Hurricane Katrina

Displaced athletes can play in Florida

High school players from Louisiana and Mississippi in good academic standing become eligible.

By SCOTT PURKS
Published September 2, 2005

	MORE COVERAGE: MULTIMEDIA Multimedia: Continuing fallout Latest Times photos Storm Watch blog

TAMPA - High school football might seem unimportant in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, but as the days pass for some young victims, it could mean more than it ever did.

"It can give some kids who have worked and worked to play in their senior (season) something to look forward to," Bay County athletic director Tommy St. Amant said.

Thursday morning, several students from Louisiana and Mississippi showed up at St. Amant's Panhandle schools. That's when he called the Florida High School Athletic Association, the state's governing body, asking for guidance for those who want to play sports.

In the afternoon, the FHSAA declared with minimal provisions that displaced students can become eligible for the fall semester.

The FHSAA said the student must have been eligible in his/her home state. The new schools, however, must confirm eligibility with the appropriate state's athletic governing body.

"We're having the individual schools determine eligibility because our office may not be able to handle the demand," FHSAA communications director Jack Watford said.

In the spring, eligibility will be determined by a previous school's transcript unless it was lost in the storm. In that case, eligibility will be determined by grades from the fall semester at the new school.

Rules concerning transfer and proof of residency will be waived on this one-time basis.

"(Students) are relocating here, either with their parents or being sent here by their parents, to live with relatives or friends because of the destruction to their homes," FHSAA commissioner John Stewart said.

"It would be insensitive and improper for this association to be inflexible in the enforcement of rules that would deny these students the opportunity to participate in interscholastic athletics when their lives, through no fault of their own, have been turned upside down."

Middleton football coach Harry Hubbard said he hopes all coaches, given a situation in which a "displaced" athlete shows up on their doorstep, will be sensitive to the student-athlete.

"I think some coaches think about themselves and their team before anything else," Hubbard said. "But this is a case where a coach needs to weigh some things and do whatever is best for one of these students who have had their lives destroyed.

"Hopefully, there will never be a situation where one school gets mad because they think another school is getting too many players. The last thing this needs to become is ugly. I don't think that will happen, but you never know."

For football players, missing an entire season could dash hopes of earning a scholarship.

Recruiting analyst Bobby Burton of rivals.com said as many as 150 players with Division I potential live in areas that sustained extensive damage from the hurricane. Burton said transferring could diminish an athlete's playing time and exposure, lessening their chances at getting noticed by college coaches.

"It's significant," Burton said. "A lot of players are going to be affected by this."

But St. Amant said he believes playing sports will help all athletes, not just those trying for scholarships.

"It can show them that life can still be lived," he said. "And for some of these kids, athletics might have been a huge part of their life."

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

Sports sanctioned by the Florida High School Athletic Association:

FIRST SEMESTER: Cross country, football, golf, soccer (small schools), swimming/diving, volleyball.

SECOND SEMESTER: Baseball, softball, tennis, track, weightlifting.

BOTH SEMESTERS: Basketball, soccer (all schools), wrestling.

[Last modified September 2, 2005, 02:15:35]