I know in Oklahoma which had quite a few evacuees, and Arkansas which had a pretty good number the athletes were allowed to compete as if they had met the requirements. It is sad that the state that was hit the worst treated the HS athletes so bad yet in other states the athletes were allowed to waive the district residency rules.
Let's not jump to conclucions about how LA is treating her athletes. As has been said, the facts in the available threads are pretty thin. What can be said is that it appears that the state did all it can to provide an easy, pain-free process while trying to protect from predatory, active seeking out of top athletes from disaster areas. I say 'trying' because, if we read the article carefully, it does not say that the athletes in question 'played' for Balsrop, but rather that they were 'recruited by Balsrop.' Recruited, as in Coach: "If you come play for us son, we will make sure your family has a nice house to live in rather than a flea-bag motel or a FEMA campsite." I am not saying that is what happened, but if it is, or any other inducement was offered (which is what recruiting entails) then I say that Balsrop was trying to benefit from the disaster, and THAT IMO is wrong.
"If you come play for us son, we will make sure your family has a nice house to live in rather than a flea-bag motel or a FEMA campsite." I am a world class cynic, and even I have to believe that the educators and administrators of Bastrop High and the school district put the well- being of the students first. To think that the coaches hand picked the students by how good a football player they are is ridiculos. Familys and people were scattered all to hell and gone. Am I to believe they went to the Super Dome to recruit only the best players, I think not. And even if they did, don't take it out on the kids, I think they have suffered enough.
More I was led to understand that one or two of these same five students had sisters displaced at the same location that participated in LHSAA sports other than football yet were left behind by these coaches. -LHSAA commissioner Tommy Henry
Thanks, SummersEve. That article gives a better idea of what actually happened apart from "the kids are crying." Basically, if the coaches had been smart and brought up all the kids that were being transferred to the school, they might not have gotten in trouble. I also think the definition of "kids" is interested. Juniors and Seniors. 16-18 years old, if I'm not mistaken. Granted, a hurricane isn't an easy thing to deal with, but you'd hope schools had been preparing them to take responsibility for their actions, as the "kids" can get a license to drive and are about to leave for college(or military, or working odd jobs and playing video games). It always seems we expect "kids" to suddenly at 18 (or 21) have a sudden explosion of responsibility appear when they've been sheltered from it their whole life. I'm all in favor of teaching kids to say, "Hold it, coach, that isn't right."
