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[quote=Anonymous]At 9 or 10 you are not starting late in any sport.  Many girls (and boys) sports do not really exist in a competitive format until high school.  Others start at younger ages and have varying levels of play in terms of competitiveness and intensity of training.  One of the things that a parent of an athletic kid, and particularly of an athletic daughter has to keep in mind is that they can be "good" at many sports.

Two cents worth of advice from our personal experience

1.  If possible based on time/budget -- do some competitive swimming -- even low level.  My kids all did summer swim club stuff not because they might be good competitive swimmers.  I don't think any of them ever won a race and none swam for their high school.  But at 9, 10, 11 it turned them into fish.  They are all very good swimmers which is a nice skill t6 o have.

2.  Try multiple sports/activities like you are doing now.  If it does not work out or is not much fun then move on.  Do not, however, push that it something to do with particular friends.  Kids will make friends who are doing a sport or activity with them, but your daughter's enjoyment of a sport or activity should be based on what she things of the sport/activity and not because a good friend is doing it.

3.  Be realistic about your daughter's physical abilities.  A girl who is a good athlete can play a sport up to a certain point just because they are a good athlete.  But, as they get older and as competition increases, their physical abilities will factor more and more into the equation.  My daughter plays soccer in college, but is only 5'2".  Volleyball and basketball would be a struggle although not impossible, because there are positions and roles that a shorter girl could still fill.  But, if she were six foot tall more doors would open.  On the other hand, a kid headed for six foot may find gymnastics to be a struggle.  Similarily -- foot speed is a bigger factor in some sports more than others.  A fast kid can often find a home in those sports even if their technical skills may be lacking.

4.  Don't be afraid to try stuff that sounds offbeat if it also sounds fun.  Archery, badminton, ice hockey (a tough athletic girl might find a real home there), martial arts, tap dancing, etc. . .

5.  Golf.  It is a sport you can play in to old age, and it is a social sport where business is done.  My nieces are always in demand for golf outings as they play reasonably well from the men's tees where their dad and I make them play.  Put them up on the ladies tees and they can turn a scramble into a rout.

6.  In reality it is never to late to pick up a sport if you enjoy it.  Yes, a kid who decides at 13 that they really want to play competitive soccer may end up disappointed, because they will be fairly far behind their peers.  But, they can still have a good time playing so find a team that is at their level and have at it.

Good luck

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