As part of , The Denver Post caught up with an array of stakeholders in the Colorado high school athletic scene to get their take on major issues such as transfers, parity, specialization and the proliferation of club sports. Here’s what they had to say:
Paul Angelico, Colorado High School Activities Association Commissioner
On what’s going to happen by continuing down the road of competitive imbalance:
“We can’t continue to have such imbalance in our haves and have-nots in our high school programs, and expect our high school programs to survive. The schools that get beat every Friday night 80-20 in basketball games will eventually drop their programs.”
On how to maintain parity in the free agent high school market:
“With open enrollment in the state of Colorado and kids’ ability to go wherever they want, kids that play basketball go to basketball schools; kids that play baseball go to baseball schools. So our job is going to be to figure out how to keep like schools together in terms of competitive balance, and it all goes back to, how do we classify schools to make it a fair contest when they compete?”
On the individualistic mindset of today’s elite high school athletes:
“The top-tier athletes, or the many who think they are, believe the school offers the athletic program to meet their needs, rather than that they’re contributing to make the school better. And I do worry about the top end of the spectrum, yes, but in that process I think what will eventually shake out is that those who think they’re elite athletes will end up on one kind of a classification—probably 10 percent of the athletes in this state—and the rest of the athletes will end up in another.”
On why he feels the transfer trend is unnecessary for the average high school athlete:
“Ninety-seven percent of the kids playing high school sports in Colorado will never play organized sport again when they graduate. And yet we spent all fall worrying about around 400 athletes that are sure they had to transfer because of sports. Well, the numbers simply don’t bear out that there are 400 kids that are that kind of elite athlete that needs to worry about transferring.”
On the influence of parents in an athlete’s high school decision:
“The average kid will go to the school he wants to go to because he’s with his friends. The average parent will feel the need to get their kid into the best sports program they can get him into, and to heck with community, to heck with friendships and all that. We haven’t figured out a way to communicate this message to parents effectively.”
On the current state of the transfer process, and how CHSAA has attempted to make it more legitimate:
“We went from that being a one-page transfer document last year, to now itap a three-page document that has to be filled out primarily by parents and both schools, and then all documentation to prove a bona-fide move, or hardship, or whatever the exemption may be needs to be attached to the form. We also went to the length of saying that if the initial application is not complete, they can’t add information later, because itap funny how people change their story as they’re told no. And if we find they’re not telling the truth about any part of the transfer, there’s an automatic one-year ineligibility for the student. Because I’m finding people are still trying to tell half-truths about transfers.”
Ron Woitalewicz, Dakota Ridge football coach
On the biggest issue facing Colorado high school football right now:
“The biggest issue facing Colorado high school football right now is the transfers, and what some would call recruiting. The thing thatap frustrating about it is that there’s rules that are in place, but it seems a lot of times the rules aren’t enforced. You get one program (Pine Creek) that gets all 22 programs put on restriction and then they say, ‘I’m sorry and get a slap on the wrist,’ and they’re allowed to keep winning and doing what they’re doing. I know CHSAA says they don’t want to punish the kids, but ultimately, no one is getting punished.”
On how he thinks transfers should be handled in the future:
“It seems like every year, there are certain programs that get kids who happen to move in. I’m almost at the point where we should pretty much open it up, and let kids go where they want because thatap whatap happening anyways.”
On the animosity felt toward schools with a history of recruiting violations, such as Pine Creek, which had all of its athletic programs placed on restriction in January 2016:
“They just keep doing it, and nothing’s happened. I’ve got friends who coach in Colorado Springs, and they say that ever since Pine Creek was placed on restriction, itap worse than itap ever has been. Basically, they were like, ‘We got away with it, CHSAA told us to never do it again, we winked and said we wouldn’t, the athletic director fell on the sword and away we go with the same old stuff.’”
On how to level the field between public and private schools, which have the ability to recruit students regardless of boundary:
“I don’t know what the answer to private schools are, other than that you go back to a parochial league and put Valor, Mullen, Faith Christian, Holy Family, all those schools in one league and they just all play each other. They’re all equivalent size-wise, but obviously Valor would kill them all.”
Mike Griebel, Columbine football coach/parent
On the circumstances surrounding the transfer of his son, star Columbine quarterback Mikey Griebel, to Columbine from Heritage after he lost his job as the Eagles’ head coach:
“He had no intention of transferring, because he had just finished his freshman year, and he was a first team All-Conference quarterback and he was excited about going into his sophomore year and this happened (I got fired). We supported him 100 percent, because it was painful for him because he had been an Eagle since he was in diapers. So we shopped Cherry Creek and Columbine and did a shadow day at each of those schools. That’s all we did—we didn’t do it for scholarship opportunities or anything shady like that—we just wanted to make him happy and have him enjoy his high school experience. And to make that happen, we actually relocated into Columbine’s attendance area so we could do it by the book of CHSAA’s rules.”
On alternatives to the current transfer rule that he and other coaches discussed while he was on the 5A football committee from 2010-2013:
“Part of the topic at that time—along with the waterfall, which we voted down because we didn’t want to lose rivalries and all that—was how strict we needed to be with the transfer rule. Sometimes CHSAA lets the committee guys have input and shape rules, but that was one rule CHSAA wouldn’t budge on much. They didn’t want to make it more lax. One suggestion we put forward, because it’s so hard to police the transfers, was that if every athlete was allowed one transfer without question or penalty. So if you want to transfer one time during your high school career, in your four years, then after that the microscope can come out if they want to transfer again.”
