SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums SCHSSCA HS Lacrosse to Spring???

I received this late Saturday via email from a high school coaching colleague ... Your thoughts?
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Dear Superintendent, Principal and Athletic Director:

I am writing today to ask you to advocate for better treatment for boys and girls lacrosse in your next meeting with the South Carolina High School League.

As a parent of a high school lacrosse player, I feel that the school has not adequately represented the interests of the boys and girls that play lacrosse. I feel that the school should advocate for boys and girls lacrosse so that our children have the same opportunities as athletes of other sports. Lacrosse is the fastest growing sport in North America and our children should have opportunities to receive scholarships like athletes in other states.

Specifically, I ask that you make and support the following proposals to the SCHSL:

First, Lacrosse should be a full spring sport that shares the same season as baseball, soccer, softball, track, boy’s tennis and golf. The SC High School League's "hybrid" season hurts children who want to play multiple sports. The hybrid season is unfair to players of winter sports, such as basketball, because the seasons overlap too much. Additionally, baseball players that are cut from baseball are discouraged from trying out for lacrosse because by the time baseball makes cuts, lacrosse are already 3 weeks into practice. It seems that the High School League has been more interested in protecting the month of May so that football can have all the fields for their practice.

Second, school administrators should require the SCHSL to protect the health of our students. Lacrosse players sometimes play 3 games per week in order to get a decent number of games per season. Meanwhile, football plays only one game per week for more than 16 weeks. The truncated "hybrid" lacrosse season has placed our children at a greater risk of injury due to the lack of recovery time between contests in a contact sport. Lacrosse should have a season that is at least as long as the other spring sports. This would allow for a 9-week regular season. The SCHSL has a 14 game maximum-game-allowed policy which is equivalent to other states that sanction lacrosse. Currently, the lacrosse regular season is 7 weeks long. That does not allow for adequate time to schedule make-up games if severe weather occurs. Additionally, the "hybrid" season starting in late January early February is not appropriate for a sport that should be played in spring weather.

Finally, school administrators should ask the SCHSL to move Soccer to its natural season in the fall. Football is the only sport that doesn't have to share facilities during their season. The SCHSL should schedule Soccer in the fall like other states in the country. In the spring, the following sports all share fields: boys lacrosse, girls lacrosse, boys soccer, girls soccer, baseball, softball and track. In the fall, the only sport that competes for field space is Football.
When spring practices are forced indoors due to weather, all seven spring sports (actually more than 14 if you count sub-varsity teams) have to compete for indoor facilities. In the fall, football automatically gets the indoor facility. Not to mention that the weather in the spring is typically worse than weather in fall.

The SCHSL's treatment of all spring sports is clearly discriminatory against female sports because all-male football has a season all to themselves, while girls outdoor sports are forced to share fields with too many sports in the spring.
Please contact me and let me know how you plan to support the above proposals in the SCHSL in your March meeting. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Lacrosse Parent
cc: School Board
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Part Two:
Steve Hisker‎ to Lowcountry Lacrosse·

It's my understanding that the SCHSL will be announcing some kind of lacrosse season extension (either 1 to 2 weeks added at the end.) However, there was considerable opposition to full spring season. There are still some ADs in the Midlands trying to push lacrosse to a Winter sport (Spring Valley proposed this in the past but I don't know if they are responsible this time). It's my understanding that if Soccer proposed moving to fall, there would be overwhelming support for fall soccer and spring lacrosse. We need to get the soccer coaches involved so that we can have a joint proposal drafted for soccer and lacrosse. The proposals need to be submitted before January 1 2016 to be properly voted on in March 2016. If you know any Soccer coaches and parents, please talk to them and ask them to contact me. Thanks for all your support.

Is the parent suggesting that both girls and boys soccer be moved to the fall, or just boys soccer? Conversely, why not make lacrosse a fall sport or even make it a winter sport? Just my thoughts.

I would not support moving soccer to the fall. I do not coach club soccer, but I know a number of high school coaches do coach club soccer.

