Anonymous
11/12/2025 21:20
Subject: How was I supposed to know I needed to start playing sports from a young age to make it at the high school level?
If you like sports find something you can play as an adult. I learned to ski, do triathlons, and joined a masters swim team as an adult. I also played rec soccer in grad school and rec basketball in undergrad despite my nly laying organized soccer in 1st-3D grade and never organized basketball. Racquetball isanother good one.
Not saying the lost opportunity doesn’t suck, or that it’s easy to get good as an adult - just that the opportunity isn’t totally lost if you just want to have fun and get a workout in.
Not saying the lost opportunity doesn’t suck, or that it’s easy to get good as an adult - just that the opportunity isn’t totally lost if you just want to have fun and get a workout in.
Anonymous
11/12/2025 21:19
Subject: How was I supposed to know I needed to start playing sports from a young age to make it at the high school level?
Anonymous wrote:It's a bummer, OP, but honestly this aspect of youth sports is a reason not to pursue them at a high level. It gets more competitive every year, people have kids specializing earlier and earlier, some people will pour endless amounts of money into coaching and equipment and camps and anything they can find to give their kid a leg up.
If you have to choose between starting a sport at age 4 and spending tens of thousands of dollars on it and shaping your entire family's life around it for years, or just not playing high school sport.... I kind of feel like the smart play is to skip it and do other things. You can play rec sports, and it is totally possible to take up a sport as a teenager and play it well enough to do it socially and for physical fitness as an adult, and that's good enough.
Learn to play sports like basketball, tennis, and golf, which adults play casually to make friends and network professionally. Other that that, don't worry about it.
But I wish I played on a high school team. It’s a unique experience that is very different just from playing something recreationally
Anonymous
11/12/2025 21:08
Subject: How was I supposed to know I needed to start playing sports from a young age to make it at the high school level?
It's a bummer, OP, but honestly this aspect of youth sports is a reason not to pursue them at a high level. It gets more competitive every year, people have kids specializing earlier and earlier, some people will pour endless amounts of money into coaching and equipment and camps and anything they can find to give their kid a leg up.
If you have to choose between starting a sport at age 4 and spending tens of thousands of dollars on it and shaping your entire family's life around it for years, or just not playing high school sport.... I kind of feel like the smart play is to skip it and do other things. You can play rec sports, and it is totally possible to take up a sport as a teenager and play it well enough to do it socially and for physical fitness as an adult, and that's good enough.
Learn to play sports like basketball, tennis, and golf, which adults play casually to make friends and network professionally. Other that that, don't worry about it.
If you have to choose between starting a sport at age 4 and spending tens of thousands of dollars on it and shaping your entire family's life around it for years, or just not playing high school sport.... I kind of feel like the smart play is to skip it and do other things. You can play rec sports, and it is totally possible to take up a sport as a teenager and play it well enough to do it socially and for physical fitness as an adult, and that's good enough.
Learn to play sports like basketball, tennis, and golf, which adults play casually to make friends and network professionally. Other that that, don't worry about it.
Anonymous
11/12/2025 20:50
Subject: How was I supposed to know I needed to start playing sports from a young age to make it at the high school level?
Anonymous wrote:High school isn’t your last opportunity in life to play sports. There are rec sports leagues for high schoolers that are open even to kids new to playing sports. Almost every college has multiple club teams and rec teams that require no experience. And there are beginner adult leagues in many many sports that you can play throughout your life.
Most club teams are not open to people with no experience
Anonymous
11/12/2025 20:11
Subject: How was I supposed to know I needed to start playing sports from a young age to make it at the high school level?
Anonymous wrote:Did you not see all the other kids playing or see all the sign up opportunities or have any friends that played?
No because my parents never let me socialize with anyone else
Anonymous
11/12/2025 20:00
Subject: How was I supposed to know I needed to start playing sports from a young age to make it at the high school level?
