Shame on Arlington County HS Volleyball Coaches

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reason is to let more kids in HS play. Some schools in VA did not have enough players to field a JV team. Before this VHSL exception for 8th graders, they'd have to elimitate the entire JV team in that case- which results in fewer HS players playing since they had no team to play on if Varsity was full. Allowing an 8th grader or 2 to fill the gaps lets more HS players play. NOW it's being used as a recuriting pipeline/win at all costs so fewer HS students are playing b/c they were displaced by a middle schooler.

VHSL could have stated in the rules that "NO MS should be on the team unless there are not enough HS players on the JV team". But it does NOT, so it must thinks that some 8th graders can compete with HS kids.

That's why parents need to contact the VHSL board and explain how the rule is being used as a loophole. A link to the members was posted a few pages back.

Good luck with that. I know several people from McLean HS contacted the VHSL board back in 2015 about this rule, and nothing was done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reason is to let more kids in HS play. Some schools in VA did not have enough players to field a JV team. Before this VHSL exception for 8th graders, they'd have to elimitate the entire JV team in that case- which results in fewer HS players playing since they had no team to play on if Varsity was full. Allowing an 8th grader or 2 to fill the gaps lets more HS players play. NOW it's being used as a recuriting pipeline/win at all costs so fewer HS students are playing b/c they were displaced by a middle schooler.

VHSL could have stated in the rules that "NO MS should be on the team unless there are not enough HS players on the JV team". But it does NOT, so it must thinks that some 8th graders can compete with HS kids.

That's why parents need to contact the VHSL board and explain how the rule is being used as a loophole. A link to the members was posted a few pages back.

Good luck with that. I know several people from McLean HS contacted the VHSL board back in 2015 about this rule, and nothing was done.

So no one else should try? Poor attitude. That's not how change is made.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reason is to let more kids in HS play. Some schools in VA did not have enough players to field a JV team. Before this VHSL exception for 8th graders, they'd have to elimitate the entire JV team in that case- which results in fewer HS players playing since they had no team to play on if Varsity was full. Allowing an 8th grader or 2 to fill the gaps lets more HS players play. NOW it's being used as a recuriting pipeline/win at all costs so fewer HS students are playing b/c they were displaced by a middle schooler.

VHSL could have stated in the rules that "NO MS should be on the team unless there are not enough HS players on the JV team". But it does NOT, so it must thinks that some 8th graders can compete with HS kids.

That's why parents need to contact the VHSL board and explain how the rule is being used as a loophole. A link to the members was posted a few pages back.

Good luck with that. I know several people from McLean HS contacted the VHSL board back in 2015 about this rule, and nothing was done.

So no one else should try? Poor attitude. That's not how change is made.

I am not saying that no one should try. It would take money and time to challenge VHSL in court to possibly get it done. Folks in McLean had the resources, and they couldn't get it done in 2015 (I don't know how far they went), so it is very telling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. shame on them for following the rules as stipulated.

Don't like the rules. Talk to the APS School Board. Otherwise, I'm sorry our daughter wasn't good enough. That is life.

Yeah, the ire at the coaches seems misplaced. The coaches are charged with fielding a team, and of course they want the best team possible.

They don’t need to field the best team at a public HS. That’s what club is for. The teams at the HS level are supposed to be for the benefit of the students enrolled at the school. This isn’t private school where school championships matter all that much. People go to the public that they are zoned for and that’s that. In fact, I’d argue that 8th graders put on Varsity teams are more likely to leave to attend private.

That's right there is the problem. If coaches do not need to field the best team at a public HS, how do you feel if they cut the your kid and take another kid but your kid is clearer better?

VHSL rules are there for a reason. Coaches have follow those rules. Talk to the APS School Board to have the rules change if you don't agree with the rules.

The reason is to let more kids in HS play. Some schools in VA did not have enough players to field a JV team. Before this VHSL exception for 8th graders, they'd have to elimitate the entire JV team in that case- which results in fewer HS players playing since they had no team to play on if Varsity was full. Allowing an 8th grader or 2 to fill the gaps lets more HS players play. NOW it's being used as a recuriting pipeline/win at all costs so fewer HS students are playing b/c they were displaced by a middle schooler.

