Out At Home?

GEORDIE EASTERBROOK wasn't born with a bat in his hands; his parents didn't give him one until he was two. "It was one of those big Wiffle ball bats," says Easterbrook (right) of Washingtonville, N.Y., about 60 miles northwest of Manhattan. "I was swinging from the moment I got it." Easterbrook, who played on Little League and American Legion teams while attending private Christian academies, had hoped to audition for the varsity at Washingtonville High. But when his parents decided to home school him for high school, the local school board told the pitcher and infielder that, because he wasn't a full-time student, he couldn't try out. "I'm not saying I have to be on the team," Easterbrook says. "I just want to try out and show them what I have."

A high school junior, Easterbrook, 15, is one of 1.9 million homeschooled students in the U.S. While homeschooled kids perform above the average on standardized tests, their athletic prospects are often hindered by rules that limit sports to traditional students. Of the 26 states with such guidelines, only New York requires full-time enrollment.

Geordie's parents, Randy and Heidi, hope to change that. After their son was prohibited from playing, Randy, a marketing and communications consultant, wrote to state senator Bill Larkin. In September 2005, Larkin sponsored a bill allowing homeschooled students to play interscholastic sports, but the bill has languished in committee. He hopes to reintroduce it when the legislature reconvenes in January. "I'm going to do everything I can to pass it," says Larkin.

In the meantime Easterbrook hones his skills at Frozen Ropes, a local baseball training franchise. To play in college, he will have to take the GED because New York is the only state that doesn't recognize homeschool diplomas. But he and his parents object to taking the test, saying the GED is for students without a high school education. If he continues to stand on that principle, he may be out of school sports for good.