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Software Development

August 8, 2014

In his book The Sports Gene, author David Epstein causes the reader to think about athletic performance as software more than hardware; and I believe this is even more important for us to consider in educational athletics.
In school sports, at least in most situations, we still believe that opportunity is for everybody, regardless of gene pool or body type. High school sports teams often have an eclectic mix-and-match look that defies each sport’s stereotype on other levels.
In school sports, coaches don’t select and sculpt the body type as much as welcome what comes to them and work to develop skills to overcome inherent shortcomings.
In school sports, we focus on the software more than the hardware on other levels as well.

We are concerned with character development more than physical development, on principles more than physiques. It’s the operating system we focus on, much more than the hardware.

We also judge success differently – more on intangibles than tangibles, more on heart and mind than trophies and medals.

    Transfer Rule Rationale

    March 6, 2018

    It is certain that the Michigan High School Athletic Association transfer rule is imperfect. However, whatever imperfections exist are effectively remedied through a process by which member school administrators may make application to the MHSAA Executive Committee to waive the rule if, in the committee’s opinion, the rule fails to serve any purpose for which it is intended or, in its sole discretion, the Executive Committee determines that application of the rule creates an undue hardship on the student. 

    In a typical year, the Executive Committee will receive approximately 290 requests to waive the transfer regulation, approving approximately 60 percent of those requests.

    The committee brings to its considerations the following rationale, most recently reviewed and reaffirmed on Aug. 2, 2017:

    1. The rule tends to insure equality of competition in that each school plays students who have been in that school and established their eligibility in that school.

    2. The rule tends to prevent students from "jumping" from one school to another.

    3. The rule prevents the "bumping" of students who have previously gained eligibility in a school system by persons coming from outside the school system.

    4. The rule tends to prevent interscholastic athletic recruiting.

    5. The rule tends to prevent or discourage dominance of one sport at one school with a successful program, i.e., the concentration of excellent baseball players at one school to the detriment of surrounding schools through transfers and to the detriment of the natural school population and ability mix.

    6. The rule tends to create and maintain stability in that age group, i.e., it promotes team stability and teamwork expectation fulfillment.

    7. The rule is designed to discourage parents from "school shopping" for athletic purposes.

    8. The rule is consistent with educational philosophy of going to school for academics first and athletics second.

    9. It eliminates family financial status from becoming a factor on eligibility, thus making a uniform rule for all students across the state of Michigan (i.e., tuition and millage considerations).

    10. It tends to encourage competition between nonpublic and public schools, rather than discourage that competition.

    11. It tends to reduce friction or threat of students changing schools because of problems they may have created or because of their misconduct, etc.