<p>My DS is a riding junior that plays 3 sports in HS. 1 varsity last year. Has been told could play D3 (maybe D2) in at least 1 if gave up others. 4.3WGPA, projected ACT good enough for merit at USNWR rated engineering school. I think he needs to decide this year if wants to pursue D3 and focus on 1 sport + academics. Agree? Recommendations for schools? He currently prefers schools of 15000 students or less. How will 3 sports look as ECs with little else? Hoping for NHS this year. Has freshman English award and team won top GPA in the state. </p>
<p>Sorry, best shot at D3 in soccer (GK) or maybe baseball, hence the needs to give up others. </p>
<p>cheeringsection - </p>
<p>1) To be totally frank, I’m not sure it really matters how many varsity sports the athlete plays in high school. It matters if a college coach determines he has the skills or projectability in college. The difference between high school and almost all college sports (at all levels) is significant. So, whichever sport he is best and most passionate about would be the sport I would suggest. Otherwise it is a lot of time away from other things he could be doing especially with demanding academic workloads.</p>
<p>2) He’s got academics on his side, but what does he want to study in college, and what degree does he want to walk away with?</p>
<p>3) All of the info you provided is a great start for the young man. He should challenge himself in his sports and in the classroom and see where his interests take him this year. Once he has a greater focus I think folks on this board can help.</p>
<p>JMO</p>
<p>Sorry to be unclear. Engineering is the goal. He knows Engineering and D1 is near impossible. He also is more inclined to pick a school based upon the quality of the education than the fact that he could play a sport at a school. For now, he is considering Rose-huhlman but I am wondering if there are other respected engineering schools with D3 sports. </p>
<p>Also the 3 HS sports vs taking a shot at 1 D3 is the first choice I think he needs to make–and soon. If he were to choose soccer, I would think he needs to play club this spring (Oct tryouts) and attend the showcase tournaments, correct? He cannot do that in our state AND play HS baseball AND keep his academic commitments (3 APs, rest honors except for art credit). </p>
<p>We have toured some D1 schools where he would be a student only (all with good intramurals 
) so that he can compare. We just need some good D3 schools to compare them to. </p>
<p>Some D3 Schools with Engineering - Rochester U, Tufts, Swarthmore, Harvey Mudd. MIT, Carnegie Mellon, Case Western, Chicago, RPI, Clarkson, WPI</p>
<p>There are many respected D3 engineering schools. My son looked at a few of them (below) before he was offered an opportunity to play baseball at an Ivy. D1 engineering is possible at an Ivy or Patriot League (Lehigh, Lafayette, Army, Navy) school if he has that athletic talent level. Ivys & Patriot school play less baseball games, travel less and practice less than their D1 counterparts so I think it is more doable there than anywhere else at the D1 level. In those respects the Ivy and Patriot League school are very similar to the D3 schools baseball time commitment level. I have no knowledge of time committment for soccer, but I’d guess it would be similar to baseball.</p>
<p>Sorry, I can’t help you with the sport selection. Both of those sports are year round where I live, so I understand the dilemma.</p>
<p>D3 engineering baseball schools off the top of my head - Trinity(TX), Tufts, MIT, Stevens Institute, Case Western, Rochester, Washington & Lee, WPI, RPI, Johns Hopkins. I know there are many others.</p>
<p>Does this make sense? Is this helpful?</p>
<p>The sport selection question is easy. If he really enjoys playing all three then he should play all three. You only go through high school once in your lifetime. Let him make the decision based on what he prefers, not on what will get him into what school. That all works out in the end anyway. Let the kid be a kid. Too many chasing free/reduced tuition and missing out on the high school experiences. Besides there are other clubs in high school he will miss out on if he plays travel ball. JMHO</p>
<p>I’m a bit of a contrarian on this but I do not think tweaking high school sports plans has a significant affect on college outcomes for athletes in most cases. I’ve been heavily involved in youth sports for almost 20 years and watched tons of kids pass through youth sports and I think in most cases parents and many coaches way over estimate the value of changing an athletes natural desires and pushing them to play one sport … or to join clubs … or to get extra coaching. So, for my kid athletes, I recommend that they pick the level of participation they would pick by their love of the game and not because of some college master plan.</p>
<p>For kids who are compelled to be the best they can be and want to only play one sport and play club and seek extra coaching I’m all for it. If the kid is naturally drawn into this level of participation I do think it is likely the path that best prepares them for the next level … and it does not have a cost to other alternatives that could have been pursued since the athlete picked their preferred path.</p>
