Collectively, A Thread To Celebrate Our Kids Athletic Accomplishments (1 Viewer)

[Gally]

I always have to wonder how many people miss out on being successful at a sport because they never tried it or tried it too late. I am surprised there isn't some kind of evaluation that young kids who are athletic can get which will identify the sports that are most physically and athletically inclined for. I suppose they would still need a passion for it and access to it in order to be successful but people usually end up liking the things they are good at. It might only be for the well to do but it's an interesting angle IMO.

I have wondered this for a long time. Like is there some kid in some remote place in a desert that would have been the greatest hockey player of all time but never got a chance.

 

[Chadstroma]

I think that is an interesting and complicated question. Something to ponder. Who would test? Is there a business somewhere in that thought? Would you pay for it? I am not sure I would pay for testing to say "your kid should try this and that sport". I have tried hard to get my kids exposed to different sports and let them figure out things. Between the city rec stuff and their school - they have had a taste of many sports. There is a point that it is just too much. Earlier this year after football practice, which he was missing swim practice for, he brought me a flyer for wrestling. He hasn't had any time with it but I had to shoot that down quickly because it was just too much. He wasn't overly interested so it wasn't a big deal... if he was, maybe I would figure out a way to have him try it out and then decide if there was something he wanted to drop to do it.

I think it would almost certainly have to be a private business catering to people with money. If you think about how much parents will spend on travel hockey, private gymnastics instructors, QB camps or how early they will get up day after day to get their kid to swim practice, then I can imagine there is almost no limit to what many parents are willing to spend or do. I think many parents also have the hope that all the time and effort spent will be rewarded with an athletic scholarship for college. Testing might be able to point them in the right sport to maximize their kid's abilities.

Then what tests would you do? And how many of those can translate to a zillion sports... being 'fast' translates to a whole bunch of different sports and being tall or athletic or fast doesn't always translate to the sport as well. How many sports would be very hard to test for?

I have no idea. That would be something that a team of data scientists and kinesiologists would have to determine. No way it would ever be a perfect prediction. You would need more than speed for sure. Things like body composition (not just weight but weight distribution), slow twitch vs fast twitch muscle analysis, hand eye coordination, foot speed, decision making speed and some kind of body imaging.

But just being good at something doesn't mean they will like it either. My daughter would have done very well in swim- better than she does at volleyball and basketball but she has no interest in doing it. I overheard a conversation two groups of parents were having about one of the kids having had tried a ton of other sports and it wasn't that he was bad at them or anything, he just didn't like them but then did swim and loves it. The other parents were talking about how their son had done swimming for a while and for a long time just didn't seem interested. They were like, "I will show you old video of him, it looks like he is just going for a nice leisurely swim." and now apparently their boys are two of the better kids on the other team.

I would say it should also include some kind of interest test to. What types of exercises and activities would also pique the interest of the child. Solo vs team? High contact vs low contact? Fast paced vs slow paced? Maybe even have a set-up where kids can try a myriad of sports- even ones that they might not typically think of like rowing or archery.

My daughter is another example. The only reason she did volleyball and basketball last year was because her friends were doing it. She liked volleyball and not so much basketball. Then over the summer, I had her in a bunch of volleyball camps, clinics, etc and some basketball too. She improved in basketball a lot and enjoyed it much more this year.

Then there is accessibility. Some sports cost more than others and some areas of the country are more focused on particular sports than others. We all know Texas is football crazy... I am not sure how big their hockey leagues are though (I could be wrong but I am pretty confident not nearly as big as their football leagues). I had my kids do a city rec archery class to get them exposed to it. They really enjoyed it and would easily have done more but the only decent place I could find isn't exactly a short drive... not too long but long enough to be a factor. Add in them being involved in other sports etc and I just didn't pursue it more for them. Archery would be a good sport to ask how do you test for it? Even if you have them actually try it, the first attempts are universally bad.

Yes accessibility is a major issue. Tough to find a rowing club Albuquerque. Again, I would imagine this is mostly for the well to do. Really it's probably more like a Soviet era project that they would force every kid into. Obviously, I don't support that use. Just something I've thought about for awhile that I am surprised doesn't exist (that I am aware of). It seems like there are always new industries coming up to make money off of youth sports. Seems like an avenue untapped.

I got ya... but wouldn't/don't wealthy people have them go and try different sports? I am not wealthy but my kids have been exposed to a wide range of sports through rec, school and camps/clinics.

I have to imagine it would be a ridiculously expensive and complicated thing to set up to even try at first. To do at least half way decently that wealthy families find worthwhile. A lot of tech and experts to help figure it all out and produce reports for the parents to view etc.

On another practical level, how young do you do this? And I have to imagine testing would be very time consuming.

Probably the starting point would be to dissect the Soviet program like you brought up. I don't know enough about it to know if that would be helpful or not but to my knowledge, it would be the only thing actually done that comes close to this idea.

It is interesting though.

 

[Ilov80s]

I got ya... but wouldn't/don't wealthy people have them go and try different sports? I am not wealthy but my kids have been exposed to a wide range of sports through rec, school and camps/clinics.

I have to imagine it would be a ridiculously expensive and complicated thing to set up to even try at first. To do at least half way decently that wealthy families find worthwhile. A lot of tech and experts to help figure it all out and produce reports for the parents to view etc.

On another practical level, how young do you do this? And I have to imagine testing would be very time consuming.

Probably the starting point would be to dissect the Soviet program like you brought up. I don't know enough about it to know if that would be helpful or not but to my knowledge, it would be the only thing actually done that comes close to this idea.

It is interesting though.

It's probably 50% a good idea and 50% a good scam.

 

[Chadstroma]

I always have to wonder how many people miss out on being successful at a sport because they never tried it or tried it too late. I am surprised there isn't some kind of evaluation that young kids who are athletic can get which will identify the sports that are most physically and athletically inclined for. I suppose they would still need a passion for it and access to it in order to be successful but people usually end up liking the things they are good at. It might only be for the well to do but it's an interesting angle IMO.

I have wondered this for a long time. Like is there some kid in some remote place in a desert that would have been the greatest hockey player of all time but never got a chance.

The reality is that sports is largely driven by economics and culture.

Soccer is the most popular sport in the world because it literally is the cheapest and most accessible sport to play. You can play it with any ball that you kick and any amount of open ground. I have played with little kids in Mexico playing barefoot with some ball that was not a soccer ball in a lopsided dirt 'field' with basically garbage set up to be the 'goals'. The more equipment and more sport specific equipment and where... water, field, ice, court, etc the harder it is and more likely the sport will be less popular in mass numbers.

Culture/sub-culture shapes it too. If all your friends want and do play basketball, you are more likely to play basketball. If your family is rich and into horses maybe you are into dressage or show jumping but if your family is more cowboyish then you likely will be into rodeo events.

 

[Chadstroma]

I got ya... but wouldn't/don't wealthy people have them go and try different sports? I am not wealthy but my kids have been exposed to a wide range of sports through rec, school and camps/clinics.

I have to imagine it would be a ridiculously expensive and complicated thing to set up to even try at first. To do at least half way decently that wealthy families find worthwhile. A lot of tech and experts to help figure it all out and produce reports for the parents to view etc.

On another practical level, how young do you do this? And I have to imagine testing would be very time consuming.

