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tn3sport
28 Posts |
 Posted - 02/24/2010 : 09:58:49
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Do Georgia middle schools allow a school ball player to also participate on a travel team during the ball season?
In Tennessee, the rules are very clear and do not allow a player on a middleschool team to play officiated travel team games or scrimmages during the school ball season. Basically, the kids are forced to choose "travel" ball or "school" ball. In some cases the kids choose to play travel ball which can weaken their school programs and in some cases, the kids choose to play for their school which delays the kickoff of travel ball until May. So, you might see weaker travel ball teams in late February through the beginning of May that add some talent and get very good in May through July.
Just curious if the Georgia system operates under the same type governance. |
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bballman
1432 Posts |
Posted - 02/24/2010 : 12:24:32
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| In Georgia, middle school teams are relatively new. And what they are is more of an unofficial middle school team. Some of them are more like travel teams put together with only kids who live in the school district. To my knowledge, there are no limitations regarding playing on a travel team as well. |
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12uCoach
357 Posts |
Posted - 02/24/2010 : 12:24:40
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Georgia High School Association (ghsa.net) DOES NOT COVER MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS, except when an 8th grader plays on the "sub-varsity" of the local high school.
Any rules governing feeder teams come from egomaniac High School teachers who think they can coach. |
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teddy41
421 Posts |
Posted - 02/24/2010 : 12:56:15
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| there would be no school ball if they did that |
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tn3sport
28 Posts |
Posted - 02/24/2010 : 14:46:09
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quote:
Originally posted by teddy41
there would be no school ball if they did that
What we are seeing in TN is that many of the kids prefer to represent their schools over travel ball. Which is a good thing to a traditionalist like myself. School ball is a pretty big deal to 6, 7, an 8th graders. Some of the middle schools are reporting over 100 kids at their tryouts. After the school ball season ends in early May, many join their travel ball teams.
The idea behind the rule actually makes sense as the school games are on weekdays and travel ball is almost exclusively weekends. The rule is designed to protect young pitchers from being used by a MS coach during the week and a travel coach on the weekends of the same week. But, the rule does apply across all sports in TN and that's where there is a little controversy.
At any rate, do most kids in GA play both school ball and travel ball at the same time? Or is the preference to just stick with a travel team? |
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jongamefan
218 Posts |
Posted - 02/24/2010 : 14:56:28
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None restrictions in Georgia on middle schoolers playing travel or school or combination of both
Maybe there are states who have this restriction but to my mind that is a joke as these are early teen kids
I have judged that the middle school teams around northern Atlanta area
are either true middle school teams such as a specific private school and no one would think of betraying them for personal outside glory ; or the team is a combination of schools within a high school district that usually is low on talent as the strong players elect to play the more competitive travel level , It feeds on itself this way and never improves for the school team.
With these middle school teams it would be so important to my mind to keep the parent coaches out of the dugouts its time the students make it or break it on their own just like in school that means no favors from the parent coaches if its a school affiliated team : can dad come to your class and change your bad science test grade or maybe give you easier questions on the test ? I dont think so. |
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Alter-Ego
802 Posts |
Posted - 02/24/2010 : 16:22:28
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th3sport,
I moved down here from TN 5 years ago, and I can say that it is significantly different down here, in relation to middle school ball, than in TN. In TN, the middle schools actually organize and field teams as part of the school system. As was said, above, mainly only the private schools down here have school organized middle school teams. The teams associated with any public school, down here, is independent of the school and is more of a "Feeder team" concept where someone talks a bunch of 7th and 8th graders from the same school into being on the same team to get exposure to the HS coaches.
To 12UCoach,
Jeff, is there a HS rule that keeps HS JV or Varsity players from practicing and/or playing with a travel team during the HS season, in GA like there is in AL?
This is typically not done, but I was not sure if there was actually a "Rule" that governed this. |
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mechanicsplus
64 Posts |
Posted - 02/24/2010 : 16:57:05
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Do Georgia middle schools allow a school ball player to also participate on a travel team during the ball season? (QUOTE):
I'm a little beyond this age group so may be wrong when I say there aren't any true Middle-School teams (See Bball remarks) here except at Private School (K-12). There Most of them allow 8th graders (generally 13U)to tryout for and play on the "Freshman" team (comprised of 8th and 9th graders).
At the Private I'm most familiar with; the 8th graders are allowed to play for a Travel team that they have already committed to. There are some "buts" .... if a pitcher; they can't pitch for their Travel team at all, and 1st priority for games and practice is always with the School Team. No travel ball after 8th grade is allowed during the H.S. Season. The Summer following their Junior season, they are again permitted to go play Travel if they diesire f exposure for College recruitment.
Those designs aren't mandated, aren't universal and are pretty much left up to the discretion of the AD & Head Coach based on how they want to run their school program. The player doesn't have to adhere to it UNLESS he wishes to someday play on the Varsity High School Squad! |
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C. MORTON
1051 Posts |
Posted - 02/24/2010 : 17:22:35
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| Yes they do..Most travel teams in Ga know that kids play both but middle school comes first..Middle school ball is over by April in most cases and is played mainly during the week. Some kids don't play middle school ball because of the weak talent pools in some school districts.. |
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knoxfan
7 Posts |
Posted - 02/25/2010 : 09:32:28
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| I'm not sure what part of tennessee tn3sport is referring to, but in Knoxville there are no rules that say if you play for a middle school team you can't play for a traveling team. in fact middle school baseball isn't recinized as a school sport like football and basketball. It is left up to each schools coach to make the decision if his players put middle school infront of travel ball. Personaaly i would like for Middle school teams to play all the games during the week and not play on weekends so we could start our travel ball team sooner. I have players on 6 differant team which makes it impossible to even get together and practice. |
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tn3sport
28 Posts |
Posted - 02/25/2010 : 11:06:57
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Its a state sanction, not a city or regional sanction.
