If your child plays a less "popular" sport, what has the experience been like?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If he doesn't know how to play a sport already, he can find success in football, wrestling, xc, track without years of prior training.

Golf and tennis he might not make the team - the other kids have been getting private lessons since they were toddlers.

Where you live, and where your child attends school determines the answer.



I have two kids that have played both tennis and golf since they were toddlers with a lot of private lessons, and we live in the McLean/Langley pyramid. These two sports are extremely competitive in both private and public schools because just about everyone in this pyramid has money for private coaching. It is what it is.

[Anonymous]

Depends on school . McLean Langley Churchill tennis can be the most competitive

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He would make V tennis or freshman football. Obviously I think one is the right choice.

Aren't they different seasons? Why can't he do both?

Ours is doubles in fall and most kids do both.

[Anonymous]

Depends on school. In a wealthier area any kid can play football and most going out for a freshman team will have never played prior. People don’t want kids playing football anymore and allow it in high school because they think it’s short lived and they want the kid to have a social group and some version of a high school experience they have in their head.

Tennis can be very competitive some places.

Ask around for your school district.

[Anonymous]

The experience is fun but it's not like the rest of the school comes out to watch you. You do it because you enjoy it and you enjoy the kids you do the sport with. More limited social experience. A couple of gathering during the season. Maybe a gift exchange if in the winter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The experience is fun but it's not like the rest of the school comes out to watch you. You do it because you enjoy it and you enjoy the kids you do the sport with. More limited social experience. A couple of gathering during the season. Maybe a gift exchange if in the winter.

No one watches you in golf, and very few students watch tennis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The experience is fun but it's not like the rest of the school comes out to watch you. You do it because you enjoy it and you enjoy the kids you do the sport with. More limited social experience. A couple of gathering during the season. Maybe a gift exchange if in the winter.

No one watches you in golf, and very few students watch tennis.

That is true for most sports: it is mostly the parents who come and watch the games. The only exception might be if the team is really good, but different sports will attract different crowds. A really good team in an unpopular sport will not attract the crowds who show up for a mediocre team in a popular sport.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The experience is fun but it's not like the rest of the school comes out to watch you. You do it because you enjoy it and you enjoy the kids you do the sport with. More limited social experience. A couple of gathering during the season. Maybe a gift exchange if in the winter.

No one watches you in golf, and very few students watch tennis.

This is a good point as well as the PPs. Nobody's watching or socializing around the sports. So just pick one you like and your circle will be made up of that. That's fine.

It's not like the 80s when you were cool on the football team and your GF wore your jersey and they all wore big class rings with football on them! And when pep rallies were cool! (Pep rallies haven't been cool since the 1990s)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The experience is fun but it's not like the rest of the school comes out to watch you. You do it because you enjoy it and you enjoy the kids you do the sport with. More limited social experience. A couple of gathering during the season. Maybe a gift exchange if in the winter.

No one watches you in golf, and very few students watch tennis.

This is a good point as well as the PPs. Nobody's watching or socializing around the sports. So just pick one you like and your circle will be made up of that. That's fine.

It's not like the 80s when you were cool on the football team and your GF wore your jersey and they all wore big class rings with football on them! And when pep rallies were cool! (Pep rallies haven't been cool since the 1990s)

Huh? Lots of kids come to the football games at our HS.

[Anonymous]

My son wrestles. Freshman year, and made varsity. He's done it for a few years.

It's definitely a "less popular" sport, but that's because it takes a special type. It's easily the hardest HS sport, mentally, physically and emotionally.

It's a tight knit group that takes care of each other. Even the new kids that are getting beat on a regular basis are included as a part of the team.

And its been great for him. He wears it as a badge of honor, knowing he's doing something hard, and knowing that he's good at it.

I would encourage your DS to give it a shot

[Anonymous]

Yes and this is why my talented tennis son wants to do football even though he will never start. I want to support him but I also feel like it’s a poor choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The experience is fun but it's not like the rest of the school comes out to watch you. You do it because you enjoy it and you enjoy the kids you do the sport with. More limited social experience. A couple of gathering during the season. Maybe a gift exchange if in the winter.

No one watches you in golf, and very few students watch tennis.

This is a good point as well as the PPs. Nobody's watching or socializing around the sports. So just pick one you like and your circle will be made up of that. That's fine.

It's not like the 80s when you were cool on the football team and your GF wore your jersey and they all wore big class rings with football on them! And when pep rallies were cool! (Pep rallies haven't been cool since the 1990s)

It's still this way were we live, and we're not that far from DC. Except for maybe the class rings. But everything else is still true.

Girlfriends were the jerseys. The football games are packed. Pep rallies before the big game versus the school rival. It all still exists. And tbh, its kind of fun to see the school rally like that. And its not just football, though that draws the biggest crowd still. Soccer (both boys and girls), boys basketball, and then lacrosse (both girls and boys) still draw medium crowds

[Anonymous]

Dream on

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone can be on the soccer team, but only the country club kids do the tennis.

Not true

The better tennis teams are packed with kids that have probably spent $10-$20K on tennis before 9th grade.

We spend that much per year.

[Anonymous]

One of my kids plays football, and it is great because he brings his gear to school and all; they practice at school, so I just pick him up after. It's been great for him socially as well. I had a very negative outlook about it, but he's yet to be injured, and our school's group of kids and parents are great. Football has been much easier than driving another kid around for a niche sport.