HS runner from Illinois banned from competing for competing in a 5K road race

The ncaa has lost law suit after law suit. Someone needs to start filing suit against high school associations that limit competition opportunities for high school kids

Michigan had or maybe still does have the same arcane rule. I am too lazy to look and see if Michigan still has the same rule.

Illinois can easily get ride of this rule. The damage they have done to themselves given this specific situation should cause rapid change or rapid firing of the administrators.

How is that a "good lesson"?

If he goes for a 5k training run, that's fine, if he does it in a race, he gets banned - sounds like a dumb rule.

And if the dude's autistic, sounds like some reasonable adjustment might be called for.

If that's the rationale, (a) it's dumb - forcing people not to do what they want is not the same as encouraging them to do something different, and (b) it's (potentially at least) discriminatory. Some neurodiverse people can't cope with team sports, or ball sports, or just get into their thing, whether it's running or whatever, and that's what they want to do.

A few years back I won a local roadrace that had a small cash prize. The third place finisher gave me us prize money owing to the fact that he didn't want to jeopardize his high school good standing. It may be a dumb rule, but that doesn't make someone exempt.

As the parent of a club soccer player, all I can say is that would be a dream come true.

What a stupid rule and a horrible thing to do to a kid. I'm from PA and during their senior year two boys on our cross country team ran this 6.5 mile road race a week before the district cross country championships. One kid won the entire race beating all the adults and the 2nd boy came in 11th place in a field of about 150. There was no such rule in PA and they both ran in the district race and the top kid qualified for the state championship race. Illinois sucks. I bet it's a new rule. I wonder if they would have banned Craig Virgin if he ran a road race back in the day. I doubt it!

Why does this rule exist?

The rule is that high school athletes can't compete against college and pro athletes. It provides an advantage and creates potential issues.

This sounds like something the CIF would to to Newbury Park when they dominated

If no NCAA affiliated runners or professional runners are in a road race then it should be no problem correct? I do find that rationale for the rule helpful and that does make sense.

This rule exists across all sports in IHSA and the policy is applied uniformly across all of those sports, 'in that given sport or in any competition that involves the skill of the sport in question'. This rule is communicated to all teams by their coaches, and is readily documented, and there are mechanisms for exemptions... if you ask first rather than violate the rule and then beg for forgiveness.

Folks are focusing only on this special needs child and his charity 5K. This rule also applies to an extremely affluent soccer squad that could enter into travel soccer tournaments in other states to get more experience against high level competition.

The rationale for the rule includes:
1. Fair Competition: By restricting outside competition, it helps ensure that all athletes on the team have equal opportunities to develop their skills and compete for playing time.

2. Injury Prevention: Excessive competition can increase the risk of injuries, which could negatively impact the athlete's performance and participation in school sports. Many kids don't know when they're overdoing it. Over-training is already enough of a problem, this opens up over-competing.

3. Focus on Academics: High school athletics are meant to complement the educational experience. Limiting outside commitments can help athletes prioritize their studies and maintain a healthy balance between academics and sports.

4. Team Unity: Participating in school-sanctioned events promotes team cohesion and a sense of belonging.

School coaches provide guidance, training, and support to athletes. Limiting outside competition helps ensure that athletes are receiving proper instruction and supervision.

In the specific case of running, pure-track runs are considered separate than XC, and as such one could run the other flavor of event 'in season'. This opens up road events during the track season for example. I'm not sure I agree, given the 'skill' in question has about 99% overlap, but this does provide additional flexibility.

What State Does better? I am in California, Born and raised here. I liked it when I was young and naive. Now I know it mostly runs on lies and favors.

Typically, rules like this are intended to keep the athletes on the school teams (in all sports) from also competing elsewhere during the school season for their sport. The school does want the competition from non-government sports programs. There are also rules in at least one state about school coaches not coaching members of their school team out of season, either at school or on private, club teams. These were usually the result of some coaches who would require their athletes to participate in a club team that was all players from that school, essentially forcing them to train year round. 'You either play with our club team or you can't play varsity.'

I will note that I have seen high school track & field athletes competing unattached in college meets. Is that really an 'advantage,' especially in field events? Imagine telling a high school golfer that they can't play a round of golf with their college age brother or sister on the weekend.

But playing a round of golf with friend or family is not a formal competition. There'd be no way a high school runner could be kept from getting friends or family members to race them on their own.

This rule exists in other states, too. Probably for the reasons already mentioned. I just wanted to add that any high school athlete that races in a meet or event that includes college or professional runners they cannot use that time to, for example, qualify for states.

how does this even violate the rule? A road race is not the same thing as a cross-country race. So a high school soccer player would be disqualified from playing soccer by competing in a road race too? Someone please post the exact language of the rule if you have it handy.

I am guessing it is somewhere in this document. I just skimmed it but couldn't find it.

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