Advice needed from parents of D1 athletes

<p>Hi all:
My S needs to choose between two D1 programs (both great schools). One programs is at the highest level of D1 athletics, the other slightly less so. First has more practices a week, more time commitment required but offers the opportunity of more athletic tradition and glory. Second program is smaller, has fewer practices and would probably afford him more time to take advantage of other activities the school has to offer.</p>

<p>I'd really love to hear about your kids' experiences in D1 athletic programs, particularly in regards to the time, energy and commitment they require. Did your sacrifice academics for sport? Did he or she sacrifice extra curricular activities? Was it worth it?</p>

<p>There is no scholarship money involved, so that is not something he needs to consider and the sport offers no "professional" future. Thanks for any and all insight.</p>

<p>You will receive better responses if you identify the two schools being considered--which is almost necessary as athletic/academic programs vary greatly from school to school. Although not playing football in college, my son always did better academically when he had a demanding athletic schedule.</p>

<p>Thanks ColdWind but I am not really comfortable identifying the schools at this somewhat delicate point.</p>

<p>If you are getting scholarship money from the athletic department, they pretty much own you at the DI level. Very little time for much else. It's only slightly less so if $$ is not inolved. Nephew is running track at a DI program that offers very little $$ to it's athletes and it's a huge comittment on his part. He doesn't mind, because he's really into it, but the coach's opinion carries a lot of weight.</p>

<p>Thanks rutgersmamma, there is no scholarship money in his situation. I'm not sure I understand what you mean when you say, "the coach's opinion carries a lot of weight." Could you elaborate a bit? Does your nephew have time for anything but school and track?</p>

<p>My son has many friends & former classmates that are rowing at several different Ivies. Many find the Ivy workload to be less demanding than the work demands at their prep school & they were world championship rowers (the first American high school team to ever win the Henley--I think--Regatta in England).</p>

<p>My sophomore D is a DI athlete at a top 20 academic school in a top athletic conference. It has been a very difficult journey for her. Coaches in her conference are under a lot of pressure and the athletes feel it. She likes the big time environment, but struggles to keep up academically and has not yet had much success in her athletics. She does not have time for any other extracurricular activities, although her team provides a good social network for her. I think each athlete has to decide what is most important to them. Younger D is now hoping to play her sport at a DIII school where she can explore a variety of interests and activities.</p>

<p>Thanks ColdWind - I went to an east coast prep school and had the experience you describe vis a vis academics when I went to college many years ago! That said, my S is not going to an Andover/Exter/St Pauls kind of school!</p>

<p>and lion0709, thanks so much. This is what I have heard from so many parents. I know my S, while he LOVES his sport, has worked hard enough in high school that he really wants a full college experience. He has sacrificed a lot to get to this place - athletically and academically - and he wants to reap some significant rewards in terms of fun!</p>

<p>My college freshman rows for a D1 school and is kept busier than she expected, but does find time for some limited other activities. My high school senior is looking at D3 schools mainly from the point-of-view of who has the best crew team and coaching staff. I'm also suggesting that she look at the schools carefully for what is there besides their great crew team. If an athlete gets injured and can't do that sport anymore, I would hope that they would still be happy with their choice of college.</p>

<p>Great thread, thank you for sharing your stories.</p>

<p>Yes, Mamalama, very true. Once when we were debating the merits of the two teams, my S insisted, "Mom, I'm not choosing the team, I'm choosing the school." Very wise, I think.</p>

<p>We've said before in these threads that a young athlete should choose a school where he/she would be happy even if they got an injury and could not participate in their sport. This actually happened in my son's case- he was recruited but never got to participate at all due to an injury that didn't resolve by the time college started. I think he might have chosen differently if the sport had not been in the picture (he was sure he wanted D1), but it's all worked out.</p>

<p>Momofwildchild, The same thing happened to my S. Was recruited for D1 sport and got injured. Now, no longer participates in his sport, but he wound up leaving his school because he did not choose for fit, he chose for his sport. (We tried to warn him!) It has all worked out and he, too, is very happy at another school. It was our first experience with this as well and I wish I new about this site way back when.</p>

<p>My child is a freshman D-1 scholarship athlete/student. It is a big time commitment but she is loving the kids on the team and is not regretting her decision (so far). The coaches have been intense but supportive both in athletics and academics. She has made friends away from her sport and certainly has not missed many frat parties and has traveled off campus to another college for fun and has hit the local mall etc.</p>

<p>I advised her to room with someone not on her sport team so she would socialize with non sport people but she roomed with another on her team which I am now very happy about because this girl also has the rigorous work out schedule and both kids are tired and ready for bed early and have to be in the weight room early, so they are compatible in this respect as well as other respects.</p>

