsity at the other school, the move has become a self-fulfilling prophesy.

 

The change of scenery has been good for him from a baseball perspective. Don't know about the rest.

what does he do when

hen he gets to college?

Don't know about college. I really don't know what kind of student he is or what his athletic and career aspirations are. I just don't know them that well.

 

For some people, parents, kids, etc... they just want to play in high school and don't really have any designs beyond that. Others consider anything short of Division I or the majors a failure.

 

I'm not an expert on this, but from what little I can discern, this kid does not possess the athleticism or body composition to make it as a college player on any level, unless he can make it as a pitcher. He's just a sophomore so who knows what he may become in a couple of years.

 

However, it is not uncommon for those at the college level to switch schools. We've all seen guys jump around among schools and division levels.

Yes, I agree, it's not uncommon at all for college players to transfer to other schools in search of more playing time (deserved or not). Sometimes they are even doing it to pursue their dream of playing pro ball. In addition, the high school situation you described is not uncommon either. In fact, I know many parents who may not move to a new district, but choose to send their kid to a private school (at $10K+/year) so they can have better sports experiences. While in most cases, sports may not be the sole purpose for choosing private school, it is definitely a major factor in the decision. I don't think I would be too quick to judge a parent for moving in order to give their kid the opportunity to do something that the kid loves and that has a positive influence on his/her life (every person/situation is different...so parents should proceed with caution). And before I get blasted for this post, let me throw in the caveat that in MOST CASES I DON'T think a parent should move their residence for sports.

I don't know if people actually change residences for their kids high school sports.  There are lots of rumors about this around here, but all I can address is our situation.  We moved in the middle of the kids' sophmore year.  We tried to move before high school, but couldn't sell the house.  Job situation entered into it, academics entered into it, job commuting was a factor, athletics were a factor.  All in all, everyone is glad we made the move.  From an academic standpoint, it was a definite positive, the athletics worked out well over all, although there certainly were some adjustments. 

 

Bottomline, too many factors, mostly unknown by anyone outside of the family in question, to really know anything for sure. 

It happens every year, in every sport and it happens a lot.  I am not sure why this is so hard to comprehend.  The OP did say that there was depth and talent at every one of his positions and that he might not get to play, at all.

 

As far as the school being a lower ranked school, or the crime rate being worse, it is up to the kid to get good grades and stay out of trouble and put in the effort.

 

I am really surprised that some of you are looking upon this with such negativity.  I am pretty sure some of you have taken the "why go to a D1 and sit when you can go to a D2, D3 or JUCO and play" stance in the past.

 

Maybe this kid is a diamond in the rough type.  If he stays and does not get to play, he won't get better.  Why not transfer schools and get a chance.  Baseball may be a true passion for him, or it may be the parents hoping to see if their "investment" pays off.  Maybe it works out, maybe his career ends after high school.  It's really not that big of a deal.

I'm with you, LHD. If a family can do it, and if it benefits the boy and his passion ... and if the alternative is sitting, WHY NOT?? This forum is all about playing HS baseball. It's not about sitting and watching others play HS baseball. So why would the old-timers criticise? Who cares if the boy doesn't have the talent to play later? He isn't playing now! It's not always about teaching a life lesson. Sometimes it's just about a high school boy wanting to play baseball under prohibitive circumstances. I've read thousands of posts here... and the ONE THING everyone seems to be able to agree on (and there ain't much) is: "Enjoy the journey; it goes by fast." I agree. So why sit if you can play?

I think it is not all that uncommon for kids to change schools in search off a better environment for sports. Most of the time it doesn't involve relocating, in my experience. 

 

My question: does the move make the player better, and therefore more likely to b able to play at the nexlie level? Sometimes, I am sure, it does. Probably more often it just gives the parents the illusion that the kid is better than he really is.

 

But it can also be because the kid just wants to play a sport in high school, and they don't  think he would play for whatever reason, at the other school. 