This is all your opinion. It's just as likely that another reason for the rule is to allow talented 8th graders to play the sport when it's unavailable at their MS.

[Anonymous]

they want the best team possible

they should want what's best for the school as a community

[Anonymous]

Those of you who -only- value winning, and whatever it takes, are missing-out on some wonderful aspects of team sports and camaraderie.

It's high school. These are high schoolers. Let high school be for high schoolers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If a HS volleyball coach in APS is putting 8th graders on their HS team and cutting return players from 9th-10th who actually attend to the school (and who played for the HS team previously) there’s some kind of club-politics/nepotism bias happening bc that’s just sh!tty. And it sounds like this is what happened.

Yes and the way for parents to complain is to come up with an equity angle to their complaint - this is APS after all

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For putting multiple 8th graders on Arlington County high school JV teams (not even freshman teams!) and bumping hardworking sophomores/juniors who now can’t play for their *actual* school.

13-year-olds shouldn’t be on a high school JV team when there are only 12 spots.

And shame on the coaches for enabling this.

ITA. This is when many Sophomore/Junior players start recruiting and the JV high school coaches should have used more common sense.

Do many juniors who play JV and are worse than 8th graders get recruited? This is a surprise to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Yes, it can be done in FCPS. An 8th grader can actually participate in a HS varsity sport if he/she is qualified, and that sport does not exist at the MS where he/she attends. I asked about this when my DS was an 8th grader at Longfellow MS and was informed by the HS AD that it was allowed.

I know some people who would try to do this and the parents and their children would be shunned.

shunned because?

Because they aren’t part of the community. Having 8th graders on a HS team ruins the experience for other team members.

Complete nonsense. Maybe other members need to get better to avoid embarrassment that an 8th grader is better than they are.

Coaches do not always take the "best" players. Some coaches may fill their roster by position (i.e. only 2 liberos). Some coaches might take really tall players (even if they have marginal experience). Some coaches might take players with the best attitude. Some coaches might take players that they know are associated with a particular club team. Herein lies the problem...how is one to know that an 8th grader, who has taken a roster spot from an actual student at the school, is truly "better" than that actual student at the school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Yes, it can be done in FCPS. An 8th grader can actually participate in a HS varsity sport if he/she is qualified, and that sport does not exist at the MS where he/she attends. I asked about this when my DS was an 8th grader at Longfellow MS and was informed by the HS AD that it was allowed.

I know some people who would try to do this and the parents and their children would be shunned.

shunned because?

Because they aren’t part of the community. Having 8th graders on a HS team ruins the experience for other team members.

Complete nonsense. Maybe other members need to get better to avoid embarrassment that an 8th grader is better than they are.

Coaches do not always take the "best" players. Some coaches may fill their roster by position (i.e. only 2 liberos). Some coaches might take really tall players (even if they have marginal experience). Some coaches might take players with the best attitude. Some coaches might take players that they know are associated with a particular club team. Herein lies the problem...how is one to know that an 8th grader, who has taken a roster spot from an actual student at the school, is truly "better" than that actual student at the school?

Sorry...my response was intended to respond to the "complete nonsense" post, not to be part of it.

Coaches do not always take the "best" players. Some coaches may fill their roster by position (i.e. only 2 liberos). Some coaches might take really tall players (even if they have marginal experience). Some coaches might take players with the best attitude. Some coaches might take players that they know are associated with a particular club team. Herein lies the problem...how is one to know that an 8th grader, who has taken a roster spot from an actual student at the school, is truly "better" than that actual student at the school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry...my response was intended to respond to the "complete nonsense" post, not to be part of it.

Coaches do not always take the "best" players. Some coaches may fill their roster by position (i.e. only 2 liberos). Some coaches might take really tall players (even if they have marginal experience). Some coaches might take players with the best attitude. Some coaches might take players that they know are associated with a particular club team. Herein lies the problem...how is one to know that an 8th grader, who has taken a roster spot from an actual student at the school, is truly "better" than that actual student at the school?

I have issues with the above statement. How would you feel if your kid who participated in the swimming tryout had the best qualifying time in the trial, only to be told that "Coaches do not always take the "best" players. Some coaches may fill their roster by position (i.e. only 2 liberos). Some coaches might take really tall players (even if they have marginal experience)."