Probably the starting point would be to dissect the Soviet program like you brought up. I don't know enough about it to know if that would be helpful or not but to my knowledge, it would be the only thing actually done that comes close to this idea.

It is interesting though.

It's probably 50% a good idea and 50% a good scam.

My daughter hasn't been very competitive but that is changing more as she gets into volleyball and basketball and starting to get better. Before she wasn't very driven to win but that is changing. She had interest in archery and martial arts because she was really into Arrow. I got her and the older boy into an archery rec class the summer before last and they enjoyed it but just harder to get them really into it. I looked into martial arts classes but then that would become a whole thing too with the different age groups and the classes that were available.

My son sports crazy. Pretty much if it is available to him, he will do it. When I started singing them up for things I was asking "do you want to try this or that" and he stopped me and was like "Daddy, if it is a sport, yes." he just asked to specifically redo a flag football camp he did the summer before as his only request. Judging from his interactions in these various sports, camps, rec etc he has a lot of natural athleticism- with well above average height, strength, speed, agility, etc. A good mix that would serve him well in most sports. My thing has been to try to give him exposure to a ton of sports and then let things go from there. I haven't pushed or discouraged any sport though with swim, I have encouraged him more on it as it is his least favorite sport that he is currently doing... not that he doesn't like it but he ranked his sports as football, soccer, basketball and then swim. This year he was discouraged because he was not winning and I think it was hard for him to see how well he is excelling at it and how great the sport is for him in other sports. At 9 years old, he doesn't see the big picture or see further down the line, so I have encouraged him to stick with swim more as he wanted to skip next season earlier this season and I really don't want him to do that.

The youngest is largely following big brother. Loves sports and his favorites are seemingly close to what his brothers are. I am trying to get him exposure to various sports as well. He is biting at the bit and like his brother seems to have a good amount of natural athletic and physical advantage over his peers.

So... I have tried to go beyond the economics and culture. I don't know or like soccer at all, for example. But I also don't have infinite resources in money and time. It is more trying to help guide them enjoy their journey.

 

[PIK95]

Has anyone done or have examples of highlight reels or recruitment videos for your kid?
making one for my son now b/c we may be changing organizations, but want to see others first to see how they are set up.

I have been doing mine for the last few months with imovie. Hit me up with any questions. I use a Sony camera FDY-AX53 camera on movie mode, with a tripod, and field monitor to film. I usually end up with mp4 clips I upload to my you tube channel after giving the imovie treatment. It takes alot of time, but I am improving.

My son also uses the Ryzer recruiting profile. Our local college coach coach told him to take the Tap test ($50?), and with that you get access. I also upload vids there to his recruiting profile. He has gotten some invites to school camps from it which is what we wanted. We are really just waiting on financial aid awards at this point. Then we will start sending vids to coaches at the schools we can afford asap. And do the ID camps. Otherwise, we can't afford all that. Ama. I'm in discord if I don't respond here fast.

On a side note, this is the most successful video of my son Luke so far on you tube. Almost 300 views. Give me a like and subscribe and I'll do the same when you do yours. You can skip ad after three seconds on that on vid. There is also a preview of his tap results in a short if you look around my channel. https://youtu.be/zJ0J4WnsAMI

 

[Boston]

Has anyone done or have examples of highlight reels or recruitment videos for your kid?
making one for my son now b/c we may be changing organizations, but want to see others first to see how they are set up.

I have been doing mine for the last few months with imovie. Hit me up with any questions. I use a Sony camera FDY-AX53 camera on movie mode, with a tripod, and field monitor to film. I usually end up with mp4 clips I upload to my you tube channel after giving the imovie treatment. It takes alot of time, but I am improving.

My son also uses the Ryzer recruiting profile. Our local college coach coach told him to take the Tap test ($50?), and with that you get access. I also upload vids there to his recruiting profile. He has gotten some invites to school camps from it which is what we wanted. We are really just waiting on financial aid awards at this point. Then we will start sending vids to coaches at the schools we can afford asap. And do the ID camps. Otherwise, we can't afford all that. Ama. I'm in discord if I don't respond here fast.

On a side note, this is the most successful video of my son Luke so far on you tube. Almost 300 views. Give me a like and subscribe and I'll do the same when you do yours. You can skip ad after three seconds on that on vid. There is also a preview of his tap results in a short if you look around my channel. https://youtu.be/zJ0J4WnsAMI

A couple of more things with regard to video (my kids do lax so other sports may be a little different):

*Be careful of the music...sometimes the kids don't realize that the person watching the video is not one of their peers...I know coaches who say they either simply turn off the sound or in some cases think less of the kid because of the choice of music...when we did my son's video, I convinced him to use Jessica from The Allman Brothers...he was a little iffy with it until on his first two recruiting visits both HCs said they turned up the music while watching his video.

*Make sure the highlights show the little things...if every highlight is just scoring or big hits that can give off a bad vibe...include "the little plays" and fundamentals...coaches love that stuff...shows more of the kid's real game and gives off a good look that the kid "gets it"

*Include all the pertinent info like height-weight-GPA-HS and Club coach's contact info...for the end of the video it does not hurt to put a thank you for watching on it

*Do not make it too long...anything more than 4 minutes may not get watched

*Circle or have an arrow on the kid at the beginning of each highlight...makes it much easier for the Coach

*Not sure about other sports but my kid's Club team gave them the Sports Recruit platform as part of their tuition...absolutely awesome tool...gives you a direct line of communication to every coach in the country and you get notifications when they watch your video or check on the profile...that part is a lot of fun...I have a buddy whose kid is the real deal, and he was getting daily notifications from the Dukes, NDs, Carolinas and Maryland's of the world during his recruiting process...was very cool

 

[PIK95]

I agree with all of the above. I mute everything for that reason. Coach has his own tunes I would guess. Plus copyright is a big issue with music uploads. Or at least it was.

I can't figure out how to do the circle highlight, so most of our vids I shoot and crop close up. And my son usually had the ball which helps.

I am working on the fundamental vids now like you mentioned Boston. Super important.

Also, I just discovered this NCAA clearinghouse bit. Anyone know about this? Tia.

We are in RI :highfive: btw.

 

[Boston]

I agree with all of the above. I mute everything for that reason. Coach has his own tunes I would guess. Plus copyright is a big issue with music uploads. Or at least it was.

I can't figure out how to do the circle highlight, so most of our vids I shoot and crop close up. And my son usually had the ball which helps.

I am working on the fundamental vids now like you mentioned Boston. Super important.

Also, I just discovered this NCAA clearinghouse bit. Anyone know about this? Tia.

We are in RI :highfive: btw.

I grew up in Rhody (a Cranston boy)...I didn't do the videos (had a buddy do them) so I can't help you, but I don't think it is too difficult...from what I know (I am not an expert) the NCAA Clearinghouse is for kids that are going D1 or D2 (D3 doesn't need it) and will make sure they are eligible (my Daughter is committed to play D2 and we signed up and got a #...it is simple)...I have another buddy of mine whose kid plays D1 now...very good student with quality grades but he ended up having to redshirt his freshman year because there was some oddball screw-up with a class he took in high school that did not count towards his eligibility...came totally out-of-the-blue since the kid did well but it bit them in the butt.

Here is some info:

NCAA Clearinghouse. How To Register With The NCAA Clearinghouse.

