Athletics rule: Transfers sit out a year. What’s that like?

TRANSFERRING IN MINNESOTA | This is part of an exclusive Strib Varsity series.

. . .

Minnesota’s high school ranks include numerous transfer students who pick a new school and find a way through the eligibility maze to play varsity sports right away.

Then there are transfer students like Emma Flores.

Last August, she transferred from Holy Angels to Bloomington Kennedy, where her stepfather, Haytham Kandil, had been hired as the varsity girls soccer coach.

Flores would have been a nice sophomore addition to a Kennedy squad that finished a mere 2-11-3 last season. But under MSHSL rules, a transfer student must sit out for one full year to become eligible for varsity competition, unless they meet one of several conditions.

There was nothing about Flores’ transfer that qualified her to remain eligible at the varsity level. Her family didn’t move in from out of state, for example, or change its Eagan address.

“We were thinking about changing her address to be closer to the Bloomington area,” Kandil said. “But no, I don’t like it that way. It’s like cheating, you know?”

Flores didn’t start playing soccer until seventh grade, but she is improving quickly, having gained club soccer experience with Minneapolis United and Bloomington United.

Holy Angels has one of the state’s best high school soccer programs, so she wouldn’t have made varsity with the Stars last season. Instead, she earned team MVP honors for Kennedy’s junior varsity, notching four goals and three assists while playing tough defense at center back.

“When I first transferred, I was pretty bummed out about [not being varsity-eligible],” she said. “But I’ve kind of just grown to accept it. The JV team is like my family. As long as I get to play, I’m pretty happy.”

For others, it’s different. The MSHSL fields 2,000 transfer and eligibility requests per year, many with a surgical plan to switch schools and remain eligible without missing a beat.

Flores’ stepfather hails from Egypt, where he played three seasons of professional soccer as a goalkeeper. Before taking over as Kennedy’s girls soccer coach, Kandil spent one season as Kennedy’s JV girls soccer coach and one year as Bloomington Jefferson’s B-squad coach.

Last year was a whirlwind. He didn’t land the Kennedy varsity job until two days before tryouts. Soon, he will get to see how improved the team is this year, especially with Flores eligible by August.

“She grew up very fast,” Kandil said. “She has a lot of potential.”

All Flores could do is watch her stepfather’s team last season. As a junior, she will have a chance to be a varsity difference maker.

“Very excited,” she said. “I can’t wait to work with the varsity teammates and kind of grow as a player and make an impact.”

. . .

Transferring in Minnesota

This story is part of a Strib Varsity exclusive series focused on student-athletes transferring high schools in Minnesota. Other stories to read include our main story on why athletes transfer and our FAQ on transfer athlete rules in Minnesota. Click on the links below to read more:

• Learn how a transfer happens in Minnesota high school sports
• Scoggins: Transferring runs against what we love about high school sports
• Why do athletes transfer high schools in Minnesota? Here are some answers
• Only the champions might be happy with Minnesota’s student-athlete transfer system
• Minnesota high school sports transfer rules: Everything you need to know
• Before Cal Conway changed a hockey season, he suffered through ‘nerve-rattling’ transfer process