I am interested in playing a sport in high school however, I have not played any of the sports I am considering before. Since I will be participating in other clubs and activities during the school year, the only seasons I would be able to play are spring and summer.
Spring:
I don’t know about your HS and where you live, but many other students have been playing sports for years now.
I would talk to the Athletic director or coaches and ask if there are any “no-cut” sports. It may be that you could do track (at least practice)…they may only take a certain number of students to away meets.
For Golf, there may not be as many players. Maybe take some golf lessons and talk to the golf coach if joining the team is a possibility.
I agree…talk to the head of PE at your HS (or even start with your gym teacher) and ask which sports are no cut and would be open to a beginner. FWIW at our HS the sport most accessible to beginners is track which is a no cut sport.
I would recommend track because it is based largely on athleticism whereas the others you mention are based more on skill and coaching that is developed over years. That is not to say that the best track athletes don’t need to have experience, but a lot of students have natural ability that is more easily brought out in track/field. Track is generally no-cut and there will be opportunities to compete regardless of ability level.
I agree that track and field would probably the “easiest” to just pick up and “play.”
The other sport I’d recommend, if your HS has it, and it’s a Spring sport, is badminton. Badminton can also be a “no cut” sport and reasonably easy to learn and play. I will say that in some areas of the country, with large Asian populations, badminton is a serious sport played at the highest levels, like here in the SF Bay Area.
I was going to say do whatever sport you enjoy, but it does depend on your true goals. Sports scholarships are few, so I wouldn’t let pursuing that be your determining factor. If you just want fresh air and exercise, then almost any one will do. If you are hoping for a chance to compete or bond with a group of new friends, then yes, some teams are no-cut or just less popular overall, therefore easier to get into.
Soccer & softball. Team sports which are fun & easy.
Track & field requires specific talent for specific events.
Golf is fine but takes lots of patience & dedication & patience & the ability to forgive oneself & patience.
You forgot money.
And the likelihood of a beginner making the team, when V & JV each only have about 7-8 golfers, is nil unless the school is totally desperate for golfers.
Yes, answer totally depends on what sports are open to beginners. Track is one.
Track. Cheapest, most accessible, you can train year-round without a team to “catch up”, more beginners start in high school, easier to continue later. Don’t need a field or scheduled team time to play.
Track also consists of very different events; I started track in HS and wasn’t nearly as fast as the sprinters, couldn’t keep up with the distance runners, but I tried every event and discovered that I had a single and singular talent for high jump. I wasn’t even good at the long jump, which favors speed. But it was enough.
I say try all and go with one you like better. Track is usually easier to get into without previous training if you have basic talent. Soccer can be lot of fun with a good team.
Long post, sorry I go sport by sport.
Lots of good advice above. Track is more of a pure athleticism sport than the others where training matters more and it is harder to catch up. You could go from never running a race to being a freshman State Champ if you are one of the rare ones gifted with that talent. No chance you are a star at the others right away without experience.
More likely your aren’t a star, but track teams are usually large and no cut, at least if you are willing to do less popular events. I was awful at track in HS, but the track meets were a fun social experience so I did it anyway in my off season.
D’s HS soccer team had several freshman girls go out this year who have never played. They didn’t do cuts this year, but none of those girls will probably ever start and most won’t see varsity even as seniors. And this is at a school without enough girls to make cuts in soccer. The learning curve is too steep for them to catch up, especially if they plan on not doing it year round like many soccer players do.
Softball I think is similar to soccer with the learning curve, although I don’t have personal experiences there. Also in my personal experience, softball and baseball are the 2 sports with the most subjective coach discretion over who plays and who gets cut, and not usually in a good way. Last name and whether you were on the right youth teams matters more. Maybe it’s just where I grew up and my current hometown, but most of the coaches I know are like that, even at the HS level. Every year I see athletes with great raw talent and even sometimes current ability get cut to make room for lesser athletes. Obviously this is my personal experience, take it for what it is worth.
Boys golf you would have no chance at our school. Girls golf made cuts for the first time this year, and kept a couple new players. The coach is begging for players. Golf teams are small, so frequently there is a lot of one on one coaching, which makes improvements come quickly. Cost is higher, but at least around here you can get super cheap season passes as a HS student at a few courses, because they are trying to build the sport. We have a family membership at a reasonably priced golf club but even if my daughter bought her own HS membership I would spend less on golf than soccer.
And the only advice that matters is do what will be fun for you. If one of the sports has some of your friends and if it is no cut, that’s the one I would pursue.