Pay-to-Play Sport at Private HS employing club coach - what's normal?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But what do players actually get from being on a high school team? Cant a really good player just play for a travel team/club? Would he have equal chances for colleges?

For baseball, I don't think there are good options for playing during the primary season if a player is not playing for the school team. So not playing on the school team teams not playing in the spring -- whether the kid just wants to play at this age or is hoping to play in college. (Although if people know of spring baseball options for high schoolers, I would love to hear about them.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But what do players actually get from being on a high school team? Cant a really good player just play for a travel team/club? Would he have equal chances for colleges?

I can only answer this for soccer. Very few if any college coaches attend HS games. I’m sure one showed up at a state championship or regional at some point, but college is focused on club and DA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But what do players actually get from being on a high school team? Cant a really good player just play for a travel team/club? Would he have equal chances for colleges?

For baseball, I don't think there are good options for playing during the primary season if a player is not playing for the school team. So not playing on the school team teams not playing in the spring -- whether the kid just wants to play at this age or is hoping to play in college. (Although if people know of spring baseball options for high schoolers, I would love to hear about them.)

Nope there are a few sports where the high school season is the primary and baseball is one of them. There is no high school spring travel ball.

[Anonymous]

What is the conference’s role in all of this? Don’t HS athletic conferences usually have rules to promote fair play and to protect the student athletes? In this case, with the WCAC, I’d think there might even be some “catholic values” that would come into play, no?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But what do players actually get from being on a high school team? Cant a really good player just play for a travel team/club? Would he have equal chances for colleges?

I can only answer this for soccer. Very few if any college coaches attend HS games. I’m sure one showed up at a state championship or regional at some point, but college is focused on club and DA.

High school sports have a greater purpose than simply identifying what D1 program you want for your child. Building community and learning to be a team member--and play for something bigger than your own success are important life lessons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But what do players actually get from being on a high school team? Cant a really good player just play for a travel team/club? Would he have equal chances for colleges?

I can only answer this for soccer. Very few if any college coaches attend HS games. I’m sure one showed up at a state championship or regional at some point, but college is focused on club and DA.

High school sports have a greater purpose than simply identifying what D1 program you want for your child. Building community and learning to be a team member--and play for something bigger than your own success are important life lessons.

100% agree with the PP above. And with the reality that no college recruiting really occurs through HS programs for soccer, it makes the idea of pay-to-play even more ridiculous. You are paying to play for what exactly? It ruins the HS experience for the players that don't pay, and for the players that do pay, well they are being duped and extorted. Actually, it ruins the experience for all the players, because who wants to be on a team divided up like that. And for schools like SJC that rely on alumni and family networks, it is really worth alienating so many people to enrich a few coaches?

[Anonymous]

Check out this thread for a bit more info on the makeup of a couple of local D1 college soccer teams:

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/827961.page

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is this Bishop O'Connell and baseball?

Bishop O'Connell is not a DC private and baseball is not a Fall sport.

And O'Connell's baseball coach doesn't have a travel program.

He also does a great job with O'Connell's program.

SJC lost a very good pitcher and student to them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But what do players actually get from being on a high school team? Cant a really good player just play for a travel team/club? Would he have equal chances for colleges?

I can only answer this for soccer. Very few if any college coaches attend HS games. I’m sure one showed up at a state championship or regional at some point, but college is focused on club and DA.

High school sports have a greater purpose than simply identifying what D1 program you want for your child. Building community and learning to be a team member--and play for something bigger than your own success are important life lessons.

100% agree with the PP above. And with the reality that no college recruiting really occurs through HS programs for soccer, it makes the idea of pay-to-play even more ridiculous. You are paying to play for what exactly? It ruins the HS experience for the players that don't pay, and for the players that do pay, well they are being duped and extorted. Actually, it ruins the experience for all the players, because who wants to be on a team divided up like that. And for schools like SJC that rely on alumni and family networks, it is really worth alienating so many people to enrich a few coaches?

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is very common in swimming as well. At both clubs my kid swam, coaches only promoted those who also swam on their side gigs like summer leagues, clinics, took private lessons. I guess all sorts are money making machines now. It is very hard to find training environment where promotion is always directly related to performance.

My two daughters swim and I find it hard to believe any coach is "promoting" kids with inferior times.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is this Bishop O'Connell and baseball?

Bishop O'Connell is not a DC private and baseball is not a Fall sport.

And O'Connell's baseball coach doesn't have a travel program.

He also does a great job with O'Connell's program.

SJC lost a very good pitcher and student to them.