 

I'm of a mixed mind on this. I know how important sports was to my son in high school. It was the only thing he cared about. It kept him caring enough about school to gray the minimupm attention to studies to he wouldn't screw up his chance at playing in college.

 

We never moved for sports, but I'm not sure what I would have done if I thought he was not being dealt with fairly. I can't walk in those shoes.

 

Not knowing all the details, as all have discussed, it seems okay with me.  I saw early on that the school my son was attending was not good for him in many ways.  Academically, school leadership, quality of students/families, overall experience, and yes sports.  The LAST variable in us open enrolling to a different district was sports.  There was the obvious fact that there was no talent in his class, in the class below him, nor in the class ahead of him.  He would be losing in all sports, all the time, and especially in baseball.  So we made the move in 5th grade.  I didn't want him being the best guy on a losing team (don't take that statement the wrong way).  Be one of the many good guys on a winning team, and that is much more fun, because you win.  

 

In this young guys case, he just wanted to play.  More power to him.  Sports was a small part of our decision to change schools, but it was a part of the decision.  Different reasoning in our case as far as why the sports decision was made, but the sports experience is an important part of a positive school experience in general.  

 

Each and every family has reasons they do what they do.  If it is working for them, then they made a good decision.  For us it has been a great move.  

 

I agree. Kind of strange to move for sports. Maybe it's time to realize realistic expectations of how good he is and can be.It's like travel ball, there's always a team you can eventually make if you keep trying out.

transferring is the easy way out

No it's not.

I say if it puts him in a better position mentally and he would have a better coaching situation do it.  I wish we had moved when my son was younger.  He is a Jr. now and yes he starts throws 91mph hits 4 hole and will most likely be drafted fairly high ( so this is not about lack of play) and while he loves baseball and his teammates the coach is a cancer but keeps his job due to the talent in the area Including my son. The coach mentally abuses the kids everyday, my son says it just let's him know he will never be like that when he is a coach Someday.  hope this helps.  I say go for it.

Right before son went to HS we moved. We didn't do it for any other reason than we had to sell our home before we lost it.

 

We could have moved anywhere at that time, but the choice was because the school he ended up attending had a special academic program we felt would be good for son, not for a better baseball program. He also wanted to be with many of his friends he had known since grades school, and attended middle school with (engineering program not our local middle school)  Everyone thought we should have moved to an area where they had a better baseball program. Why? 

 

With 28 games per spring, it really didn't matter, what did was the travel program he would be involved in for exposure.

 

My son played 3 positions the first year @ JV, but came V he sat as a pitcher only.  As good as he was, he played for a coach that believed that you play behind the upper classman. So therefore, his best year was as a senior, where he led the team in every stat, and earned him utility player of the county.  It wasn't easy not being a starter, but he learned how to compete for a spot on the team, which, IMO is what HS ball is all about.

 

A change of scenery is good for everyone, but IMO, it should be done for the right reasons.

I find the story behind the player, interesting.  No matter what, at some point everyone plays behind someone.

 

That's how players learns to be competitive. 

I think that how you presented the whole scenerio, sounds absurb, that is why I don't beleive in picking up the family and moving to satisfy your childs whim, or because you feel your son got a raw deal, or you had spent so much money and now that isn't paying off. I don't get that.  Was that your opinion or was that what the parents told you?

 

Rob Kremer brings up a good point, will this move make him a better player? I don't beleive that players become better when they don't have to work for their position or get better instruction. You can play all day long, but if you lack the essential building blocks (mechanics) you won't get better. Winning your first outing in HS, really means little unless you are playing against better competition.  That won't get you a scholarship, if this was truely what the move was about.

 

The player could have stayed where he was, and played on a good summer program where he would most likely have had better exposure and more opportuinty to be seen, even if it wasn't in a starting role.

