<p>So im trying out for a varsity sport, and i was wondering if tryouts are generally more or less competitive than at normal high schools. I played on my schools varsity soccer team, and we were top in our league, but i'm wondering how that relates to boarding schools.</p>
<p>It’s difficult to say because public schools can vary so much (as do boarding schools). In general boarding schools are smaller so you think it would be easier but there are a lot more good athletes at boarding school. At most of the top tier boarding schools I am familiar with, it is more difficult to make varsity at BS than at our local public school.</p>
<p>I agree with creative1. Just through the normal course of highly competitive admissions, the talent level - in all areas - is remarkably high at the top boarding schools. Then, at many of the top boarding schools, things get even more competitive due to the recruiting that goes on for major sports, as well as the enrolling of older, bigger, more experienced PG athletes. (I recall reading one student complaint that his arch-rival school had so many basketball PG’s that they were even coming off the bench.) So, yes, I believe it is MUCH more difficult to make varsity than at our local public high school too.</p>
<p>And for those schools that don’t take PGs - the ISL league schools for example - you will find many kids - especially boys - repeating a year, so there is the same “older, bigger” phenomenon that Mainer95 mentions.</p>
<p>also NEPSAC schools recruit kids to play on JV freshman year and move up to varsity in the bigger boys sports basically if you are not recruited or semi-recruited then you will most likely not play on varsity</p>
<p>It really varies sport to sport within the school.</p>
<p>It also seems to vary on gender based on the responses. Boy sports are more to competetive in publlic school and boarding schools in comparison to girl sports.</p>
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<p>Oh really? Show us some stats. There’s tons more kids at public schools to choose athletes from. I think there are too many tongue-in-cheek posts on CC with no supporting data. Just look at where all the NBA and NFL players are coming from. :D</p>
<p>pulsar - The NBA and NFL players are definitely NOT coming from the suburban/rural towns that many of the boarding school students come from. :)</p>
<p>Walk around a BS campus and note how many fit, athletic kids you see. Do the same at a typical New England public school and tell me if you see the same percentage there.</p>
<p>hold on there</p>
<p>US Men’s National Soccer Team player and pro Charlie Davies went to brooks</p>
<p>Joakim Noah, Chicago Bulls, went to Poly Prep in NYC and the L’ville</p>
<p>Grant Hill, football player,Riverdale Country School in NYC</p>
<p>Royal Ivey ’00 – Milwaukee Bucks (Texas)
2004 second round draft choice (37th pick)- Blair Academy
Boys’ Basketball</p>
<p>Alums in the NBA and College</p>
<p>NBA Alumni</p>
<p>Royal Ivey ’00 – Milwaukee Bucks ( Texas)
2004 secondnd round draft choice (37th pick)- Blair Academy</p>
<p>Luol Deng ’03 - Chicago Bulls (Duke)
NBA All-Rookie Team 2005- Blair Academy</p>
<p>Charlie Villanueva ’03 - Milwaukee Bucks (UCONN)
2005 first round draft choice (seventh pick)- Blair Academy </p>
<p>Also look at their list of D1 College Players
[Blair</a> Academy - Athletics](<a href=“http://www.blair.edu/Athletics/Basketball_B/ath_b_bball_collnba.shtm]Blair”>http://www.blair.edu/Athletics/Basketball_B/ath_b_bball_collnba.shtm)
and NMH’s
[Basketball</a> | Northfield Mount Hermon](<a href=“http://www.nmhschool.org/boys-basketball]Basketball”>http://www.nmhschool.org/boys-basketball)
Brewster’s
<a href=“http://www.brewsteracademy.org/RelId/610481/ISvars/default/The_Players.htm[/url]”>http://www.brewsteracademy.org/RelId/610481/ISvars/default/The_Players.htm</a>
[Brewster</a> Academy -> Athletics -> Teams and Programs -> Boys’ Basketball -> Alumni Players](<a href=“http://www.brewsteracademy.org/RelId/610493/ISvars/default/Alumni_Players.htm]Brewster”>http://www.brewsteracademy.org/RelId/610493/ISvars/default/Alumni_Players.htm)</p>
<p>Brewster had Will Barton one of the top HS players in the nation
