We finally have a group that is getting to play travel ball. In order to excel and keep up it is a must.
1A SMC GIRLS
- Thread starter BravesGWY
- Start date
You got it!!
In high school, if nothing else, Cherokee will outcoach everyone else!!
Watched it many times!!
And one thing for dang sure, you can't look at termites, midgets, middle school or anything else and predict what will happen in high school.
I don't know if travel ball is a must, but playing year round is, and these days you don't see kids playing for hours at the park in the summer any more. I actually think some kids would benefit more from being gym rats all summer rather than travel ball, but that isn't nearly as fun, I guess.
Last edited:
Amen, I lived at the rec park and loved open gym days on Sunday after church playing against the coaches and older men. If not that watching the TARHEELS on Saturday then going outside and shooting on a goal that was nailed to a tree.
Hayesville vs. Andrews in middle school boys Championship Thursday. Should be another good one!
Cherokee was a good team in there side of the SMC even won the title every year. But know that we are combined they came up third or 4th. Should be some good games in the future. We just picked up two big 7th graders that moved here after the season started so the couldn't play. They are on the snowbird 5th,6th grade team. They will help us out next year. Should be the favorite again next season with Murphy and Cherokee losing there best girl.
It was. Swain was up by 2 after 2st. Swain up by 4 after 2nd. Swain up by 3 after 3rd. Tied after 4th.
Every team in the middle is pretty bunched up as far as records. SWAIN is playing good ball but I feel like 3rd place is anyone's guess. It makes a big difference come time for seeding
Looking at the SMC Girls standings we could possibly have a 4 way tie for 3rd place in the conference by season end .Cherokee and Murphy have the top 2 spots nailed down. Could be a interesting SMC Tournament
gonna be a big one sat with cherokee traveling to murphy with the conf title on the line. I say lady braves by 5 in a good one.
How many of those boys were held back in school a year for sports? Basically a JV team playing against 12/13 year olds.
I don't really know but I hope the whole team. Most every team in the conference has done it for years so it's time little Andrews does it too. It hurts don't it
What it hurts is the kids they play against that are in the grade they are supposed to be in.My son played against the Hayesville group his whole career and he never won against them on the basketball court.It was a good way to teach him early that life isn't always fair.And when it was all over with he won just as many state championships as they did.
The Hayesville group you're talking about that dominated youth league and middle school had two kids who were held back 6th grade...one of them ended up transferring to Murphy and the other stopped playing after 9th grade (though he did come back for his senior year). Plus neither of them were the main reason that group was so good (Cottrell). You're right that life's not fair, but making mountains out of molehills to give excuses doesn't help.
Last edited:
Personally I don't like it for many reasons. I never contimplated doing it with my kids. I wanted them to graduate with the class they started with and it's funny that the parents that did chose to do it only have youth league championships to show for it. To each his on I guess. I've seen it for football also and know 2 kids that ended up with injuries that prevented them from even playing much their senior season. It was a sad thing but it shows you that it's not a given if you hold a kid back that they will excel or like the case I just mentioned, end up with a injury. As far as the statement about AMS holding kids back, you might as well when other schools have done it or they transfer their kids just to be on a Championship team, which I also wouldn't or don't agree with.
The thing about it is, you usually end up with dominant youth league and middle school teams, because that is when a year makes the biggest difference...and the kid may make varsity a year sooner in high school, but by junior and senior year things even back out for the most part.
I agree that youth and middle school is where it makes the most difference. The tough part isn't losing on the court to those teams. You kind of understand that the age difference creates the competitive advantage. The hard part is listening to the parents brag about their kids success .... when they should realize the same thing about the situation they created. There were a couple of those AMS kids who public schools refused to hold back because there was no developmental reason for it. The answer .... transfer them to The Learning Center Charter School, hold them back, then transfer them back to AMS. Not against the rules, but geez.
Sounds like this is just a issue with Andrews. Again, most all schools have done this. I don't personally agree with it but let's be fair here. A lot of people just can't accept being beat by Andrews
Holding a kid back is parent decision...everyone is going to have an opinion. Fact is...boys mature later. They need more time to grow and develop. I graduated at 17 and grew about 2 inches and added about 20 lbs that next year.
Girls mature earlier...but I don't think a 17 year old is ready for college.
Great chapter in a Malcolm Gladwell book, Outliers, talks about the common thread of elite youth hockey players in Canada...all have a birthday that is optimum for playing. Kids with these birthdays are bigger and stronger...they do better...they get picked up on the best teams...they get the best coaching...they go on to be recruited to play in college or get drafted to play in the NHL. Not saying that every kid goes to college or gets drafted who is held back...but it gives some kids a shot who are late bloomers.
Andrews is turning a corner...they have a good group coming in 8th grade. Like every other small school...athletes come in waves. Tough to be competitive year in and year out...just gotta work hard and compete...those are the traits that will help kids as adults in the working world.
I really liked that chapter of Outliers as well...On the other hand, if everyone starts holding their kids back to make up for that effect, it's going to stop being an advantage--it will just be the status quo one year delayed across the board, and it will just go back to the kids that were born in September/October being the best again.
All kidding aside I really don't know for sure how many kids were held back. I just know 2 for sure. My nephew plays and I absolutely know he wasn't even though he looks like it. He is 6'3. It is a parents decision even though you might have some influence from a coach that might make a parent consider it as a option. We just have to play the game
That's a fair point, BK, but I think the counterargument is, if you delay enrollment a year that doesn't cost anybody any money--the state is still going to pay to educate that kid for 13 years. But if a kid starts at the usual time and then gets held back, it begs the question of 'why should thousands of dollars of taxpayer money be spent so a kid can be in school for an extra year for no developmental reason other than winning a middle school trophy?'
My son was not held back, we thought about it but he wanted to stay with his class, he turned 18 his freshman year in college ,He grew 3" and 40 lbs that year,now think about the college looks he could have gotten if he played one more year in high school at 6'5" 300lbs.unfortunately we did not have the insight to start him in school later.
Looks like you got it right...4-way tie for third after Hayesville beat Swain last night.
Hayesville is much improved this year and are peaking at the right time. Seems like Swain is going through a slump but is a very good team. Still should be Cherokee & Murphy in championship but you never know what will happen on a neutral court
Similar threads
