School with Athletic Requirements

[Anonymous]

This is something parents should consider especially if their kid plays a club sport. Our kid was exhausted doing it all and not sure it was worth it. 1 season of something a year seems fair but the every season requirement is too much when you factor in the demands academically of going to a prep school. It is not unusual to have 3 hours of homework a night and if your kid is doing a sport or frankly a play and then doing their out of school sport and homework you cannot be surprised that these kids are too stressed.

[Anonymous]

I agree! Having a sport requirement issue right now with one of my kids who plays two time consuming travel sports and it is for lack of a better word really annoying. However, I don’t want my kids school to become a contract athlete school like SJC or GP, so it is hard to know how to have athletes who play on school sports teams - and attend the practices of those teams, not just games, but also balance the outside school commitments that kids make and want to do. I have no ideas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are usually no cut sports (cross country, track) and/or options that do not require being the greatest athlete (no disrespect to these sports - still great options) like frisbee, fencing, etc.

Do your research… some schools have non-cut sports but some coaches will make a non competitive kid feel unwelcome and openly mock them in order to get them to quit. One example: STA/NCS swim. Conversely, the track coaches there are welcoming to all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reading the website and attending are 2 different things. My Bullis kid didn't do a single sport - did arts instead

It’s a whole separate red flag if the requirements as listed in the website are inaccurate…

Nah, it usually means they have a volunteer running the website instead of putting your tuition dollars in admin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reading the website and attending are 2 different things. My Bullis kid didn't do a single sport - did arts instead

It’s a whole separate red flag if the requirements as listed in the website are inaccurate…

Nah, it usually means they have a volunteer running the website instead of putting your tuition dollars in admin.

It’s also just that some of the language and exceptions are not always clear from the text of a handbook. Better to ask the school and people who go there than to rely on the handbook for sports requirement questions specifically.

[Anonymous]

My Bullis kid (current Jr) was required to participate in a sport for the first 2 years (1 athletic credit + 1 credit that can be art/activity/sport). There are no cut sports, so that helps (developmental tennis, for example)

Starting junior year, no athletic credit is required. They just have to do something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is something parents should consider especially if their kid plays a club sport. Our kid was exhausted doing it all and not sure it was worth it. 1 season of something a year seems fair but the every season requirement is too much when you factor in the demands academically of going to a prep school. It is not unusual to have 3 hours of homework a night and if your kid is doing a sport or frankly a play and then doing their out of school sport and homework you cannot be surprised that these kids are too stressed.

Many schools with these requirements will provide waivers to kids who are serious athletes in a club sport.

[Anonymous]

nope it is hard to get a waiver.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:nope it is hard to get a waiver.

This. Many schools will only provide a waiver for sports that they don’t offer, so if your kid is a nationally ranked equestrian or figure skater, great, but if they are playing soccer or baseball at an elite level on a travel club, you’re SOL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is something parents should consider especially if their kid plays a club sport. Our kid was exhausted doing it all and not sure it was worth it. 1 season of something a year seems fair but the every season requirement is too much when you factor in the demands academically of going to a prep school. It is not unusual to have 3 hours of homework a night and if your kid is doing a sport or frankly a play and then doing their out of school sport and homework you cannot be surprised that these kids are too stressed.

Many schools with these requirements will provide waivers to kids who are serious athletes in a club sport.

At our school you had to compete in a national championship level event for your outside sport in order to get a waiver

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree! Having a sport requirement issue right now with one of my kids who plays two time consuming travel sports and it is for lack of a better word really annoying. However, I don’t want my kids school to become a contract athlete school like SJC or GP, so it is hard to know how to have athletes who play on school sports teams - and attend the practices of those teams, not just games, but also balance the outside school commitments that kids make and want to do. I have no ideas.

I'm wondering what the point of two travel sports is at this age?

[Anonymous]

So OP's question was about a non-athletic kid, not a two-travel sport kid looking for a waiver....

So my on-athletic kid treated it like an immersion trip to exotic locations: he joined a different sport each year it was required to try out a bunch of different activities. For some sports you can be a team manager or game announcer. He learned a lot. Still not athletic, but can talk about a lot of different sports.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So OP's question was about a non-athletic kid, not a two-travel sport kid looking for a waiver....

So my on-athletic kid treated it like an immersion trip to exotic locations: he joined a different sport each year it was required to try out a bunch of different activities. For some sports you can be a team manager or game announcer. He learned a lot. Still not athletic, but can talk about a lot of different sports.

I love this approach!!