If you are trying to get recruited to play college sports and receive an athletic scholarship click on the Parent or Athlete button to the left. By filling

www.athleticscholarships.net

NCAA Eligibility Center (formerly NCAA Clearing House) | National Scholastic Athletics Foundation

The National Scholastic Athletics Foundation is an organization dedicated to the support of junior age (sub-20) and high school track and field. Aside from offering support to the USATF Junior Track and Field and selected high school track and field meets, we own and operate the NB Indoor...

www.nationalscholastic.org

 

[PIK95]

I agree with all of the above. I mute everything for that reason. Coach has his own tunes I would guess. Plus copyright is a big issue with music uploads. Or at least it was.

I can't figure out how to do the circle highlight, so most of our vids I shoot and crop close up. And my son usually had the ball which helps.

I am working on the fundamental vids now like you mentioned Boston. Super important.

Also, I just discovered this NCAA clearinghouse bit. Anyone know about this? Tia.

We are in RI :highfive: btw.

I grew up in Rhody (a Cranston boy)...I didn't do the videos (had a buddy do them) so I can't help you, but I don't think it is too difficult...from what I know (I am not an expert) the NCAA Clearinghouse is for kids that are going D1 or D2 (D3 doesn't need it) and will make sure they are eligible (my Daughter is committed to play D2 and we signed up and got a #...it is simple)...I have another buddy of mine whose kid plays D1 now...very good student with quality grades but he ended up having to redshirt his freshman year because there was some oddball screw-up with a class he took in high school that did not count towards his eligibility...came totally out-of-the-blue since the kid did well but it bit them in the butt.

Here is some info:

NCAA Clearinghouse. How To Register With The NCAA Clearinghouse.

If you are trying to get recruited to play college sports and receive an athletic scholarship click on the Parent or Athlete button to the left. By filling

www.athleticscholarships.net

NCAA Eligibility Center (formerly NCAA Clearing House) | National Scholastic Athletics Foundation

The National Scholastic Athletics Foundation is an organization dedicated to the support of junior age (sub-20) and high school track and field. Aside from offering support to the USATF Junior Track and Field and selected high school track and field meets, we own and operate the NB Indoor...

www.nationalscholastic.org

If you are from Cranston, we must have discussed your backround before. I can't keep anyone straight these days. East or West?

 

[Boston]

I agree with all of the above. I mute everything for that reason. Coach has his own tunes I would guess. Plus copyright is a big issue with music uploads. Or at least it was.

I can't figure out how to do the circle highlight, so most of our vids I shoot and crop close up. And my son usually had the ball which helps.

I am working on the fundamental vids now like you mentioned Boston. Super important.

Also, I just discovered this NCAA clearinghouse bit. Anyone know about this? Tia.

We are in RI :highfive: btw.

I grew up in Rhody (a Cranston boy)...I didn't do the videos (had a buddy do them) so I can't help you, but I don't think it is too difficult...from what I know (I am not an expert) the NCAA Clearinghouse is for kids that are going D1 or D2 (D3 doesn't need it) and will make sure they are eligible (my Daughter is committed to play D2 and we signed up and got a #...it is simple)...I have another buddy of mine whose kid plays D1 now...very good student with quality grades but he ended up having to redshirt his freshman year because there was some oddball screw-up with a class he took in high school that did not count towards his eligibility...came totally out-of-the-blue since the kid did well but it bit them in the butt.

Here is some info:

NCAA Clearinghouse. How To Register With The NCAA Clearinghouse.

If you are trying to get recruited to play college sports and receive an athletic scholarship click on the Parent or Athlete button to the left. By filling

www.athleticscholarships.net

NCAA Eligibility Center (formerly NCAA Clearing House) | National Scholastic Athletics Foundation

The National Scholastic Athletics Foundation is an organization dedicated to the support of junior age (sub-20) and high school track and field. Aside from offering support to the USATF Junior Track and Field and selected high school track and field meets, we own and operate the NB Indoor...

www.nationalscholastic.org

If you are from Cranston, we must have discussed your backround before. I can't keep anyone straight these days. East or West?

Thunderbolts...back in the day when they were the dominant school in sports between the two...a lot has changed since that era.

 

[PIK95]

I agree with all of the above. I mute everything for that reason. Coach has his own tunes I would guess. Plus copyright is a big issue with music uploads. Or at least it was.

I can't figure out how to do the circle highlight, so most of our vids I shoot and crop close up. And my son usually had the ball which helps.

I am working on the fundamental vids now like you mentioned Boston. Super important.

Also, I just discovered this NCAA clearinghouse bit. Anyone know about this? Tia.

We are in RI :highfive: btw.

I grew up in Rhody (a Cranston boy)...I didn't do the videos (had a buddy do them) so I can't help you, but I don't think it is too difficult...from what I know (I am not an expert) the NCAA Clearinghouse is for kids that are going D1 or D2 (D3 doesn't need it) and will make sure they are eligible (my Daughter is committed to play D2 and we signed up and got a #...it is simple)...I have another buddy of mine whose kid plays D1 now...very good student with quality grades but he ended up having to redshirt his freshman year because there was some oddball screw-up with a class he took in high school that did not count towards his eligibility...came totally out-of-the-blue since the kid did well but it bit them in the butt.

Here is some info:

NCAA Clearinghouse. How To Register With The NCAA Clearinghouse.

If you are trying to get recruited to play college sports and receive an athletic scholarship click on the Parent or Athlete button to the left. By filling

www.athleticscholarships.net

NCAA Eligibility Center (formerly NCAA Clearing House) | National Scholastic Athletics Foundation

The National Scholastic Athletics Foundation is an organization dedicated to the support of junior age (sub-20) and high school track and field. Aside from offering support to the USATF Junior Track and Field and selected high school track and field meets, we own and operate the NB Indoor...

www.nationalscholastic.org

If you are from Cranston, we must have discussed your backround before. I can't keep anyone straight these days. East or West?

Thunderbolts...back in the day when they were the dominant school in sports between the two...a lot has changed since that era.

What class were you? I was West 93, then URI from like 95-01 lol.

 

[Boston]

I agree with all of the above. I mute everything for that reason. Coach has his own tunes I would guess. Plus copyright is a big issue with music uploads. Or at least it was.

I can't figure out how to do the circle highlight, so most of our vids I shoot and crop close up. And my son usually had the ball which helps.

I am working on the fundamental vids now like you mentioned Boston. Super important.

Also, I just discovered this NCAA clearinghouse bit. Anyone know about this? Tia.

We are in RI :highfive: btw.

I grew up in Rhody (a Cranston boy)...I didn't do the videos (had a buddy do them) so I can't help you, but I don't think it is too difficult...from what I know (I am not an expert) the NCAA Clearinghouse is for kids that are going D1 or D2 (D3 doesn't need it) and will make sure they are eligible (my Daughter is committed to play D2 and we signed up and got a #...it is simple)...I have another buddy of mine whose kid plays D1 now...very good student with quality grades but he ended up having to redshirt his freshman year because there was some oddball screw-up with a class he took in high school that did not count towards his eligibility...came totally out-of-the-blue since the kid did well but it bit them in the butt.

Here is some info:

NCAA Clearinghouse. How To Register With The NCAA Clearinghouse.

