It’s frustrating high school sports don’t matter for admissions when they are so hard to join here

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s interesting that many of you don’t let your kids play on the HS sports team. My kid would say that was the most fun part of playing their sport once they hit HS. They got to play with their closest friends (not usually on the same teams for travel), for their school where classmates could come cheer them on, working towards a collective goals as representatives of their community. And from playing club soccer they knew a few players on almost every opposing team. It’s a much more fun atmosphere and the season is like 3 months max.

I wish our child played for their high school. It would have made my life so much easier. Our child wanted to compete against the best players and teams. That ruled high school out completely.

You and your kid weren’t clever enough to realize that you can play for your high school AND whatever elite team they simply had to be on?

He was contractually precluded from playing high school soccer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s interesting that many of you don’t let your kids play on the HS sports team. My kid would say that was the most fun part of playing their sport once they hit HS. They got to play with their closest friends (not usually on the same teams for travel), for their school where classmates could come cheer them on, working towards a collective goals as representatives of their community. And from playing club soccer they knew a few players on almost every opposing team. It’s a much more fun atmosphere and the season is like 3 months max.

I wish our child played for their high school. It would have made my life so much easier. Our child wanted to compete against the best players and teams. That ruled high school out completely.

My son and many of his HS teammates also played ECNL. Some are now playing in college. He still had way more fun playing for his HS. I know MLSnext doesn’t allow it but ECNL does. I hope your son finds great success off the field! Mine decided that since he wasn’t destined for the pros he’d go to the best school he could and play club in college and he’s having a blast.

Our son started in USSDA which eventually became MLSNext. His high school was a perennial championship contender but they would have lost to his club team 10-0. He was recruited to D1 and has since graduated.

And is he a professional soccer player?

He could have been, but not at a level that made financial sense. He realized it was time to start his career. He had a good run.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's almost like the purpose of college is to develop a skill for employment rather than play a sport.

lol. It always amazes me about the amount of money and effort some parents put into travel sports. If they put that amount of effort into supporting their academic pursuits, many of those kids would be top of their class

Nah because the kids who have the pushy travel sports parents are never the smartest kids in the grade. Effort and pushing from the parents would never get them to top of the class.

Both my boys are at an Ivy. 35 and 36 AcTs. Straight As, 5s on all APs. We didn’t push in school or sports, but they excelled in both. Top of class and highest club level. Never talked to a coach or teacher since they were tiny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's almost like the purpose of college is to develop a skill for employment rather than play a sport.

lol. It always amazes me about the amount of money and effort some parents put into travel sports. If they put that amount of effort into supporting their academic pursuits, many of those kids would be top of their class

Nah because the kids who have the pushy travel sports parents are never the smartest kids in the grade. Effort and pushing from the parents would never get them to top of the class.

Both my boys are at an Ivy. 35 and 36 AcTs. Straight As, 5s on all APs. We didn’t push in school or sports, but they excelled in both. Top of class and highest club level. Never talked to a coach or teacher since they were tiny.

Similar story here. The notion that you can’t be outstanding at sports and academics is so odd to me. No one seems to be surprised by the kids who are outstanding at both music and academics. Those ECs take a similar amount of time at high levels.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it is frustrating when the time commitment is enormous. I would hope that schools would give some "credit" to a kid who plays a varsity sport and manages to do well academically because that type of work ethic will get them far in life, even if it may not help with college admissions.

True, I can speak from personal experience here. My daughter has been a 4-year Varsity athlete (Marching Band) and there has been an enormous time commitment on her part.

I do hope the universities understand this, and appreciate it, and really take it into consideration as we are now applying to colleges at the moment.

Hopefully she’s looking at colleges with marching bands. I did marching band and it was so much fun. It was back in the young years when 95 degree heat and humidity while wearing black pants, long sleeves and a hat didn’t bother me. Best time of my life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's almost like the purpose of college is to develop a skill for employment rather than play a sport.

lol. It always amazes me about the amount of money and effort some parents put into travel sports. If they put that amount of effort into supporting their academic pursuits, many of those kids would be top of their class

Nah because the kids who have the pushy travel sports parents are never the smartest kids in the grade. Effort and pushing from the parents would never get them to top of the class.

