I'll say one thing for this magazine, interspersed between all of the hero-worship articles are some that cover subjects with real meat. In the last few issues are articles about foreign swimmers with American college scholarships, the conflict between USS and high-school swimming, eating disorders among swimmers, and (the lack of) racial diversity in the sport.
These are real issues to the sport.
Wouldn't it be nice if this group discussed some of these?
I always thought that these rules were around to largely prevent "ringers" in high school programs. I went to high school in Masschusetts, and the policiy from the MIAA (the Mass. high school sports governing association) was that, basically, you could not miss a high school practice and go to a non-HS practice, and could not miss a high school competition and go to a non-HS competition. However, you could miss a HS practice to go to a non-HS competition.
High school swimming is a team sport, and I think it's important that it be a team sport. You're not part of the team if you're never there for workouts, and only show up for meets. If you do that, then you're just a ringer for the high school team. You're just someone who's showing up to score points. You're not part of the team.
In Mass., there was a standard exception policy -- you had to petition for permission. So every year, I would have my HS principal write a letter to the MIAA board officially asking for an exception for a couple of USS meets that conflicted with HS meets, and every year my petitions were accepted without problem.
IMHO, if you want to be on a high school swim team, then be on the high school swim team. If you don't want to be on the high school swim team, then don't.
-Rick
I always thought that these rules were around to largely prevent "ringers" in high school programs. I went to high school in Masschusetts, and the policiy from the MIAA (the Mass. high school sports governing association) was that, basically, you could not miss a high school practice and go to a non-HS practice, and could not miss a high school competition and go to a non-HS competition. However, you could miss a HS practice to go to a non-HS competition.
High school swimming is a team sport, and I think it's important that it be a team sport. You're not part of the team if you're never there for workouts, and only show up for meets. If you do that, then you're just a ringer for the high school team. You're just someone who's showing up to score points. You're not part of the team.
In Mass., there was a standard exception policy -- you had to petition for permission. So every year, I would have my HS principal write a letter to the MIAA board officially asking for an exception for a couple of USS meets that conflicted with HS meets, and every year my petitions were accepted without problem.
IMHO, if you want to be on a high school swim team, then be on the high school swim team. If you don't want to be on the high school swim team, then don't.
-Rick
