My son played for the high school's summer program during June. Level of play was not as competitive as his summer travel team. A couple of the new high school coaches and parents want to improve the summer program.

1. Does anyone know the GA rules regarding the coaches' ability to participate in May (after the HS season completes) and July (after the summer season completes)?

2. If a school tries to keep its players together through the entire summer, are there tournaments they can play in which are not age specific? For example, the Perfect Game WWBA tournaments were 18u, 17u, and 16u. Thus a "high school" team would be forced to compete in the 18u tournament, but would be overmatched. Does any one know of any quality "high school" tournaments in Atlanta area during June and July?

3. Does your high school keep its players together during July? Comments on the experience?

4. Are you concerned about the lack of exposure your son would receive on a "high school" summer team, as opposed to an age-based summer travel team? I know the scouts were all over the place at the WWBA tourneys, but I didn't see a single one at any of the June high school tournaments.

It's my understanding, from our coach, that HS rules will not allow him to be on a field with his players after July 19th. He can't even be on the field if one of his players is on the opposing team, but the rule recently was relaxed to allow him to be in the stands. The team my son plays on now (not his own school) is set up with the varsity coach appointing a coach (a trusted travel ball manager) to coach his boys during summer and fall. They divide the team into 16U and 18U to fit into roughly two catagories for tournaments. They pick up a few other players to fill out the rosters of both teams (which is where my son fits in), then go from there.

Not sure how to answer question #4. We usually end up playing for 2 teams, a travel team and his school team. For us, that's worked out ok because he is not a pitcher.

Mine played on two teams last year as well. When you add the summer football workouts, it made for a pretty busy summer.

Quillgirl, so is it your understanding that the high school coach cannot coach in the fall either? Or be on the field, or at a workout? So the prohibition is from July 19 through to the start of the season the next February? Sounds like your school has taken a pretty reasonable approach to how to handle summer and fall programs.

I was told yesterday that most schools use the June season for underclassmen development. That the rising Juniors and Seniors are encouraged to find a good travel team.

That's my understanding, Tantrough, as far as fall and late summer ball goes with the coach of the school. I don't know if that means he can't have weight training all winter, and I don't know if that means the coach can't just watch from the stands and then chat with the managers later. That's something to find out..

I think it's not easy for every older kid to find a travel team for various reasons (cost & geography the biggest) so the school coach just creates them for the benefit of his players. They have tryouts for the fill-in players who come from other schools that don't have a summer or fall program. The best of that crop fills out the rosters of the 16U and 18U teams who are managed by a travel coach and assistants. Seems to work pretty well and the teams are far more competitive overall.

I think the approach coaches have to the out-of-season teams depends on the area where you live and what everyone around you does. I know there is a Dunwoody league and a Decatur league in DeKalb county that encourages upperclassmen in DeKalb county to keep their skills warm in the off season. So does N. Fulton, N. Gwinnett and some Hall county schools. Probably others too.