Was it more common for high school kids to be on school teams in the past?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I always felt high school sports are one of the quintessential American school experiences besides the yellow school buses. But it’s not an experience most students have now because of how hard it is to pass tryouts. Was it more common to be in school teams in the past?

The HS I attended in Massachusetts had maybe 900 students across four years. People could make JV or Varsity in their sport of choice pretty easily because there was not a ton of competition. It was somewhat sport dependent, lots of kids played hockey for example so the varsity hockey team was harder to get on then the soccer team. Put there tended to be space on teams for kids wanting to play.

The HS I moved to in California had 2,400 kids to select from. The HS had 600 kids in each class but 9th graders at the MS were allowed to play on the HS team. It was far harder to make teams because there were more kids and there was the opportunity for year-round sports more easily.

HS sports are more similar to California. You have 2,500 or so kids at many of the HS trying out for teams. Many kids have been playing travel sports for years, so the competition is greater. There are schools in this area that don't have that issue but you need to be further away from DC and Richmond. The rural schools probably have programs that more kids can make without having a ton of travel experience or just because they want to try a new sport.

There are different opportunities though. There are more clubs to choose from. Some schools set up intermural sports for kids who want to play but couldn't make the team. There are rec sport opportunities for kids who want to keep playing. Plays are bigger, there are more bands and choirs.