Another complete nonsense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Yes, it can be done in FCPS. An 8th grader can actually participate in a HS varsity sport if he/she is qualified, and that sport does not exist at the MS where he/she attends. I asked about this when my DS was an 8th grader at Longfellow MS and was informed by the HS AD that it was allowed.

I know some people who would try to do this and the parents and their children would be shunned.

shunned because?

Because they aren’t part of the community. Having 8th graders on a HS team ruins the experience for other team members.

Complete nonsense. Maybe other members need to get better to avoid embarrassment that an 8th grader is better than they are.

Coaches do not always take the "best" players. Some coaches may fill their roster by position (i.e. only 2 liberos). Some coaches might take really tall players (even if they have marginal experience). Some coaches might take players with the best attitude. Some coaches might take players that they know are associated with a particular club team. Herein lies the problem...how is one to know that an 8th grader, who has taken a roster spot from an actual student at the school, is truly "better" than that actual student at the school?

Sorry...my response was intended to respond to the "complete nonsense" post, not to be part of it.

Coaches do not always take the "best" players. Some coaches may fill their roster by position (i.e. only 2 liberos). Some coaches might take really tall players (even if they have marginal experience). Some coaches might take players with the best attitude. Some coaches might take players that they know are associated with a particular club team. Herein lies the problem...how is one to know that an 8th grader, who has taken a roster spot from an actual student at the school, is truly "better" than that actual student at the school?


If a public school coach (i.e. public school employee) has a financial interest in that club, it sounds like official corruption. I would love to see one of these litigious Arlington parents take that approach

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry...my response was intended to respond to the "complete nonsense" post, not to be part of it.

Coaches do not always take the "best" players. Some coaches may fill their roster by position (i.e. only 2 liberos). Some coaches might take really tall players (even if they have marginal experience). Some coaches might take players with the best attitude. Some coaches might take players that they know are associated with a particular club team. Herein lies the problem...how is one to know that an 8th grader, who has taken a roster spot from an actual student at the school, is truly "better" than that actual student at the school?

I have issues with the above statement. How would you feel if your kid who participated in the swimming tryout had the best qualifying time in the trial, only to be told that "Coaches do not always take the "best" players. Some coaches may fill their roster by position (i.e. only 2 liberos). Some coaches might take really tall players (even if they have marginal experience)."

Another complete nonsense.

NP here. You think the HS kids who got cut were the "best" at tryouts? That indeed wouldn't be fair and if there's favoritism for club player then that's really wrong. But you can't say volleyball coaches don't consider many factors when picking a team. One player may be tall and good defensively. Another very quick. Another strategic. Another may have a killer serve. Those factors are all reasonable.

Swim isn't the best comparison, but it's not that different than summer swim where a coach may shuffle kids around to make they have the best chance of scoring points. I had a kid with a #5 freestyle time who often ended up in A meets because swimmers above her on the ladder were swimming other events. Other weeks kids lower on the ladder in other strokes would make the A meet because they needed the faster kids in freestyle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP here. You think the HS kids who got cut were the "best" at tryouts? That indeed wouldn't be fair and if there's favoritism for club player then that's really wrong. But you can't say volleyball coaches don't consider many factors when picking a team. One player may be tall and good defensively. Another very quick. Another strategic. Another may have a killer serve. Those factors are all reasonable.

Swim isn't the best comparison, but it's not that different than summer swim where a coach may shuffle kids around to make they have the best chance of scoring points. I had a kid with a #5 freestyle time who often ended up in A meets because swimmers above her on the ladder were swimming other events. Other weeks kids lower on the ladder in other strokes would make the A meet because they needed the faster kids in freestyle.

Whatever the volleyball coach decides to do, it MUST be in compliance with VHSL rules, NOT what you or I think it should be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Those of you who -only- value winning, and whatever it takes, are missing-out on some wonderful aspects of team sports and camaraderie.

It's high school. These are high schoolers. Let high school be for high schoolers.

JV teams with 8th graders would miss out on the undefined "wonderful aspects of team sports and camaraderie?