Reply to What Is a Sport I Could Get My Unathletic DD Into?

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[quote=Anonymous]I think rowing and running are two sports that could work.

No one in 9th grade has crew experience. It's new to everyone. But at that age, if you put in the time - build cardiovascular endurance, strength, technique - the gains will come fast. And there is a lot of camaraderie. You're on the water, which is always cool. The meets usually involve some travel, which again builds friendships. There's a lot of suck involved. Crew is hard. The weather can be bitterly cold. There's wind. And you are going to be left gasping for air. But for the right person, it's absolutely awesome.

The downside is the time commitment. It takes time to get to the river and put the boat in the water. Then the workout. And then getting home. After homework, there is not much time for anything else. And then there's the expense. Not a cheap sport when you add it all up.

Running is another great option. One of my kids took to it during covid. It was the first thing to open up for kids starved to do something. There were a gazillion kids that started running cross country. For the friendships. To get fit. Or just to do something while schools remained closed.

He started in ninth grade. Smart kid. Shy though. Fit, but nothing extraordinary. As schools opened again, he kept running. Practice is right after school. And will be finished by five or so. Very convenient. He loved it. Made a lot of good friends. It's a very supportive environment, both at cross country and track. The entire team is cheering their slowest runners, and they are really slow when it's no cut. But the vibe was always very positive.

By 11th grade my kid was very good. By 12th grade he was running in the state finals and the Nike Invitational for high school students. Today he runs D1 track at a T20 school. And getting money for it. The time commitment is very significant now. But it just started with some light jogging after school.

Highly recommend running. Totally positive vibes. And can be really transformative.

But every sport requires pain and sacrifice. If you want to be part of a competitve team, you need to enjoy that challenge. If it's not there, it's not there. And I wouldn't push it. [/quote]

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