Another TSSAA rule that should be changed

[Julio Rodriguez]

Give me some scenarios as to why we would see 8th graders playing in High School varsity sports. I want to try and think about this logically. Here are some that I am thinking of now.

 

1. 8th grader goes to high school/jr high and he is relied upon to have enough to field a team.

2. 8th grader is a great athlete and can contribute reagardless of numbers on the roster.

3. 8th grader wants to play because there is not a program offered on the jr. high level.

Anymore scenarios?

 

So far, I have come up with this.

On scenario # 1, I would see this being one of two reasons that the rule was put in place. There are extremely small schools around the state and while they may have good numbers in the major sports like football, baseball, basketball, maybe they don't have so good of numbers in tennis, and they need help from there middle school. Safety would be my only question.

On scenario # 2, this is the only scenario that send a red flag to me. How many 8th graders out there can actually contribute to a team? Pretty good athlete in my opinion, or the school's team must not be to advanced. Either way, it gives the kid somewhat of advantage down the road.

On scenario # 3, I especially see nothing wrong with that. Anything to help keep our kids out of trouble is good in my book. Winning is great and losing, well isn't so great, but let's remember what sports should be about in my opinion. Exercise, Learning Life's Lessons, Extra Curricular Activities, amonst other good reasons are the main things and anything else, like winning, is a bonus.

 

Looking for more scenarios before I can voice my opinion.

[zonepirate]

I may be wrong but I belive two 8th graders won state championships last year in wrestling. One at Baylor and one at McCallie. McCallie had another 8th grader that finished 4th.

 

 

This was somewhat of a 8th graders playing is an advantage for private schools thread. Since they are both DII the only disadvantage would be to other large privates who can do the same thing not to any public schools

[jvaughan]

An 8th grader can not play Jr High/Middle School and High School at the same time. Once they move up to high school they are not allowed to play down. At Greenfield (where I went) the Jr High basketball season is over at christmas. After that, 8th graders move up. It is isn't so much being under one roof as it is being one school. Greenfield for instance is just Greenfield School, not a seperate elementary, jr high, and high school. Until our new high school building got added on a few years ago, we were not under the same roof, but across the street. We dressed out for varsity games but rarely played and played with the JV team. To my knowledge no football players ever moved up and played.

 

An 8th grader from around here that contributed to her high school team is Crystal Eason from Scotts Hill. She made the All-District team that year and might have been the MVP not 100% sure though. That would have been back in 2000 or so.

 

And 7th graders can (Or at least could back when I was in 7th grade) play high school non contact sports such as golf and tennis.

[westtnman]

An 8th grader can not play Jr High/Middle School and High School at the same time. Once they move up to high school they are not allowed to play down. At Greenfield (where I went) the Jr High basketball season is over at christmas. After that, 8th graders move up. It is isn't so much being under one roof as it is being one school. Greenfield for instance is just Greenfield School, not a seperate elementary, jr high, and high school. Until our new high school building got added on a few years ago, we were not under the same roof, but across the street. We dressed out for varsity games but rarely played and played with the JV team. To my knowledge no football players ever moved up and played.

 

An 8th grader from around here that contributed to her high school team is Crystal Eason from Scotts Hill. She made the All-District team that year and might have been the MVP not 100% sure though. That would have been back in 2000 or so.

 

And 7th graders can (Or at least could back when I was in 7th grade) play high school non contact sports such as golf and tennis.

 

 

 

Being from Greenfield, you will remember over the years many Bradford players that played in the 8th grade (Tuggles, Swindell, Henson, Street). I can remember back in late 70's, Debbie Joyner from Trezevant and Galloway girl from Yorkville carrying their teams in 8th grade if I am not mistaken. There was also a Frost girl at Medina that we all thought played at least 8 years before she was done, although I am sure it was only 5 (I have definitely just dated myself and memory could be one of the multiple things that are going ! ) Every situation that I can think of with an 8th grader is usually on the girls team and from small public schools that are in the same situation as Greenfield.

[croz6110]

Friendship Christian has a running back right now who played on the high school level as an 8th grader.

However, he couldn't do that til the jr. high season was over.

I watched him play against our jr. high team that year and dominate.

Then, I watched him play against our high school team in the playoffs, and he got walloped by our hardest hitter.

And, he had to be helped off.

The only problem I see with the rule is their is too big of a chance at the kids getting hurt.

An eighth grader getting hit by an all-state caliber linebacker is not a good situation.

I know of too many people who have aches and pains from just playing four years of high school football. I'm one of them.

5 years of high school football can really put arthritis and other joint pain on the fast track.

Too big of a chance of a life altering injury on an 8th grader in my opinion.

