Until the OP specifies the sport, there's nothing helpful to be said.

Anonymous wrote:Sidwell doesn't send kids to play soccer, Bethesda Soccer Club does. All that exposure is through being on top club teams that do the Disney showcase and tend to be nationally ranked. They just happen to also be at Sidwell. Actually the Episcopal team is one of the top ranked in the city this year and several of those kids play for a Bethesda team as well.

Got an axe to grind, huh?

Anonymous wrote:It's all about club teams and showcase tournaments with those club teams. Sending your kid to a school with a top academic reputation is the best move. Sidwell sends TONS of kids to play college soccer every year, if that's your sport. St. Albans is VERY good for lacrosse and pretty good for football. If he can excel at the club level, the high school competition is secondary, and plays the role of a more fun, social and less competitive experience. I say, depending on the sport, go with Sidwell or St. Albans. Sidwell for soccer, cross country, wrestling, basketball. St. Albans for football, lacrosse, hockey, baseball.

Sidwell doesn't send kids to play soccer, Bethesda Soccer Club does. All that exposure is through being on top club teams that do the Disney showcase and tend to be nationally ranked. They just happen to also be at Sidwell. Actually the Episcopal team is one of the top ranked in the city this year and several of those kids play for a Bethesda team as well.

It's all about club teams and showcase tournaments with those club teams. Sending your kid to a school with a top academic reputation is the best move. Sidwell sends TONS of kids to play college soccer every year, if that's your sport. St. Albans is VERY good for lacrosse and pretty good for football. If he can excel at the club level, the high school competition is secondary, and plays the role of a more fun, social and less competitive experience. I say, depending on the sport, go with Sidwell or St. Albans. Sidwell for soccer, cross country, wrestling, basketball. St. Albans for football, lacrosse, hockey, baseball.

Anonymous wrote:There are very, very few sports that are high school dependent. I would say football is just about it. Most other sports require participation at a much higher level than high school sport offerings -- clubteams, traveling teams, summer camps, etc. There are several great books you can get at Amazon.com on athletic recruiting. College athletic recruiters want to know the kid participated at the highest level of sport available in the geographic area where they're from.

My child's h.s. teams were largely terrible. Yet, they had several athletic recruits because my kid and others belonged to clubs. Usually, each team has a star or two or three. At SSSA, the girls lax and fh teams are almost always recruited...

Lacrosse and football players attend summer recruiting camps. Lax teams attend recruiting tournaments in the summer. Basketball can be done from school.

There are very, very few sports that are high school dependent. I would say football is just about it. Most other sports require participation at a much higher level than high school sport offerings -- clubteams, traveling teams, summer camps, etc. There are several great books you can get at Amazon.com on athletic recruiting. College athletic recruiters want to know the kid participated at the highest level of sport available in the geographic area where they're from.

My child's h.s. teams were largely terrible. Yet, they had several athletic recruits because my kid and others belonged to clubs. Usually, each team has a star or two or three. At SSSA, the girls lax and fh teams are almost always recruited...

The Potomac School website has a very useful section on atheltic recruiting.

But agree that for most sports it is really through the club level. True for soccer, volleyball, softball, etc. Sports that are more high school dependent are football, field hockey, cross country/track. Lacrosse may be both.

OP - My child is a Div. I recruited athlete at an Ivy. We need to know what sport you are talking about. There are many threads already on the topic. If you are really serious here, many of us can offer advice, but please don't use this as an opportunity to dog the Big 3 or any other schools for that matter.

P.S. I mean the team from the school she attended, the recruitment was at the club and ODP level.

Not 14:09 but that's common knowledge. (I'm 13:41). Frankly I'm surprised OP's travel coaches have counseled her this way. Also, there are players at Big 3 that play for the best clubs in the area, ask your school's varsity coaches for counsel.

OP you should find parents of older athletes to hear how it works. My friend's child just go recruited to play soccer at an Ivy, the coaches saw her at summer camps, regional and other tournaments. It had nothing to do with the school she attended.

Anonymous wrote:For most sports, the big exception being football - and to a lesser degree lacrosse, its all about elite club play, tournaments and summer camps.

I have heard this before. But what are you basing this on? In other words, are you a coach, have you had your kids recruited, do you know of others who have? Or is this just a common sense type assumption?

For most sports, the big exception being football - and to a lesser degree lacrosse, its all about elite club play, tournaments and summer camps.

What sport are you talking about. And what school is your son currently in. I hope its not Sidwell.

It would help to know the sport. With many, like soccer, playing with a high profile travel program can be the way to go, scouts go to tournaments and there are camps your player can attend. Also, do you know how grueling playing college sport is? Explore that too. The commitment is huge, lots of practice, traveling to away games. Many talented athletes turn it down.

My 8th grader DS is shaping up to be an exceptional athlete in a number of sports. I have had some of his rec and travel team coaches, as well as trying to be helpful parents, pull me aside and suggest we take him out of our private school and send him to either our public (a large, well-respected MoCo school) or some other independent, but not Big-3 schools which have more of a sports reputation. They say that the opportunity to get recognized by recruiters is better in those settings. They also say that our Big-3 school simply does not have the reputation or the history for having their alums get recruited to play college athletics, in any sport, at any level.

We love our school. But yes, I do worry that staying put may limit our options. I would love to hear from families who have had kids recruited out of their Big-3 type school to play sports at the college level, including type of sport, and type of college (big, small, medium).

Thank you.