Throughout high school, almost all coaches tell players that they are trying to get them ready to move on to the next level, whether it be JV to varsity or varsity to some form of collegiate sports.

While they do their best, they can only do so much. Athletes now have to play in identification camps and scouting tournaments in order to properly showcase their talents for schools. One sport this is extremely prevalent in is soccer – and because of the fact that it is one of the few year-long sports, recruitment camps occur year-long.

One RHS student athlete played in a showcase event in an effort to increase her chances of playing soccer beyond high school, which isn’t anything out of the ordinary. Unknown to her – and most student athletes – what she was doing could have caused her team to forfeit every game in which she played, as apparently she was not complying with CIF rules that blocks players from participating in certain drills.

As soon as the administration here at RHS caught wind of the allegations, they decided it best to self-report the infraction to the CVC, in order to limit the damage. Ultimately, the CVC decided that the varsity soccer team would have to forfeit every game that the athlete played in since the camp, as well as forcing the athlete to sit out an additional two games.

This caused mass hysteria, as the the forfeited games would not only drop the Tigers out of first place, but also give them their first league losses. However, the Tigers were able to get the ruling dropped, as the host school of the showcase emailed the league office and outlined that the drills that they did did in fact comply with CVC rules, and the Tigers got their record and standing back.

While it is fantastic that the Tigers’ record actually depicts how they have played, this whole procedure brought to light a whole nother issue. The CIF should be trying to give its athletes the absolute best chance of continuing their athletic career. While they can’t offer kids scholarships or force them to go to camps, they should not have such strict rules so that athletes have to live in fear of costing their team games. It’s not like the athletes are going to these camps for weeks on end. They are going on their free time in an effort to better their chances of moving on to college athletics, and that should be encouraged, not punished.