[Will</a> Barton - College Basketball Recruiting 2010 - ESPN](<a href=“http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/recruiting/tracker/player?recruitId=56012&action=login&appRedirect=http%3A%2F%2Finsider.espn.go.com%2Fncb%2Frecruiting%2Ftracker%2Fplayer%3FrecruitId%3D56012]Will”>http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/recruiting/tracker/player?recruitId=56012&action=login&appRedirect=http%3A%2F%2Finsider.espn.go.com%2Fncb%2Frecruiting%2Ftracker%2Fplayer%3FrecruitId%3D56012)</p>
<p>New Hampton School Alumni
Menghe “Papi” a’Nyam (2006) – Canisius College
Jaxon Leo (2006) – Wheaton College
Radar Ongauetou (2006) – University of New Hampshire
TJ Topercer (2006) – United States Naval Academy
Jan Cocozziello (2005) – Hartwick College
Gabriel Chami (2004) – James Madison University
Bryan Adams (2004) - Western Washington University
Todd Checovich (2003) - Colgate University
Michael Cook (2003) - University of Pittsburgh
Josh Corriea (2003) - Bentley College
Oluwafemi Ibikunle (2003) - Texas Christian University
Tom Leikas (2003) - University of North Dakota
Tony Chatman (2003) - Ohio University
Collin Bray (2002) - Colby Saywer College
Michael Clarke (2002) - Clarion University
Michael Konovelchick (2002) - Manhattan College
John Naparlo (2002) - James Madison University
Donatas Rackauskas (2002) - Southern Methodist University
Rob Stockwell (2002) - Bates College
Adam Tancredi (2002) - Quinnipiac University
Chet Truskowski (2002) - Hobart College
Rashad McCants (2002) – University of North Carolina; Minnesota Timberwolves, Sacramento Kings, NBA
Wes Miller (2002) – University of North Carolina, Assistant Coach High Point University
Todd Towndsend (2001) – Marquette University
Alfredus Petkus (2001) – University of Maine
Ivan Bozovic (2001) – St. Peters College
Brian Cuttica (2001) – University of Chicago
Garth Glissman (2001) – University of Nebraska
Sam Brand (2000) - Hampton University
Justin DeBerry (2000) - Lafayette College
Allen Gould (2000) - University of New Hampshire
Gabriel Hughes (2000) - University of California, Berkeley
Michael Roberts (2000) - Indiana University, Assistant Coach Rice University
Bernard Robinson Jr. (2000) - University of Michigan
Andy Smith (2000) - U.S. Military Academy @ West Point
Tyrone Walker (2000) - Winthrop University
Tom Coverdale (1999) – Indiana University; Rockford Lightning, CBA
Marius Petravicius (1999) – University of South Carolina; Telindus, EuropeanBasket League
Michael Causey (1999) – Harvard University
Josh Kroenke (1999) – University of Missouri
David Muller (1999) – Cornell University
Quincy Steele (1999) – University of Redlands
Rudy Wise (1999) – Lake Forest College
Graham Bunn (1998) - Appalachian State University
Brent Klassen (1998) - Bowling Green Univesity
Greg Friel (1998) - Dartmouth College
Collier Drayton (1998) - Northwestern University
Darius Songaila (1998) – Wake Forest University; Lithuanian Olympic Team, Bronze Medal; CSKA Moskow, European Professional League; Sacramento Kings, Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards, New Orleans Hornets, NBA
Rafael Vidaurreta (1997) – Wake Forest University
Noel Bloom (1997) – New Hampshire College
Lee Moon (1997) – Texas Christian University
Marko Punda (1997) – Valparaiso University
Michael Roy (1997) – The Citadel
J.D. Simpson (1997) – Duke University
Andrew Sloan (1997) – Trinity College
Awvee Storey(1997) – Arizona State University; New Jersey Nets, NBA
Jason Ashur (1996) - Connecticut College
Shawn Brown (1996) - Merrimack College
Antonio Grant (1996) - University of South Carolina
David Greer (1996) - Millsaps College
LaSean Howard (1996) - Long Beach State University
Tyler Murphy(1996) - University of Southern California
Eric Pescinski(1996) - Colby Sawyer College
Jamie Baker (1995) - Bentley College
Jon Kunz (1995) - The Citadel
Todd Burgan (1994) – Syracuse University
Avery Curry (1994) - Florida State University
Steve Hart (1993) - Indiana University
Brian Gilpin (1993) - Dartmouth College
Roy Hariston (1992) - Purdue University
Roney Eford (1992) - Marquette University
Chris Parsons (1992) - Hofstra University
Lawrence Moten (1991) – Syracuse University; Vancouver Grizzlies, NBA
Cuonzo Martin (1991) - Purdue University; Associate Head Coach Purdue University
Kenya Hunter (1991) - Duquesne University; Assistant Coach Georgetown University
Patrick Knight (1990) - Indiana University; Head Coach Texas Tech
Dan Purdy (1990) - University of Pennsylvania
Ed Cooley(1989) - Stonehill College; Head Coach Fairfield University</p>