[fiftyfifty]

I think that the public schools would be the one's hurt the most by a rule change. I think the impact of eighth graders is so small that it is barely worthly of discussion. In the Catholic school system in Nashville and the surrounding area of Middle Tennessee, no Catholic high school has any middle school on its campus other than St Cecilia an all girls school. So there is no impact whatsoever on sports. Obviously St Cecilia has not realized any advantage in their situation. I realize that this may not be the case in other areas of the state with Catholic high schools, but for the most part, it is. But for the small public schools, an eighth grader on occasion could help out, if nothing else to fill a space in practice, etc. As for hard contact sports such as football, eighth graders should not be allowed to compete with seventeen and eighteen year old boys in my opinion. The risk of injury is too great and a kid's future athletic endeavors could be cut short before he really even gets started. What would you say to a kid that this happens to? What would be the point of this being allowed to happen at all? It seems that concentrating on a rule in the light of public-private should instead be looked at in the light of safety and concern for all student athletes. /smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

[jvaughan]

Being from Greenfield, you will remember over the years many Bradford players that played in the 8th grade (Tuggles, Swindell, Henson, Street). I can remember back in late 70's, Debbie Joyner from Trezevant and Galloway girl from Yorkville carrying their teams in 8th grade if I am not mistaken. There was also a Frost girl at Medina that we all thought played at least 8 years before she was done, although I am sure it was only 5 (I have definitely just dated myself and memory could be one of the multiple things that are going ! ) Every situation that I can think of with an 8th grader is usually on the girls team and from small public schools that are in the same situation as Greenfield.

 

 

Brandon Shane (Greenfield) played some as an 8th grader but did not do anything like Eason or the girls from Bradford.

 

I think the only thing people are crying foul about is that these kids are getting extra time with their high school program. Which for the most part is only a few months worth in January and February so I don't see it being anything that is that huge of a deal.

[mjgIII]

As for hard contact sports such as football, eighth graders should not be allowed to compete with seventeen and eighteen year old boys in my opinion. The risk of injury is too great and a kid's future athletic endeavors could be cut short before he really even gets started. What would you say to a kid that this happens to? What would be the point of this being allowed to happen at all? It seems that concentrating on a rule in the light of public-private should instead be looked at in the light of safety and concern for all student athletes. /smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

 

What do you do with Baylor 8th grader Zac Watson, 30 something and 0 against HS varsity guys, state champion, voted OW of the tournament. I'm thinking the risk of injury was greater to the seventeen and eighteen year olds. Maybe individual sports should be the exception? I do know that without Watson, Baylor probably doesn't win the individual state title, so 8th graders can make a big difference.

[MVM]

What do you do with Baylor 8th grader Zac Watson, 30 something and 0 against HS varsity guys, state champion, voted OW of the tournament. I'm thinking the risk of injury was greater to the seventeen and eighteen year olds. Maybe individual sports should be the exception? I do know that without Watson, Baylor probably doesn't win the individual state title, so 8th graders can make a big difference.

 

Baylor also had a 8th grade girl last year get quite abit of playing time with the varsity last year.

 

I understand the rule, but the question proposed was is it fair for some schools being able to do it when others can not. If an 8th grader is good enough to make a HS varsity team I think it's a good thing, but either make it ok for all 8th graders to play or make it where no 8th graders can play with HS varsity teams.

 

I'm MVM and I approve this message. /thumb[1].gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumb:" border="0" alt="thumb[1].gif" />

[VolunteerGeneral]

Brandon Shane (Greenfield) played some as an 8th grader but did not do anything like Eason or the girls from Bradford.

 

I think the only thing people are crying foul about is that these kids are getting extra time with their high school program. Which for the most part is only a few months worth in January and February so I don't see it being anything that is that huge of a deal.

 

 

No one is really crying foul on this. But since the main battle cry here on the public private board is trying to get that "level playing field" I brought it up for discussion. Clearly, most 8th graders will never contribute to a high school program. The advantage is not on the front end, but on the back end. While the 8th grader doesn`t contribute much on the front end, he/she does get their feet wet better competition and gets a feel for what it takes to be a high school athlete. They also get extra practice time in that their counterparts at schools who can`t have 8th graders play up don`t have. By the time he is ending his high school career, you basically have what colleges would call a "fifth year senior".

 

But beyond all that, folks get on here and complain about wanting a level playing field so why on earth would you have a rule that would apply for some schools and not others? This one even crosses beyond the public and private debate. Clearly here if Greenfield`s opponents can`t do this then why should they be allowed to do so. It makes no sense if one is trying to somehow establish a level playing field.