Both my boys are at an Ivy. 35 and 36 AcTs. Straight As, 5s on all APs. We didn’t push in school or sports, but they excelled in both. Top of class and highest club level. Never talked to a coach or teacher since they were tiny.

You can be both of course. Ivy League sports don’t have the top athletes but they sure have the top academic students. That’s what counts. Why didn’t you name the sports?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s interesting that many of you don’t let your kids play on the HS sports team. My kid would say that was the most fun part of playing their sport once they hit HS. They got to play with their closest friends (not usually on the same teams for travel), for their school where classmates could come cheer them on, working towards a collective goals as representatives of their community. And from playing club soccer they knew a few players on almost every opposing team. It’s a much more fun atmosphere and the season is like 3 months max.

I wish our child played for their high school. It would have made my life so much easier. Our child wanted to compete against the best players and teams. That ruled high school out completely.

My son and many of his HS teammates also played ECNL. Some are now playing in college. He still had way more fun playing for his HS. I know MLSnext doesn’t allow it but ECNL does. I hope your son finds great success off the field! Mine decided that since he wasn’t destined for the pros he’d go to the best school he could and play club in college and he’s having a blast.

Our son started in USSDA which eventually became MLSNext. His high school was a perennial championship contender but they would have lost to his club team 10-0. He was recruited to D1 and has since graduated.

And is he a professional soccer player?

He could have been, but not at a level that made financial sense. He realized it was time to start his career. He had a good run.

Sorry to question you, ma’am. Consider this your gold star and your certificate of validation (which clearly you desperately desire).

[Anonymous]

It’s not that the colleges don’t like sports. But they want people who will make a name for the school -so best in their field, whatever that field is.

Institutional and societal and corporate priorities are often at odds with what’s best for the individual. You get to choose which path you choose. This is a lifelong struggle/evolution for most working Americans.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s interesting that many of you don’t let your kids play on the HS sports team. My kid would say that was the most fun part of playing their sport once they hit HS. They got to play with their closest friends (not usually on the same teams for travel), for their school where classmates could come cheer them on, working towards a collective goals as representatives of their community. And from playing club soccer they knew a few players on almost every opposing team. It’s a much more fun atmosphere and the season is like 3 months max.

I wish our child played for their high school. It would have made my life so much easier. Our child wanted to compete against the best players and teams. That ruled high school out completely.

My son and many of his HS teammates also played ECNL. Some are now playing in college. He still had way more fun playing for his HS. I know MLSnext doesn’t allow it but ECNL does. I hope your son finds great success off the field! Mine decided that since he wasn’t destined for the pros he’d go to the best school he could and play club in college and he’s having a blast.

Our son started in USSDA which eventually became MLSNext. His high school was a perennial championship contender but they would have lost to his club team 10-0. He was recruited to D1 and has since graduated.

And is he a professional soccer player?

He could have been, but not at a level that made financial sense. He realized it was time to start his career. He had a good run.

Sorry to question you, ma’am. Consider this your gold star and your certificate of validation (which clearly you desperately desire).

That’s the difference between us. There are no college stickers in the back window of my BMW. There weren’t any college athletic sweatshirts in my wardrobe. I never talked about it at gatherings unless directly asked, and even then I downplayed it. The reason I posted it here was to answer a direct question. Several of his teammates over the years went the “pro” route for $65,000-$75,000.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's almost like the purpose of college is to develop a skill for employment rather than play a sport.

lol. It always amazes me about the amount of money and effort some parents put into travel sports. If they put that amount of effort into supporting their academic pursuits, many of those kids would be top of their class

Nah because the kids who have the pushy travel sports parents are never the smartest kids in the grade. Effort and pushing from the parents would never get them to top of the class.

Both my boys are at an Ivy. 35 and 36 AcTs. Straight As, 5s on all APs. We didn’t push in school or sports, but they excelled in both. Top of class and highest club level. Never talked to a coach or teacher since they were tiny.

