Is the GDA now allowing high school play?

Rohbino

Well-known member
I had heard that there were exceptions being made this year for players that are seniors in high school. There now seems to be juniors that also played high school in the fall and are playing in for the Cincinnati GDA. I don't know about sophomores or freshman. Is this a Cinci GDA thing or is this being allowed elsewhere? Also, is this only "allowed" for certain players and not others? In other words, if the Cinci DA personnel deem certain players to be important to the success of the DA, exceptions are made for those players.

From the USSDA website:

Can I compete in other competitions like high school or ODP in addition to the DA?
When a player decides to join the DA, that player is committing to strive to become world-class. The DA believes players are most likely to become world-class if they train and compete in a consistent environment. The DA schedule is designed to balance training and meaningful games to optimize player development and maximize player safety.
Playing sports always comes with risk, but players increase their risk of overuse injuries or burnout when they compete in additional competitions. Development Academy training and game environments put player safety at the forefront. Injuries are one of the biggest setbacks to development a player can face.
Therefore, players competing in the DA may only compete in outside competition if called up for Youth National Team duty or if given written consent by U.S. Soccer Development Academy staff.


This seems pretty clear to me. It specifically states "players competing in the DA may only compete in outside competition if called up for Youth National Team duty or if given written consent by U.S. Soccer Development Academy staff."

Therefore, are those Cinci GDA players getting written permission from USSDA staff to play high school ball? Is the staff for Cinci GDA considered to be USSDA staff?

From the Cinci DA website:

Outside Participation
As many of you know, the Development Academy does not allow players to participate in high school soccer and the DA at the same time. However, the DA does allow outside participation in other sports/activities such as high school track and basketball.

The Cinci DA statement is more ambiguous. It seems to have a loophole in which in can be inferred that an athlete may play in the DA after HS season. This is not any different than any club team. Club play by an athlete in Ohio is never allowed at the same time as HS play.

If the DA is now allowing HS play, what is the advantage of the DA? What is the differentiating aspect of the DA and how is it different than the ECNL or any other league for that matter?

I'm not trying to stir the pot or anything like that. These are legitimate questions. A couple of my siblings have kids that are soccer players and are approaching HS age. They've both asked me questions about the DA vs ECNL vs other leagues. I've told them that I am no longer well versed with the landscape of youth soccer. I always thought that once a player committed to the DA that HS soccer, at any time, was o longer allowed. Apparently that is no longer true.
 
 
I’m not familiar with CDA’s policies, but I am pretty sure a lot can be done via the part time player pathway.
 
Those are legit questions. Here is the way I heard from good sources the whole thing went down. KD, LD, SJ, MP, SD, MW and a few others decided they wanted to play high school. They told the CDA directors they were done and wanted to play high school and I heard caught a lot of crap for it. They looked into other options. Some left for OP, some decided to do CDA premier, some left for OE. They then did not have enough players to field the 18/19 DA team. So The CDA got permission to allow them to play high school on a trial basis and see how the year goes. He then invited those girls back and then invited the CDA Premier girls to the team since they could now play high school and DA. They disbanded the CDA premier and left some kids without a team. Some of the original DA girls decided to stay with the teams they committed to such as OP and OE and not do the DA. The DA then scheduled games in the fall even the new “CUP” games and most of the team was playing high school. Not sure the whole thing will be allowed next year or if they will have the same problem with kids wanting to play high school. I guess we will all have to wait and see.
 
This is what I heard too. And, the motivation for the DA being getting looked at by the national program and earning d1 scholarships. For the West girls, all of those goals were met so they played high school soccer. Everyone got along andthey had a good experience with the coach. I think that it is likely they come back to west for their senior year.
 
this after all the talk of how crappy high school soccer was and how it was dreaded. seems weird so many opted to play hs given the hard sell by da. i have to imagine the west kids loved the experience no matter what we tend to hear on here.
 
Basically it's a dumpster fire. The kids know it, the parents know it, CDA knows it. The diminutive BP wanna be is trying his best to sell it, but it's bad.
 
I don't know that it is a dumpster fire. Many young ladies did not play high school soccer and instead chose to play for their club. many still played for the DA. Again, it is what you are trying to get out of it. The KD is on the national team radar. All three have D1 scholarships and Brigit Reder (I think that is how she spells it) seems to know what she is doing. How many ladies in other situations have all three of those boxes checked (especially the coach part)? I wonder if and when FC Cincinnati gets it act together whether the girls DA will be even more attractive. If I get on day shift next year, I am going to make a point of going to more games.
 