If you are trying to get recruited to play college sports and receive an athletic scholarship click on the Parent or Athlete button to the left. By filling

www.athleticscholarships.net

NCAA Eligibility Center (formerly NCAA Clearing House) | National Scholastic Athletics Foundation

The National Scholastic Athletics Foundation is an organization dedicated to the support of junior age (sub-20) and high school track and field. Aside from offering support to the USATF Junior Track and Field and selected high school track and field meets, we own and operate the NB Indoor...

www.nationalscholastic.org

If you are from Cranston, we must have discussed your backround before. I can't keep anyone straight these days. East or West?

Thunderbolts...back in the day when they were the dominant school in sports between the two...a lot has changed since that era.

What class were you? I was West 93.

83...back then West was still a lot of undeveloped land...city has totally changed since than...I grew up in Edgewood, my parents have been in that house for 54 years...are you still there?

 

[PIK95]

I agree with all of the above. I mute everything for that reason. Coach has his own tunes I would guess. Plus copyright is a big issue with music uploads. Or at least it was.

I can't figure out how to do the circle highlight, so most of our vids I shoot and crop close up. And my son usually had the ball which helps.

I am working on the fundamental vids now like you mentioned Boston. Super important.

Also, I just discovered this NCAA clearinghouse bit. Anyone know about this? Tia.

We are in RI :highfive: btw.

I grew up in Rhody (a Cranston boy)...I didn't do the videos (had a buddy do them) so I can't help you, but I don't think it is too difficult...from what I know (I am not an expert) the NCAA Clearinghouse is for kids that are going D1 or D2 (D3 doesn't need it) and will make sure they are eligible (my Daughter is committed to play D2 and we signed up and got a #...it is simple)...I have another buddy of mine whose kid plays D1 now...very good student with quality grades but he ended up having to redshirt his freshman year because there was some oddball screw-up with a class he took in high school that did not count towards his eligibility...came totally out-of-the-blue since the kid did well but it bit them in the butt.

Here is some info:

NCAA Clearinghouse. How To Register With The NCAA Clearinghouse.

If you are trying to get recruited to play college sports and receive an athletic scholarship click on the Parent or Athlete button to the left. By filling

www.athleticscholarships.net

NCAA Eligibility Center (formerly NCAA Clearing House) | National Scholastic Athletics Foundation

The National Scholastic Athletics Foundation is an organization dedicated to the support of junior age (sub-20) and high school track and field. Aside from offering support to the USATF Junior Track and Field and selected high school track and field meets, we own and operate the NB Indoor...

www.nationalscholastic.org

If you are from Cranston, we must have discussed your backround before. I can't keep anyone straight these days. East or West?

Thunderbolts...back in the day when they were the dominant school in sports between the two...a lot has changed since that era.

What class were you? I was West 93.

83...back then West was still a lot of undeveloped land...city has totally changed since than...I grew up in Edgewood, my parents have been in that house for 54 years...are you still there?

Yes, still here. Between the prison and Oaklawn. I remember our conversation in the past now. My son is West 23. Crazy.

 

[Boston]

I agree with all of the above. I mute everything for that reason. Coach has his own tunes I would guess. Plus copyright is a big issue with music uploads. Or at least it was.

I can't figure out how to do the circle highlight, so most of our vids I shoot and crop close up. And my son usually had the ball which helps.

I am working on the fundamental vids now like you mentioned Boston. Super important.

Also, I just discovered this NCAA clearinghouse bit. Anyone know about this? Tia.

We are in RI :highfive: btw.

I grew up in Rhody (a Cranston boy)...I didn't do the videos (had a buddy do them) so I can't help you, but I don't think it is too difficult...from what I know (I am not an expert) the NCAA Clearinghouse is for kids that are going D1 or D2 (D3 doesn't need it) and will make sure they are eligible (my Daughter is committed to play D2 and we signed up and got a #...it is simple)...I have another buddy of mine whose kid plays D1 now...very good student with quality grades but he ended up having to redshirt his freshman year because there was some oddball screw-up with a class he took in high school that did not count towards his eligibility...came totally out-of-the-blue since the kid did well but it bit them in the butt.

Here is some info:

NCAA Clearinghouse. How To Register With The NCAA Clearinghouse.

If you are trying to get recruited to play college sports and receive an athletic scholarship click on the Parent or Athlete button to the left. By filling

www.athleticscholarships.net

NCAA Eligibility Center (formerly NCAA Clearing House) | National Scholastic Athletics Foundation

The National Scholastic Athletics Foundation is an organization dedicated to the support of junior age (sub-20) and high school track and field. Aside from offering support to the USATF Junior Track and Field and selected high school track and field meets, we own and operate the NB Indoor...

www.nationalscholastic.org

If you are from Cranston, we must have discussed your backround before. I can't keep anyone straight these days. East or West?

Thunderbolts...back in the day when they were the dominant school in sports between the two...a lot has changed since that era.

What class were you? I was West 93.

83...back then West was still a lot of undeveloped land...city has totally changed since than...I grew up in Edgewood, my parents have been in that house for 54 years...are you still there?

Yes, still here. Between the prison and Oaklawn. I remember our conversation in the past now. My son is West 23. Crazy.

Double Falcons in the family...I went by the Vets rink a few months ago...made me sad...place is on its last legs...that place was a hockey mecca back in the day...some amazing players came thru there.

 

[PIK95]

The rink is actually busier than ever. They will build a new one on the spot when it's time I bet. Wife is also a Falcon, lol.

 

[The Z Machine]

My son has scored 4 goals in each of his last 2 indoor soccer games. Not all his doing as there's a kid that plays midfield that is just dominant and sets him up nicely to finish. Still, 4 goals is something. He's likely a better dribbler than I am right now and he's likely a year away from being better than I ever was. He's 9 and I played till I was 15.

 

[Boston]

The rink is actually busier than ever. They will build a new one on the spot when it's time I bet. Wife is also a Falcon, lol.

Unfortunately, I heard the opposite from a good source (and hope it is not true)...the city does not want to commit $ to it and if something major happens to it that could be all she wrote as they won't repair it...it is still a great location, so my guess is it will have to be a private company if that happens and it was to continue.

 

[PIK95]

My son has scored 4 goals in each of his last 2 indoor soccer games. Not all his doing as there's a kid that plays midfield that is just dominant and sets him up nicely to finish. Still, 4 goals is something. He's likely a better dribbler than I am right now and he's likely a year away from being better than I ever was. He's 9 and I played till I was 15.

It's crazy to me how skilled these young kids are. Hopefully someday our country can band together and actually teach them how to play soccer. That's great to hear about your son. Four goals is huge anytime, anywhere.

 

[ex-ghost]

I agree with all of the above. I mute everything for that reason. Coach has his own tunes I would guess. Plus copyright is a big issue with music uploads. Or at least it was.

I can't figure out how to do the circle highlight, so most of our vids I shoot and crop close up. And my son usually had the ball which helps.

I am working on the fundamental vids now like you mentioned Boston. Super important.

Also, I just discovered this NCAA clearinghouse bit. Anyone know about this? Tia.

We are in RI :highfive: btw.

