In February, the IHSAA issued a news release announcing new rules regarding transfer eligibility, one that poses the risk of changing the entire landscape of high school athletics.
The new rule, going into effect immediately, now permits student-athletes to transfer schools during the first six semesters of their high school careers without facing any eligibility penalty. Before February, if a student-athlete transferred from one IHSAA-sanctioned school to another without having moved, they would lose an entire year of IHSAA eligibility. This penalty was aimed at prohibiting athletic recruiting during high school sports and maintaining equity in amateur sports; without this precaution, high school sports are only becoming more and more competitive.
During my sophomore year, I had the honor of being one of 18 student-athletes selected to join the IHSAA Student Advisory Committee, and I was elected president of the committee last summer. Throughout my time on the committee, I have had the opportunity to speak at area principal meetings, plan the student leadership conference, assist with various state finals events, attend the NFHS Student Leadership Summit, and participate in numerous other activities. This experience has provided me with great opportunities and valuable perspectives on the true meaning of high school sports.
One of my favorite parts of attending state finals is watching the 1A and 2A games. Some may argue that these games are less competitive than those of larger schools or that the talent is not as good as that of 3A or 4A schools. My argument is quite the opposite. In larger, more competitive schools, athletes are often groomed from a young age into high-level competitors. These teams are the best of the best with top-notch personal trainers and state-of-the-art equipment. Just look at Center Grove football or the Carmel girls swim team. However, what these teams often lack is the hard-earned grit and dedication that smaller schools possess. Take Borden’s girls basketball team, for example. Before this season, they had not won a regional championship or even made an appearance at a semi-state game. Their school had never participated in the IHSAA state championship for girls basketball, let alone won the state tournament. The team made school history by being the first team to win a regional, semi-state, and state championship. During the state championship game, the girls were down by 13 points in the first quarter but came back to achieve the greatest upset in IHSAA girls basketball state championship history, finishing with a 12-0 run in the fourth quarter. That said, Borden’s win was not fueled by AAU travel teams, personal trainers, or the best equipment; it was fueled by the cornerstone of high school athletics: hard work and dedication.
My fear is that the new transfer rule will put these sports programs at risk.
This new rule will completely change the landscape of high school athletics. Since its establishment in 1903, the IHSAA has strived to encourage, regulate, and provide direction to wholesome amateur interschool athletic competition. With the new transfer rules, these small schools are at risk of reduced regulation. If every elite player from a small 1A school, like Borden girls basketball, transfers to the best 4A schools, the distribution of talent between classes will be in complete disarray. Already established powerhouses– such as Carmel, Westfield, Center Grove, Penn, and Brownsburg– will only continue to grow, drawing talent from smaller schools and creating a space for unfair competition.
What I love most about the 1A and 2A competition is that it is anyone’s game. The 1A state finals almost always feature different schools; in sports from soccer to basketball to football, I typically do not see the same 1A schools across different sports, unlike the 4A or 6A schools, which appear at nearly every state final.
What truly sets 1A and 2A apart from their 3A and 4A counterparts is their heart and passion for the game. The way their entire communities show up from hours away to support their team. The way their cheerleaders are just as invested in the game as the people playing in it. Their coaches, who do not coach for the pay but for the impact they know they are making on their players’ lives. Despite being smaller and often deemed “less competitive” than the powerhouse schools surrounding them, I truly believe that 1A schools are the heart of high school athletics.
If we continue to put 4A powerhouse schools on a pedestal for their equipment, facilities, and trainers, how do we continue to support 1A schools with a transfer rule that puts their programs at risk of being completely uprooted by 4A schools?
