Elite athletes at Boarding Schools

Golfgr8
Sun, 04 Apr 2021 19:49:23 +0000

I agree with @one1ofeach and also @417WHB makes good points. It is grueling for the student and also can be tough for parents - physically, emotionally, and financially - to pursue elite level of athletics that also involves club/travel teams. I also see uppers and some Sophomores receiving exemptions from EC’s for sports. I do suspect that some kids get other benefits, exemptions, or accommodations but can’t prove it. We know a couple of guys who missed school for campus visits and also missed school for tournaments. Some kids repeat and some need an extra year to grow/develop/mature. I know of a few top hockey, soccer and lax guys that have taken the PG route, also. There is a huge time commitment and commuting to club/travel practice, as well as tournaments, is a tricky endeavor to juggle. Throw in studying for ACT/SAT and APs on top of that. It also takes a lot of $$ and time for a parent to help navigate this route. I am not sure how Brandon Wu did it all with golf. I do know a couple students at a well known Ivy who sacrificed grades, and/or did not take the toughest courses, while balancing their athletic commitment. There have been previous threads about the A/I and how that plays out. If you’re interested I can try to find the posts.

We decided early on not to prioritize the sport commitment over academics. It’s a personal decision and sometimes a financial one. Due to COVID, some of our kids find there is little “room on the bench” for recruiting. The kids I know are getting D1 offers are at the very top.

As I write this, I am exhausted from it. Had no idea how hard it would be to try to do this from afar.