I grew up in Rhody (a Cranston boy)...I didn't do the videos (had a buddy do them) so I can't help you, but I don't think it is too difficult...from what I know (I am not an expert) the NCAA Clearinghouse is for kids that are going D1 or D2 (D3 doesn't need it) and will make sure they are eligible (my Daughter is committed to play D2 and we signed up and got a #...it is simple)...I have another buddy of mine whose kid plays D1 now...very good student with quality grades but he ended up having to redshirt his freshman year because there was some oddball screw-up with a class he took in high school that did not count towards his eligibility...came totally out-of-the-blue since the kid did well but it bit them in the butt.

Here is some info:

NCAA Clearinghouse. How To Register With The NCAA Clearinghouse.

If you are trying to get recruited to play college sports and receive an athletic scholarship click on the Parent or Athlete button to the left. By filling

www.athleticscholarships.net

NCAA Eligibility Center (formerly NCAA Clearing House) | National Scholastic Athletics Foundation

The National Scholastic Athletics Foundation is an organization dedicated to the support of junior age (sub-20) and high school track and field. Aside from offering support to the USATF Junior Track and Field and selected high school track and field meets, we own and operate the NB Indoor...

www.nationalscholastic.org

Yep, NCAA Clearinghouse is easy to do and not a bad thing to sign up for if thinking D1/D2. On official visits schools need the NCAA number so that they stay on the right side of the NCAA law. We needed to download transcripts, they check to make sure that the kid has met all of the basic requirements and is also an amateur.

 

[PIK95]

Has anyone here done Tap or Wonderlic tests?

 

[Chadstroma]

My son made the Conference team for swim. I told him and he said "ok".

 

[Senor Schmutzig]

Getting ready for my son's last year (senior) of baseball. I have always loved watching him play so knowing that this is going to be the last year is a bit melancholy. He's had some ups and downs with the team he is with, notably last year when he didn't play in the spring due to his coach being a %$*# and telling him and a few other boys that if they went on a school-sponsored college visit trip, they wouldn't be on the team. It was a 3-day trip that their school does every year for juniors to visit six different colleges/universities in Florida. The coach basically told them that they didn't have to visit the schools in person and they can see them all virtually. What a tool. And this was the school team!

Thankfully that coach is gone and a new, younger, more relatable coach took his place. I wish this had happened a couple of years ago but alas, it is what it is. My son will be the starting first baseman most likely and only one of two seniors that will be starting in the field. The rest of the seniors are pitchers. He can also pitch but the new coaching staff saw his skills at 1st base and would prefer that he play there. I think he prefers it also so he can play every day. As a parent, I also prefer being able to watch him every game versus going to every one hoping he will get to pitch for an inning or two.

 

[PIK95]

I agree with all of the above. I mute everything for that reason. Coach has his own tunes I would guess. Plus copyright is a big issue with music uploads. Or at least it was.

I can't figure out how to do the circle highlight, so most of our vids I shoot and crop close up. And my son usually had the ball which helps.

I am working on the fundamental vids now like you mentioned Boston. Super important.

Also, I just discovered this NCAA clearinghouse bit. Anyone know about this? Tia.

We are in RI :highfive: btw.

I grew up in Rhody (a Cranston boy)...I didn't do the videos (had a buddy do them) so I can't help you, but I don't think it is too difficult...from what I know (I am not an expert) the NCAA Clearinghouse is for kids that are going D1 or D2 (D3 doesn't need it) and will make sure they are eligible (my Daughter is committed to play D2 and we signed up and got a #...it is simple)...I have another buddy of mine whose kid plays D1 now...very good student with quality grades but he ended up having to redshirt his freshman year because there was some oddball screw-up with a class he took in high school that did not count towards his eligibility...came totally out-of-the-blue since the kid did well but it bit them in the butt.

Here is some info:

NCAA Clearinghouse. How To Register With The NCAA Clearinghouse.

If you are trying to get recruited to play college sports and receive an athletic scholarship click on the Parent or Athlete button to the left. By filling

www.athleticscholarships.net

NCAA Eligibility Center (formerly NCAA Clearing House) | National Scholastic Athletics Foundation

The National Scholastic Athletics Foundation is an organization dedicated to the support of junior age (sub-20) and high school track and field. Aside from offering support to the USATF Junior Track and Field and selected high school track and field meets, we own and operate the NB Indoor...

www.nationalscholastic.org

Yep, NCAA Clearinghouse is easy to do and not a bad thing to sign up for if thinking D1/D2. On official visits schools need the NCAA number so that they stay on the right side of the NCAA law. We needed to download transcripts, they check to make sure that the kid has met all of the basic requirements and is also an amateur.

Getting ready for my son's last year (senior) of baseball. I have always loved watching him play so knowing that this is going to be the last year is a bit melancholy. He's had some ups and downs with the team he is with, notably last year when he didn't play in the spring due to his coach being a %$*# and telling him and a few other boys that if they went on a school-sponsored college visit trip, they wouldn't be on the team. It was a 3-day trip that their school does every year for juniors to visit six different colleges/universities in Florida. The coach basically told them that they didn't have to visit the schools in person and they can see them all virtually. What a tool. And this was the school team!

Thankfully that coach is gone and a new, younger, more relatable coach took his place. I wish this had happened a couple of years ago but alas, it is what it is. My son will be the starting first baseman most likely and only one of two seniors that will be starting in the field. The rest of the seniors are pitchers. He can also pitch but the new coaching staff saw his skills at 1st base and would prefer that he play there. I think he prefers it also so he can play every day. As a parent, I also prefer being able to watch him every game versus going to every one hoping he will get to pitch for an inning or two.

Getting ready for my son's last year (senior) of baseball. I have always loved watching him play so knowing that this is going to be the last year is a bit melancholy. He's had some ups and downs with the team he is with, notably last year when he didn't play in the spring due to his coach being a %$*# and telling him and a few other boys that if they went on a school-sponsored college visit trip, they wouldn't be on the team. It was a 3-day trip that their school does every year for juniors to visit six different colleges/universities in Florida. The coach basically told them that they didn't have to visit the schools in person and they can see them all virtually. What a tool. And this was the school team!

Thankfully that coach is gone and a new, younger, more relatable coach took his place. I wish this had happened a couple of years ago but alas, it is what it is. My son will be the starting first baseman most likely and only one of two seniors that will be starting in the field. The rest of the seniors are pitchers. He can also pitch but the new coaching staff saw his skills at 1st base and would prefer that he play there. I think he prefers it also so he can play every day. As a parent, I also prefer being able to watch him every game versus going to every one hoping he will get to pitch for an inning or two.

All it takes is one wipeout inning on the mound for his coach to fall in love with him pitching. First base is great, but tell him to keep his pitches sharp. And just pound the strike zone if he ever gets in. Walks are the devil! He may get another chance, especially if teammates talk him up on bench.

 

[glvsav37]

@PIK95 and @Boston thanks! I've been collecting video the last few seasons, I'm the team videographer specifically so I can have any highlight when I need it.
I'm working on the video next so ill take all your points into consideration. I just built him this site and I'll upload the vid once done.

 

[Jaysus]

@PIK95 and @Boston thanks! I've been collecting video the last few seasons, I'm the team videographer specifically so I can have any highlight when I need it.
I'm working on the video next so ill take all your points into consideration. I just built him this site and I'll upload the vid once done.

were you picked in the famous Keiths draft?

 

[PIK95]

@PIK95 and @Boston thanks! I've been collecting video the last few seasons, I'm the team videographer specifically so I can have any highlight when I need it.
I'm working on the video next so ill take all your points into consideration. I just built him this site and I'll upload the vid once done.

