Very unique question about one of my EC's

Applying to College
1

<p>I am a current Junior and I played football for 10+ years. I was forced to quit this past July because I had sustained 5 concussions and because I don’t want to end up with dementia or any other complications caused concussions later in my life. When I quit, I had been a member of the varsity football team at my school for about 9 months (the JV season ended in early November of 08 and I immediately moved up to varsity). I went through the varsity off season lifting and conditioning, spring practice (missed final week because of my latest concussion), and about half of the summer practice. I did not, however, ever play in a varsity game. I started all of the games that I was healthy for during my sophomore year on JV (I missed the final game of the season because of a concussion) and I would have definitely been a varsity letterman during my Junior season. </p>

<p>So my question to the college application experts here on CC is: On my application, should I state that I played varsity football? </p>

<p>Also, how strong are my EC’s for schools like Notre Dame, University of Texas, UCLA, UNC, Georgia, Clemson, and the University of Washington? My EC’s include:</p>

<p>10+ Years of football
Varsity Track and Field
Volunteering for Habitat for Humanity
Volunteering to Referee local flag football games (I did this after I was forced to quit. Also might coach in the fall)
Volunteering to clean up the Gulf Oil Spill (going this summer to help out)</p>

2

<p>anyone???</p>

3

<p>

You never played varsity football. Don’t say it.</p>

4

<p>If you went to practice and were a part of the team, then include it. You dont always have to play to be a part of the team</p>

5

<p>Alright thanks. Is there any way to explain this situation to the colleges that I apply to? Football is my greatest passion in life and I don’t want colleges to think that I just went out to get PE credits. I’ve dedicated 1000s of hours to the sport and it has been extremely frustrating not being able to play the game that I love.</p>

<p>Also, by refereeing (and possibly coaching) flag football games, will colleges see my dedication to the game and leadership abilities?</p>

6

<p>ForkingJamie: Yeah, I only missed 1 practice in basically 3 years of HS football. You have to remember that HS football is a year round sport and the games only take up 2 1/2 months out of the year. Even during the off season when we weren’t practicing, we would be spending up to 14 hours a week training for the upcoming season. When I was forced to quit, there was only about 4 weeks of practice until our first game.</p>