So what would your kid do?

roothog66 posted:

So, the big controversy around here concerning graduation was with track. Track was moved from a Thu/Fri/Sat schedule to a Sat/Sun which meant track athletes would miss graduation. We have a Saturday morning prep sports call-in show and there were tons of calls from pi$$ed off parents who didn't understand why they would schedule it during graduation. They were calling for the head of CHSSA to be fired (she's only been on the job for about a month). Our state track is at one site and includes all classifications at the same time. 

When I went to the CHSAA message board, though, the differences in posts were remarkable. There were some like the voices I heard, but there were just as many thanking CHSAA for not pushing it into the week and getting it in as soon as they did. What our people didn't understand was that there were a few hundred schools involved and most either had their graduation ceremonies on Friday or Saturday, so they had already been inconvenienced. 

Our baseball was pushed to Tue/Wed and avoided the graduation problem. However, 5A was pushed to Sun/Mon and 4A to Mon/Tue. Most complaints from baseball were that they didn't try to get the fields ready to play on Sat/Sun. Playing during the week certainly wasn't a choice CHSAA wanted to make. I'm sure there will be a lot of lost gate revenue.

How is a High School association going to schedule around the graduations of every high school in a state when setting the dates for playoffs and championships (especially baseball and softball with weather issues)?  My Senior son's school is scheduled to play there first playoff game on Wednesday. As of now , it looks like it will rain all day. Then the game gets pushed to Thursday at 4:00 pm.  Thursday is graduation at 7:00 pm.  Luckily, his school is hosting the game.  But it could have easily have been an away game.  Just the way it goes.  LaCrosse team, if they win their playoff game tonight, will play their second round game at 7:00 pm on Thursday at their opponents site, 40 miles from the graduation site.  Again, just they way it goes.  Nobody at his school is complaining.  All the parents knew this could happen when the season started.

Unless you somehow convince every school in the state to have their graduation the same day (or maybe 1 of a couple possible days) you're always going to have issues.  Here in Ohio we have over 700 schools that have spring sports.  With softball, track and baseball all going at the same time, and all 3 being dependent on weather, it would be impossible to schedule around every graduation....unless maybe every school would put it on the same Sunday.  I can assure you that if my son was playing in Regional tourney or the state final 4 he would have been fine with missing out on 3 hours sitting in warm gym listening to some boring speaker talk about stuff that didn't interest him anyway

2019Dad posted:

HRCJR posted:

Nuke83 posted:

jacjacatk posted:

HRCJR posted:

hshuler posted:

Nuke83 posted:

hshuler posted:

We have a possible similar scenario with higher stakes.  I'm not trying to hijack your thread but if we make it to the finals next week, the choice for some seniors and parents is, do I walk at graduation or do I miss the graduation ceremony to play in the state championship baseball series. 

 

Exactly, and this is where GHSA moving baseball championship to neutral site is a poor idea (IMHO).  This happens every year, and in past years, when games were played at the school, teams could tweak schedule to accommodate seniors graduation. Now they cannot.

As for the OP, the girls have a choice to make, do I disappoint all the other girls by not being at the game where they are depending on me, or do I disappoint myself at the expense of the team.

My personal advice to my child would be that there's really no question, team first, but it's easy for me to say that since I have boys and both skipped prom in the past for baseball.  A bit more difficult for a girl. 

Nuke - Great point but what I don't understand is not having a third Atlanta area option, like the Gwinnett Braves or Kennesaw State stadiums, for example. 

In the 7A classification, you have two Gwinnett and two teams from Woodstock. The winners will have to travel to Savannah or Rome, which takes away a lot of the students from attending the championship game. Now, it will probably be mostly parents and an empty stadium. When we hosted Mill Creek for the region championship, there were over 500 people in attendance. 

How many levels of State baseball championships are there in Georgia?  More than 7 or is that the biggest?

7A is the biggest (and new this year IIRC).  There are 8 total (there's a public and a private 1A).

And, there is another governing body outside of GHSA (GISA) that has schools which play baseball.  GISA has two classifications, AA and AAA and crown a champion in each.

So combined with the 8 total classifications in GHSA, a total of 10 levels in Georgia.

