Planning Ahead:under-represented sports and your Ivy/Nescac Future c

Athletic Recruits
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<p>I can honestly say I wouldn’t encourage my kid to choose a particular sport (or other EC)over another to gain some niche advantage over their peers later in life. </p>

<p>My husband and I have encouraged general exploration of, and participation in the arts, civics, athletics, etc… to offer them the chance to be well-rounded and to possibly find SOME passion - but none of it was pointedly contrived. </p>

<p>When it came time to decide whether to participate in band (4th grade, here), all 4 kiddos had the option to say, “no thank you.” All of them did join, however… and picked an instrument they ‘liked’ or thought ‘looked and sounded cool.’ Could I have pushed them toward the oboe or French horn…or carted them off for private cello lessons with an area youth orchestra? Sure. But they chose to play with their friends in the public school band…the alto sax (and later bari sax), flute, alto sax#2 and trumpet. The oldest played through HS, lone DD quit after 8th grade, and the twins are just a 2+ years in… but loving it. They may decide to change over to another instrument at some point…or to decide they aren’t digging it anymore… but that will be their decision.</p>

<p>S1 also wanted nothing to do with Scouts… his main focus was athletics (recruited to play NESCAC football)… but his younger brothers love everything outdoors, and are bound and determined to achieve the rank of Eagle. </p>

<p>My daughter dabbled in dance, gymnastics & soccer through elementary school…but played softball and field hockey from 6th through 11th grade, when she finally decided she wanted no part of team sports senior year. No questions asked.</p>

<p>My younger two are going to try rugby this spring, instead of the proverbial baseball (since age 5)… mostly because they saw how much their older brother loved and excelled at it, once he changed over from baseball in 11th grade. They are very good baseball (and football) players, but are excited at the prospect of elarning something new - even if it means playing with new kids, in a neighboring town in the neighboring state. Their choice to change over had nothing to do with how lucrative it might be when they are applying to college six years from now.</p>

<p>Our general parenting approach is more laid back than many CC’ers, but our kids’ EC’s have had everything to do with individual passion and grit for the stuff.</p>

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<p>To some degree, this may be a geographical question. I live in an area that is a lacrosse hotbed, and most athletes on our high school’s boys or girls team could continue in college if desired. So in our area, if you wanted to start your kid in a sport where they had the greatest chances of continuing (although not necessarily a D1 scholarship) that sport would be lacrosse.</p>

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<p>I agree, Lacrosse is not all that popular here but it is catching on. Most of the colleges don’t have a team, yet so the opportunity for those that want to play a sport in college in say 5-8 years is pretty open.</p>

<p>In track, many schools struggle to find kids that want to run the hurdle events as well as high jump so if you have a taller child, those would be two areas to explore and better yet if you have a taller child with good lungs to run the 400 hurdles–the WORST event in college track :). </p>

<p>Girls golf is wide open. I know kids that can’t break 100 that are getting scholarships because they just don’t have enough kids to play on the team. Again, that is one area where you can easily go to school and participate in a sport as well as get a scholarship. I don’t know of any girl in our area that has played varsity golf that has graduated in the past 5 years that hasn’t been offered some kind of golf scholarship somewhere. Not all of them took those offers, but the offer was there.</p>

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<p>^^LOL MY D’s best events are high jump and 400m hurdles! She likes these because she can always compete in 'em at the meets (most of the girls on the team want to run sprints and the relays and the distance kids like the mile). </p>

<p>I agree with Mary that broadly exposing children to various activities (athletic and other) is the way to go K-8. Perhaps not the CC way. But I am a huge believer in the value of childhood play, fun and mental well-being. Actually…I would advocate this for adults too!</p>

<p>OBD: Parents can and should provide opportunities for their children that they are likely to excel in (and you know your child best). Offering ideas and the funding for sports or activities which are off-the-beaten track is great idea! Teens struggle with identity issue and finding things that they succeed in and that make them feel unique can only be good. If it has the secondary benefit of boosting their admissions’ profiles even better (but perhaps not voice such an expectation in earshot of the child until the admissions game begins)! </p>

<p>In our area, HS students involved with fencing and pole vaulting do well in recruiting (most high schools don’t compete in either) but many top colleges do.</p>

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<p>Just a clarification about NESCAC sports - alpine and nordic ski racing are D1 sports at Williams, Midd, Colby and Bates. We have a D that alpine ski raced at Williams and a D who will be going to Colby and is a 2-sport athlete (soccer and track). The amount of time these kids (and parents) had to commit to their sports in order to be recruited was enormous but they wouldn’t have it any either way. So, we agree with the posters that the student has to have the passion, focus and commitment to their sport.</p>

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<p>A kid may play 1, 2, 3, or more sports through elementary school - high school, with varying amounts of interest or talent. To parlay an athletic talent into something a college coach wants/needs is something completely different. Suggesting to a child that he/she should pursue Sport X, Y, or Z because it may open the right college door, and is cost effective in terms of lessons/fees for the parent (you used the term ‘pay off’), is absurd. It’s assuming that the athlete has the interest, the talent, and the drive to take it to the next level based solely on the sport opening the door, not because they love what they do. Show me an athlete, in all of these threads, who juggles academics, athletics, and a social life because ‘Mom’ or ‘Dad’ thought it could help them get into college.</p>

