Why do travel sports parents ignore academics?

[Anonymous]

Agree pp ! It is fun and this area is really nuts when it comes to the over emphasis on "the best" colleges. I say this as a proud UVA grad, but honestly everyone needs to chill a bit. It's no wonder our kids in this area have such high rates of anxiety and depression. And we have public high schools with therapy dogs for anxiety. Not something to be proud of!

[Anonymous]

Sports are a great outlet to be physical and let off steam from the academic pressure many kids feel and studies show exercise improves your memory. Making friends and being part of a team is a special thing. Hard to explain if you've never experienced it.

[Anonymous]

The only two mothers I know whose kids play travel hockey/whatever insist on good grades.

[Anonymous]

Sports make one of my children so happy she couldn't exist without it. She played a fairly intense club sport in addition to being a three season athlete in high school. She now goes to Williams and happily plays her preferred sport. Like the WaPo says, "if you don't get it, you don't get it." Worry about your own child and don't presume to know anyone else's life situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My boys are straight A students have been since elementary school.

They have always been completely self-motivated and always did their homework ahead of time without pressure from me.

My DH and I were Ivy athletes.

Sanctimommy is here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The academics vs sports debate is not something you can compare. Bring the smartest kid has nothing to do with talent. Anyone can be a tip scholar, not everyone can be a tip athlete and a top scholar.

Colleges, employers know toots and seek them our.

Many of the academic types who go to debate clubs. Chess clubs, writing camps etc spend just ad much time and money at those activities as do athletes. The difference. Being one dementional vs two dimensional.

My daughter's club teams, every single player is a top tier student whip will get money for school for academics before sport's.

A recent graduate at Harvard played soccer at good council, a recent graduate of bcc played soccer at stanford, she took the academic scholarship instead of the sports one so the team could give the sports scholarship to another player. A local volleyball player is enrolling st Harvard this fall. Read the local commitments, it is pretty impressive

Sure many kids enroll at those schools but it is a lot easier if that is your dole focus.

I would take an athlete who is committed to their academics and sport over the top ranked non athlete 100% of the time.

Wait.. what???

Ugh, this post made my head hurt.
Try proofreading before hitting send next time.

[Anonymous]

Focussing on elite sports vs academics in some white families is a sign of white privilege.

[Anonymous]

We are not "travel sport" parents but my child does an individual sport. We encourage it (and have let her miss school for competitions) because she has a LD and it is something that she is good at and where she can have some relief from the stress and pressure of academics and shine.

It's not about playing a sport to get into college for her. I'm not even sure sports help very many kids get into college and I don't think colleges even recruit for her sport.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Focussing on elite sports vs academics in some white families is a sign of white privilege.

Good grief

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of the kids I know who are high level athletes are also outstanding students.

Bullshit. Maybe at STA or Langley, but not at an average public.

Are you concerned that kids who are talented at both athletics and academics will have an advantage over kids who have great academics but not other talents?

Oh right. No public school grads ever get a D1 scholarship. I forgot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of the kids I know who are high level athletes are also outstanding students.

Bullshit. Maybe at STA or Langley, but not at an average public.

Are you concerned that kids who are talented at both athletics and academics will have an advantage over kids who have great academics but not other talents?

Oh right. No public school grads ever get a D1 scholarship. I forgot.

Seriously? Who wants their kid to have a D1 scholarship? Not me. I'd rather have my kid be able to get into a great school and study, not have to play sports as what is essentially a job and then put academics second. I can afford college. My kid doesn't need a scholarship.

[Anonymous]

Um, we don't?

My son's travel soccer team has three students from our local highly gifted program. And the rest of the kids, from what I can tell, are no slouches. No one is ignoring academics around here!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Obviously not all, but you know what I mean. The best case scenario is your teen is one of the top 5% (?) who will get an athletic scholarship to college. OK...well...they still have to major in something. Patrician sports parents get this, but the middle class sports -- football, basketball, baseball, soccer, volleyball, softball, swimming -- parents rarely seem to. They let the sport just consume their and their kid's life, then they get to college and can only handle communications or sociology.

How do you know they do?

[Anonymous]

My son's travel team: 1 in highly gifted program, 5 at very competitive private schools and seem to be doing very well, 1 skipped a grade, 1 is in some crazy math program working three years ahead, 4 others seem like average kids but well-educated professional parents so likely they do well too.

Parents: I'd say more than half have graduate level educations. We gave 3 doctors and 5 lawyers and 3 PhDs and not sure about the remaining parents but they're all smart, successful people. I think in this area you really aren't going to find travel teams that fit the scenario you suggest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son's travel team: 1 in highly gifted program, 5 at very competitive private schools and seem to be doing very well, 1 skipped a grade, 1 is in some crazy math program working three years ahead, 4 others seem like average kids but well-educated professional parents so likely they do well too.

Parents: I'd say more than half have graduate level educations. We gave 3 doctors and 5 lawyers and 3 PhDs and not sure about the remaining parents but they're all smart, successful people. I think in this area you really aren't going to find travel teams that fit the scenario you suggest.

Should add this is at an age where it's pretty clear where the kids are academically in other words they're older than 13.