I wonder if and when FC Cincinnati gets it act together whether the girls DA will be even more attractive.

Why would FC Cincinnati need to get "its act together" to make the Cincinnati DA more attractive? FC Cincinnati has nothing to do with the Cincinnati DA and they're not going to fund it in any way. What incentive does FC Cincinnati, an MLS team, have to provide funding for the Cincinnati DA? Absolutely none. FC Cincinnati has its own DA program for boys.
Basically it's a dumpster fire. The kids know it, the parents know it, CDA knows it. The diminutive BP wanna be is trying his best to sell it, but it's bad.
My siblings are in Chicago and SoCal. Both areas have DA, ECNL, and plenty of other leagues. They couldn't care less if there's a dumpster fire in Cincinnati. Are you saying that the entire DA is a dumpster fire or just the Cincinnati DA?
 
There are major issues in other area's, I too have soccer family in Chicago, as well as Michigan and Texas. However specifically locally it's struggling. Anyone here who's involved and is honest with themselves rather than play the club allegiance game, knows it.....The list of issues is seemingly infinite. Again, some amazing talent just lost in the quagmire.
 
Basically it's a dumpster fire. The kids know it, the parents know it, CDA knows it. The diminutive BP wanna be is trying his best to sell it, but it's bad.

Please give specifics on this “dumpster fire” What are the issues? Do you have kids in the program or are you just salty your kid didn’t make it?
 
I think the DA they are talking about is the local girls program. And, I think FC Cincinnati will not allow the girls DA program to be a "dumpster fire" if and when FC Cincinnati has a moment to get its whole program together. I don't know, the club fights are pretty silly. Just sit back and watch the board.
 
Why would FC Cincinnati need to get "its act together" to make the Cincinnati DA more attractive? FC Cincinnati has nothing to do with the Cincinnati DA and they're not going to fund it in any way. What incentive does FC Cincinnati, an MLS team, have to provide funding for the Cincinnati DA? Absolutely none. FC Cincinnati has its own DA program for boys.

What?


Does that mean it's a "free" sponsorship?
 
What?


Does that mean it's a "free" sponsorship?
I'm not sure but I don't feel as if that sponsorship ever came to fruition. Will someone with more knowledge please verify if, indeed, FC Cincinnati is a sponsor of the Cincinnati DA.

The article that you linked to is dated July, 2017. It was not officially announced that FC Cincinnati would become an MLS team until toward the end of May, 2018.

I'm not sure what incentive that FC Cincinnati would have to fund the Cincinnati DA. If they do contribute to the funding of it, that's great. The funding of youth programs is a fairly large undertaking and involves a large capital outlay. As MLS mandates, FC Cincinnati does have a youth academy for boys. There are MLS clubs that are funding boys' and girls' DA programs. The LA Galaxy and FC Dallas come to mind. The boys' programs would be fully funded. If the girls' are or not, I have no idea. Somehow I doubt that they would be. With FC Cincinnati still in its infancy, and with the recent large capital expenditures that having a MLS franchise entails, my guess is it might be awhile before a girls' DA program is fully funded in Cincinnati. If there ever is a program that is fully funded by FC Cincinnati, it will more than likely be branded as "FC Cincinnati" and not "Cincinnati DA."
 
FC Cincinnati does not have any say in the girls program. They sponsored them and gave them money to get started. They don’t train them or have any say in the coaches or any part of the actual soccer stuff. FC Cincinnati is starting a boys DA. They started with a few age groups this year and will probably expand which totally destroyed the boys da at CUP. The girls still have to pay almost 3 grand to play.
 
Please give specifics on this “dumpster fire” What are the issues? Do you have kids in the program or are you just salty your kid didn’t make it?

They know their own dirty a** laundry, and so does everyone else writing them checks. If you really pay attention, talk with enough people who stayed (and those that left) you could make a strong educated decision of your own founded on their individual facts. There will always be both naysayers and over committed folks for everything but when the overwhelming majority points one direction, well....... I'm educated enough to draw a pretty clear conclusion.

As for my kid not making it, both my older ones are out of the club game (CUP) and moved on to College, my youngest is a basketball player who does club soccer for fun, certainly not at the level to play ECNL, or even DA or GLC (NL). But she/we have lots of friends and extended family here who do across the big 4 here in town.
 