Any school under TSSAA (which is actually TMSAA for middle schools) is under this ruling in TN. Note: There are some schools that choose not to be under this governance. Just like academia, local districts have their own interpretation of state rules and guidelines... If Knox Co. has removed BB from their school sanctioning, that would be a reason. I wish Chattanooga would do that...
Just to be clear, the ruling doesn't prohibit a player from being on both a travel team and school team at the same time. However, the rules do make any player ineligible for the school team if they participate in an officiated scrimmage or game that is not part of the school team during the official dates of the school sport season.
Basically, the player can practice with both teams and even be on both rosters, but should not play games or scrimmages for the non school team until the season ends. So, it effectively forces many youths to choose either school ball or travel ball in March and April.
Not a huge issue, but it does post-pone the start date of travel ball for many players in TN until May.
BTW, other rules sanctioned under TMSAA are no bat lighter than drop -3. That's big bat for some 6th and 7th graders. Also, pitching/bases of 60/90 instead of 50/70 that many this age see in travel ball.
As pointed out by someone earlier, some MS coaches enforce the rules for their benefit. Some don't.
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knoxfan
7 Posts |
Posted - 02/25/2010 : 12:53:46
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| Thanks tn3sport for the ruling....i agree the drop -3 and the 60/90 is a little difficult for 6th and 7th graders the play 12-under.. my son pitches for my travel team , when the middle school coach asked if he could pitch for the varsity i said "yes if you have a cut off man between pitchers mound and home plate. |
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Four Seam
28 Posts |
Posted - 02/25/2010 : 13:39:16
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| It should be interesting to see if the 13U team out of Chattanooga shuts it down during middle school ball. They played last weekend, and I believe they are playing this weekend as well. If they don't, I'm sure it will be reported. |
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C. MORTON
1051 Posts |
Posted - 02/25/2010 : 13:54:44
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quote:
Originally posted by bballman
In Georgia, middle school teams are relatively new. And what they are is more of an unofficial middle school team. Some of them are more like travel teams put together with only kids who live in the school district. To my knowledge, there are no limitations regarding playing on a travel team as well.
Middle School baseball in the North Georgia area isn't anything like that.And they are official, they have players that play both.
I notice more travel ball played in Knox and Nash..but not Chattanooga, Maybe its just a Chattanooga thing.. |
Edited by - C. MORTON on 02/25/2010 18:33:30 |
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12uCoach
357 Posts |
Posted - 02/25/2010 : 15:13:39
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quote:
Originally posted by Alter-Ego
th3sport,
I moved down here from TN 5 years ago, and I can say that it is significantly different down here, in relation to middle school ball, than in TN. In TN, the middle schools actually organize and field teams as part of the school system. As was said, above, mainly only the private schools down here have school organized middle school teams. The teams associated with any public school, down here, is independent of the school and is more of a "Feeder team" concept where someone talks a bunch of 7th and 8th graders from the same school into being on the same team to get exposure to the HS coaches.
To 12UCoach,
Jeff, is there a HS rule that keeps HS JV or Varsity players from practicing and/or playing with a travel team during the HS season, in GA like there is in AL?
This is typically not done, but I was not sure if there was actually a "Rule" that governed this.
There is no rule against it, but in the only time I 100% agree with most Varsity coaches, for the 90 days that is the Varsity season you play Varsity ball ONLY.
Very few JV coaches will look the other way with 14U JV 9th graders.
Most 15U teams don't start play until Mothers Day weekend (end of Varsity regular season).
Many honorable 15U and above coaches I know don't want you at travel practice until done with School Ball.
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naders baseball
12 Posts |
Posted - 02/25/2010 : 16:01:13
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quote:
Originally posted by Four Seam
It should be interesting to see if the 13U team out of Chattanooga shuts it down during middle school ball. They played last weekend, and I believe they are playing this weekend as well. If they don't, I'm sure it will be reported.
I am sure you are talking about the Tennessee Tornados and yes we are shutting it down after this weekend before rosters come out. But 8 of the boys go to private schools and all but one other are from Ga so we technically could play without that one player, I know McCallie has ok'd them to play. |
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Seam Splitter
48 Posts |
Posted - 02/25/2010 : 17:32:10
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| Yes, the Tornados will be backing off tournament play every weekend during the MS season. But keep in mind that the team in headquartered from Ringgold GEORGIA & alot of the kids on that team live and go to school in GA. |
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Four Seam
28 Posts |
Posted - 02/26/2010 : 01:17:20
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| Actually that wasn't the team I was talking about, I am talking about the team from Chattanooga with a lot of kids from the Cleveland area, (maybe they are 14u) but you bring up a good point. Are the private schools in Tennessee members of the Tennessee High school Association, or do they have their own oranization? |
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Topic |
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Do GA schools rules allow Travel ball?