The difference between SJC baseball and O’Connell baseball - a coach who is in it for himself vs. a coach who is in it for the players.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you're going to have your kids play team sports, then STFU. You should not be complaining. In team sports, coaches have all the powers and can decide who can play and who can sit on the bench. Coaches's decisions can not be challenged.

If you or your kids don't want to be put into that situation, play individual sports like tennis, golf, swimming or squash. The best players get to start and they settle this through match play. Those with the best record during the trial out will be starters. DS played varsity tennis for Flint Hill last year and the top player on the team was an absolute a hole but the coach couldn't do anything about it because he earned his top spot on the team by beating everyone.

You're delusional. What is being described at SJC is kids not being allowed to play on the school baseball team because they won't pay the coaches' private travel program in the offseason. These are kids who are already paying $20K per year to go to SJC. Do you really not see a problem with that?

It's a "team" sport. Coaches have control over who can and can not play. Your kid may look good to one coach but not to any coach because your kid does not "fit" into his system and there is nothing you can do about it.

If you don't like it, have your kid play individual sports. That way it takes the control away from coaches.

This is not about "fitting" into a system or one coach thinking a player is not as good as another coach may believe. What's going on with SJC Baseball is kids not being allowed to play simply because they won't pay the coach on the side. These are some of the top ranked players in the country, one was first team all-met as a freshman. They are not marginal players who might not "fit" into a system. smfh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you're going to have your kids play team sports, then STFU. You should not be complaining. In team sports, coaches have all the powers and can decide who can play and who can sit on the bench. Coaches's decisions can not be challenged.

If you or your kids don't want to be put into that situation, play individual sports like tennis, golf, swimming or squash. The best players get to start and they settle this through match play. Those with the best record during the trial out will be starters. DS played varsity tennis for Flint Hill last year and the top player on the team was an absolute a hole but the coach couldn't do anything about it because he earned his top spot on the team by beating everyone.

You're delusional. What is being described at SJC is kids not being allowed to play on the school baseball team because they won't pay the coaches' private travel program in the offseason. These are kids who are already paying $20K per year to go to SJC. Do you really not see a problem with that?

It's a "team" sport. Coaches have control over who can and can not play. Your kid may look good to one coach but not to any coach because your kid does not "fit" into his system and there is nothing you can do about it.

If you don't like it, have your kid play individual sports. That way it takes the control away from coaches.

This is not about "fitting" into a system or one coach thinking a player is not as good as another coach may believe. What's going on with SJC Baseball is kids not being allowed to play simply because they won't pay the coach on the side. These are some of the top ranked players in the country, one was first team all-met as a freshman. They are not marginal players who might not "fit" into a system. smfh.

This is also happening with SJC Soccer.

[Anonymous]

How does it work with SJC soccer? Does he have a program that is not club (e.g., Bethesda Soccer Club, Stoddert, Arlington)-based?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you're going to have your kids play team sports, then STFU. You should not be complaining. In team sports, coaches have all the powers and can decide who can play and who can sit on the bench. Coaches's decisions can not be challenged.

If you or your kids don't want to be put into that situation, play individual sports like tennis, golf, swimming or squash. The best players get to start and they settle this through match play. Those with the best record during the trial out will be starters. DS played varsity tennis for Flint Hill last year and the top player on the team was an absolute a hole but the coach couldn't do anything about it because he earned his top spot on the team by beating everyone.

You're delusional. What is being described at SJC is kids not being allowed to play on the school baseball team because they won't pay the coaches' private travel program in the offseason. These are kids who are already paying $20K per year to go to SJC. Do you really not see a problem with that?

It's a "team" sport. Coaches have control over who can and can not play. Your kid may look good to one coach but not to any coach because your kid does not "fit" into his system and there is nothing you can do about it.

If you don't like it, have your kid play individual sports. That way it takes the control away from coaches.

This is not about "fitting" into a system or one coach thinking a player is not as good as another coach may believe. What's going on with SJC Baseball is kids not being allowed to play simply because they won't pay the coach on the side. These are some of the top ranked players in the country, one was first team all-met as a freshman. They are not marginal players who might not "fit" into a system. smfh.

This is also happening with SJC Soccer.

OP and others described a situation (presumably SJC soccer) where those who didn't pay to be part of coach's club program didn't start/got less playing time for the school team. Still a problem but seems to be different than SJC baseball where players who didn't pay the coach were banned from the program. These are kids who are being forced to transfer to other schools if they want to play high school baseball. Love to hear from the Board/head of school how they can support this.