Here you go, I assume it is up to date:

Thank you for posting the FAQ. For those that didn't look, here is what is stated about girls soccer in the Cincinnati region and the relationship that FC Cincinnati has with the Cincinnati DA:

"We firmly believe FC Cincinnati has an obligation to raise the standard of all soccer in our region, regardless of gender.

FC Cincinnati currently provides significant financial support to Cincinnati DA, the local girls’ entry in U.S. Soccer’s Girls Development Academy. We sponsor the program as we currently do not have any girls’ teams or a women’s professional entry.

However, in the coming years, we plan to apply for an NWSL expansion team, which would play in Cincinnati and alongside our MLS team at our soon-to-be-built West End stadium. Coupled with that, it is our goal to launch girls’ youth development programming, including USSD-eligible youth teams. A timeline for those activities has not been determined."


If this is accurate, it's good to see that FC Cincinnati is supporting local soccer.

It is interesting that FC Cincinnati plans to apply for a NWSL expansion team. This is something that I was unaware of. Within the above it is stated that "it is our goal to launch girls’ youth development programming....." To me that implies that FC Cincinnati intends to have its own GDA program. If that were to happen I would assume that the Cincinnati DA would be rolled into the FC Cincinnati GDA. The Cincinnati metro area is not nearly big enough to support two GDA programs. It is hardly large enough to support one GDA program and one ECNL program.

I prefaced this thread by asking if the GDA is now allowing high school play. I don't feel as if that question has totally been answered. It seems that the Cincinnati kids that played high school this past fall did so on a "trial" basis and were granted special permission to play. Although it is not stated, I suspect that the "average" GDA player would not have been granted the same permission to play HS soccer. More than likely a player being granted permission would need to be what the local GDA personnel would deem to be an "impact" player and not a fringe player. I will also go back to what I stated earlier in that if the GDA is allowing kids to play HS soccer, what is the advantage of playing in the GDA? A quote from the USSDA that I included in my initial post:

"When a player decides to join the DA, that player is committing to strive to become world-class. The DA believes players are most likely to become world-class if they train and compete in a consistent environment. The DA schedule is designed to balance training and meaningful games to optimize player development and maximize player safety"

Doesn't now allowing HS play contradict this philosophy? It's all very confusing. I'll tell my sibs the best that I can to help my nieces but it seems to me that they would be better off seeking advice where they live because as things are now, the GDA does not seem to be consistently administered around the country.
 
I'm not sure but I don't feel as if that sponsorship ever came to fruition. Will someone with more knowledge please verify if, indeed, FC Cincinnati is a sponsor of the Cincinnati DA.

The article that you linked to is dated July, 2017. It was not officially announced that FC Cincinnati would become an MLS team until toward the end of May, 2018.

I'm not sure what incentive that FC Cincinnati would have to fund the Cincinnati DA. If they do contribute to the funding of it, that's great. The funding of youth programs is a fairly large undertaking and involves a large capital outlay. As MLS mandates, FC Cincinnati does have a youth academy for boys. There are MLS clubs that are funding boys' and girls' DA programs. The LA Galaxy and FC Dallas come to mind. The boys' programs would be fully funded. If the girls' are or not, I have no idea. Somehow I doubt that they would be. With FC Cincinnati still in its infancy, and with the recent large capital expenditures that having a MLS franchise entails, my guess is it might be awhile before a girls' DA program is fully funded in Cincinnati. If there ever is a program that is fully funded by FC Cincinnati, it will more than likely be branded as "FC Cincinnati" and not "Cincinnati DA."
I have pretty good knowledge on it...

Additionally, the fact that GDA wears "FC Cincinnati" across their kits shows there's some sponsorship/partnership, it's everywhere. At one point, the FCC license plates were partially sending funding towards the GDA.

Of course there's a reason FCC did it, political. They "bought in" to the GDA to show they "care." Allows for more support from more groups. We don't know how much it is worth, because no one shares those financials. I'm sure it could be found though. But, one thing is for sure: no MLS brand will be anywhere unless it's authorized by MLS.
 
They know their own dirty a** laundry, and so does everyone else writing them checks. If you really pay attention, talk with enough people who stayed (and those that left) you could make a strong educated decision of your own founded on their individual facts. There will always be both naysayers and over committed folks for everything but when the overwhelming majority points one direction, well....... I'm educated enough to draw a pretty clear conclusion.

