The annual All-Star games sponsored by Arkansas High School Coaches Association has now been done away with.
The executive committee of the organization engaged in this activity notified the Arkansas Activities Association that due to reduced involvement in the games in the past few years and added reduction in the number of participants and coaches willing to participate, the games wouldn’t be held in June again.
The All-Star games had restarted in 2022 after not being played in the year 2020 and 2021 due to covid-19.
The All-Star games’ format included both baseball and softball games for boys and girls, and volleyball games, boys and girls soccer, boys and girls basketball and football. In 2013, the games were overwhelmed back to the University of Central Arkansas campus in Conway after they had spent the last 10 years at the University of Arkansas.
But the graduating seniors who were nominated for the games but intended to go to Division I institutions could not play because their college coaches wanted them to report to college if they were not already on hand, especially if like the football players, they signed in December and there was a search for substitutes.
Regarding other sports, athletes would prefer to spend a summer with club teams of choice against the All-Star games. Last summer, the entire team was let go because the original group wanted to opt out, and replacements had to be secured.
“It’s has been a good thing for kids and coaches, said AAA deputy effort Director Joey Walters. However, amicable to the acceptance rate that we’ve received, the time is right to discontinue.”
‘We are going to begin trying to do some polling of our membership to see what else we can do.’ Over the years, our clinic numbers have gone down and part of that would be due to the season or the period of the year that it is. Nowadays you have got 7-on-7s, basketball team camps – a lot of things happening at that point.
The AHSCA will continue to announce All-Star list for these sports, the coaches and players selected for those list will be awarded with a certificate.
