<p>I see a few threads here along the lines of continuing a sport or stopping. My S is a sophomore who is really fired up about his sport. Can't really tell yet how good he will be. He has already decided no matter what to not be a DI athlete because of the time requirement. He wants a normal college experience.</p>
<p>My question: What kind of time commitment is required in DIII? Club sports seem like a nice alternative - he can keep up with the conditioning but not have his college life ruled by the sport. Don't really know where DIII athletics falls in the time requirement spectrum.</p>
<p>DIII really varies. Some DIIIs are quite intense in particular sports. Others- not so much. Club is a good option. Ivy is similar to the more intense DIIIs.</p>
<p>Depends on the sport and it varies. I was on a forum a while back where the debate was ‘DIII Lacrosse vs. Club Lacrosse.’</p>
<p>Many students chimed in to say that they even if their college had a Varsity squad, they chose to play club Lacrosse for fun and because it wasn’t as all-consuming as varsity sports can be. On the other hand, other players said that many club teams are quite intense; they require a significant $$ commitment from club members and play as many as 16 games [two a week, with regular team practices] during the season.</p>
<p>So it depends on the school, the program and the player. Choose wisely.</p>
<p>My S does his sport at the club level and is very happy doing that. He has toyed with the idea of trying out for varsity (he has been asked many times why he isn’t doing varsity) But his academic schedule would be compromised. His club team was made up of the guys on his floor freshman year and they have stayed together since then, even though they live spread out now. He has really enjoyed playing without the pressure of varsity. But they are still very serious about winning!</p>
<p>My son is currently a junior, plays his sport at a fairly high level, but is not a sought after recruit. I think club soccer would be perfect for him, but it’s so hard to balance an academic fit, with the vagaries of playing sports at the right level. I believe I found a pretty good site that gave standings in college club soccer in the west. But after years of learning the ins and outs of rec, select, “club”/premier soccer, there is so much about college soccer “we” still don’t know. Any suggestions?</p>
<p>My son plays club. Likes the travel. Likes the “fun” aspect. Like the relatively easy practice/conditioning schedule. Works great for him. But like others said it all varies sport by sport and school by school.</p>
<p>My kid was on a varsity D3 team last year. This year he’s doing a club team (different sport) instead. I think he really liked the serious committment of the varsity team, but it was very time-consuming. The club sport is more just a for-fun thing, which is good in certain ways but does not maintain the level of physical conditioning he used to have.</p>
<p>It’s a trade-off, really. I think he misses the way, as a varsity athlete, he was a part of representing his school in its conference and all that. He liked the intensity of it as far as being with people that took it really seriously. He did, though, find it hard to balance that with his academic obligations and also the desire to have a normal social college experience.</p>
<p>This discussion strikes me as very premature. S should do his sport, enjoy his sport, and be as intense as he wants. If he becomes a recruited athlete, he can ask the relevant coach coach and players on the relevant team about time commitments.</p>
<p>Oh, I don’t know. It was very useful for me to learn about these things early on. In fact most of the kids I knew who were serious about sports wanted an understanding early about how it worked with colleges. It’s very helpful to know. Junior year is a big one for high school athletes. You really are better off knowing how the process works before that. High school coaches can be good resources for info, but depending on the high school often they are not at all.</p>
<p>I don’t know his sport, but in boys soccer, very few just sit back and “get recruited”. I didn’t know this, but my son did. Last year ( a sophmore) he really surprised his dad and me by aggressively pursuing a spot in one of the top clubs in our area ( if you can consider 72 miles away our area…). He has played soccer since he was 5, but never on the caliber of team that goes to showcases, or get looked at by colleges. I only found out later that this was the usual route to play college soccer. And try outs for that level are in spring. Junior year is late to move clubs, but hopefully for son, not TOO late. Not saying there are no exceptions, but a sophomore in high school interested in college sports ( he may not be), has to be like a sophomore interested in elite academics. You can just keep doing what your doing, but being proactive seems to make it easier down the road.</p>
<p>Points taken. I didn’t understand the question to be about the recruiting process, but rather whether the OPs son should aspire to play in college. By all means, he should do everything he can to ensure that the keeps his options open.</p>
<p>D1 played a varsity sport pretty well, but she didn’t want to replicate that experience at her DIII college. She did a different sport on a club team all four years. It was formal with practices, but kind of laid back at the same time. Not a problem for her or the club team that she missed the Spring semester of Junior year studying in London.</p>
<p>I agree with your thinking on pursuing the sport like elite academics. Very apt.</p>
<p>Hopefully your son stays on top of his studies while pursuing that sport. I have worked with too many students who wanted to play sports at the D1 level, but their grades/scores weren’t as high as they should be. Don’t sacrifice the academics in pursuit of the sports…coaches want to see excellence in both areas!</p>
<p>My D was like OP’s son in that she knew she didn’t want a D-I sports commitment. So her college search had two tracks: larger schools where she would look for a club team, and LACs, where she would initiate the recruiting process. Once she started meeting with D-III coaches, she paid attention to the level of intensity of the coaching and the team dynamic, and there was significant variation. She also considered the geographic scope of the conference; she preferred not to have big travel commitments. What’s she’s ended up with (for next year) is her long-time favorite LAC, and a sports program that seems to be about as intense as her high school team’s, with a similar time commitment. I think it will be perfect for her - she goes crazy when she’s not doing a sport.</p>
<p>^^littlegreenmon, I agree! He’s never been a good student, but he is MUCH better over the last three semesters, in part because he has to manage his time better, and in part because of the broader group of kids he is associating with.</p>
<p>One thing I have noticed about the smaller east coast LAC’s is that they seldom have both varsity and club teams in a particular sport, although they may have intramurals. I would guess that this is because they don’t have a large enough student population to create both a club and a varsity team. (BTW I am using the term “club” to describe teams that travel between schools and may be funded by the university.)</p>
<p>I wasn’t pleased that my son chose to play a club sport rather than play a Div III sport as a freshman. But it turned out good for him. He would have been 7th on the depth charts at his position on the Varsity team. In return for the many hours of practice, he would not have played one minute in a game. </p>
<p>Injuries on his club team opened up a starting position for him midway through the season. It was a thrill for me to drive up and watch him play. He was voted Most Improved Player by his teammates. The club sport continues this spring and I’ll get to see him play some more.</p>
<p>commitment varies even at the d3’s…so he really has to look at each program closely…</p>
<p>sorry…didn’t read mowc’s post before i posted…so i ditto her…</p>
<p>something to think about is the particular sport and the time of year…will they be able to come home for major holidays and is that important to them? just something to think about…</p>