That is a lot of High School Championships in Georgia.  Illinois has 3 million more people than Georgia but only 4 classes of Baseball Championships.  Publics & Privates together (though most privates play up at least 1 class than their enrollment).  Also need to win 7 one and done games.  Often only 1 or 2 days between games.  Need more than one pitcher.

7 one-and-done games? So there is a bracket of 128 teams? Does everybody make the playoffs? 

Everybody makes the playoffs.  For each of the 4 classes the state is divided into 8 sections geographically (which can change year to year based on school classifications.  Each section has 20-22 teams. Each sectional is then seeded 1 to whatever.  Section winners advance to Super-Sectionals (quarterfinals).  Winners then advance to State semifinals and then finals.  Entire playoff process is over in 19 days.  Technically, if a very poor seed was to advance to the finals they would play 8 games.

Illinois does not have geographical regions for regular season play.  Schools join conferences based on size, locations, affiliation (public, private, religious) or many other reasons.  For example my son's school is in the Chicago Catholic League (CCL).  20 schools.  From 150 boys to a coed school of 2050 students.  About half coed and half all boys.  The league covers about 2,800 square miles (70 miles north to south, 40 miles east west).  

Members of a conference are often placed into 2 or 3 conferences so a Conference can have two teams play for a state championship.

Currently, 3 of the top 5 ranked teams in the state (by Prep Baseball Report) play in the CCL.  Over the last 4 years the league has 4 -  4A state champions and 2 second place finishes.

Son's team is still in the Texas (6a) playoffs...we could run into that next weekend (I hope we do), but I'm pretty sure all seniors would gladly miss graduation or prom or most any other activity to play in the Regional Finals (round 5)...I can't imagine opting to go to graduation or prom rather than play...the kid that opts for that should be scheduled for a cat scan or something.

In Texas the UIL mandates that teams can't be made to play during graduation.

How is that written. I mean, of course they can't be made" to play. However, I think that is easier with team sports or with a process like Texas uses. In Colorado, it's eight team double elim brackets at a single site. They do actually shift game times around to accommodate teams, but that, of course doesn't work for teams coming from a long way away. I would also think track can't operate under those restrictions.

ironhorse posted:

In Texas the UIL mandates that teams can't be made to play during graduation.

Son's team's opponent tweeted today that seniors will graduate on the field if there is a confict.

I just still can't understand why anyone would WANT to go to a graduation ceremony!!

Anyone else finding it odd that some of these kids will be playing after they technically graduate?

CaCO3Girl posted:

Anyone else finding it odd that some of these kids will be playing after they technically graduate?

Happening to my son right now.  Graduated last Wednesday.  We have our last regular season game tonight.  We had a game on Thursday after graduation and were supposed to have games Friday and Saturday, but they were rained out.

Playoffs start on Thursday for us.  

Our school district graduates early compared to most around us.  Most of them graduate over the next two weeks. 

BTW my kid was hoping we had a rain out the week before graduation as it would have pushed a make up game onto graduation day.  He really wanted to run from the baseball field to the football stadium for graduation and graduate in his baseball uni.

roothog66 posted:

How is that written. I mean, of course they can't be made" to play. However, I think that is easier with team sports or with a process like Texas uses. In Colorado, it's eight team double elim brackets at a single site. They do actually shift game times around to accommodate teams, but that, of course doesn't work for teams coming from a long way away. I would also think track can't operate under those restrictions.

Hard to read, but it says "A team cannot be forced to flip for a time that would prevent a school from attending graduation."

ironhorse posted:

roothog66 posted:

How is that written. I mean, of course they can't be made" to play. However, I think that is easier with team sports or with a process like Texas uses. In Colorado, it's eight team double elim brackets at a single site. They do actually shift game times around to accommodate teams, but that, of course doesn't work for teams coming from a long way away. I would also think track can't operate under those restrictions.

Hard to read, but it says "A team cannot be forced to flip for a time that would prevent a school from attending graduation."

Not sure what they intended. It appear to say that if a scheduled game conflicts with graduation, too bad, bu they can't be forced to flip the schedule if it then puts them into a conflict?

No. Coaches set up the schedule for the series. Flipping means flip a coin. 

So as an opposing coach I can't try to force you to play during your schools graduation. Meaning I can't make you flip a coin to see if we'll play in the date I picked or the date you picked.

State tournament is after graduations.

