sports..ECs?

Applying to College
1

<p>so here's the thing: i absolutely love swimming and crew, BUT since i live in a small, poor town in the middle of nowhere, i can't swim or row because i don't have the proper equipment/facilities.</p>

<p>our town does have a swimming pool, but it's only open and cleaned in the summer, and, even then, it's constantly filled with too many people to actually swim laps. so there's no swim team at my school or nearby (the closest swim team is around 2 hours away..).</p>

<p>and as for rowing, i've gone to camps, but that's about it; the closest facility is at least 3 hours away..</p>

<p>what should i do? i'm actually pretty good in sports such as soccer, lacrosse, swimming, crew, etc., but my school and town (and neighboring towns) don't support these sports (we're all football and basketball). i want colleges to see that i can play a sport decently and that i love the sports i play, but how can i show that if i can't participate because of where i live??</p>

<p>and yes, i have looked into the teams there. i've emailed coaches, but they have all told me that it's impossible for me to train on a regular basis because i live so far away..</p>

<p>also, driving there everyday and back would be practically impossible. what with school, homework, clubs, projects, etc... there's just no time for 4-6 hours (there and back) to waste. not to mention, my parents would never go for it..</p>

<p>oh, and as for starting teams, it's a good idea, but our town has no lake, or money to fund crew or keep a swimming team/pool year- round.</p>

2

<p>Did you look into STARTING teams for those sports? It may be difficult, and it might not even come into reality by the time you graduate, but you should atleast make a solid effort. Other than that, the only thing you could do is to drive the 2 or 3 hours there. Of course, you could talk about them in your essays and colleges understand that some towns are not as endowed as others, but at the very least show that you’ve made a genuine attempt at starting teams for those sports. Good Luck!! =)</p>

3

<p>bump? please help!!</p>

4

<p>Are you sure you can’t start a team, get people to pitch in to help your cause? You see, right now there are 2 things- passion and the environment that makes it possible. You have the passion, but the environment doesn’t let you participate in these. so why not change it? That would show that you are passionate about that sport and leadership in getting it done!</p>

5

<p>i’m pretty sure i can’t really start a team. most of our town is under the poverty line, and our school can barely keep afloat in its funding. and rowing costs a lot, and there is not place to row. and the only place to swim would be the public pool, whichthey drain during winters/spring/fall. so the school would actually have to build a new swimming pool in order for me to start a team…</p>

6

<p>What about the other field sports you mentioned? Soccer sounds like it might be a popular options. Are there any high schools near your town that have a sport you’re even moderately interested in?</p>

7

<p>There is no way to show colleges that you can play a sport if you don’t play a sport. I wouldn’t even write about it, because it isn’t showing your strengths, it is just a wish list thing. Excepting if you do play any sport that you devote time to and want to write about it, then it would be okay to talk about what other sports you hope to have a chance to participate in.</p>

<p>It is kind of strange for your community pool not to have lap hours. Perhaps take that up with the park and rec director (or other person in charge of the pool.)</p>

8

<p>Could you push to get a rowing machine for your school gym? If you’re obsessed with crew, and have the right build and level of fitness, you might be able to get coaches’ attention based on erg scores. I know of girls who have successfully switched from other sports to crew, where being tall and strong counts for a lot.</p>

9

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<p>^This. Either you start a team or you accept that your opportunities are too limited to support your dream sports. Go out for basketball or football, or throw your energies into other, non-athletic, activities.</p>

10

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<p>Very understandable. I realize most here on CC come from “cushier” schools where spending money on frivolous activities is seen as a great way to let students “show leadership”. Thus, they feel that such activity encourages students to work harder in school, act orderly/not cause problems, and study hard for the ACT/SAT; which all in turn benefits the school by improving their median test score stats and also by satisfying state requirements. For the school’s benefit, students then can obtain admission to (and attend) highly selective colleges, which makes the school look like a “factory” for top students. Thus, that makes everyone who lives within a stone’s throw of the school’s area want to move there and have their kids attend school there, which increases school funds and raises area property values. A vicious cycle, to say the least, at the typical CC High. :)</p>

<p>However, your school sounds like it is on the opposite end of the spectrum: a diploma mill. A place where the primary goal of education is to take students in one end and shoot them out the other so they won’t have to be paid for or cared for yet another year with money they don’t have. As state budget cuts sweep across almost all states after the financial crisis, this is becoming the more common attitude, even at my own HS. So yeah, completely understandable that the swim/crew teams won’t happen :)</p>

<p>Anyways, try competing on your own. Really. Believe it or not, you can be a team of one for swimming, and you could probably walk on to a rowing team at a larger HS nearby. If you are willing to pay for admission to swim tournaments (which I assume you are), then the school will have no liability whatsoever and you can still compete easily. </p>

<p>Good Luck!!!</p>

11

<p>well, the thing is, i’ve gone to sport camps, and i’ve realized that i CAN row pretty well and i can swim pretty well too… it’s just i can’t train to rise to whatever potential i have. but i probably will focus on other non- sport events just because i don’t think my school/town will ever have enough funding to support my dreams … haha</p>

<p>thanks for all the support and i would totally love to compete alone or at nearby HS, but our town is basically in a region with other HS that have absolutely no money to waste either… so tough predicament but oh well :/</p>

12

<p>I’m a tennis player and our team almost was cut last year (same reasons basically).
My back-up plan was to train and practice on my own and then compete in the district tournament at the end of the year. I don’t know about swimming, but in my district a player whose high school doesn’t support the sport can still enter the tournament as ‘independent’ and have a chance to excel/go on to states.
Any chance that would be possible for you with swimming?</p>