Just a fantastic job by the IHSAA deciding whom teenage girls should spend time with on sports teams during the winter and how to define her "life away from her high school" and what it should/should not entail.

I understand the no high school coaching rule. I think that is well thought out and important. In Minnesota, a 10th, JV or Varsity coach cannot coach or instruct (private lesson, clinc etc...) a player that participated in the same high school program as that coach. It is legal for a high school coach to coach players of the same program provided they did not play on the 10th, JV or Varsity team. (7th, 8th or 9th grade team players would all be OK to coach during JO's). This is fair (I understand the inherent danger of Varsity coaches mandating where the kids go play JO's) and extremely useful from a Varsity head coaches' perspective as you can then coach a JO team comprised of the promising 9th graders in your program during the JO season (Trust me, they are never "forced" to play on this team, they happily come to tryouts for a chance to play on Armstrong 15-1's after the 9th grade high school season). It is a critical development tool in my program, and something I will continue to implement in the years to come. Ya know, unless Minnesota and Indiana apply for joint statehood and adopt the ISHAA rules.

Tsalcido wrote:

Let me play devil's advocate for a bit...

Lets say a club has a very close relationship to a HS and while the HS coaches can't coach the HS age girls he/she coaches the lower level. Some may feel that it is in their best interest to play for the club or it may hurt them during the school season.

Karl wrote: Agreed, the HS coach influencing or mandating where a player from his program should go play JO's should be policed. That is uncool. However - my thoughts are the 3 player limit is a wierdo way to do it. Policy should be addressing the innapropriate behaviors of a high school coach, not how many kids can be on a JO team becuase of where they go to high school. Just my $0.02.

Or perhaps that the HS coach may have influence (coaching from the sidelines) on where the girls play, who starts, etc...

Karl wrote: Then this coach needs a reality check. Coaching a team from the sidelines during a JO match is
completely berzerko and more than a bit control freakish. Also, if I were the coach of a JO team, and the HS coach of one of my players was attempting to "influence" who I was starting or where I was playing them, I would definately have issue with that high school coach. Even if that HS coach was a friend of mine or well respected in the area. I would probably use the phrase "Coach - you are being a complete nincompoop right now, please let me coach the team to the best of my abilites" or something similar.

Not saying this is why it is but perhaps a concern they have. If this was the case wouldn't the rule be a good thing?

Karl wrote: tsalcido - you have a very valid point that HS coaches should not influence their players during the JO season. I think we are all in agreement there. I just happen to think that by limiting the inclusion on JO teams to 3 players from any given high school is akin to say - trying to curb the increase of milk prices
by mandating cow farmers to ship their milk via horse and carriage as to save on transportation fuel costs. Yes, it's adressing the issue, but it is a really odd way to do it.