Hannah Smith's comments
to the Senate Education Committee of 4/9/05
104th General Assembly, SB1356 Extra-curricular activities
Copyright © Hannah Smith. Used with permission.

Playing on a public school soccer team was one of the most gratifying experiences I've had in sports. For me, it was a great opportunity to meet new people and develop more friendships, as well as to get excellent training in the sport I loved. The school was nearby our house, and the bus would drive me to my games--which is definitely a plus when you have a family of nine. Overall, I loved playing public school sports, and I'd jump at the chance to do it again.

In fact, ladies and gentlemen, that's why I'm standing here now. That experience was back in Florida. Upon moving to Tennessee, I was severely disappointed to find that I couldn't play any sport for any high school team in the state. That's why I asked that we take a fresh look at the idea of home-schooled students participating in public school athletics, and explain why I, and others like me, want to participate.

For starters, the competition is more challenging. I don't know about you, but I always love getting pushed to do better in sports because the standards are higher. But unfortunately, by the time you get past the age of 12, more and more kids start playing on school teams instead of in community leagues. So while the competition in the schools goes up, most competition on community teams goes missing in action. It gets to the point where it's often hard to acquire enough players to field a team, let alone a competitive one.

Take soccer, for example; a sport I've played for many years. There aren't enough interested girls in our area to form a recreational soccer team. Since high school isn't an option, the only alternative for my sister and me is to join a boy's team. As you can imagine if you put yourself in my cleats, this isn't the most ideal situation.

Also, high school sports are the best road to athletic college scholarships. Most colleges recruit heavily from high school teams. My best friend, who homeschooled, is currently swimming on a scholarship at Cumberland College. She was able to secure that scholarship precisely because she was permitted to swim on her local high school team. If this opportunity hadn't existed, she wouldn't be swimming collegially right now, and she may not have been able to finish four years of college debt free.

Besides the better competition and the opportunities for scholarships, homeschoolers sometimes want to play on high school teams simply because it's the only option available. For teenagers, many sports are almost exclusively found at high schools.   Back in Florida, the only volleyball team was a high school team. So in that state, I was able to enjoy the experience of playing volleyball, at least for the three weeks before official try-outs. But personally, I was fine with the fact that I didn't make the team, at least I was able to have the opportunity of learning the basic skills of volleyball and what it takes to play.

Finally, one more reason I want to play public school sports, is for the different perspectives I can gain. You might be surprised at how much of a perception gap there is between homeschoolers and public schoolers. Because these two groups rarely interact inside or outside of school there are many differences including: expression, dress, thought and many subtle aspects of culture. That is why I think it's necessary to allow homeschoolers and public schoolers more opportunities to interact, so that we can better understand and learn from each other. We homeschoolers aren't trying to grow up in a protective bubble bereft of original thought. Sharing different points of view is part of what education is all about. One coach from New Hampshire wrote to my family, "I have had a number of home-schooled athletes on my teams over the years. I love their participation as well as the perspective they bring to the other kids on the team."

So those are my reasons for wanting to play on a high school team. Now I'm asking you to please vote to allow Tennessee home-school students the opportunity to participate in public high school athletics. By doing so, you'll embrace the diversity that schools seek to promote and enrich sports experience for all Tennessee students. Or, to let another Florida coach tell it: "Every child's success helps to raise the level of expectation of the other children (and therefore) our students welcome home-schooled children and appreciate what they bring to the team." They've successfully been welcomed in 18 other states. Please allow us to be welcome in Tennessee. Thank you.