Anonymous wrote:I don't see being smart as ever a problem in sports. Sports requires quick thinking. The main issue with being smart and playing sports is that you could get a concussion that might have a lasting effect on your brain.

I'm not sure if you're replying to OP or to other posts here, but the point of this topic is for gifted kids, not smart ones. Those terms are not interchangeable.

Anonymous wrote:I don't see being smart as ever a problem in sports. Sports requires quick thinking. The main issue with being smart and playing sports is that you could get a concussion that might have a lasting effect on your brain.

Depends on the sport surely. Some sports have a lot of tactics and an element of randomness (tennis, soccer), while others are pure strength or speed (100 m sprint). Others rely on practice, practice, practice, trying to obtain perfection (gymnastics) but tactics aren't that important.

I don't see being smart as ever a problem in sports. Sports requires quick thinking. The main issue with being smart and playing sports is that you could get a concussion that might have a lasting effect on your brain.

Anonymous wrote:Since most replies are going one way, I'll go ahead and go the other. My DD made the AAP program and will start it next year (3rd grade). She loves soccer, but she appears to lack a certain aggressiveness necessary to really excel at the sport. She's my polar opposite, more motivated towards school and crafts and writing.

I had the potential to be good at both, as I was a very good baseball player (some high school awards) and played in competitive men's leagues for a few years afterwards with some college players and minor league washouts. I was also a naturally smart kid, a 1300 SAT score. However, I was a horribly unmotivated student and barely got by, preferring to spend my free time playing sports or other teenage activities.

So when I say she doesn't appear to be quite as athletically motivated, I've got a pretty good base to speak from. While I'd like to see her competitiveness develop, I'll gladly trade it off if she focuses on her studies and takes advantage of her smarts, much moreso than I did.

How is the combination of giftedness and not aggressive in sports working for her? Is she resented from the sports coach and peers for being smart? How does she do in the soccer team environment?

Since most replies are going one way, I'll go ahead and go the other. My DD made the AAP program and will start it next year (3rd grade). She loves soccer, but she appears to lack a certain aggressiveness necessary to really excel at the sport. She's my polar opposite, more motivated towards school and crafts and writing.

I had the potential to be good at both, as I was a very good baseball player (some high school awards) and played in competitive men's leagues for a few years afterwards with some college players and minor league washouts. I was also a naturally smart kid, a 1300 SAT score. However, I was a horribly unmotivated student and barely got by, preferring to spend my free time playing sports or other teenage activities.

So when I say she doesn't appear to be quite as athletically motivated, I've got a pretty good base to speak from. While I'd like to see her competitiveness develop, I'll gladly trade it off if she focuses on her studies and takes advantage of her smarts, much moreso than I did.

"I had to find ways to self-motivate. I think some of the same work ethic helped between sports and academics."

The DMV is not the place to find students where giftedness and sports overlap. Most/almost all schools/districts in the DMV have opportunities to challenge even the most gifted students academically.

Yes, your Einstein may not have trouble getting straight As at TJ but TJ also offers Quiz bowl or Robotics or whatever where they are challenged to spend all their time in order to beat the HS down the road.

I grew up in the middle of nowhere. I can pretty much promise you that if your gifted child grew up in a place where the only way to beat the HS down the road was in a sport, they would find a way to be good at a sport.

We had runners, tennis players, point guards, pitchers, discus throwers, soccer, lax and hockey goalies that had minimal athletic talent but who thought their way to excellence at HS level sports and competence in college.

The breaking point for most was the level of getting a scholarship. Scholarship money got the attention of more talented athletes who were just too good.

It might also be that at the scholarship level coaching improved to the point where coaching experience overcame gifted thought.

I played ODP soccer, Varsity captain, and club at Stanford. Excellent skier. 18 minute 5k times and sub 5 minute miles (so good, but not great). 1550 SAT.

There were plenty of other people in the same position, but in general, I agree that by basis of simple statistical likelihood, there is little overlap in the venn diagram of academic and athletic giftedness.