As for my kid not making it, both my older ones are out of the club game (CUP) and moved on to College, my youngest is a basketball player who does club soccer for fun, certainly not at the level to play ECNL, or even DA or GLC (NL). But she/we have lots of friends and extended family here who do across the big 4 here in town.
OK, so no real facts to back up your “dumpster fire” comment. Just that some people will be happy and some won’t and those in the program know it’s a “dumpster fire”. Throwing stones with no factual data is weak.
 
I might be wrong but I don't think the local DA program allows high school play. But other DA programs have allowed it on a trial basis. Remember, different parts of the country have different high school season (kind of like swimming too.)
 
OK, so no real facts to back up your “dumpster fire” comment. Just that some people will be happy and some won’t and those in the program know it’s a “dumpster fire”. Throwing stones with no factual data is weak.

Ok bud, you're entitled to feel that way. It's not correct but I'm fine with that. There is plenty of "factual data", do some homework is all I'm saying. Interestingly enough some of the more troubling "factual data" can be found deep in Belied dat's post and unintentionally I'd bet. You'd have to throw a stone to open up that can of worms however.
 
It is real easy to come on to a board or forum, drop some opinion that "I know better than you because I do" and walk away. Make a case, back it up. Most of us are adults here. I have no kid involved in this but I do have a young niece who has had a mixed experience with her club. And just observing all of the rhetoric it seems that a lot of the clubs have forgot why they exist. I am still looking for a reason why one club is better than another. What do they bring to the table... etc? I know Jeff Berding and he loves soccer. If he can influence the DA programs and hopefully help provide professional/ collegiate opportunities for local kids of both genders then I say "good for him". If you are willing to say one program is a dumpster fire or another program is not as good as mine then prove it or don't say it all. Good Grief. What are we doing here?
 
It is real easy to come on to a board or forum, drop some opinion that "I know better than you because I do" and walk away. Make a case, back it up. Most of us are adults here. I have no kid involved in this but I do have a young niece who has had a mixed experience with her club. And just observing all of the rhetoric it seems that a lot of the clubs have forgot why they exist. I am still looking for a reason why one club is better than another. What do they bring to the table... etc? I know Jeff Berding and he loves soccer. If he can influence the DA programs and hopefully help provide professional/ collegiate opportunities for local kids of both genders then I say "good for him". If you are willing to say one program is a dumpster fire or another program is not as good as mine then prove it or don't say it all. Good Grief. What are we doing here?


Maybe you have not been part of Yappi long enough because this is what people do here. They give opinions based on experience or lack thereof and people Yap about it. If people didn’t yap about difference of opinions there would be no forum. Stop with your self righteous BS and allow people to have their perspective and opinion. You are asking what are we doing here and my response is they are doing exactly what the forum was set up to do. Debate and share opinions and thoughts whether you agree or not.
 
Maybe you have not been part of Yappi long enough because this is what people do here. They give opinions based on experience or lack thereof and people Yap about it. If people didn’t yap about difference of opinions there would be no forum. Stop with your self righteous BS and allow people to have their perspective and opinion. You are asking what are we doing here and my response is they are doing exactly what the forum was set up to do. Debate and share opinions and thoughts whether you agree or not.
Opinions are one thing. Trashing one program without giving a concrete reason and just saying thing implying impropriety with innuendo is weak and immature. If you have and opinion... fine but don't leave the forum with some "holier than thou" attitude. it does not add to the discussion. Especially if people are trying to decipher what would be the best option and opportunity for their friend or family member.
 
Fair enough, but it's still my opinion based on the facts that I have. The decision not to lay it all out is so others can do their own homework. Perhaps you don't agree with me, that's fine. Even if I were not privy to the info I am you can look at at and just judge based on the known facts from the inception of it and if you don't see it the same way I'd scratch my head but that would be your entitled opinion.
 
Thank you for posting the FAQ. For those that didn't look, here is what is stated about girls soccer in the Cincinnati region and the relationship that FC Cincinnati has with the Cincinnati DA:

"We firmly believe FC Cincinnati has an obligation to raise the standard of all soccer in our region, regardless of gender.

FC Cincinnati currently provides significant financial support to Cincinnati DA, the local girls’ entry in U.S. Soccer’s Girls Development Academy. We sponsor the program as we currently do not have any girls’ teams or a women’s professional entry.

However, in the coming years, we plan to apply for an NWSL expansion team, which would play in Cincinnati and alongside our MLS team at our soon-to-be-built West End stadium. Coupled with that, it is our goal to launch girls’ youth development programming, including USSD-eligible youth teams. A timeline for those activities has not been determined."