My Asian friend, the first rule is play for your enjoyment. If it is wrestling or lacrosse or some other sport you enjoy, find opportunities to play, to join a team and get better. Ignore the naysayers and respectfully explain to your parents your interests and you won’t welcome their support. Good luck, work hard and play hard…
Anonymous
11/12/2025 20:00
Subject: How was I supposed to know I needed to start playing sports from a young age to make it at the high school level?
High school isn’t your last opportunity in life to play sports. There are rec sports leagues for high schoolers that are open even to kids new to playing sports. Almost every college has multiple club teams and rec teams that require no experience. And there are beginner adult leagues in many many sports that you can play throughout your life.
Anonymous
11/12/2025 19:58
Subject: How was I supposed to know I needed to start playing sports from a young age to make it at the high school level?
Did you not see all the other kids playing or see all the sign up opportunities or have any friends that played?
Anonymous
11/12/2025 19:57
Subject: How was I supposed to know I needed to start playing sports from a young age to make it at the high school level?
Pick a sport and go play, friend. Enjoy.
Anonymous
11/12/2025 19:51
Subject: Re:How was I supposed to know I needed to start playing sports from a young age to make it at the high school level?
I’m sorry. That sucks. I was in the same boat.
What about taking up a sport in adulthood? Pickleball is one.
What about taking up a sport in adulthood? Pickleball is one.
Anonymous
11/12/2025 19:48
Subject: How was I supposed to know I needed to start playing sports from a young age to make it at the high school level?
It’s not true. There’s a lot of years between young kid and halfway through HS.
My DD started basketball in 7th grade. Rec and her MS team.
Now she’s on the varsity team in MCPS as a freshman.
My DD started basketball in 7th grade. Rec and her MS team.
Now she’s on the varsity team in MCPS as a freshman.
Anonymous
11/12/2025 19:48
Subject: Re:How was I supposed to know I needed to start playing sports from a young age to make it at the high school level?
I have no idea how old you are, but it's never to late to learn, play, and enjoy a sport. Montgomery County actually offers adult leagues, and plenty of facilities offer beginner lessons for adults. I play competitive women's basketball in a league through the county, and also play women's pickup basketball every Sunday. I have a friend who recently took tennis lessons - she had never played before. The idea that you can't do it because you never did it as a kid is what's stopping you, not the lack of opportunities. Also, check out the Hey Lo app to find gatherings for this kind of stuff.
Anonymous
11/12/2025 19:47
Subject: How was I supposed to know I needed to start playing sports from a young age to make it at the high school level?
So? My 20 and 15 year old kids have never played school sports. At all. One rides on horseback.
If you think about it, your parents probably gave you a leg up in other respects. They're not bad parents. Don't expect a parent to be perfect 100% of the time, to the point of predicting what you'd want to do in the future, and doing their research to make sure it happened. That's ridiculous.
And stop it with the "I'll never be able to play sports again". You can find a league of adult amateurs and try whatever you want.
Really, so whiny today.
If you think about it, your parents probably gave you a leg up in other respects. They're not bad parents. Don't expect a parent to be perfect 100% of the time, to the point of predicting what you'd want to do in the future, and doing their research to make sure it happened. That's ridiculous.
And stop it with the "I'll never be able to play sports again". You can find a league of adult amateurs and try whatever you want.
Really, so whiny today.
Anonymous
11/12/2025 19:43
Subject: How was I supposed to know I needed to start playing sports from a young age to make it at the high school level?
blame your parents.
take up running.
take up running.
Anonymous
11/12/2025 19:38
Subject: How was I supposed to know I needed to start playing sports from a young age to make it at the high school level?
I grew up in an Asian household that didn’t care about sports, so I was never exposed to them. I didn’t even know things like lacrosse or wrestling were sports until I was like halfway through high school, and it was too late at that point. And it is so frustrating because I will never get the opportunity to play sports ever again. I don’t know how I was supposed to know about this earlier when I was a tiny kid