State Law allows swimmers to do club & high school/middle school at same time ????????

New Kansas State Swimming Rule Change

Posted by Alex Goldman in Lancer Sporting News, News, Sports on November 28, 2011 1:15 pm / 0 Comments and 0 Reactions



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Sophomore Zack Holbrook goes to swim practice at 5 a.m. He trains for an hour and a half. He drives to school and then practices again at 3:30 p.m. Holbrook repeats this same routine every school week: swimming in the morning, school and swimming again in the afternoon. He trains with two different groups a day and practices in two different pools.

Due to a recent Kansas state law change, Holbrook is allowed to keep up his rigorous routine. This year, athletes that take part in swim and dive are able to train with their club teams while also being on the high school team. Holbrook is one of five swimmers on the East boys’ swim and dive team that has taken advantage of the new law change.

“It gives me a chance to experience a more intense practice with my club team followed by an afternoon practice with my high school team,” Holbrook said.

In past years in Kansas, swimmers were not allowed to be a part of both club and high school teams. They could however, use the pool time with their club team, but could not receive additional instruction from their club coaches. Swimmers could also apply to an Olympic Development Program (ODP) exemption and swim United States Swimming (USS ) approved meets. This gave the swimmers a chance to compete in specific high level meets.

“I don’t think it will change the team concept here at East, we are talking about low numbers of kids that will continue to practice in the mornings with the club team,” Head swim and dive coach Wiley Wright said.

Missouri’s movement is what ultimately spurred Kansas swimmers to take action.

In Missouri, the issue regarding a swimmer participating in both club and high school teams was addressed in 2004. Frustrated parents tried to pass a bill through the state legislature to make the change. Eventually the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) reached a compromise with the parents before the bill was officially passed.

“This is not a new [Kansas High School Activities Association (KSHSAA)] rule, it is however a new Kansas law,” KSHSAA Assistant Executive Director, David Cherry said. “The state legislature placed the new rule change into a bill.”

Swim and dive is different from other sports in Kansas. It is the only sport in the state that allows an athlete to do both club and high school. In other sports, an athlete is not allowed to compete in events outside of high school during the season, let alone practice with an outside team.

Senior Andrew Hornung has been currently practicing strictly with his club team. He will start practicing with the team Dec. 1. Hornung is doing some more intense training before he starts high school with his club team, so that he can get ready for a few non-high school swim events.

“I practice with club for the first couple of weeks of the season because the training is more intense and then I go only to high school because of the team atmosphere,” Hornung said.

The new law change also brings about new requirements. Swimmers are only allowed to train with their club team until after they have completed the requirements for their high school team and the requirements are up to coach’s discretion.

While the new change will help those that compete on a high level to push themselves, it could be a disadvantage to those that are not on that same level.

Hornung believes that the new change is helpful, but may have some drawbacks.

“The team bonding will be weak,” Hornung said. “When you have guys that are not at practice all of the time, it makes it difficult to grow as a team.”

Although the “team” aspect will be weaker, the individual results have proven to be better according to when Missouri had this same rule change.

The change also gives a swimmer the option to opt out of specific meets and swim specifically state after they qualify for it.

“I think that the rule allows me to get ready for college swimming,” Holbrook said. “It allows me to practice twice as hard.”

In the spring, girls’ swim and dive will face the same change. Junior Meg Stanley, a year-round club swimmer is somewhat skeptical on the new change.

“It detracts from the team experience and team training,” Stanley said.

Because there is no separation between club and high school there is no transition time. Only time will tell whether this new rule will contribute in a positive way.

“I personally agree with the change, since it will benefit both the swimmer, and the team, and it will allow the swimmer to keep up with his/her training at the club level, since they swim multiple events at the level,” Wright said.

Sounds like someone in charge has a grandson that swims.

Whatever the rules are - make them the same acrossed the board.
Don't discriminate for or against various groups of student athletes.