The only way a team in Texas will have to play during graduation is if it's what they want to do. 

ironhorse posted:

No. Coaches set up the schedule for the series. Flipping means flip a coin. 

So as an opposing coach I can't try to force you to play during your schools graduation. Meaning I can't make you flip a coin to see if we'll play in the date I picked or the date you picked.

State tournament is after graduations.

The only way a team in Texas will have to play during graduation is if it's what they want to do. 

 

OK. Got it. That's easy enough with the UIL format. Wouldn't work here, though.

joes87 posted:

CaCO3Girl posted:

Anyone else finding it odd that some of these kids will be playing after they technically graduate?

Happening to my son right now.  Graduated last Wednesday.  We have our last regular season game tonight.  We had a game on Thursday after graduation and were supposed to have games Friday and Saturday, but they were rained out.

Playoffs start on Thursday for us.  

Our school district graduates early compared to most around us.  Most of them graduate over the next two weeks. 

BTW my kid was hoping we had a rain out the week before graduation as it would have pushed a make up game onto graduation day.  He really wanted to run from the baseball field to the football stadium for graduation and graduate in his baseball uni.

He should have!

Son missed prom due to game 3 of playoff series being 4 hours away from home.  Girlfriend he had been dating told him they were done if he didn't come back............he's still playing ball, she's chasing other cleats.

CaCO3Girl posted:

Anyone else finding it odd that some of these kids will be playing after they technically graduate?

I believe it's Iowa that is just now starting their high school baseball season and it goes into July. I've yet to figure out how they get their seniors to stick around for their last season. 

This thread certainly took on a life...

The girl's from the original post ended up losing the semi final on Friday night, so they didn't have any issues making prom on Saturday.

I spoke to a couple of them at a "pre prom" photo taking gathering and asked what they would have done.  The girls said they were all going to play.  The players had a self imposed prom discussion ban, so they wouldn't let it get to be a distraction.

CaCO3Girl posted:

Anyone else finding it odd that some of these kids will be playing after they technically graduate?

My son hopes to play 6 games after he graduates on Thursday.  If he plays six that means he is in the state championship game.

CaCO3Girl posted:

Anyone else finding it odd that some of these kids will be playing after they technically graduate?

Just the way it is for baseball.  Same with College.  All the conference tournaments begin this week.  Most teams have several fresh college graduates on the team.  If they get to Omaha, some will still be playing more than a month from now.

I find it more odd that Iowa just started their high school season.

I didn't read though all the posts so i don't know if anyone  brought this up but unless all your sons are going to the prom stag then where is their obligation to their prom date?  

njbb posted:

I didn't read though all the posts so i don't know if anyone  brought this up but unless all your sons are going to the prom stag then where is their obligation to their prom date?  

 

Um, I think they are going with the mentality of Bro's before H....oh wait family site :-)

njbb posted:

I didn't read though all the posts so i don't know if anyone  brought this up but unless all your sons are going to the prom stag then where is their obligation to their prom date?  

 

My sons date is a runner. She would have dumped him like a hot rock for a big meet and he would have been fine with it 

Think I saw a poster say their school was going to have a small graduation ceremony on the field.  I guess it would be similar to a senior night kind of event.

I actually think that would be kind of cool....    Get your diploma and then play a meaningful ball game.  Just me.  Sure there are others out there saying its a stupid idea.    But I would vote for that one!

njbb posted:

I didn't read though all the posts so i don't know if anyone  brought this up but unless all your sons are going to the prom stag then where is their obligation to their prom date?  

 

If we were speaking specifically about the girl my son went to prom with - she would have been sitting in the stands cheering.

Generally speaking though, to some degree the situation would be disappointing to all parties.

Depending on your life and opinions, a baseball game may seem like a dumb reason to miss prom or graduation.  For those who play, it seems like a good reason.  It's just a matter of perspective.  In life we can ask people to understand and accept our perspective - but we can't make them have our perspective.

Kevin A posted:

Think I saw a poster say their school was going to have a small graduation ceremony on the field.  I guess it would be similar to a senior night kind of event.

I actually think that would be kind of cool....    Get your diploma and then play a meaningful ball game.  Just me.  Sure there are others out there saying its a stupid idea.    But I would vote for that one!

My sons opponent this week in 4th round of playoffs is having seniors graduate on the field.  Good for them.  Just hope it's not a distraction, for our guys at least.