Landon (US) sports requirement

[Anonymous]

I will attend their Athletic preview night next month, but any US Landon parents here?

I read the curriculum and sports requirement which I think is great for my DS. However, they say sports start at 3:30 pm everyday. How long is it, is it like an hour? I’m asking this thinking of the ECs.

I know this is a requirement for Landon, but what if you have club sport practices in the late afternoon? Won’t most athletes have weekday practices outside of the school?

[Anonymous]

They have to do both and if they conflict, they have to choose Landon. They lose some students every year because of this but it is a choice they made. The exception is that if the student is playing a very high level of sport. For example, one student signed with DC United and is able to go to the DC United practices. Top tier club does not qualify. They are very strict to the point where many applicants are disbelieving. If you are, contact the AD. Get a exception in writing. You will find they will not provide one, and if you go ahead and sign the school contract, they will not give one after you start.

[Anonymous]

Another consideration: if your child is cut from the sport of choice, they cannot play club a year and hope to make the team the next year. They have to take the no-cut sport.

[Anonymous]

We were told that athletics ends at 5:30 pm. Cannot leave early for club practices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another consideration: if your child is cut from the sport of choice, they cannot play club a year and hope to make the team the next year. They have to take the no-cut sport.

Meaning if your kid gets doesn’t make the V soccer team as a junior, their Landon athletics schedule will likely get in the way of them continuing to play club and therefore impede their chances of making the team senior year?

What about ice hockey timing? I know kids who play Team Maryland are told you can’t play for your high school but it sounds like Landon’s requirements might be impacting their ability to play for club teams (Team Maryland etc).

Baseball? Typically club teams take the spring off but I guess school sports could impact fall ball and other off season training.

[Anonymous]

Thanks!! Now things are more clarified and I have a better idea. It’s soccer. I will meet the coach and directly ask questions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another consideration: if your child is cut from the sport of choice, they cannot play club a year and hope to make the team the next year. They have to take the no-cut sport.

Meaning if your kid gets doesn’t make the V soccer team as a junior, their Landon athletics schedule will likely get in the way of them continuing to play club and therefore impede their chances of making the team senior year?

What about ice hockey timing? I know kids who play Team Maryland are told you can’t play for your high school but it sounds like Landon’s requirements might be impacting their ability to play for club teams (Team Maryland etc).

Baseball? Typically club teams take the spring off but I guess school sports could impact fall ball and other off season training.

Talk to the AD but in the past, in all of these scenarios, Landon students have been forced to choose Landon. As a result, Landon students have left the school.

[Anonymous]

Yes, there is no flexibility because if they make an exception for one, then everyone will ask why not me.

[Anonymous]

As I have heard it, Landon doesn’t allow kids to play for Team Maryland and play for the Landon hockey team.

[Anonymous]

They don’t do contract athletics at Landon - it’s really hard now because so many kids specialize and all the club sports are basically year round. Hockey is the most difficult because the real club hockey teams start in September and in theory if you don’t play for a real club team, you won’t be good enough to make Landon team - except when they just need bodies like last year which was not the norm.

[Anonymous]

The TM hockey issue is a TM requirement not a Landon requirement. Last year TM decided not to let its players play on HS teams.

As far as regular club hockey the boys can and do play club and for Landon. The Club practices are late enough that there is rarely a conflict but it does make for long days for the boys.

[Anonymous]

Can someone speak to other club sports and how those work with Landon schedules? Soccer, basketball, baseball, lacrosse—I’m guessing you have a lot of boys playing on strong club teams which are year round.

[Anonymous]

Club lacrosse doesn’t play in the spring starting in 9th grade because the kids are playing for their high schools. They pick back up in the summer once high school season is over.

[Anonymous]

Kids have to choose soccer clubs that don't conflict with Landon. If they make or are part of a better soccer club, if it conflicts with Landon, kids have to choose Landon.

I'm not sure how else to spell this out. It is as if there is a poster that does not believe Landon will make a student choose Landon. Landon is very strict about sports. You cannot even leave a few minutes early. Students leave Landon over this policy, and the school accepts that. You will not be the only student that manages to find the exception to the rule unless your child signs with a professional team such as DC United.

[Anonymous]

I fully understand that Landon is not making exceptions. I get that, but I’m struggling to understand how it works because so many boys play on outside club teams. Ice hockey (other than TM) actually makes the most sense since club practices for HS are often later in the evening. DS plays baseball and while there’s a pause in the spring for HS in season, they are practicing/playing games after school in the fall and I’m thinking ahead to the conflict especially since club teams are the worst at communicating scheduling details up front/you get locked into a team etc. In the winter their practice times move later since it’s indoor workouts.