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<p>The original poster’s question is just ridiculous, as if he/she is disappointed with the outcome of the child’s athletic endeavors. Your kids chose what they want to do and you support them to the best of your ability. To plan the whole process as an assault on a back door admission to an elite college or a scholarship is kind of gross. Why not put steroids in their chocolate milk? Get a life.</p>

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<p>There is no need for such harsh comments on CC. Most posters here are simply curious or trying to be helpful. The OP mentioned “all things being equal” and was mainly proposing a point for discussion.</p>

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<p>Sidelines, I get what you’re saying - a parent calculating the best sport for their kid to pursue based on it’s potential as an admission hook does seem wrong. But - playing devil’s advocate here - how does it really differ from encouraging a child to consider a degree in engineering or pharmacy because it may offer better employment prospects?</p>

<p>(FWIW, D is a happy college athlete in the sport that she’s loved since age 12. )</p>

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<p>Suggesting an obscure sport to a kid is fine as long as the parent realizes 'you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make ‘em drink’. Also, the very nature of an obscure sport brings visions of long commutes to daily practices to mind! Half kidding here. As parents, I’m sure we could trade lots of stories of time spent in the car for practices, games, meets, etc. Knowing that your kid can’t wait to get to those events is part of the fun. Would you feel the same way about a sport you selected for them? I would bet that some of the more obscure sports that the OP is searching for may not be the cost effective admissions tool he/she suspects, in terms of time or money, to say nothing of requisite ability.</p>

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<p>Let’s be honest here. 4 and 5 year olds have never played an organized sport before, such that they are in position to choose the one they have the greatest passion for. If you were to ask them what sport they want to play, a few may indeed give an answer but it won’t be based on past experience or real knowledge. My son decided to try T-ball because baseball cards came in his Rice Krispies one day. (That was not exactly a trustworthy life guide. I signed him up to play, but given his vision problems I knew it was not the best choice of a sport for him. He eventually dropped it.) Who are we kidding? Most parents make the choice to sign their children up for pee wee soccer or T-ball or ballet or whatever else based on what activities are available in their community at a convenient time and place and an affordable price, or based on what sports they themselves have an interest or expertise in, and perhaps based on whether car pools might be available because the neighbor kids are also participating. Young kids can’t make these decisions on their own. I remember asking my son if he wanted to join Cub Scouts. He said he couldn’t answer because he doesn’t know what Cub Scouts do so how could he tell whether he’d like it? Yes, how could he really? </p>

<p>We as parents need to give our kids guidance based on what we see as our child’s temperament and individual gifting. We also have to research the trajectory of the EC to see if we could sustain it should our child develop a serious interest. For example, I had to nix gymnastics for cost reasons; to become proficient required several sessions a week, which meant several hundred dollars a month that we wouldn’t be able to pay. Similarly, we could foresee a soccer trajectory which would involve traveling out of state for a better team. Not practical for our family. </p>

<p>Knowing the political climate of the town soccer teams and the identities and connections of the players involved, we steered our D away from soccer toward x-c and track. My D missed the greater team nature of soccer, but liked running well enough. She achieved so much more success in track than would ever have been possible in soccer. And running earned her a ticket to the best schools in the country. She has no regrets and we certainly don’t. Kids have parents for a reason. We have wisdom and a long-term perspective children don’t. I am not saying FORCE or manipulation are good, but gentle prodding and guidance toward an appropriate direction is prudent.</p>

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<p>I met the head coach of a very prominent men’s D1 soccer program at a youth camp many years ago. This guy has been around for many, many years. He gave me the following advice - “Ignore what your kids are good at and pay attention to what they love. That’s where they will succeed.” Now, obviously there needs to be some talent along the way as well to go to the next level, but his point is clear and I completely agree.</p>

<p>I have 2 kids - S & D - at 11, D had tried a few sports and was not terrible but nothing special. She excelled in drama and dance. S at 11 was a fantastically gifted athlete who saw nothing else in life and was good at every game he tried - and he played them all. Fast forward 6 years - D at 17 is verbally committed as a student athlete and son at 14 is exploring band scholarships. Absolutely NO WAY I would have believed either outcome 6 years ago. Both are consumed by their passions and that’s all we can ask for as parents.</p>

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<p>^^way to go squidge! Some kids remain the same throughout their adolescence but many change, sometimes dramatically.</p>

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<p>I feel that the GFG understands the most what I was trying to encourage on this discussion thread. I appreciate everyone’s comments. Perhaps we should all just read the Old Scarecrow’s thread on who was recruited for what.</p>

<p>I’m not a tiger mom, but someone who learned the hard way thru my kids that with the application pool SO large, and acceptances SO small, that it pays to play a sport(or a musical instrument for that matter) that is desirable to the institution. So why not discuss what might turn out best? I’m on these boards to advise those who haven’t gotten in. </p>

<p>Super talented super smart don’t need to hedge their bets. Super smart somewhat talented do.</p>