<p>the list goes on and on football is not a big thing but basketball most certainly is
also i didnt even list the lacrosse players that come from boarding school western new england Class A lax is regarded by many as the top hs lacrosse league in the nation.</p>
<p>i hate when people who know nothing of athletics talk like they are the authority.</p>
<p>also when the georgetown head soccer coach knows the ins and outs of your High School league that says something. High school soccer is not what coaches care about it is all about club so that really says something</p>
<p>it depends on what public school and wat boarding school u are comparing.</p>
<p>i play soccer for 5 years, but i don’t compete (my school don’t believe in competition when talking about sports --'). i’m brazilian (what makes the level of the ppl who i play with higher), so do you think that i can play varsity at exeter/andover?</p>
<p>How the heck should we know? All you have told us is that you are Brazilian?</p>
<p>Hcos, Comparing stats ain’t giving a laundry list.</p>
<p>I’m sorry you are bitter when you have been proven wrong ;)</p>
<p>I wanted to chime in here because athletics at boarding schools I believe is one of the significant aspects that they offer. I know the ISL, and I know most if not all boarding schools not only ask that you play but require that you play a sport. Freshmen boys and girls have certainly made it on Varsity teams but it is not common. I’ve never seen a freshmen make Varsity football and I’m not saying it has never happened. I have seen freshmen making Varsity soccer and tennis. Typically freshmen play Thirds and after that (JV) it can be a hodgepodge of different forms. Varsity tends to be mostly Seniors and Juniors. The schools will put you on the team they deem best for you in order to play and excel. You don’t want to sit on the JV bench when you can be playing on Thirds, same goes for the Varsity bench. You will have fun and you will play.</p>
<p>I don’t think it makes sense to waste much time pondering whether someone’s chances will be better or less at BS vs. public school, rather to focus on how can you best optimize your chance of making the team you want to be on at BS? Summer sports camp? (though may be too late for this year), Contacting your coach at your present school and asking for advice on what drills to do or how to best get in shape? We did this and got some good advice. We also tried a sports camp for crew, hockey and tennis.</p>
<p>To try and answer the question presented, try-outs may be harder at a BS than a public school. May not be. Depends. If you have a modicum of athletic talent, you might make the varsity football team at SPS, where, I understand, they rarely win. Such a degree of ability probably won’t get you on the varsity at Hotchkiss, where the team has played for the NEPSAC title the past few years. </p>
<p>So if you want to play varsity sports badly and you think that you have some skills, look at the recent sport records of the BS’s you like, find out which schools aren’t superlative in the sports of your choice and then press hard to get into those schools by, among other things, enhancing your talents and skills and then presenting yourself to the coaches at these schools as the type of athlete they need to advance the prospects of their teams in the year(s) to come. With such efforts, you should be able to make your try-outs easier at some BS’s than at some public schools.</p>
<p>I just got a huge wake up call on this.
I was at a D1 school in Vermont where my team won states for field hockey, which i thought was a big deal, where i started and blah blah blah
I just played with the Exeter team (or at least some of it) and i can tell you honestly i doubt ill make jv. hope that helps with the comparison. (kinda makes me not want to go anymore)
also as a side note, I think most kids at BS are much more intense and serious with their sports compared to public school…</p>
<p>Gabii, I strongly suspect our son will face the identical situation you describe. In Middle School here in Maine, he has been one of the top 2-3 players in 4 different sports, but at Exeter he’ll probably make one JV/V team and will be awfully lucky to make a 2nd JV team. However, there is so much more to Exeter than JV/V sports - and for lowers and beyond I understand there are some great intramural programs too.</p>