Another Home Schooling question (High School Only)

[kekoa]

I was talking to a kid last night and he mentioned that he is now doing Home School for his Sr. year of high school and also working at a very prestigious Country Club for some side cash and free play. I found it odd since he was attending a private high school up until this point so why wouldn't he just stay another year and graduate there with his class? Note, the kid committed to a D1 school back in November.

So a few questions:

Are most colleges good with this once committed?Can the kid somehow still compete in large high school tournaments even though he is home schooled?Is this a route your kid would take given the circumstances?

Thanks

 

[leezer99]

I'm sure his parents worked out how traditional school versus home school would best translate for him. Plus I think there are quite a few private school kids that finish HS early so they can join the college team earlier. This might be his route so he can finish high school faster than what the traditional school was able to offer.

Are most colleges good with this once committed? ** IMO, most coaches are there to win. Your kid that went from traditional school to home school or another kid that graduates with his class doesn't matter... they want rounds in the 60's. Again, just my opinion, but the harsh truth is that college coaches have bills to pay and for them to keep their jobs they need to recruit well and turn out future stars to keep feeding their recruiting needs. There are exceptions like Stanford who have to back door top talent through their academic admissions process but not many. I am not distrustful in the great coaches that are out there but they aren't recruiting golfers at the D1 level because they are fine upstanding citizens that shoot in the 80's.Can the kid somehow still compete in large high school tournaments even though he is home schooled? ** I don't see how this is possible unless he/she is homeschooling through a traditional school like Oaks Christian that also offers online learning.Is this a route your kid would take given the circumstances? ** Finishing school early, yes. Going the home school route and working, probably not.

[Fuscinator]

Some of the kids I've known who've opted for homeschooling late in their school life did so because of some problem (bullying, gangs, etc.). It's certainly an unusual choice to make after twelve years of school with one to go, especially where graduating early from a school, if you qualify, is not so unheard of.

[MB19]

I don't know how it is in CA, but in FL homeschooled kids can play sports at brick-and-mortar high schools.

Tim Tebow was famously homeschooled, but played high school sports at Allen D. Nease High School in Jacksonville.

This may be apples-to-oranges, but I lived a few streets over from Mike Modano for a few years growing up in Michigan. He was pretty much never home by the time he was 14, and we never saw him around the neighborhood because he was playing travel hockey... and he eventually moved to Canada to further hone his craft. This was a kid who probably could have played a few different sports at a D-1 level in college--or maybe even beyond--but going 1-1 in the '88 NHL Draft made his career choice that much more of a lock. Today, he would probably be homeschooled with as much time and effort he and his parents put into hockey, but back we all just assumed he had some sort of arrangement with the school to keep up with his coursework and present it whenever he could.

This is in no way an endorsement of how one should school their child prodigy, but when I hear stories of the Pano family super-modifying their lives/schooling experience to max-out golfing development--it reminds me of the Modano family. It can work for a generational talent, or for a family with other considerations/job circumstances, but it obviously isn't a logical route for the vast majority of student-athletes.

[farmer]

In Texas, homeschooled kids cannot compete in UIL events. The UIL is the governing authority for all high school competitive events, archery to wrestling. The concern I would have is that the commitment means nothing. The kid can back out. the school can back out. D1 and D2 schools have about 4 men's golf scholarships, how they are split up is up to the coach and unless the kid can really show something, he will not even be afforded a tryout.

[heavy_hitter]

High School Golf Means absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things for collegiate golf. High School Golf, in my opinion, is something to do so that a kid is involved with the high school. There is also that high school experience you get with traveling with the guys and being part of a team. In Florida you can be home schooled and play for the local private or public high school. Florida, however, has the dumbest high school rules in the lower 48 when it comes to eligibility for high school sports. A home school kid can play for the local private or public high school. If it is the public high school, they can play for the local high school they are zoned for. If it is the private high school and home schooled they can play for any private high school. Florida has school choice. A kid that attends traditional high school can transfer to ANY traditional high school they want to as long as the District allows it and the school has room. A kid could literally play Football, Basketball, and Baseball at 3 different schools if the District has school choice and they have enrollment in those schools. Those choices also allow the kid to transfer across county lines. Absolutely RIDICULOUS!!! The rich get richer and the poor get Poorer. The other thing it causes is massive recruiting, which is still illegal. I don't thing the colleges care. Anything is possible and wouldn't rule that out. I don't see it happen though.

[TripleBogeysrbetter]

"I don't thing the colleges care." Personal opinion I think it just depends on the college. A "golf school" doesn't care I totally agree. They just want you for the golf.

[maxamillian31]

Depending on how good the school team is and if they play decent tournaments, top juniors may not even play on the school team. In addition, some States have "work release" - juniors and seniors that have a job can leave school around mid-day (even if not working that day) and therefore spend alot of time on their sport - e.g. work at the Country Club / course and spend alot of time practicing, free rounds, free/cheap CC meals etc. "WR" allows kids to play for the HS team. Some States also have dual enrollment where juniors and seniors can elect to take college courses (at the college), either full time or part time (if they meet academic requirements and are admitted by the college). So a HS kids could do college classes, a couple of HS electives and still play for the team. If they do full time college enrollment while still a junior/senior, they cannot play for the HS (at least this is the case in GA).

I would think colleges need to see kids retain good grades and SAT/ACT scores, regardless of if they are home schooled or not.

In the case of the junior mentioned at the beginning on the post, hopefully the proposed NCAA eligibility extension doesn't impact the college's commitment. A real wildcard for any 2020 grad (as well as possibly 2021 and 2022) wanting to play D1 sports with current seniors potentially getting another year to play.