<p>My daughter has never been a team sport kind of kid (her sport is figure skating). I'm hoping she'll at least try some out at BS, but I think she'll fit best at a school where team sports are not the defining culture, and where she might be able to do alternative activities (skating would be great, but things like yoga, dance, rock climbing, etc.).</p>
<p>Here's our short-list (she's applying for 9th grade):
Taft
Brooks
Pomfret
Northfield Mount Hermon
St. Mark's
Western Reserve Academy (legacy)</p>
<p>Can anyone familiar with these schools comment on how predominant the athletic culture is?</p>
<p>ahhhh. i personally hate taft. i dunno why. i just do.
but i think they're dual sports and academics-oriented. i doubt you'd be seeing meatheads here.</p>
<p>pomfret, my friend goes there right now, she is loovvvvvvvvvvvvvin it. campus is beautiful too, close to NY (bus trips there i think twice a week), etc. i would apply but my mom's not too keen on pomfret for some reason (it's just cuz it's not a TSAO school, there's nothing actually wrong with the school :) )
pomfret, i think, is more known for its academics than sports. just an opinion :)</p>
<p>NMH, TONS of threads on it here. search. you'll get every possible answer on sports and more. even like "what kind of doors do they have there?" i wouldn't be surprised if that came up somewhere.</p>
<p>sms, i think it's a pretty good school. getting much better. see thread on "new headmasters" sports, well there's rivalry w/ middlesex and groton but i don't know how much time they'd dedicate to that rivalry lol</p>
<p>I can only comment on NMH. The "culture" of the school is not athletics. While they strive to provide high quality athletic teams, other ec's are also of very high importance. Music, theater, dance, civic, and community service involvement are all very big at the school.</p>
<p>Your daughter should be fine for all of your listed schools save for Western Reserve which may place a greater emphasis on athletics comparatively speaking.</p>
<p>Taft is definitely a very athletic school. If your daughter doesn't play any team sports at all, it may not be a good school for her.</p>
<p>Pomfret is not very athleticly focused. They have awesome athletic programs, don't get me wrong, but they also offer a lot to a student that's not into athletics. Personally, I love Pomfret. It's my #1 school right now. Beautiful!</p>
<p>If your daughter feels strongly about continuing figure skating in high school, or if she is considering continuing, she should call the schools and talk about how she might be able to do it. If it has been a major passion for her, but she is ready to shelve it, she should be able to state that clearly in her interviews,focusing on how it has helped her and will help her going forward. I have know kids to get rejected from schools who thought they would not accept because the school does not offer their special interest, when the student was willing to take up something else.</p>
<p>Most schools want the kids to participate in athletics to varying degrees, whatever their experience or ability level. At some, you can pretty much do a gym class and never be on a team. At others, especially the smaller schools, a team sport is required a certain amount of seasons. It is part of the culture and a chance for kids to bond. I don't think a "I don't do team sports" approach works as well as "I've concentrated on figure skating, but am eager to try new things."</p>
<p>The NMH athletic department aggressively defends their right to book 19 1/2 hours of each week as athletic only, and its virtually impossible to dodge the time commitment at least 2 out of 3 semesters. Kiss your Wednesdays and Saturdays good bye. Sometimes you can dodge the team commitments if you are in dance company (equal or more hours) or a lead in a play (again equal hours) but other then that you are stuck. There is no Athletic team waiver for students taking multiple APs.</p>
<p>I personally love Tafts, I think the people there are really likable, smart, and relaxed. That's really my personal opinion though, feel free to reasonably criticize it. In any case the point of going to boarding schools is really to try new things, I suppose if your daughter is pursuing a certain CCA then some of the schools you listed might not be a good fit.</p>
<p>I read the OP to D who is home for Thanksgiving from NMH. She says that while it is true that NMH stresses physical activity of some kind each semester, athletics are not the predominant culture of the school. There is no caste system based on being a jock, especially for girls, and lots of people find alternatives to team sports. She also says that attending BS is about stretching oneself to try new things, and NMH has team sports for all levels - 'thirds' are for never-evers at a particular sport. Those who play thirds are not looked down upon. </p>
<p>She suggests that your daughter try hockey!</p>
<p>I've heard some pretty nasty stuff about NMH concerning drugs, cliques, alcohol etc. etc. and how they had to clean up their act recently. I actually wouldn't really know since I'm not even applying but it's good to take a look further into the schools you choose beyond their guide book.</p>
<p>I am a three year student at Pomfret. I've established myself pretty well there by now. We stress academics and arts more than sports for sure. If you're looking for her to be at a family and community oriented school come here. Don't come if you want to be recruited for something like soccer though.</p>