Beautiful site to email coaches by the way. How much to make one like that for my kid to use.
The Ryzer site only let's you link you tube vids, so should also put them there for later. Especially if you want college sports.

 

[glvsav37]

@PIK95 and @Boston thanks! I've been collecting video the last few seasons, I'm the team videographer specifically so I can have any highlight when I need it.
I'm working on the video next so ill take all your points into consideration. I just built him this site and I'll upload the vid once done.

The Ryzer site only let's you link you tube vids, so should also put them there for later. Especially if you want college sports.

He's only 12 so we have a ways off from college. My biggest concern was that at the 14U level at our association, we have something like 30 kids trying out for maybe 14 spots. So its going to be tough to ensure a position this year. So my main goal is to have this ready to send to other coaches to see if they have an interest before we go into tryouts with the numbers stacked against us. I'm confident in him, but I just trying to be prepared and promote him a little bit beforehand

 

[glvsav37]

@PIK95 and @Boston thanks! I've been collecting video the last few seasons, I'm the team videographer specifically so I can have any highlight when I need it.
I'm working on the video next so ill take all your points into consideration. I just built him this site and I'll upload the vid once done.

were you picked in the famous Keiths draft?

not yet, i'm waiting for the sequel

 

[glvsav37]

@PIK95 and @Boston thanks! I've been collecting video the last few seasons, I'm the team videographer specifically so I can have any highlight when I need it.
I'm working on the video next so ill take all your points into consideration. I just built him this site and I'll upload the vid once done.

Beautiful site to email coaches by the way. How much to make one like that for my kid to use.
The Ryzer site only let's you link you tube vids, so should also put them there for later. Especially if you want college sports.

sorry I missed this....thanks!
I do things like that for a living, I run a design agency. I can make one for you, just need to secure whatever domain you want and we can go from there. If your are truly interested PM me.

 

[PIK95]

@PIK95 and @Boston thanks! I've been collecting video the last few seasons, I'm the team videographer specifically so I can have any highlight when I need it.
I'm working on the video next so ill take all your points into consideration. I just built him this site and I'll upload the vid once done.

Beautiful site to email coaches by the way. How much to make one like that for my kid to use.
The Ryzer site only let's you link you tube vids, so should also put them there for later. Especially if you want college sports.

sorry I missed this....thanks!
I do things like that for a living, I run a design agency. I can make one for you, just need to secure whatever domain you want and we can go from there. If your are truly interested PM me.

I will pm you later when things slow down here. Thx

 

[The Z Machine]

My son has scored 4 goals in each of his last 2 indoor soccer games. Not all his doing as there's a kid that plays midfield that is just dominant and sets him up nicely to finish. Still, 4 goals is something. He's likely a better dribbler than I am right now and he's likely a year away from being better than I ever was. He's 9 and I played till I was 15.

It's crazy to me how skilled these young kids are. Hopefully someday our country can band together and actually teach them how to play soccer. That's great to hear about your son. Four goals is huge anytime, anywhere.

He's doesn't have crazy skills, I was just a defender who never learned to play out of the back, just boot it up the field.

But seriously he's only ever got rec league coaching and I certainly can't coach him on any of the finer points of dribbling. We've done some drills together in the park with small cones and one of those pop up goals, but he gets bored because I don't really know what I'm doing.

 

[PIK95]

My son has scored 4 goals in each of his last 2 indoor soccer games. Not all his doing as there's a kid that plays midfield that is just dominant and sets him up nicely to finish. Still, 4 goals is something. He's likely a better dribbler than I am right now and he's likely a year away from being better than I ever was. He's 9 and I played till I was 15.

It's crazy to me how skilled these young kids are. Hopefully someday our country can band together and actually teach them how to play soccer. That's great to hear about your son. Four goals is huge anytime, anywhere.

He's doesn't have crazy skills, I was just a defender who never learned to play out of the back, just boot it up the field.

But seriously he's only ever got rec league coaching and I certainly can't coach him on any of the finer points of dribbling. We've done some drills together in the park with small cones and one of those pop up goals, but he gets bored because I don't really know what I'm doing.

Just play 1v1 against him. Encourage him to use both feet. He will develop skill and creativity quickly, especially if you guys are having fun. Let him find his way and experiment. He won't need teaching beyond that imo. Both feet. Ball is on left, use left foot. That's the only rule.

 

[Chadstroma]

I got the specifics of what my son, 9 yr, is swimming for conference team: 50 Free, 50 Fly, 200 Free Relay and 200 Medley Relay for 10U.

 

[Chadstroma]

Conference meet tonight, First season of 10U (two seasons a year).

The night started with the 200 Medley Relay. He was doing the fly leg. The team was doing fairly well...2nd/3rdish. My son gets his, dives in and then kind of stops and adjusted his goggles.... and then goes. They end at 4th place.

His first individual was the 50 Free. Seeded 7th out of 12. Won his heat and ended up 5th place. He dropped 1.47 off his time and only one 9yr old beat him which was in 4th.

Then the 50 Fly. Seeded 7th again and ended in 6th place. He dropped 4.21 off his time and again only one 9yr old beat him who was in 5th.

The last was the 200 Free Relay near the end of the night and the last swim all the boys did. I could see him slow on the second 25 getting tired but he swam it out hard. All the boys visibly were just tired and all the teams ended up adding times on their entry. They placed 3rd there.

It is his least favorite out of the sports he does (Football, Soccer, Basketball and Swim in that order) but he excels at it. I am not sure he understands his promise in swim if he keeps doing it. This was his second season at swimming. He projects to do very well when he gets older in the 10U. Who knows past that but clearly he can do a lot of winning in the next couple of seasons. He said before he wanted to take the season off and I encouraged him to keep at it but if he wanted to then we would only do the dual meets and skip all the optional big meets and he could take some practices off as well which I explained to him if he took the whole season off then he would have some of the boys his age he is beating now catch up and then plus the swimming is hugely beneficial to him for his other sports. I used his love of winning and his passion for the other sports to get him to agree basically giving him some concessions on not as much time with it.

 

[Gally]

So this just in. The umpires in our area are on "strike". They want more money per game while they were already getting the most money per game in the state. So because of this our season my go down the tubes to some degree because in order to have sanctioned CIF umpires we need to "borrow" from other areas which would require us to only play double header Saturdays for all our league games. In addition, because there would be limited umpires the JV and freshman teams may have their season's tanked all together because there won't be officials to do the games.

The umpires were set to make the most per game of all high school umpires ($92-ish) and they are holding out for $125 game. They waited until two weeks before the start of games to drop this bomb and walk out. The worst part of it is they had agreed to the pricing structure prior to last year which included a bump up each year for the following 3 years ------ which again, is the highest in the state.

Oh by the way, this is only the baseball umpires. All other officials don't have a problem with their pay scale and are going about business as usual. Very frustrating.

I get wanting to get a fair wage and understand the terrible abuse they can take but this is high school baseball. It isn't a "career" job. Schools aren't flush with money to just throw around. They already struggle with transportation costs and other costs.

The AD's don't want to cave because they worry all other official organizations will see this and hold them hostage next year and it will eventually get to the point that the schools won't have the money to pay them.

It really sucks.

