SRAAs Mohawk Homeschool allowed in

After some terse e-mails, phone calls and apparently a letter from an attorney for the Mohawk Homeschool Rowers, the three boats that competed successfully at the New York State Scholastic Rowing Association regatta two weeks ago were allowed to compete at the Scholastic Rowing Association of America National Regatta this weekend in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

With rumors of a threat of a potential injunction shutting down the two-day event open to high school crews, SRAA President Lee West allowed the three Mohawk boats to compete.

The SRAA rules are aimed at providing crews that compete for one high school entity, Saratoga, Burnt Hills, Shenendehowa, etc. to face each other. Other rowing organizations such at Community Rowing Inc. (CRI) out of Boston and Oakland Strokes from California cast a wide net over several large communities to pull talent together to form teams. These "club" teams have their own national championship, the US Rowing Youth Invitational in Cincinnati, Ohio in June.

So what's the big deal?

Simple, money and convenience.

The Cincinnati trip is expensive, two days by charter bus, 700 miles over the road, expensive to fly to and has average to low attendance along with stiffer competition. Add to it the date, the first week of June, unless you're a senior in high school, this is not the time to be away for six days.

All of those points were confirmed by Niskayuna coach Matt Hopkins who helped create the Mohawk Homeschool program and was the voice of the organization on Thursday.

The SRAA argument, and my own is that the New York State Public High School Athletic Association doesn't permit home schoolers to play for their home school district interscholastic sports programs. No attendance in their brick buildings, no varsity letters. Other states have allowed home schoolers to participate within the school district boundaries, but not New York.

The New York State Scholastic Rowing Association has recognized Mohawk Homeschool as a scholastic team and allows them to compete at the state tournament. The challenge is the power of the NYSPHSAA carries a lot more weight than a rowing organization focusing on its own sport. Hence the term "governing body" for the NYSPHSAA.

The Mohawk Homeschoolers won the battle, but may have lost the war. Their lawyer got one by on the SRAA this year, but both sides now have a full year to decide how the rules are applied across the board.

Hopkins was all smiles about his victory, but for was the win worth a black eye for all of New York State's homeschoolers, rowers and non-rowers alike?