High School soccer or no?

[Surfref]

I don't know how common this is but in my area I know of a couple of High Schools who added a seventh period of soccer training. I don't know what they call the class but my understanding is that it's a way to get away with early practices for the HS season. They do conditioning, strength training and soccer practice five days a week. They don't give exceptions to club players and they have to take the class to play on the team. Two of the three girls on our team who go to these schools are now injured due to over use injuries. It is way too much volume. It is extremely frustrating and should not be allowed at least if the student is playing club soccer. IMHO those HS coaches are complete idiots.

San Diego Section has tried to prevent the out of season PE class soccer (whatever sport) training by putting the following rule into place. Not sure how effective it is.

Green Book

600.2. IN THE CIFSDS OUTSIDE SEASON OF SPORT (Includes summer school, inter-session, and mini-courses)

a. During School Day (includes extended school day) - An athlete may not participate in a regular physical education class or an independent study physical education class or an independent study physical education class in which more than one-half of the course offering outside the season of sport is in the sport in which he or she has competed interscholastically. For example, a basketball player could enroll and participate in a summer school physical education class that had 50 percent of its time allotted for weight training, running, racquet ball, etc. Students who had not yet competed on an interscholastic level in the sport concerned and students enrolled in off-campus independent study physical education classes in the individual sports (swimming, gymnastics, golf, tennis, etc.) would be exempt from this restriction.

 

[Striker17]

Flagrantly violated. CIF has no teeth

 

[CaliKlines]

San Diego Section has tried to prevent the out of season PE class soccer (whatever sport) training by putting the following rule into place. Not sure how effective it is.

Green Book

600.2. IN THE CIFSDS OUTSIDE SEASON OF SPORT (Includes summer school, inter-session, and mini-courses)

a. During School Day (includes extended school day) - An athlete may not participate in a regular physical education class or an independent study physical education class or an independent study physical education class in which more than one-half of the course offering outside the season of sport is in the sport in which he or she has competed interscholastically. For example, a basketball player could enroll and participate in a summer school physical education class that had 50 percent of its time allotted for weight training, running, racquet ball, etc. Students who had not yet competed on an interscholastic level in the sport concerned and students enrolled in off-campus independent study physical education classes in the individual sports (swimming, gymnastics, golf, tennis, etc.) would be exempt from this restriction.

That is so stupid. Why make the school's athletes have to take an additional PE class? I remember 2-a-days during the summer that would be followed by a PE class and afterschool football practice once school started. It sucked. Why not let the athletes practice their sport during school hours, so they can get home to finish their homework earlier?

 

[Jstplay]

Bottom line is get to know your HS coach and their program. Make sure they understand the volume of training/play your kid is already doing. Understand their pre-season program and consult with your coach and or a certified strength and conditioning specialist who is familiar with youth club soccer and better yet a PT or ATC who has these credentials. Make an informed decision if the volume of work is putting your kid at too much risk.
There are plenty of things coaches can do in a 7th period "pre-season" class that will not significantly increase risk of injury to your kid.

 

[espola]

Flagrantly violated. CIF has no teeth

CIF only sees what people tell it. I recall a conversation among HS coaches who said that you knew you were successful when CIF investigated your program because a rival coach complained.

In my own experience, CIF required a soccer player sit out 2 games after attending an on-campus college ID camp, and a varsity coach in another sport was suspended (and ended up fired by the school) and her team had to forfeit the last 2 games of the season because a JV team had participated in a varsity-only Spring Break tournament.

 

[SocalSoccerMom]

In a perfect world PE would be the last class for kids who participate in HS sports. Coaches can start their practice at this time and kids can go home early. I have a XC runner who runs/swims in PE at 1, then off to 5-8 miles 3-5pm then soccer practice 2-3x a week 5:00-6:30 pm. The schools shouldn't have to accommodate outside sports, but they should take in consideration for kids who play for them. And having PE last period will help them not miss classes when they travel for school games.

 

[818soccermom]

My DD’s school has 6th period PE for all athletes. Not sure how the other sports work that are not in season , but soccer is conditioning 2x a week during 6th period. In the next few weeks, they will start meeting 4x a week. They get out early on the days they don’t have soccer and will not have to take PE since playing soccer fills the requirement.