Nick Vinson, Managing Partner, Elite Speed Sports Performance
On the tensions between high school coaching staffs and the booming private training industry:
“A lot of the high school coaches have been burned by trainers in the private industry in the past. Many have said, ‘Don’t go to your coaches, they don’t know what they’re doing—he’s an economics teacher, for example, and he can’t teach you how to block. It’s really created this issue between their team and what we’re trying to do to build individual athletes and help support their team.”
On how to balance a player’s commitments to his team and his personal trainer:
“I believe that athletes should be with their teams—chemistry is hugely important, as is just being around and working with your team. It’s all about that team atmosphere, and if you take that away, that’s when you start to have serious issues. It has to be a symbiotic relationship.”
On the widespread pursuit of the college scholarship, and his belief in that pursuit:
“Not necessarily every one of our athletes is going to be able to get a college scholarship, but I believe every one of our athletes come to us because they want to play their sport at the next level, whether that’s the varsity team or a college team. With the amount of work these kids put in now-a-days, each and every one is deserving of that opportunity.”
On the future of high school sports in a world where club sports dominate:
“I do see high school sports starting to dwindle, while club sports continue to rise, continue to gain more popularity and thus continue to gain more revenue to keep ascending. There’s a huge benefit for club sports—those coaches get paid to send athletes to the next level—and when it comes to certain sports, the high school season is becoming endangered, just because of the year-round nature of club.”
Michelle Blubaugh, parent
On the transfer of her son, star running back Hayden Blubaugh, from Smoky Hill to Grandview prior to his junior season:
“His sophomore year, Smoky Hill changed conferences, and we were still 5A but played in the South Metro League instead of the Centennial League to try to be able to compete. So that was a big part of the decision to transfer to Grandview. He wanted to get back in what was then the Centennial League, and he wanted to play with the best and against the best. We knew there was going to be more opportunity there.”
On the blacklash of Hayden’s transfer, and whether it paid off for him:
“He did (catch a lot of flack), especially from some of the Smoky HIll football players who told him that he wouldn’t see the field at Grandview. But he also had a lot of support from his inner-circle, including some of his football friends who hated to lose him but completely understood why he was doing it. There was a lot of athletic talent at Smoky Hill, but they’ve now gone through through four coaches in the last five years and the program has not done well… That doesn’t allow for a lot of growth as far as the goals you want to achieve as an individual and as a football team.”
On what athletes and their families should consider when thinking about a transfer:
“”The most important thing when considering a transfer is to weigh all the options. We were very upfront with our kids, and we told them, ‘You’re going to be called traitors, and people who you thought were your friends will reveal themselves not to be.’ Preparing your kids for that aspect of change is important, because it’s not just about going to a better program. And if you’re not the elite athlete that Hayden is, who immediately stepped in and became the varsity star, that makes things tougher too.”
John Olander, Eaglecrest basketball coach
On the increasing trend of transfers in boys basketball:
“I don’t think transfers are good for the game, and trust me, I’ve had some transfers over the years and was a beneficiary of a bunch of transfers coming from Hinkley in my second year coaching that really helped propel our program. But it does seem like all of a sudden, there’s a lot more transfers going on and that some of the same schools keep getting those transfers. As a coach and as someone who’s trying to build a program from within and build community within their school, you’d like to see kids come up through your system and your neighborhood.”
On the importance of high school basketball despite the rise of club basketball:
“Coaches still want to see how kids perform when opposing coaches are preparing for them, and I think the club basketball scene is still more of a freelance, pickup style of play compared to the high school game. Coaches still want to see a player play against zone, or against a team that’s gameplanned for them.”
On the importance of good relationships between club and high school coaches:
“It’s important for club and high school coaches to work together, because club definitely helps players get exposure and especially when they travel out of state. The club coaches that my kids play for have been very understanding of our high school schedule, and I’ve tried to be flexible when it comes to their schedule because I think that’s important, too.”
Lorne Donaldson, Executive Director, Real Colorado
On the importance of the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) for girls soccer comparative to high school soccer:
“The ECNL is the best league in the world for girls, and I think it’s good they allow the option for the girls to play both ECNL and for their high school. High school provides the social part of the game, and although the high schools don’t provide a lot of the development, the high school season isn’t that long compared to club.”
On the future of club soccer, which on the girls side will have competing club leagues in the ECNL and the U.S. Development Academy:
“There’s going to be two competing club leagues on the boys and the girls side, and I think a lot of kids will chose to play for the one that allows them to play for their high school. A lot of the girls are going to say, ‘I don’t want to play for Academy, period,’ and a main reason for that is because they wouldn’t be able to play for their high school too.”
On where the best teenage soccer players of the future are going to get their training:
“Club does most of the skills development, while I think the high school does most of the social development. So if you’re looking at becoming a top player, you’ve got to develop most of your technique and skills at club, because I think only a few high schools in the state are capable of doing that.”