 

[Chadstroma]

So this just in. The umpires in our area are on "strike". They want more money per game while they were already getting the most money per game in the state. So because of this our season my go down the tubes to some degree because in order to have sanctioned CIF umpires we need to "borrow" from other areas which would require us to only play double header Saturdays for all our league games. In addition, because there would be limited umpires the JV and freshman teams may have their season's tanked all together because there won't be officials to do the games.

The umpires were set to make the most per game of all high school umpires ($92-ish) and they are holding out for $125 game. They waited until two weeks before the start of games to drop this bomb and walk out. The worst part of it is they had agreed to the pricing structure prior to last year which included a bump up each year for the following 3 years ------ which again, is the highest in the state.

Oh by the way, this is only the baseball umpires. All other officials don't have a problem with their pay scale and are going about business as usual. Very frustrating.

I get wanting to get a fair wage and understand the terrible abuse they can take but this is high school baseball. It isn't a "career" job. Schools aren't flush with money to just throw around. They already struggle with transportation costs and other costs.

The AD's don't want to cave because they worry all other official organizations will see this and hold them hostage next year and it will eventually get to the point that the schools won't have the money to pay them.

It really sucks.

The suckiest thing about all of this is the impact on the kids.

 

[Gally]

The suckiest thing about all of this is the impact on the kids.

Exactly. There really is no need for this. It's not like high school baseball ump is your career. I would say most of these guys started out as doing it for the kids and they liked the game and it was a way to stay involved. There is some thoughts that the guys running the umpire organization are not necessarily speaking for the umps (not to say they wouldn't want more money) with regards to the take it or leave it approach.

There are a lot of layers to the issue of course from the CIF Central Section all the way down to the umpire association. I wish CIF would get more involved and threaten to strip those in this organization of their CIF certifications since they aren't adhering to the CIF pay structure that is utilized for all sports and nobody else in the state seems to have an issue with. Basically, here is what we pay for high school officiating. Take it or leave it. Again, it's not like this group is being lowballed. The fee structure is the highest for baseball umpires in the state.

 

[Chadstroma]

The suckiest thing about all of this is the impact on the kids.

Exactly. There really is no need for this. It's not like high school baseball ump is your career. I would say most of these guys started out as doing it for the kids and they liked the game and it was a way to stay involved. There is some thoughts that the guys running the umpire organization are not necessarily speaking for the umps (not to say they wouldn't want more money) with regards to the take it or leave it approach.

There are a lot of layers to the issue of course from the CIF Central Section all the way down to the umpire association. I wish CIF would get more involved and threaten to strip those in this organization of their CIF certifications since they aren't adhering to the CIF pay structure that is utilized for all sports and nobody else in the state seems to have an issue with. Basically, here is what we pay for high school officiating. Take it or leave it. Again, it's not like this group is being lowballed. The fee structure is the highest for baseball umpires in the state.

I will say that even though the schools are not flush with cash.... sports IS. So many people are making big $$$ off of sports. Probably the suckiest 'job' in all of sports that makes the least is refereeing/umpires etc. Also, so many make it harder on themselves by being confrontational themselves. That all said.... these HS kids have only a few years to do their sport and 95% of them never play organizationally in a real competitive environment again. Taking a year from the kids just absolutely sucks.

 

[Gally]

I will say that even though the schools are not flush with cash.... sports IS. So many people are making big $$$ off of sports. Probably the suckiest 'job' in all of sports that makes the least is refereeing/umpires etc. Also, so many make it harder on themselves by being confrontational themselves. That all said.... these HS kids have only a few years to do their sport and 95% of them never play organizationally in a real competitive environment again. Taking a year from the kids just absolutely sucks.

This is not true for all schools. Our school is not flush with cash when it comes to sports. I am not really sure what you mean here. The schools get their money and sometimes earn money with ticket sales for certain sporting events like football/basketball but by and large most of the HS sports don't charge for the games because of the logistics of it. At least that is the case around here (Central California). They barely have enough money for transportation of the teams to and from events especially for the spring sports like baseball. The money runs out each year.

I am not sure who is making "big $$$" from high school sports but I don't know any. Officiating is definitely getting treated worse and worse which is causing the officiating pool to dwindle as the years go on. That is definitely a contributing factor to this situation for sure.

I don't have the right answer but I sure as hell would find a way to get this done so the kids aren't the ones being punished.

 

[belljr]

We're so flush with cash we have to pay $200 per kid to play a sport.

 

[Chadstroma]

I will say that even though the schools are not flush with cash.... sports IS. So many people are making big $$$ off of sports. Probably the suckiest 'job' in all of sports that makes the least is refereeing/umpires etc. Also, so many make it harder on themselves by being confrontational themselves. That all said.... these HS kids have only a few years to do their sport and 95% of them never play organizationally in a real competitive environment again. Taking a year from the kids just absolutely sucks.

This is not true for all schools. Our school is not flush with cash when it comes to sports. I am not really sure what you mean here. The schools get their money and sometimes earn money with ticket sales for certain sporting events like football/basketball but by and large most of the HS sports don't charge for the games because of the logistics of it. At least that is the case around here (Central California). They barely have enough money for transportation of the teams to and from events especially for the spring sports like baseball. The money runs out each year.

I am not sure who is making "big $$$" from high school sports but I don't know any. Officiating is definitely getting treated worse and worse which is causing the officiating pool to dwindle as the years go on. That is definitely a contributing factor to this situation for sure.

I don't have the right answer but I sure as hell would find a way to get this done so the kids aren't the ones being punished.

I am not meaning school sports, what I mean is the 'industry' of sports. Clubs, coaches, clinics, etc there is a ton of money being made in sports. Schools generally are not making money... except maybe TX football programs with their mini-NFL stadiums they have that they pack out every game.... they might be making a lot of money too but I dunno. But my point isn't to say that the HS have money to pay refs or even HS's are making money but just saying there are a lot of people in sports (think outside of HS sports) making money and the refs aren't one of them.

 

[acarey50]

I will say that even though the schools are not flush with cash.... sports IS. So many people are making big $$$ off of sports. Probably the suckiest 'job' in all of sports that makes the least is refereeing/umpires etc. Also, so many make it harder on themselves by being confrontational themselves. That all said.... these HS kids have only a few years to do their sport and 95% of them never play organizationally in a real competitive environment again. Taking a year from the kids just absolutely sucks.

This is not true for all schools. Our school is not flush with cash when it comes to sports. I am not really sure what you mean here. The schools get their money and sometimes earn money with ticket sales for certain sporting events like football/basketball but by and large most of the HS sports don't charge for the games because of the logistics of it. At least that is the case around here (Central California). They barely have enough money for transportation of the teams to and from events especially for the spring sports like baseball. The money runs out each year.

I am not sure who is making "big $$$" from high school sports but I don't know any. Officiating is definitely getting treated worse and worse which is causing the officiating pool to dwindle as the years go on. That is definitely a contributing factor to this situation for sure.

I don't have the right answer but I sure as hell would find a way to get this done so the kids aren't the ones being punished.

CIF is making quite a bit on the TV rights, etc., but outside of that, definitely not the schools, except maybe the few elite private high schools that have the sponsorship deals, players getting NIL money, etc.

 

[Gally]

So my son had his first two baseball games of the year over the weekend. The umpire "strike" is still on going so his league games are going to get jacked but preseason and other area games are still a go.