If this is accurate, it's good to see that FC Cincinnati is supporting local soccer.

It is interesting that FC Cincinnati plans to apply for a NWSL expansion team. This is something that I was unaware of. Within the above it is stated that "it is our goal to launch girls’ youth development programming....." To me that implies that FC Cincinnati intends to have its own GDA program. If that were to happen I would assume that the Cincinnati DA would be rolled into the FC Cincinnati GDA. The Cincinnati metro area is not nearly big enough to support two GDA programs. It is hardly large enough to support one GDA program and one ECNL program.

I prefaced this thread by asking if the GDA is now allowing high school play. I don't feel as if that question has totally been answered. It seems that the Cincinnati kids that played high school this past fall did so on a "trial" basis and were granted special permission to play. Although it is not stated, I suspect that the "average" GDA player would not have been granted the same permission to play HS soccer. More than likely a player being granted permission would need to be what the local GDA personnel would deem to be an "impact" player and not a fringe player. I will also go back to what I stated earlier in that if the GDA is allowing kids to play HS soccer, what is the advantage of playing in the GDA? A quote from the USSDA that I included in my initial post:

"When a player decides to join the DA, that player is committing to strive to become world-class. The DA believes players are most likely to become world-class if they train and compete in a consistent environment. The DA schedule is designed to balance training and meaningful games to optimize player development and maximize player safety"

Doesn't now allowing HS play contradict this philosophy? It's all very confusing. I'll tell my sibs the best that I can to help my nieces but it seems to me that they would be better off seeking advice where they live because as things are now, the GDA does not seem to be consistently administered around the country.

Let me start by saying I really like all of what FCC is doing and planning to do in the near future for both the local soccer scene and Cincinnati in general. Once the new stadium opens it makes sense for FCC to try and get a second product to fill open dates to get people into the stadium. Having a Women's FCC team with the same colors, logo and ownership in the NWSL is a smart move in my opinion.

FCC is a baby in pro soccer so all of this will take time but they keep making the right moves over and over again. The training facility in Milford looks fantastic and I think their next long term priority after the stadium is built is to build a pipeline of talent through their youth program that lives and trains at the Milford complex. Assuming this goes smoothly enough it makes sense to bring a similar program online for the female side, eventually taking over the local DA program. According to the FCC website, the youth programs (if you are good enough to make them) are free. Hopefully this will be the same on the women's side as well down the road.

I would imagine, at least in the beginning, that tickets for the women's FCC games would be part of the season ticket package at no real additional cost to get people to come to the games on what would otherwise be an empty stadium. Except for a few NWSL teams, attendance is pretty low.

The major problem I see with both the DA and potential Women's FCC team is that there is no real money to be made for women in soccer as a pro after college. I believe the top salary for a NWSL player is around $50K per year. Now USWNT players can make more and that does not include endorsements if they can get them but only a small percentage of the overall pro women's soccer players are getting endorsement money or can make the USWNT.

It seems that a DI scholarship is still the "pot of gold" for most elite high school soccer players. A DI scholarship is nothing to sneeze at but it is not a million dollar pro contract a few more years down the road. If that is the case, those good enough to get a DI scholarship usually have them prior to their senior year, which would make playing high school soccer appealing for many after they have their offer secured.

I personally think the no high school rule is stupid. Top basketball prospects in both boy's and girl's high school play both AAU and for their high school and no one bats an eye. I don't see why the DA and high school soccer cannot coexist with players doing both every year.
 
Let me start by saying I really like all of what FCC is doing and planning to do in the near future for both the local soccer scene and Cincinnati in general. Once the new stadium opens it makes sense for FCC to try and get a second product to fill open dates to get people into the stadium. Having a Women's FCC team with the same colors, logo and ownership in the NWSL is a smart move in my opinion.

FCC is a baby in pro soccer so all of this will take time but they keep making the right moves over and over again. The training facility in Milford looks fantastic and I think their next long term priority after the stadium is built is to build a pipeline of talent through their youth program that lives and trains at the Milford complex. Assuming this goes smoothly enough it makes sense to bring a similar program online for the female side, eventually taking over the local DA program. According to the FCC website, the youth programs (if you are good enough to make them) are free. Hopefully this will be the same on the women's side as well down the road.

I would imagine, at least in the beginning, that tickets for the women's FCC games would be part of the season ticket package at no real additional cost to get people to come to the games on what would otherwise be an empty stadium. Except for a few NWSL teams, attendance is pretty low.