Also, wiith a majority of the high school soccer players being involved in club soccer, I can only imagine the issues that would arise if we have the high school soccer season at the same time as the club soccer season.

Not sure what they're proposing based on the letter. However, I find it interesting that D1 coaches like Mark Berson at USC would support a move of college soccer to the spring in order to assist with player development and such.

I don't think moving HS soccer to the fall would be prudent, but if it was switched I'd imagine a lot of Monday/Wednesday/Saturday game scenarios due to Varsity football on Friday night and JV on Thursday. Not sure where MS football fits in, but if they play on Wed/Thurs, another logistical nightmare. I don't know if the facilities are suited for HS soccer in the fall.

I'd be all for lacrosse moving to the fall or winter however, if needs be. Spring is just too crowded already. I doubt football coaches/ADs would support a move to the fall either due to competition for field space and such (soccer or lacrosse).

If they moved high school soccer to the fall then club would switch to the spring.

We don't have lacrosse at our school so I don't have an opinion about that sport. I see the point of the "hybrid" season being difficult.

At Stratford, we have two practice fields. One is a full size field and the other one is about 3/4 of a field. We have a hard time already with 4 soccer teams sharing field space. I couldn't imagine having to share with 3 football teams as well.

Plus I don't think our grass fields could handle all that traffic at once.

When high school soccer was first introduced to the SCHSL it was played as a winter sport, correct? Why not do the same with lacrosse... they are the "newcomer" to the high school sports scene. Coaching both club and high school, I could not imagine the issues that would arise with having athletes participate in both during the same season. The parent speaks toward player safety but doesn't think about our players (who WOULD play both club and high school) participating in 5 practices and 4 games per week if HS overlapped with club.

So...
Move Lacrosse to Fall... or
Move Lacrosse to Winter... or
Continue with Lacrosse in Spring... but
LEAVE SOCCER ALONE

I definitely feel lacrosse should be a pure Winter sport in HS. Leave soccer alone.

The SCHSL staged boys soccer in the Winter months through the 1984-85 season. The first spring soccer season was 1986.

IMO, the lacrosse season in S.C., is fine where it is in regard to the high school athletics calendar: January 25 - April 30. The sport was sanctioned by the SCHSL for the 2009-10 season so there have been six state championships staged by the SCHSL.

BOYS
2009-10: Greenville def. Wando
2010-11: Fort Mill def. Greenville
2011-12: Wando def. Dorman
2012-13: Wando def. Fort Mill
2013-14: Fort Mill def. Wando
2014-15: Wando def. Fort Mill

GIRLS
2009-10: Blythewood def. Riverside
2010-11: Wando def. Riverside
2011-12: Fort Mill def. J.L. Mann
2012-13: J.L. Mann def. Bishop England
2013-14: J.L. Mann def. Wando
2014-15: J.L. Mann def. Bishop England

According to laxpower.com lacrosse first started in the Palmetto State in 2005 with 14 teams. There are currently 49 prep "teams" in South Carolina and several are made up geographic regions that represent a variety of high schools (i.e., Savannah LC, Charleston LC, Cusabo LC, Rock Hill LC, Rincon LC, etc.)

I am not directly affected by lacrosse....yet, but I have talked to a few of you who have it at your school.

I agree with Allister (as scary as that may sound) I do not see logistically how HS soccer could function in the fall. The sheer math of adding scores of more games on fields already being used for football would not work at all for schools with grass fields.

I think lacrosse moving to the fall looks like a good solution. It appears to address all the complaints in the letter.

The wear on the field from lacrosse is horrible. The goalie circle gets worn down so much. Depending on the size of your field it can be right at the PK spot.

Lacrosse would do themselves a favor if the boys and girls lacrosse game would use the same line and field dimensions.

To request soccer be moved to the fall is crazy. Why would they not request Lax move to the fall? There argument sounds like one I have with my 6 year old. Can't write what I'm really thinking:)