KSHSAA is a Non-profit but - the Kansas Board of Education and the Kansas Legislature have a strong involvement and influence. They are part of the Kansas Public Employee Retirement System.


Kansas Statutes 74-4931a - Kansas state high school activities association, eligible employer


Kansas Statutes > Chapter 74 > Article 49 > § 74-4931a - Kansas state high school activities association, eligible employer


Current as of: 2009

Check for updates

From and after January 1, 1983, the Kansas state high school activities association, as described in K.S.A. 72-130 and amendments thereto, shall be an eligible and participating employer in the Kansas public employees retirement system for all purposes under the system, as an instrumentality of those eligible employers as defined in K.S.A. 74-4931 and amendments thereto.
History: L. 1983, ch. 246, § 1; April 21.

Parent was a legislator or very good friends with legislators.

Greg,

I understand this -
"Parent was a legislator or very good friends with legislators."

BUT - the legislative rules for an organization and /or every activity that has primary funding from the state school system should have rules the same - when the said rule can apply to every sport/activity.

Whatever the rules are - make them the same acrossed the board.
Don't discriminate for or against various groups of student athletes.

Do we really want to be compared to swimming?

My response was to Beeson, who I thought was wondering about the relationship of the student to the rule change.

I am not going to debate the efficacy of this rule. . . but I think you know that I think it is wrong headed on several different levels. I believe we are getting ready to head down a road that many here seem to want to travel but in a few years many who remember the bad old days are going to say " how the heck and why did we get here?"

That is my final thought on the matter. . . if you want legislators spending their precious time dealing with school eligibility issues such as deciding which practice a middle schooler can or cannot attend when we have so many MAJOR issues confronting us, by all means pursue that option. It is, after all, a free country.

Do you really want kids opting out of high school tournaments so they could wrestle at club tournaments? There is NO WAY I would allow a kid to do that.

Are you sh*tting me???!!! where did someone say they want their kid to miss a high school tourney to attend a club tourney????

I didn't read it anywhere you want to work out in a club room as well as the High School room.


For now......

People who are against the freedom to put in the extra workouts always bend the words of those who for it.

SOme people call that politics, but I call it being dishonest. And a dishonest person is a no good SOB IMO.

The stupid KSHSAA restriction is not allowing School coaches to work with their athletes once the school season is over. This hurts wrestling quite a bit in Kansas more so because of the opportunities missed USAKS folk style state tournament series, Freestyle tournaments throughout April and May etc. I do not think many if any of us care about a kid not being able to work out with a club team during the HS (or even MS) season. But the reason we continue to struggle against our neighboring states in wrestling is because quite simply they ALL get twice as much opportunity to work with their kids as we do.

USAW Kansas, with the support of our parent organization USA Wrestling, is actively addressing this issue.

Mr. Mann:

As you will recall, this issue was introduced the previous legislative session.

I followed the legislation closely and first believed KSHSAA would relax their rules for all athletes following passage of the bill. After KSHSAA's failure to respond accordingly, I was seriously considering participating in another legal challenge to the KSHSAA rules based on discriminatory treatment of favored athletes (swimming) over the less fortunate (wrestlers). However my past participation in a legal challenge to KSHSAA rules still pains me and, inasmuch as I no longer have a child involved in high school athletics and no dog in the hunt, concluded I have more important endeavors to pursue.

KSHSAA does not allow parents to get involved and most public schools do not want to or will not listen to the parents of their students. Absent a voice the legislation is the ONLY place to turn Greg. I agree with you but until KSHSAA becomes a more nimble organization run by someone who will listen and is receptive to change, we will have to fight by any means necessary. Sad isn't it.

I must agree with Will. "KSHSAA does not allow parents to get involved and most public schools do not want to or will not listen to the parents of their students."

After trying to be a voice for the wrestlers and asking for fairness from the school administrators, using concrete examples of the discriminatory treatment. The school uses it power to punish the parents through the athletes, by what ever means possible, warranted or manufactured. My family and I have lived this!

Mark Dremel