The major problem I see with both the DA and potential Women's FCC team is that there is no real money to be made for women in soccer as a pro after college. I believe the top salary for a NWSL player is around $50K per year. Now USWNT players can make more and that does not include endorsements if they can get them but only a small percentage of the overall pro women's soccer players are getting endorsement money or can make the USWNT.

It seems that a DI scholarship is still the "pot of gold" for most elite high school soccer players. A DI scholarship is nothing to sneeze at but it is not a million dollar pro contract a few more years down the road. If that is the case, those good enough to get a DI scholarship usually have them prior to their senior year, which would make playing high school soccer appealing for many after they have their offer secured.

I personally think the no high school rule is stupid. Top basketball prospects in both boy's and girl's high school play both AAU and for their high school and no one bats an eye. I don't see why the DA and high school soccer cannot coexist with players doing both every year.
There are so many places to start. First, most state high school associations do not allow student athletes to play for their respective high school teams and a club/AAU team at the same time. This includes the OHSAA. So, even if the DA allowed its players to play high school soccer while also playing for the DA, the OHSAA would not allow this.

Second, AAU basketball does not take place during the Winter high school basketball season. AAU leagues/tournaments take place in the Fall, Spring, and Summer. The same can be said for club soccer, with the exception of the DA league.

Right or wrong, the DA states that it does not want its players to play high school soccer because, unlike US Soccer and ECNL, the DA is a 9 month season. So, they train, practice, and play games during the high school season; whereas US Soccer and ECNL do not. To avoid having players attempting to play for both their respective high school teams and their DA teams at the same time (assuming the particular state association allows it), the DA does not allow it. The DA states that the reason is to prevent overuse injuries.

States like Virginia and Florida allow their athletes to play club soccer while also playing high school soccer. I’ve read articles where high school and club coaches complain about this. Players will go from high school practice to club practice. They will play a high school game and go to a club game. They will skip high school practices and games for club games, etc.

So, for the DA to allow kids to play high school soccer, the OHSAA would have to change its policy; or the DA would have to shorten its season and start in November. In this case, the DA would be no different than the other leagues. The DA could also let the players that want to play high school soccer join in November after their high school season is over. For a lot of team management issues, this wont work.

To me, its simple. No one is forcing a kid to play for the DA. If a kid wants to play high school soccer, she doesn’t have to play for the DA. There are more than enough high quality club soccer options for the kid that values the high school soccer experience.
 
I understand there are rules currently in certain states that prevent club and high school seasons from overlapping and that is part of my point. There is no reason the DA has to have their season overlap with high school. Both baseball club and basketball AAU do well in separate seasons allowing their athletes to compete successfully in both and if they are good enough (DI scholarship good) they typically get noticed through their club team/AAU. The DA could still provide this without overlapping with high school. It is just a silly thing in my opinion for the DA to insist on a club season that overlaps the high school season or insisting their players don't play in high school as a rule.

You are correct that no one is forcing a kid to play for the DA and it seems like once kids get their college offer, many are electing to "quit" DA to play high school soccer. I think the DA rule is misguided. You are of course welcome to disagree, which is fine.
 
I think the DA rule is misguided.
Yet, why isn't the OHSAA (and other state associations) having misguided rules? No one points the finger and complains about/to them like has gone on with the DA.

Look, I'm no DA-apologist. But, these state associations (and the coaches) complain WAY too much about the DA when their own affiliation does the exact thing. They don't want to hear that or even address their state associations same restrictive stance.

At the end of the day, there's more than enough kids to go around and compete. There needs to be more options even. If no one saw, this is the first time in 30 years that NFHS saw a decline in high school sports participation numbers. That's terrible.
 
Yet, why isn't the OHSAA (and other state associations) having misguided rules? No one points the finger and complains about/to them like has gone on with the DA.

Look, I'm no DA-apologist. But, these state associations (and the coaches) complain WAY too much about the DA when their own affiliation does the exact thing. They don't want to hear that or even address their state associations same restrictive stance.

At the end of the day, there's more than enough kids to go around and compete. There needs to be more options even. If no one saw, this is the first time in 30 years that NFHS saw a decline in high school sports participation numbers. That's terrible.

I'm no fan of the OHSAA and I see no reason why they too cannot compromise as the sport's landscape changes.

On a side note, kids (both male and female) are living in one state and playing sports in OH and the OHSAA does not seem to care that these students are breaking or bending the rules.
 
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