Recruiting for sports @ prep schools?

Prep School Admissions
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<p>"Squash skills can also help students get into the selective prep schools that are feeder schools for top universities. Kirk Randall, the varsity boys and girls squash coach at Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, N.H., said his school had recently christened 10 new squash courts, financed by alumni, and another six on the way. </p>

<p>And yes, Exeter recruits. “We do have contact with our admissions people,” Mr. Randall said, “and we do try to put in a plug for the kids we’d like to have here, as long as academically qualified.” </p>

<p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/09/fashion/09squash.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&sq=squash%20phillips%20exeter&st=nyt&scp=1%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/09/fashion/09squash.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&sq=squash%20phillips%20exeter&st=nyt&scp=1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>This article is about squash, but to what extent do boarding schools recruit for all other sports? Anyone have first-hand experiences with athletic recruitment?</p>

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<p>Squash, lol. BS recruit quite extensively for basketball and ice hockey, and my son was strongly recruited for soccer (and baseball once the baseball coach saw his resume). I think basketball and ice hockey are the bs "biggies".</p>

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<p>Haha, imagine saying "I was recruited for squash" on the first day of classes. </p>

<p>That's pretty cool though.</p>

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<p>In our neck of the woods, ice hockey is the biggest hook</p>

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<p>I wonder where you would perfect your squash skills before bs, so much so that they would actually recruit you for it??? Am I missing something or is there a there a JO division for squash out there?</p>

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<p>Junior squash is popular. Well, perhaps "popular" is a bit of an overstatement, but there are a lot of tournaments this time of year. See Junior</a> Squash. My child expects to play squash and tennis at BS next year (provided the AdComs cooperate!).</p>

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<p>"hotbeds" for jr squash include Boston, New York, Greenwich, Baltimore and especially Philadelphia. Squash is played at many preps now, has become a popular spectator sport, and prep squash players are recruited by colleges.</p>

<p>That said the most heavily recruited prep sports remain ice hockey (boys and girls), football (especially for the PG schools) and lacrosse.</p>

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<p>Is basketball not in the mix? I know that my son's school was seventh in the country last year (out of all hs) and several "hole in the wall" small New England bs are ranked even higher.....New Hampton, Brewster, Worcester...</p>

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<p>SPS finished 4th at nationals this year.</p>

<p>Squash is pretty big at prep schools.</p>

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<p>At boarding school if you play squash its not considered nerdy, where as at a public school it may be.</p>

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<p>No, I wasn't thinking "nerdy". I just don't see it as a huge sport, that's all. I am sure it is fun. I used to love playing racquetball.</p>

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<p>At least 3 of the schools we toured this year just built a slew of new squash courts - 2 of them new buildings with 10-12 new courts.</p>

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<p>Keylyme is right about hoops -- at certain schools like the ones he mentioned and South Kent, St Thomas More etc. At most of the rest, not really.</p>

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<p>How about girl's volleyball?</p>

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<p>The funster will refrain (this time) from the SA reply.</p>

<p>Actually, it wouldn't surprise if certain volleyball powers -- Hotchkiss, Westover, Andover, Loomis, Bancroft (a girl's day school near Beantown) were looking for players.</p>