 

Ohio Dad, I am in complete agreement with you, some people think it's good to be the best player on a losing team, but reality is that it's best to be an average/better player on a winning team.  Winning makes you better, and learning to COMPETE with your peers makes you better as well.  One thing that college coaches like is not necessarily how many games you won, but how far the teams that you were on went. This helps them to build successful winning teams when you know what it is like to win as a TEAM.

 

Everyone has their reasons for what they do, I understand. Maybe it was just their business and didn't need to be posted on a mesageboard, because regardless, you will get criticism.

Sometimes it feels like we are teaching our children that the most important thing in life is playing a sport. People seem to go to extraordinary lengths to make sure their kid gets to play. I wonder by going to these efforts if the children don't wind up with a sense of entitlement. 

 

Maybe it is easy for me to say this since my son is a senior in high school, and we don't have these concerns anymore. However, when we moved the summer before his 8th grade year, I did not scope out the baseball scene when picking a high school. I did look at the average SAT scores, teacher retention statistics, and the percentage of students who go on to college. I didn't check to see how many games the team had won, or who would be playing ahead of him in his position. Didn't ask about the coach. I figured my son would work it out. If he was good enough to play, he would play. 

 

And in the end, his opportunity to play in college came from his summer team, not his high school team. So I would say it worked out for him. 

 

The way I presented it is my opinion only. I can't say for sure, but it seems obvious why the move was made. Schools are very close to each other so it is unlikely they moved more than 10 miles. 

 

I do know the kid believed he should have been playing a greater role, and that his mother wasn't happy. Beyond that is conjecture but it seems easy to put 2 and 2 together here.

 

As for the coaching situation... kid was not on the radar at previous school. At his new school, he is a prize possession. 

So you are saying that you never spoke in person to the parents as to why they moved, or that they were upset he didn't play as much as they would have liked, or that they spent so much time and money into baseball and in their viewpoint, their son wasn't getting a fair deal. 

So everything that happened with this player is your opinion, yet when others give theirs, it's wrong or negative? 

This is not directed to you in particular, but as an old timer I am accused of criticizing, but what I posted was just my opinion, just like the reasons for the move were yours?

Just sayin....

O.K., as I've said, just my opinion, but I haven't criticized what anyone else has posted here. 

 

 

 

I know wasn't directed towards you.  Thank you for telling us that most of htis was your opinion and that you never directly spoke to the folks.

 

I read the entire thread and there are good arguments on both sides of this one.  I guess am on the side of staying where you are and grinding it out.  It won't change college recruting one iota imho but it will affect how often your name is in the paper and perhaps that is what is motivating people.  The high school season is a small part of the year when compared how many games are in the summer.

 

For some context on my own opinion, my son attended the largest public high school in the state of Ohio.  He graduated with 1100 in his class.  His high school was bigger than many small D3 colleges out there.  We were thrilled when he made the freshmen team with over 100 kids trying out and even more thrilled he managed to play.  Doubly thrilled he made the JV team as a sophmore and ecstatic he made varisty as a junior,  By the middle of his junior year of varisity, he became the starter because in his limited role off the bench, he produced.  He had to fight and claw and scratch for everything he got in high school and came an eyelash shy of winning two big school state champinships.  I know sitting is no fun, but I know it helped my son learn how to compete and beat someone else out.  When you get to college, it no longer is a local neighborhood competition.  It is a national competition of dog eat dog.

 

I'll leave the thread with a question hoping to perhaps answer a question.  Which scenario better prepares a high school athlete to play/succeed in college - staying your ground and overcoming adversity or moving to another school to alleviate the competitive issues?   

Originally Posted by twotex:

Sometimes it feels like we are teaching our children that the most important thing in life is playing a sport. People seem to go to extraordinary lengths to make sure their kid gets to play. I wonder by going to these efforts if the children don't wind up with a sense of entitlement. …

 

I don’t know if it instills a feeling of entitlement, but I do know there’s something that’s changed a great deal in the fabric of this country.