<p>Div 1 athletics is hard and takes a lot of time. The coach's may say they practice 20 hours a week, but that may not include weight room and team meetings all which is mandatory and done as a team. My son has really enjoyed most of it though he has missed doing semester abroad and fraternities. You really need to talk to other players on the team instead of just to the coach to get the real scoop. My middle child is graduating this year with offers to play Div 1 also but after seeing the amount of work and travel he may be opting for div 3. This would be a better situation for someone who is planning a major that includes labs.</p>

<p>At my DD's Div I Ivy, the workouts are described as 2 hours a day, but with weight room time, physical therapy, etc, it is at least three hours a day. Add the walk to the athletic area, changing, and showers, it is more. Weekends include all day events Saturdays, so there is only Sunday to catch up on schoolwork and sleep. I don't know of any teammate who has other ECs.</p>

<p>I agree with above posters that D.1 coaches have only athletics on the mind. (Although I remember Cornell had a good system of study time and tutors for athletes.) Many D.1 coaches never attended Ivies, so I do not think they are always aware of the demands of huge amounts of reading, many long papers, and difficult problem sets.</p>

<p>What it comes down to is which team he likes better. He should spend a couple of days seeing the interactions, the practices, the relationships of the people on the team and the staff, and the coach. Is this a happy team that works together or are there power plays, jealousies, pettiness, bad karma. That and how he likes the university at large should make his decision.</p>

<p>When my athlete son was looking at schools, I put the emphasis on the academics, the whole school thing as any student should do. Did not recognize the fact that he was going to be spending so much time with his team, and that it could make or break his success at school. Though I spent a lot of time talking to him about how he has to like the school in case he wanted to quit the sport, I had no idea of how important it was that there was harmony on his team and that it could affect everything given the time he spends with these folks and at the activity. If the school does not have a high opinion of the sport, the team, and they are the low dogs on the totem pole, it is not a good atmosphere. You need a program that is supported by the university and the students to make it worthwhile for the kid to be spending so much time on the sport and to find it rewarding.</p>

<p>Coaches leave, teammates leave, athletes get injured. Always choose the school that fits best with and, most importantly, WITHOUT the sport. It is not uncommon for athletes to end up with one or more years of eligibility on the table that they haven't used due to injury or lack of interest in continuing to compete. Some get pushed off by coaches, especially non-scholarship athletes. D-1 competition is fierce. The hours go far beyond the maximum NCAA maximum of 20 per week. Most coaches expect athletes to put their sport first, right after making sure they stay academically qualified to compete. Coaches are under a lot of pressure to perform and this trickles down the every athlete. Scholarship or not, the demands are high and often interfere with "normal" college life. That said, being on a team at that level can be a very rewarding and enjoyable way to go through college. Some athletes manage to join fraternities, take classes with lab requirements, and hang out with people other than teammates. It depends on the sport, the school, and whether or not the team is highly ranked, etc. A coach who takes a team to the NCAA championships every year is going to expect a very high level of commitment from the athletes who compete for him. Athletes of all stripes often have opportunities to meet with alumni and make connections that can help them post graduation. The school my son attends holds special events a few times a year for athletes and supporters of the program to meet. It is very difficult to fit internships (or study abroad) in with D-1 sports. Employers like to hire D-1 athletes because they know anyone who can do that for four years is a hard worker who gets along with others. Your son should pick the school he likes the best. Some athletes, especially those not dependent on scholarship money, find the D-1 grind not to their liking and quit the sport after two years as they get more involved in their majors and start to think about grad school. I hope this doesn't sound negative- my son has enjoyed his participation very much, but from a parental perspective, it IS a lot of work and requires an enormous amount of self discipline and organization. Best of luck with your son. Enjoy the ride!</p>

<p>fauve, this line is especially relevant for us "I don't know of any teammate who has other ECs." Thank you. My S said yesterday that he has worked so hard in high school that he really wants to have a FULL college experience, including ECs other than his sport...</p>

<p>cptofthehouse, he likes both teams equally, despite their differences. One is bigger and more competitive but it has more history and tradition. It would definitely be a tougher environment athletically though since he has been the star on his small team for the last three years this is a challenge he welcomes. The other is smaller, more like family, though the coach is first class. This coach really wants him to help build a great team, which is also tempting to my son from a leadership perspective.</p>

<p>Both schools support their teams well.</p>

<p>Thanks to all of you. I cannot tell you how helpful it is to hear your wisdom and experience.</p>

<p>To follow-up on my previous post (#4)~In N's experience, the coach tells them when to go to bed, when to get up, what to do/NOT do, other EC's to join/NOT join, etc. etc. AND N isn't getting any money from the program. For example, N would like to play intramural Ultimate Frisbee, but Coach says no--lest they suffer injury. His mom resents the power of the coach, given the fact that he isn't funding the high-ticket LAC education! Speaking of injury--N had a not-so-minor injury while running and the trainers/team docs took extraordinarily good care of him and he was back on his feet in no time!</p>

<p>N doesn't regret his decision to run track in spite of his lack of free time--he 're-ups' every year with eyes wide open! Bottom Line: you've gotta love your sport to participate at the DI level.</p>