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<p>Be a bassoon/double bassoon player . They are rare as hen’s teeth and are always needed. Of course the music is as boring as can be (save for Rite of Spring) but, hey, what does that matter?</p>

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<p>Those of you promoting that the child always do what he likes best must live in small towns or their children must attend small schools.</p>

<p>I’ll talk about soccer, but I know similar scenarios exist for baseball, basketball and other sports. My kid could love soccer all she wants, but it’s pointless if she’s not good enough that anyone will let her actually play on a team! Take our middle school sports program. We have two district middle schools which are near enough to each other that the teams draw from both. Come soccer tryouts, there are 100 kids vying for 25 spots. (They briefly had a JV team, but with budget cuts it was dropped again.)</p>

<p>So, to succeed being one of the chosen 25 who makes the team, you either have to be a phenomenal natural athlete and quick study (there will be no more than 1 or 2 of these in the 100), or you’d better have played on a good club travel team for several years–preferably a team the middle school coach knows of and approves. Obviously, to get onto that travel team the kid has to try out and beat out other players for a spot. While a kid might get accepted as a warm body early on at the age when they move to the bigger field size, the numbers of travel teams keep dwindling as they get older and real ability is required because it’s a popular sport.</p>

<p>So by 5th or 6th grade, a knowledgeable sports parent has a pretty good idea of the eventual chances for their child to play in school. Outside of transfers in to the district, almost no one makes the high school team who didn’t play for the middle school, so one could forget that hope of late blooming. Even if the player played on a top club team instead of the middle school team and is good, the high school coach might chose him or not. If not, it will be because he was wary of taking the athlete out of fear he’d be more loyal to the club team than the high school team in the event of conflict. And so on I could bore you with the ins and out of how it works here.</p>

<p>So if my child wants to play a sport, how dumb would I be to continue to promote soccer if I can see the chances are next to nil she’ll ever actually play on a travel or school team? Kicking the ball around in the back yard with dad will get old fast. Why set her up for heartbreak and have her waste her time traveling down a dead end street? Similarly, if I see my child likes music but we can’t afford private lessons, I can tell you that in our town he’ll never make the bands or ensembles past freshman year in high school. There are hundreds of kids who practice hours daily AND take lessons. So I’d probably suggest an alternate activity for my child, depending on the instrument. Sure you can play the tuba or bassoon on your own, but the fun is playing with a group. As another example, if my kid is not a popular type with good leaderships skills and had to choose between sports or clubs (because they both meet at the same time in our high school), I’d push sports. Why? Because adcoms always say they like to see a progression toward greater responsibility and involvement. They want to see the kid move from jv to varsity to team captain, or club member to club president to state level officer.</p>

<p>So “liking” something isn’t enough, IMO. A laissez-faire parent who isn’t interested in aiming for good college admissions results may think Oldbatsiedoc is suggesting something appalling. I do completely understand where she’s coming from.</p>

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<p>I guess look at rowing or golf.</p>

<p>I have a very talented athlete who is a HS freshman. I would never consider influencing her decision about what she wants to play or how she wants to spend her time-as long as she isn’t zoned out on the computer 24/7. </p>

<p>I completely understand where the OP is coming from too. Sports are far more important in the admission process than I ever knew-and I have a daughter who may have the ability to play at the college level-at least so I am told. She played basketball and soccer for years but has dropped basketball and is focusing on soccer and is taking up golf this spring. She’ll probably be very good at it-the HS coach already saw her pick up a club in gym and is drooling-but she won’t play anything for an admissions edge-she’ll play it because she wants to.</p>

<p>I doubt she has the drive to work as hard as she would need to though-I don’t think people realize how hard it is to be a recruited athlete at any level-it takes more than natural ability.</p>

<p>I see kids around here who are pushed or encouraged or whatever you want to call it all in the name of getting into the right college or getting a scholarship. I guess it works for them-my kids wouldn’t allow it and in the end my son made out just fine being left to do what he wanted and I am sure my daughter will be too.</p>

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<p>Also, it’s human nature to like to do what you’re good at. So it’s not as though a parent would need to push an activity the kid completely dislikes. What I’m talking about is more discouraging sport A that kid likes best, and encouraging sport B that the kid likes second best because I see she’s better at B and will have greater opportunities at B.</p>

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<p>^ Ha ha, very true. Sometimes it’s all in the way you frame it. When helping her choose between two sports with coinciding seasons I recall saying something like, ‘well, you could probably make the varsity team if you stick with S, or possibly win a state championship in T - but in the end, do which one you like best’.</p>

<p>Of course I didn’t realize at the time that being equivalency sports, athletic scholarship money was not great in either one. Had I done my research I would’ve put a volleyball in her hands as a child ;-)</p>

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<p>I agree with coaching and developing ANY area of enrichment for a child over and above another… PROVIDED in the end, the child achieves some level of increased personal growth and gratification from such a strategic move. </p>

<p>It’s probably just a difference in parenting philosophy, but I wouldn’t advise putting all eggs in one basket if one of my children was happier with more diverse interests/EC’s.</p>