<p>I think this gets a lot more murky for athlete who is a multi-sport athlete and the extras for any sport are creating conflicts or minimizing the time that can be spent on the other sports. In my experience all the extra time focused on one sport does improve the skills of the athlete however if the local base program is strong often not by that much. In addition, extra work, playing club, dropping other sports does not change the athletes mental make-up … those participation decisions do not change the athletes … base athletic ability, their level of competitiveness, their focus on team versus self, their potential to read the game.</p>
<p>In the end I think the gals and guys who are players (skill, athletism, attitude) end up being players whatever reasonable path they took to get there. In addition, unfortunately, physical attributes play a way bigger part of college recruiting then I would hope it would … a relatively small jump in physical ability often trumps many other attributes that led to high school success. </p>
<p>In the end I think parents and coaches often fall into the same trap in sports that some parents do on CC about colleges. Look all those folks that went to an Ivy league school did so well so if my kid goes to an Ivy league school they will do well … when in reality there is a huge selection bias … excellent students enter ivy league schools and end up doing well in life (big surprise it was the student not the school). I think high school sports has a similar trap … look all the kids who are playing in college only played one sport in high school and played club so if my kid wants to play in college s/he should do the same. IMO, the same selection bias exists … the players who decide to play only one sport and to play club are already very good when they make those decisions (big surprise … it was the athlete not the club). I think lots of folks WAY overestimate the incremental affect of the extra time focused on one sport for those who are giving up alternatives they would prefer if they did not think this extra time on one sport had huge leverage.</p>
<p>ThirdToGo is going to be senior this coming year and his soccer team is similar to what I have seen over my years in youth sports. There are 3 captains … captain #1 has always been a soccer only guy and has been playing club since 3rd or 4th grade with years skipping town travel to only play club with better players … captain #2 is a club guy also but only after he got recruited when he was in high school; before that he was town travel guy including a couple years on the B team (this guy was an all-league guy as a junior) … captain #3 never played club and had no interest (this guy also was all-league as junior). Going though the roster it is very similar … most varsity guys played club but then again most youth players play club (because the parents believe they need to). </p>
<p>However, if you look deeper there is almost no correlation between choices about number of sports and playing club or not and a players ultimate outcome in high school or getting to play in college. The correlation is to the level of the athlete physical ability, interest in the game, and attitude … whatever path they took to become a player.</p>
<p>My son has played HS soccer in the fall, then HS track in the winter and spring. The problem was club soccer interfering with his track; club soccer starts right after HS soccer, and is in full swing in the spring. The best option for him was to take classes in speed, agility, and quickness (SAQ) and treat track less seriously, which is okay for his HS’s coaches.</p>
<p>His HS is similar to 3togo’s, in that the soccer coach doesn’t value club soccer at all, yet all the colleges he is being recruited by focus almost solely on club soccer. This also puts an option for him to not play HS soccer, which happened last year, and do only club soccer. It has not impacted his recruiting status, he is looking at a few D1 programs, but most of his interest is at a D3 engineering school.</p>
<p>About the OP - remember that a goalie in soccer is a rare position - if they need one, they’ll really want you, but conversely, they have to keep three on the roster “just in case” and some coaches do not rotate. Track likely has a highly potential for recruiting based solely on the numbers, making your lives easier. And it would be more likely for him to run track than to play as a second- or third-string goalie. Of course if he is a state-ranked superstar goalie, that’s different, but still the opportunities need to be there.</p>
<p>What does “team won top GPA in the state” mean though?</p>
<p>Have sought advice on these boards and elsewhere regarding benefits/detriments of being a multi-sport athlete. One question to be asked is whether the sports are complimentary. For example, playing soccer and lacrosse seem to require similar conditioning, foot work and speed drills etc. In contrast, other sports may impose differing demands that impede progress in both sports, such as running distance in track and playing OL in football. </p>
<p>Zenator - I understand what you mean about complimentary. Catching the screamer at 3rd, SS and pitcher is very similar. No one else is as willing to get dirty either. 