He started on the mound in the first game and ended up going the distance on 79 pitches. He ended up giving up 5 hits, 0 walks, 1 hit batter, 3 K's, 2 Runs (0 Earned Runs) and they got the win 5-2. It was a very efficient outing as he averaged just over 11 pitches and inning and had two 6 pitch innings. He was slated to go 60-70 pitches and was at 59 pitches through 5 IP. They ran him back out there for the 6th inning and that ended up being one of his two 6-pitch innings. He was able to talk the coach into letting him go for the 7th and closed it down on 14 pitches to finish the game. Great outing to start the season. At the plate he went 2-4 with a double.

The second game was the next day so the coach decided to just have DH since he thres 79 pitches the day before. He finished 1-3 with an RBI and they won that game 5-3.

Nice start to the season. Now lets hope the umps don't screw it up with their greed.

 

[glvsav37]

So this just in. The umpires in our area are on "strike". They want more money per game while they were already getting the most money per game in the state. So because of this our season my go down the tubes to some degree because in order to have sanctioned CIF umpires we need to "borrow" from other areas which would require us to only play double header Saturdays for all our league games. In addition, because there would be limited umpires the JV and freshman teams may have their season's tanked all together because there won't be officials to do the games.

The umpires were set to make the most per game of all high school umpires ($92-ish) and they are holding out for $125 game. They waited until two weeks before the start of games to drop this bomb and walk out. The worst part of it is they had agreed to the pricing structure prior to last year which included a bump up each year for the following 3 years ------ which again, is the highest in the state.

Oh by the way, this is only the baseball umpires. All other officials don't have a problem with their pay scale and are going about business as usual. Very frustrating.

I get wanting to get a fair wage and understand the terrible abuse they can take but this is high school baseball. It isn't a "career" job. Schools aren't flush with money to just throw around. They already struggle with transportation costs and other costs.

The AD's don't want to cave because they worry all other official organizations will see this and hold them hostage next year and it will eventually get to the point that the schools won't have the money to pay them.

It really sucks.

DAuym...$90- $100+ per game for HS Baseball??? I only make low $ 70s to referee (high $50's to line) a HS ice hockey game. And no offense to baseball people, but we are skating all game, dodging pucks and bodies and breaking up fights...and dealing with the same angry parents.

How long is the average HS baseball game?

 

[Gally]

DAuym...$90- $100+ per game for HS Baseball??? I only make low $ 70s to referee (high $50's to line) a HS ice hockey game. And no offense to baseball people, but we are skating all game, dodging pucks and bodies and breaking up fights...and dealing with the same angry parents.

How long is the average HS baseball game?

the average game is probably a little over 2 hrs.

Yes, the umps are being way greedy here. In fact they lost all sympathy when they said they would ump a different league in our area for the $92 rate but won't ump the league games of our 16 schools. So it isn't about the money it has become personal. I have no idea why or who is having the issue with each other but it really is a bummer for the kids.

 

[glvsav37]

DAuym...$90- $100+ per game for HS Baseball??? I only make low $ 70s to referee (high $50's to line) a HS ice hockey game. And no offense to baseball people, but we are skating all game, dodging pucks and bodies and breaking up fights...and dealing with the same angry parents.

How long is the average HS baseball game?

the average game is probably a little over 2 hrs.

Yes, the umps are being way greedy here. In fact they lost all sympathy when they said they would ump a different league in our area for the $92 rate but won't ump the league games of our 16 schools. So it isn't about the money it has become personal. I have no idea why or who is having the issue with each other but it really is a bummer for the kids.

a few things could be going into it
1. Does the other league provide security or deal with bad parents more effectively?
2. Most leagues have an assigor fee, so that's money that comes off the top of the ref's pay. Maybe one league is less or the other is very expensive, so the refs are looking for the increase to offset the fee?
3. Are all umps trained the same? Here some leagues are certified by USA hockey, so you are getting screened refs all calling the same rules. Others are not and you may be working with guys who they "brought in off the street" and it makes the games harder on the ref to call.
4. Have training, certification or registration costs gone up? I know I put in about $150/season to register, plus various background check fees and about 10-12 hours of un paid testing and seminar time each season. at an average of $60 for an hour an half game, that's a few hundred $$ of time I'm not getting compinsated for.
5. Do they need to buy their own gear or different equipment for the one league? Are they looking to offset that?

Again, just spitballing, but there could be behind the scenes reasoning. That said, it should have been ironed out well before the season.

 

[Chadstroma]

DAuym...$90- $100+ per game for HS Baseball??? I only make low $ 70s to referee (high $50's to line) a HS ice hockey game. And no offense to baseball people, but we are skating all game, dodging pucks and bodies and breaking up fights...and dealing with the same angry parents.

How long is the average HS baseball game?

the average game is probably a little over 2 hrs.

Yes, the umps are being way greedy here. In fact they lost all sympathy when they said they would ump a different league in our area for the $92 rate but won't ump the league games of our 16 schools. So it isn't about the money it has become personal. I have no idea why or who is having the issue with each other but it really is a bummer for the kids.

That is pretty poopy.

 

[Gally]

a few things could be going into it
1. Does the other league provide security or deal with bad parents more effectively?
2. Most leagues have an assigor fee, so that's money that comes off the top of the ref's pay. Maybe one league is less or the other is very expensive, so the refs are looking for the increase to offset the fee?
3. Are all umps trained the same? Here some leagues are certified by USA hockey, so you are getting screened refs all calling the same rules. Others are not and you may be working with guys who they "brought in off the street" and it makes the games harder on the ref to call.
4. Have training, certification or registration costs gone up? I know I put in about $150/season to register, plus various background check fees and about 10-12 hours of un paid testing and seminar time each season. at an average of $60 for an hour an half game, that's a few hundred $$ of time I'm not getting compinsated for.
5. Do they need to buy their own gear or different equipment for the one league? Are they looking to offset that?

Again, just spitballing, but there could be behind the scenes reasoning. That said, it should have been ironed out well before the season.

1. Doubtful. All the area HS's are fairly similar in their field set ups and field monitoring (teachers/administration/etc). I have gone to games at these different leagues over the years and nothing is overtly different to be noticeable. I have also coached at the HS level for 15 years in this area and haven't seen anything different in the penalties for unruly coaches/parents

2. I have no idea about this however this is one umpire association that is "striking". They have about 30 officials. The rates are set by the state administraction (CIF) for the various sections. Our leagues are in the Central Section whose rate scale is less than the Southern Section. Our leagues agreed to pay the officials the Southern section rates which are the highest in the state. If the umpire association takes fees for the assignor from the umps then that is on the umpire association as that is all done through them.

3. Yes. All umps need to be CIF certified. It is the same for all umps that umpire league games for the state.

4. I have no idea but all the other area baseball officials are abiding by the CIF rate structure without issue.

5. All the equipment is the same regardless of league. I assume that the individual umps purchase their own gear but that hasn't changed as far as I know.


The behind the scenes reasoning is someone in the umpire assoication is sticking it to these 16 schools for some reason. It has gotten personal.

 

[The Z Machine]

The behind the scenes reasoning is someone in the umpire assoication is sticking it to these 16 schools for some reason. It has gotten personal.

Sure seems that way. Any idea on how to put collective pressure on either side to break the impass?