Eligible or Not?

[TopGun1]

I was wanting some opinions on a particular topic. OHS freshman Tiffany Smith was penciled in to be the starting SS and a major factor in the offense at OHS. When filling out paperwork it was found out that she played varisty softball games at Middle Tennessee Christian School as an eight grader to help the school field a team, they forfeited some games due to lack of players. Tiffany came to Oakland because her single mom could no longer afford to send her to private school because her older sister was going to college. Tiffany was not recruited because the softball coach was hired two days before school started. She did not even come to tryouts, the day before school, because she was playing summer ball with her Extreme Edge team. According to principal and coaches, it was MTCS hope that she would be able to play this year.Tiffany did not even want to go to Oakland, but was forced to because of financial reasons. She was pleased with just playing summer ball, but has developed a bond with the team this fall. TSSAA is not allowing her to play, so a freshman student going to the school she is zoned to, is crying and has to watch her teammates play without her. Tiffany is a top 10 freshman in the state!!!!!Is this right?

Edited March 22, 2004 by TopGun1

[Antwan]

I was wanting some opinions on a particular topic. OHS freshman Tiffany Smith was penciled in to be the starting SS and a major factor in the offense at OHS. When filling out paperwork it was found out that she played varisty softball games at Middle Tennessee Christian School as an eight grader to help the school field a team, they forfeited some games due to lack of players. Tiffany came to Oakland because her single mom could no longer afford to send her to private school because her older sister was going to college. Tiffany was not recruited because the softball coach was hired two days before school started. She did not even come to tryouts, the day before school, because she was playing summer ball with her Extreme Edge team. According to principal and coaches, it was MTCS hope that she would be able to play this year.Tiffany did not even want to go to Oakland, but was forced to because of financial reasons. She was pleased with just playing summer ball, but has developed a bond with the team this fall. TSSAA is not allowing her to play, so a freshman student going to the school she is zoned to, is crying and has to watch her teammates play without her. Tiffany is a top 10 freshman in the state!!!!!Is this right?

That is unfortunate...but that is what the rule is.

 

The rule reads:

 

"A student who attends a member private, parochial, or public school other than the school to which he or she is zoned and participates in athletics cannot transfer to another school within the territory served by these schools without losing his or her eligilibility for a period of 12 months--even though there is a change of residence. "

 

She will be eligible next year.

[TopGun1]

She was not zoned to a high school, she was in 8th grade!! Had she been a tenth grader at a public school, been unhappy, got a zone exemption to Blackman, Riverdale, or Siegel, she would have been eligible. Instead, mother knows nothing of the rule and gets busted for helping out MTCS, who wants her to be able to play and knew she was going to leave MTCS when she was a 8th grader anyway.

[Guru]

She should have never played any games as an eigth grader. If her mom knew she was not going to be at MTCS. Looks like her mom in trying to help someone else out has messed her own daughter up.

[govolz]

Regretably rules are rules, However on a more positive note, she will still have 3 more years of High School left. Not to mention you said she is doing travel ball in the summer. It sounds as if she is doing the right things...but, made a smallv but costly overlocked mistake. Oakland will suffer from this this year. You do hate to see someone who truley wants to play sidelined. But again rules are rules...How's that old saying; Ignorance of the law is no excuse. Something like that.

[Antwan]

She was not zoned to a high school, she was in 8th grade!! Had she been a tenth grader at a public school, been unhappy, got a zone exemption to Blackman, Riverdale, or Siegel, she would have been eligible. Instead, mother knows nothing of the rule and gets busted for helping out MTCS, who wants her to be able to play and knew she was going to leave MTCS when she was a 8th grader anyway.

If you play as an 8th grader...that counts on your "athletic record". She played at MTCS...so she has to sit if she attends Oakland. That is unfortunate...but the rule is clear.

[mygirl1]

topgun1, it is a very sticky situation, but I am sure Oakland can overcome it and she can practice, and play summer ball so that she can help better the team for the future. This does not say that there have not been exceptions to these rules in the past, but you are just unfortunate in this situation. There have been far too many situations in Rutherford Co. that have allowed people to change schools for unacceptable reasons or use addresses of other relatives in order to play at another school. But this is not a matter of transfer or zone exemption, it is a matter of financial ability, and to punish a child that lives in the zone of the school that she is attending is ridiculous! Rule or no rule there is always an exception, and this is one situatiuon that should be looked into. And if they are going to punish this child, then there should be some investigation into the eligibility of many other children in the state of Tennessee!

Edited March 22, 2004 by mygirl1

[TopGun1]

Tiffany will be eligible on May 8, 2004. Second day of the district tournament. Thanks for comments. I see that not everyone agrees with me. Question: If she was transferring for athletics, what if the school dropped the program? Should she be able to transfer without sitting out a year? According to "a rule is a rule" she would not get to play. Do you think she should have the opportunity to play taken away from her?

[alliegator11]

It's unfortunate that this young lady will not be able to play school ball. Some parents think they can give their kids a head start by allowing them to attend smaller schools which they can. But the problem is if they change schools after being credited with an athletic record, they must sit out 1 whole year. There are several kids in the area that have requested permission to play just like her but if have to establish rules & they are well documented what those rules are.

 

She is in a good program & should still get plenty of quality playing time. Some players have to drop out because of finacial problems whether it be their Freshman year or the Senior year. As a matter of fact, the TSSAA has a long list of athletes every year that fall in the same problem. At least it was caught before playing and costing her future teammates wins by having to forfeit if she had played. And if the parents knew that this might happen, why blame the TSSAA or the rules. It really is a good & fair rule for everyone to follow.

[allsport]

Someone tell me this - what is the difference between Tiffany's situation and the girl at Wilson Central? Nothing - Same situation - but she is legal. How did this happen? Private to public - its the same situation.

[chs4life]

Weak rule, someone needs to look at this since she was not in high school. Looks like she is being punished for being good. Maybe if she moved to Shelbyville she could play. Oh sorry wrong sport.

[Indian]

Difference is she was playing on a high school team even though they allow eighth-graders. If you didn't have rules like this in place it would be crazy with transfers.