Catching the ball as someone slides in is also very similar. The mental ability to fail and refocus also makes pitching and GK similar. </p>
<p>Rhando- in our state there is an award given for highest team average GPA. I think 1 for each division (school size). Going deep in the state tournament and winning the award is distinctive. </p>
<p>FenwaySouth- I was unaware that Ivy and Patriot league play less games and require less time commitment. I will look into those. Thanks. </p>
<p>All- your responses are all helpful. Our approach has always been to just let the kid play. We took him to club soccer for the GK training and level of competition in the 5th grade. SAY could not offer that. He played until Freshman year when the club coaches would no longer allow him to play both sports in the spring. His indoor team disbanded this winter after 8 years because all the guys have club commitments so it was “just” basketball this winter. </p>
<p>He loves strategy and really “gets” baseball but reads the field well as a GK also. He refuses to even say he likes one sport more than the other. </p>
<p>The part that still concerns me is I know of no one that has been recruited out of HS for either sport. It all seems to happen from the coaches coming out to watch club/travel teams. I guess it would not hurt to contact a few coaches by e-mail just to see if there is any interest. I thought I had heard of a website where athletes register to show they are available. Anyone know about that?</p>
<p>If he is a good enough athlete, he will get on teams at D3 or better. If he is not, he will not. Picking one sport makes the coaches happy because he may make them look good, but it has little to do with his overall talent. If he needs the ‘extra’ practice, he is already not good enough. Enjoy HS. Play in college if you can. I have always regretted not giving D3 or NAIA a chance rather than going to the Big 10 school where I knew I was never going to play anyway. He can always transfer in to a ‘better’ school or get an MS. The body only allows so many years of high level sport.</p>
<p>cheeringsection said…
</p>
<p>No problem. Let me know if you have specific questions. These were some of the major reasons my son selected ivy and deferred other D1 offers. He wanted engineering and he wanted to play at the highest level possible. Ivy baseball is very competitive, but this situation made it possible for us. Keep in my mind my reference was in the context of D1 baseball overall. Ivys play about 42 regular season games over a shorter season while all other D1s play 56 games over a longer season. Very little mid-week travel (mostly local), and they play 2 doubleheaders over the weekend. There are specific rules around the amount of class time missed for games and when they can practice.</p>
<p>If this sounds good, my suggestion would be attend a baseball showcase (HeadFirst, Stanford Camp, or Perfect Game Academic, others) to be seen by many schools including Patriot, Ivy, and many D3s. This will allow your son to determine if he is at the right athletic level and make some contacts. Ivys, Patriot and some D3s recruit **nationally<a href=“because%20of%20academic%20requirements”>/b</a> , so your son should attend a national showcase to be seen and evaluated. In almost all cases they will not be attending a high school game to see one player. They will be attending large showcases to see many hundreds of players.</p>
<p>There is a lot of off-season competition (Fall and Winter) and work outs to win starting positions for the Spring. D1 baseball allows for 35 roster spots possible and 10 starters per game (including DH). BTW…none of my son’s college teammates in 4 years played another varsity sport while playing baseball. So, the competition to win a spot is intense. Good luck.</p>
<p>To raise another possibility … why not both sports at the D3 level if your son is interested?</p>
<p>My kids high school had a panel discussion for students and parents on sports and college (and recruiting) and there was one exchange that might be of interest. One parent asked about playing two sports in college. The first person who answered working the athletic directors office at BC and he said be believed there were 4 athletes at BC who played two sports across both sexed and all sports … that it is incredibly hard to do (he also said this is not counting folks like cross country-track folks … for football players who also so track as workout vehicle) When this guy mentioned 4 multi-sport athletes for the whole school another of the panel members had a visible surprised reaction. The panel member, an assistant soccer coach at Brandeis(I think), then told us there were 6 multiple sport athletes just on the men’s soccer team … and there must be a ton in total at the school … and, in addition, it is one reason they got some stud players … players who were D1 soccer players but also wanted to play their second sport (and were not a D1 level player at their second sport … or couldn’t make two sports work at the D1 level).</p>
<p>My daughter’s team is a new sport to the school, and the coach is using a few players from the soccer team, at least for the first year. She’s gotta do what she’s gotta do.</p>