 

[Monkey]

My DD’s school has 6th period PE for all athletes. Not sure how the other sports work that are not in season , but soccer is conditioning 2x a week during 6th period. In the next few weeks, they will start meeting 4x a week. They get out early on the days they don’t have soccer and will not have to take PE since playing soccer fills the requirement.

If your dd has not met her required 2 years of PE, I believe it is a violation of state law not to have some type of PE every day. Soccer only fills the PE requirement if it is every school day.

 

[fotos4u2]

If your dd has not met her required 2 years of PE, I believe it is a violation of state law not to have some type of PE every day. Soccer only fills the PE requirement if it is every school day.

Pretty sure that's not true. There may be a certain number of minutes required per year, but some schools are on block schedule and classes do not meet every day and I'm sure that includes PE. Soccer can easily fulfill the time requirements because practice is typically longer than the hour of a normal class period. I suspect during season some programs can easily fulfill the required hours for the entire year just by normal practice and games.

 

[818soccermom]

If your dd has not met her required 2 years of PE, I believe it is a violation of state law not to have some type of PE every day. Soccer only fills the PE requirement if it is every school day.

I don’t think there is a law that requires PE everyday. It is a state law to have PE for 2 years, but it is up to each district how they implement it. I’m certain the school isn’t violating any rules or putting athletes in jeopardy of not filling their PE requirement.

 

[Monkey]

Ok I should not have said everyday because I do not know about block schedule schools. However, this issue came up for my family when we were tracking for independent PE which is allowed for "individual" sports. The intent of the law is to have PE on a regular basis and so playing one sport a school year is not suppose to meet the requirement even if they are well above the hours they would get in a normal PE class at the school. The issue is that the State allows each district to oversee the enforcement of the rule and some districts do not follow the clear letter of the law. And in some districts, individual schools allow athletes to get away with not complying with the law.
At our high school, during the winter football would count as PE. But during the spring the football team would meet before school for conditioning. Then the freshmen and sophomores would have to take a regular PE class during the day as well. This school district has been under a microscope and I believe they try hard to make sure that they comply with the full intent of the law.
I bet if someone reported schools for allowing kids to play one sport and then not have PE for the rest of the year, it would stop immediately.

 

[Mom Taxi]

At my dd's high school students are required to take 2 years of PE and ALL Freshman are required to take PE regardless of participation in school sports. If a student participates in a school sport during their Freshman year, the PE requirement has been met and they are not required to take PE their sophomore year.

 

[Jstplay]

At my dd's high school students are required to take 2 years of PE and ALL Freshman are required to take PE regardless of participation in school sports. If a student participates in a school sport during their Freshman year, the PE requirement has been met and they are not required to take PE their sophomore year.

The issue is not whether a PE class should count or which period it is. The issue is that schools are making it mandatory that the athletes participate in this "PE" class, in order to play on the HS team, five days a week during a time when they are practicing 2-3 times per week and playing 1-2 club games on the weekend. It is the volume of physical activity that they are doing in this "PE" class that is putting the athletes at risk for injury. Three out of the three girls who are in one of these HS on our team are now injured.

 

[sandshark]

High Schools need to make sure children are getting the excerse needed for the students. Do the crazy parents and arrogant BS clubs now think HS should redo their systems and scedules to accommodate some scammy club soccer agenda! GIVE ME A DAM BREAK PEOPLE!!
It sounds like parents and clubs need to respect the school system and cut back on the push to grab every single waking moment from these children.

 

[Mom Taxi]

The issue is not whether a PE class should count or which period it is. The issue is that schools are making it mandatory that the athletes participate in this "PE" class, in order to play on the HS team, five days a week during a time when they are practicing 2-3 times per week and playing 1-2 club games on the weekend. It is the volume of physical activity that they are doing in this "PE" class that is putting the athletes at risk for injury. Three out of the three girls who are in one of these HS on our team are now injured.

I do not disagree with you about your point about injuries and quite frankly I'm grateful that my daughter's particular school does not have a bogus "soccer PE class", however she is is still required to participate in PE nonetheless. I also agree with Sandshark that High Schools should not be expected to accommodate club sports.

My dd plays club soccer and runs XC for her high school. And as already stated participates in PE in school. I must admit that she manages to juggle the demands of school and participating in multiple sports quite well, but there are days when she just needs a break and despite her desire to do so and best efforts she can't do it all. There are open lines of communication between her, her club coach and her XC coach and she is fortunate that they are understanding with the demands of her schedule. And then there are other days when I just have to put my foot down and tell her something has to give. She is very fortunate to have coaches who understand the bigger picture for her and are willing to work with her, b/c I know that is probably not the case for most athletes in her position.