Similar story here. The notion that you can’t be outstanding at sports and academics is so odd to me. No one seems to be surprised by the kids who are outstanding at both music and academics. Those ECs take a similar amount of time at high levels.

That’s not what surprises or irks people. It’s the idea pushed by sports parents that sports are a “better” or “harder” extracurricular and thus should carry extra weight as compared to anything else. And then they whine when they realize it does not. That’s the entire reason this thread exists.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s interesting that many of you don’t let your kids play on the HS sports team. My kid would say that was the most fun part of playing their sport once they hit HS. They got to play with their closest friends (not usually on the same teams for travel), for their school where classmates could come cheer them on, working towards a collective goals as representatives of their community. And from playing club soccer they knew a few players on almost every opposing team. It’s a much more fun atmosphere and the season is like 3 months max.

I wish our child played for their high school. It would have made my life so much easier. Our child wanted to compete against the best players and teams. That ruled high school out completely.

My son and many of his HS teammates also played ECNL. Some are now playing in college. He still had way more fun playing for his HS. I know MLSnext doesn’t allow it but ECNL does. I hope your son finds great success off the field! Mine decided that since he wasn’t destined for the pros he’d go to the best school he could and play club in college and he’s having a blast.

Our son started in USSDA which eventually became MLSNext. His high school was a perennial championship contender but they would have lost to his club team 10-0. He was recruited to D1 and has since graduated.

And is he a professional soccer player?

He could have been, but not at a level that made financial sense. He realized it was time to start his career. He had a good run.

Sorry to question you, ma’am. Consider this your gold star and your certificate of validation (which clearly you desperately desire).

That’s the difference between us. There are no college stickers in the back window of my BMW. There weren’t any college athletic sweatshirts in my wardrobe. I never talked about it at gatherings unless directly asked, and even then I downplayed it. The reason I posted it here was to answer a direct question. Several of his teammates over the years went the “pro” route for $65,000-$75,000.

The only question asked of you was whether your kid was pro. Everything else you volunteered on your own and you seemed pretty desperate to do so. Perhaps you should have talked about it with people who actually know you so you didn’t feel the need to post on an anonymous forum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What in the world? Encourage your kid to play sports for exercise and fun, not college admissions. Don’t make everything a grind for your kid.

You can’t just play sports for fun given how hard it is to make the high school teams here

Depends on the high school. We chose a school and sports where the kids can still play for fun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sports are not more important than other extracurriculars like music. And those go all year, not just a season. [/quote

And my kid did both sports and music/arts. If you’re not a recruit, it means nothing more than an extracurricular. Get ready.

Disagree. Not a huge edge but all things being equal, an average varsity athlete will be taken ahead of an average chess club kid or potted plant #3 in the school play.

Yuu have absolutelly no way of knowong if that is true or not. but if you ask around, you will likely find that for every former varsity bench warmer at your kid's college, there are also chess club and theater kids who weren't the stars of their ECs either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What in the world? Encourage your kid to play sports for exercise and fun, not college admissions. Don’t make everything a grind for your kid.

You can’t just play sports for fun given how hard it is to make the high school teams here

Depends on the high school. We chose a school and sports where the kids can still play for fun.

This. I love that our HS is mediocre at sports and kids can play. There are even several no cut sports or sports you can pick up in HS even if you haven’t played before. DD picked up Volleyball as a fall sport and many of her friends picked up Field Hockey.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's almost like the purpose of college is to develop a skill for employment rather than play a sport.

lol. It always amazes me about the amount of money and effort some parents put into travel sports. If they put that amount of effort into supporting their academic pursuits, many of those kids would be top of their class

Nah because the kids who have the pushy travel sports parents are never the smartest kids in the grade. Effort and pushing from the parents would never get them to top of the class.

Both my boys are at an Ivy. 35 and 36 AcTs. Straight As, 5s on all APs. We didn’t push in school or sports, but they excelled in both. Top of class and highest club level. Never talked to a coach or teacher since they were tiny.

Similar story here. The notion that you can’t be outstanding at sports and academics is so odd to me. No one seems to be surprised by the kids who are outstanding at both music and academics. Those ECs take a similar amount of time at high levels.

+1