Two, I hear what you are saying but here is another aspect to consider.  I hear an overwhelming majority of you saying that it is more important to focus on education aspect of the school, which is not un-neccessarily true, but have any of you thought about the fact the not every kid is a scholar kid?  Have you thought about the fact the some kids need sports to stay motivated just to attend school?

 

A little story:

 

A kid goes to a high school, no freshman team, no JV team only varsity.  Kid makes team freshman year, team is stacked with talent and has produced MLB draft pick for the last   year and every yr of his high school career, plus two after.  Kid only sees 3 pre-season innings rides the pine the rest of the season, no big deal.  Slated to take the starting 3B role his sophomore year, jerks around, big prankster not disciplined(immature)...sees no innings that year, no big deal...loves the game happy to be on the team.  See pitching and 3b action JR yr...coming around, has a good year.  SR yr, #1 Starter, breaks catchers nose throwing a knuckle ball in pre-season...kid ends up being primary catcher......low and behold gets drafted for catching that year. (kid also played basketball and football his freshman year but settled in to baseball)

 

Kid was a smart student, but never applied himself.  Only maintained GPA to stay eligible.

For this kid it was not education first then sports...it was quite the opposite...kid probably would not have graduated if it were not for sports motivating him to stay in school.

 

So, at that age, maybe, JUST MAYBE, as they are growing into their own, sports may be the most important thing in life to that person.   Take that away from him/her and they may just shut down.  It sounds like it is working out for the kid, which like I said before, may not have the talent or desire to play at the next level, but he does now and he should be allowed to do whatever ever it takes to foster the dream.

I'm kinda torn about the subject.

 

The OP's son wants to play baseball.  He may not be talented enough to play on a high level 4a team but may be talented enough to contribute to a 2a team.  I personally would never move specifically for that reason but all things being equal I don't personally see a problem with it.  If it isn't a major problem for the parents and the kid gets the joy of actually playing and contributing for a team instead of sitting on the bench for four years then ok, as long as his education doesn't suffer.  My son plays outside of his assigned school, but not for baseball.  In fact, you can't transfer out of your assigned school for athletics under any circumstance. 

 

At the same time I hope these parents don't hold any illusions as to their son's future as a ballplayer.  It is true that some late bloomers can explode in their junior and senior years but I hope the family is realistic about how far the kid will go after HS. 

Just for clarification, the kid is not the OP's son. 

has the kid or  his psrents heard about going out and winning  a roster  spot?  it is called life

perhaps  the kid does not have varsity talent

OP said he's a starting vasity pitcher on his new team. so that wouldn't be it.

While I personally would never make the decision to move so my son could play varsity baseball, I can completely I understand it. 

 

My son's high school is in the largest classification in the state. While the baseball isn't as competitive as what he sees during the summer season, it is still pretty high level. That said, even within that classification there is tremendous disparity between the school sizes and the level of talent overall.

 

My son made JV on his school's team. Just within the conference there are 2 teams where he would have probably made varsity and 1 team where he may not have even made JV. I know of two programs within ten minutes of us just one classification down where he would get lots of varsity playing time and might even start.

 

One of the kids on my son's summer team didn't make his school's team this year. If he went to my son's school, he absolutely would have. He lIves less than 2 miles from our house. But, when they added a new high school to our district, his neighborhood was zoned for the older school and ours was zoned for the newer one.

 

The point is, the school the kid goes to is almost as important as his talent level. If the family has the wherewithal to move so their kid has a chance to play, then good for them. It may not be about getting a scholarship or playing at the next level. Rather their kid might just want to play now, in high school

You cannot change the adversity that comes with the move the same way you cannot control the uncontrollables.  Encourage him to let the adversity fuel him on his journey, as what does not kill you will make you stronger in the end. I've worked with many players in all kinds of circumstances.  Ultimately it is a question of choice from the player personally, and the ones who embraced whatever it was in front of them, adjusted, and succeeded in the end with no regrets.