I can't imagine if on top of all that there was additional soccer training disguised as PE (even if it replaced her current PE class) in which she was expected to participate in order to play on the high school team. That's just insanity.

 

[Simisoccerfan]

Our school has all soccer players with a free 6th period and a PE soccer class for 7th period. We have a block schedule in which they attend all classes on Monday and the rest of the week is ether T/R or W/F. I have a daughter and a son both playing varsity though my senior son is no longer playing club. For the boys they do a run on Mondays, scrimmage on Wednesdays and go home on the other three days. Most boys seem to be able to occasionally skip the scrimmages without any repercussions. In the post season they do something similar but seniors are free to skip. For the girls they have a meeting on Mondays and practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The other two days they are free to go. Post season is similar but more free days. I must say the girls program is more serious about requiring attendance. Most of the better club players coast through these practices to avoid injury and overuse. I think the HS coach who also coaches club understands and is okay with this approach.

 

[CaliKlines]

I do not disagree with you about your point about injuries and quite frankly I'm grateful that my daughter's particular school does not have a bogus "soccer PE class", however she is is still required to participate in PE nonetheless. I also agree with Sandshark that High Schools should not be expected to accommodate club sports.

My dd plays club soccer and runs XC for her high school. And as already stated participates in PE in school. I must admit that she manages to juggle the demands of school and participating in multiple sports quite well, but there are days when she just needs a break and despite her desire to do so and best efforts she can't do it all. There are open lines of communication between her, her club coach and her XC coach and she is fortunate that they are understanding with the demands of her schedule. And then there are other days when I just have to put my foot down and tell her something has to give. She is very fortunate to have coaches who understand the bigger picture for her and are willing to work with her, b/c I know that is probably not the case for most athletes in her position.

I can't imagine if on top of all that there was additional soccer training disguised as PE (even if it replaced her current PE class) in which she was expected to participate in order to play on the high school team. That's just insanity.

But wouldn't you want her to have her participation in cross country to be considered as her PE requirement? If her cross country/track practice was held during 6th period (end of the day) then she could be home earlier, working on homework.

 

[Jstplay]

High Schools need to make sure children are getting the excerse needed for the students. Do the crazy parents and arrogant BS clubs now think HS should redo their systems and scedules to accommodate some scammy club soccer agenda! GIVE ME A DAM BREAK PEOPLE!!
It sounds like parents and clubs need to respect the school system and cut back on the push to grab every single waking moment from these children.

Sandshark, you may want to read the previous posts before you blow a gasket. Nobody is suggesting to take away PE. Nor is anyone suggesting for HSs to “redo their system”. The “PE class” that is the subject here is a mandatory soccer practice five days a week for the team players for the semester before season starts. So the sane people here realize that having seven practices a week plus weakend games is rediculus for anyone who knows anything about youth soccer training. These coaches are not coordinating with the club coaches so they have no clue of the volume and intensity of exercise their athletes are performing weekly.

 

[equipo]

Question, how do HS teams rank (i.e. division 1, 2, etc.). My DD said her freshman friend who plays tier 3 club soccer made a varsity team. My DD said she heard that school's varsity plays in a low division so it's easier to make varsity there vs other schools. I'm interested in HS rankings for SGV and IE area. Any website recommendations?

 

[outside!]

San Diego and Southern Section CIF have different rules, so blanket statements on the forum are not always correct.

Most CIF rules and the very structure of HS sports is tailored to football first and boys sports second. All other sports and females are afterthoughts. Most school athletic directors and CIF staff are old football/male sport people. For females, soccer is the HS equivalent of football in terms of participation and scholarships. All of these rules about not participating in club sports during HS sports don't seem to have any affect on football players. Funny how that works. The entire structure probably violates Title IX since female soccer players do not have the same opportunities as male football players. The restrictions against college ID camps do not affect football players at all since HS and College football seasons coincide. Female soccer players face restrictions on attending college ID camps since HS soccer season is different than college soccer season. HS soccer season conflicts with many college winter ID camps. And finally, Jerry Schniepp is an asshole.