In my case, my parents never stressed sports, so I had to find ways to self-motivate. I think some of the same work ethic helped between sports and academics.

My daughter got into AAP this year and is currently trying out for travel soccer. She's borderline right now to make even the lowest team, but I'm a believer that kids develop at different rates and the stack rank will change considerably over the years.

The other thing to realize is at a certain level, sports take up a lot of time. In HS, it is basically 3 hours a day 5-7 days a week. The time comes from somewhere.

In college, it is worse. I was expected to be at practice or games, missed a lot of time because of games (Baseball: three game series in Miami during the week meant missed classes). The way I handled it was summer school (18 credits), Fall (18 Credits), winter (14 credit) -- had to get ready for the reason, Spring 9 credits (toward degree) + a 4 credit filler independent study that was basically baseball).

I graduated with a BS in Physics.

I tried to do grad school and minors at the same time, fall was ok, but spring semester 1st year I could not. Second year I was in AA, and the team was in the same town as my grad school. After that year, I realized I would not make the majors and walked away.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The starting catcher for the #3 ranked softball team in the nation (according to USA Today) will go to MIT next year.

Yorktown’s shortstop will go to Stanford.

Yes, but the athletes generally have lower stats than the average student. They must meet a minimum standard, but athletics are why they are accepted. This is what many above average players with good grades are doing - using sports to get into schools that would generally be out of their league.

That's really an offensive thing to say about a young woman who has had quite an achievement. You have no idea what her numbers are like.

BTW, google John Urschel.

I'm sure there are times when athletes have a lower bar for matriculation. But it's also true that academics are stressed to high school athletes, because poor grades will also make them ineligible.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The starting catcher for the #3 ranked softball team in the nation (according to USA Today) will go to MIT next year.

Yorktown’s shortstop will go to Stanford.

Yes, but the athletes generally have lower stats than the average student. They must meet a minimum standard, but athletics are why they are accepted. This is what many above average players with good grades are doing - using sports to get into schools that would generally be out of their league.

Not for schools like Stanford unless you have chance to go pro.

No, even for schools like Stanford. Athletic admits are still above average students, but not was strong as the super students that are admitted to that caliber of school. How many kids from Yorktown usually go to Stanford? I would guess not many.

Yeah, but the Catcher from Madison (previously mentioned) had to earn her way to MIT.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The starting catcher for the #3 ranked softball team in the nation (according to USA Today) will go to MIT next year.

Yorktown’s shortstop will go to Stanford.

Yes, but the athletes generally have lower stats than the average student. They must meet a minimum standard, but athletics are why they are accepted. This is what many above average players with good grades are doing - using sports to get into schools that would generally be out of their league.

Not for schools like Stanford unless you have chance to go pro.

No, even for schools like Stanford. Athletic admits are still above average students, but not was strong as the super students that are admitted to that caliber of school. How many kids from Yorktown usually go to Stanford? I would guess not many.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The starting catcher for the #3 ranked softball team in the nation (according to USA Today) will go to MIT next year.

Yorktown’s shortstop will go to Stanford.

Yes, but the athletes generally have lower stats than the average student. They must meet a minimum standard, but athletics are why they are accepted. This is what many above average players with good grades are doing - using sports to get into schools that would generally be out of their league.

Not for schools like Stanford unless you have chance to go pro.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The starting catcher for the #3 ranked softball team in the nation (according to USA Today) will go to MIT next year.

Yorktown’s shortstop will go to Stanford.

Yes, but the athletes generally have lower stats than the average student. They must meet a minimum standard, but athletics are why they are accepted. This is what many above average players with good grades are doing - using sports to get into schools that would generally be out of their league.

My kids are both incredible athletes and have IQs in the 145 range.

Anonymous wrote:The starting catcher for the #3 ranked softball team in the nation (according to USA Today) will go to MIT next year.

Yorktown’s shortstop will go to Stanford.