Athletics at Boarding Schools

<p>I'm posting a link to an interesting article that was in the St. Paul's alumni magazine last fall, about the increasing specialization of athletes and the corresponding effects on sports at boarding schools. I thought it was an interesting topic. One thing I took away from the article is that there's more opportunity than people think for their child to play a sport that they might not have played much before boarding school, possibly more so than in the past because many athletes are focusing on just one sport and only playing it if they can be on varsity, leaving more opportunities on JV teams.</p>

<p>On the down side, it's harder for students to develop along the traditional path of JV to varsity - if they haven't been heavily involved in the "major" sports (like LAX, hockey, soccer) well before they've come to boarding school it's hard to get a spot on varsity in their later years in boarding school.</p>

<p>My personal feeling is that, as with boarding school in general, there's much more value to participating in team sports than getting into college.</p>

<p>St</a>. Paul's School ~ Fall 2012</p>

<p>A lot of food for thought, so thank you for the link, FriendlyMom. It’s an incredibly varied landscape out there . . . just too many numbers, of kids, college divisions/conferences, types of available schools, etc. Certainly, broad patterns, such as club specialization, undeniably exist. I have seen lots of my former students follow different paths through high schools and colleges, and within the same sport. I don’t think that I am alarmed by the decline of the tri-varsity senior athlete at the prep schools because it’s clear that these schools are offering more alternatives and options, not to mention the pressures emanating from the college admissions and athletic offices during that final year. There are good reasons why athletes are opting for two seasons instead of three, even when they are not specialists.</p>

<p>If anything, CCers looking for BS to apply to should take away from this discussion further encouragement to know who your kids is and to find the right fit. Most should look at what each BS is offering the kid in school, not what it will “do” for college sports. (Similarities to the question of whether the BS is a means to HYP+MS?) I think that relatively few apply for ninth-grade BS and have a college sports agenda driving decisions. That agenda, when it does rear its head, is usually in grade 11-PG admissions. But, of course, there are exceptions, such as those that matriculate for grade 9 at Blair for wrestling, at Peddie for swimming, etc., with every intention of advancing (often quite successfully) a college admission and/or career. As prospective parents look at fit, consider how the size of the school and the characteristics of its athletic league/conference impact the quality of the student’s sports experience. In general, smaller schools (< 400) require generalists who do multiple sports and larger schools (over 500, with PGs) lean toward more varsities with more specialists. (YMMV!)</p>

<p>To me, the more fundamental point is the decline of the three- (or two-) sport player in college. The trend is more fixed there than in schools, so one should ask whether it’s really so wonderful treating college athletes as if they’re apprenticing to be professionals. Maybe a collegiate scholar-athlete (unlike myself) could offer their perspective on this?</p>