<p>There used to be two sport athletes at D1 schools (Bo Jackson, John Elway) and I believe that many, if not most, D1 football players also played more than one sport in high school They are athletes, they like to play things, and there weren’t nearly as many club teams in those days for year round play in any one sport. IMO, your son should play the high school sports he wants to play.</p>
<p>My son’s first choice at the moment is a decent D3 program for soccer, but also looking at committing at least part-time to a club sport at the school. It does not have a varsity level, and there is travel involved. He may also look into their track team.</p>
<p>I would say if you love the sport, play it as long as your grades and your recruited sport don’t suffer. Heck, former NFL QB Doug Williams hurt himself using a treadmill for goodness sake.</p>
<p>After consultation with coach, my son (a rising junior) has decided to focus solely on football in order to maximize his recruiting chances for both academic reasons (i.e. improve grades) and sport reasons (increase time in weight room).</p>
<p>This all soccer all the time thing seems to be common in that sport. The best club teams here don’t let their kids play in HS and more than most sports I see kids who are solely focused on soccer at a pretty young age, as in still in grade school. Seems like soccer is one of the harder sports to get recruited to college.</p>
<p>My understanding is that different states have different rules about playing club soccer during the HS season. In our state club soccer does not occur for HS age players during the HS season. We get warned each year that the players cannot even go to a tryout while their HS team is still in post-season play. There was an article in the paper a few years ago about that putting kids here at a disadvantage for college recruiting. I think it is a great rule that allows these kids to enjoy playing for their HS. It would be nice if it were consistent from state to state however. </p>
<p>The soccer all the time model is common in other countries and has been cited as one reason the US is behind in soccer player development. There was a great article about development in Europe in NYTimes magazine 6/6/2010. We’ve kept it all these years to help us keep our perspective. </p>
<p>Thanks to all for your comments. I will discuss with my DS. The 3rd sport may be dropped this year if AP Calc requires more of his time anyway. I really want him to enjoy playing for his school but junior year seems to be where most make those hard choices and focus more on the academics so this may resolve itself to some degree without me having to push for a decision. I guess they all have to grow up sometime :-(. </p>
<p>Soccer is a little different than other sports in that college coaches don’t recruit out of HS, but only out of Club. My son did HS soccer, track and cross country, along with club soccer. His club coach originally OK’d it all, but after his sophomore year in HS year, my son backed off to soccer only, as club was pretty much year round except for the HS soccer season. It was just too much to run cross country and then go straight to 2 hour club practices 4 times a week. In our state, clubs cannot practice during HS soccer season, and Academy soccer teams may not participate in HS soccer at all. My son chose to stay away from Academy for that reason as he was adamant he wanted to play HS soccer. If your son does want to be recruited for just about any level of soccer, he must join a club team. I don’t know of any college coaches who recruit out of HS for soccer, so unfortunately is difficult to fit in a club team plus other sports. In order to have the best chance at recruitment, your son should play for the highest level club team he can find and participate in as many college showcases as possible. Men’s soccer is a tough sport to get recruited in as there are so many fewer spots on college teams than potential players. A great alternative is to play on a college club team. Many of those teams are very competitive with players who could probably play at a much higher level but choose not to as academics is their first priority. As someone else mentioned, recruitment for a GK is very hard as each team only needs a limited number of them. Junior year is on the late side to join a club team as by that time, most teams have players who have played on a club level for years. </p>
<p>I would say that the answer to your question really depends on your sons level of interest. My son gave up the other sports because his dream was to play college soccer, but that was a personal decision. He loved X-country and track and it was a difficult decision to make. I certainly don’t think there is anything wrong with having several high school sports on college applications. Your son’s stats are good enough that I don’t think it will play into the admissions decision either way. Playing college soccer will probably not help him with admissions unless he is a highly recruited soccer player and if that were the case, he would already be getting interest from coaches. I would say he should choose his college list based on his academic interests, and pursue the soccer angle from there. It is a really daunting process no doubt! Best of luck!!</p>