A likely letter is not the same thing as committing to a sport. Likely letters, which aren’t limited to athletes, go out in the early part of the calendar year in which a student is applying to matriculate. I was responding to @bgbg4us’s categorization.
@makemesmart, yes, we have family back in the home country, but they live close to the capital, and the camp that became interested in DD (and offered her the terms to make it worth her while) is a 5-hour flight from the capital/relatives, so not much help. Hubby thinks DD is too young to travel alone, but she wants to prove (hopefully as she claims, to herself, rather than to her parents) that she is a strong and independent young woman who can survive on her own… I wish I was as convinced. One thing is for sure - if she can make it in that summer camp, going away to college will be easy-peasy. Will see if she reconsiders applying outside of CA after her return.
My kid has travelled abroad alone for several years-after the first time, it is easy. She can do it.
DS was a basket case yesterday after Physic C E&M he said no one in his class with the same form did well. He thought he’s have a 5 based on practice tests now he’s praying for a 4. He said the mechanical part wasn’t a problem. Thankfully he said CAL BC was a breeze today. He said he aced Comp Sci Principles, Wednesday is AP English and Thursday is AP Stats neither of which he’s very concerned with so it’s down hill from here.
@HarrietMWelsch & @makemesmart – about the Ivy school. I wondered how that worked. Kid said all over twitter s/he has an offer from this school; and I didn’t want to argue or correct the mom when I saw her; but . . . . it’s probably not a sure thing yet. I hope it is - I like the family and kid! but I was really wondering all about that.
@bgbg4us What probably happened is that your son’s friend most likely has a verbal agreement with the coach (that could mean he was offered an official recruiting slot or offered “support” – these are two different levels of commitment from a coach btw). So based on that, the student will apply in the fall and if his application is accepted, would then receive a likely letter from that school. Depending on the support level from the coach, school, and sport, he may be offered a pre-read of his quantitative app materials in June or July.
Personally, I don’t know how student-athletes can do it. That seems like a tough slog, but I guess many get a lot of support from the school. I have one athlete, and one band geek, and even just the marching band commitment makes my eyes cross. I can’t imagine either of them doing it in college!
Student-athletes are “working” two jobs essentially. They are killing it on the field and in the classroom – I think they deserve their hooked status. People think they have it easy, a backdoor way in, but they are ignorant of all the toil that goes into it. Depending on the high school, students may or may not get support. Private schools are generally more willing to step aside, some will even put on the partnership hat, but some are terribly resistant to the idea that learning can happen outside school grounds. As if!
Well, performing on the field and in the classroom is one thing, and I don’t care about their hooked status. Good for them. But, let’s face facts, they do have it easier as far as admissions goes. It’s certainly not ‘harder’ than getting in based purely on academics and social awareness. There are certainly some who have both the physical and academic skills, but we’ve all seen those out-of-place green checkmarks on the Naviance scattergrams! 
@bigmacbeth lol – the naviance scattergram – true. Well the way I see it – it’s harder for years prior to admissions and then when you’re at the finish line you get a little relief, a little push. You don’t have as much uncertainty, that’s what it is. Like, would you prefer a consistent stream of hard work for years with less uncertainty at the end, or less work throughout, and some stress at the end with a side of uncertainty. Just different ways of doing things.
So – a pound of flesh now, or later?? 
Oh, well, I have an athlete (D20) who has put years and years into her 2 sports for the pure love of the sport and her team mates. She has probably put just as much work as many athletes who are ‘hooked’, and more work than some. I wasn’t counting all that, because hooked athletes are not alone in the amount of work they put into their sport. There are other kids who put just as much work into their ECs, be it robotics or debate or dance or theater. It’s the end game where things are easier for one than the other.
@bigmacbeth I think the students at the top (the same level of achievement as hooked athletes) of robotics, debate, dance, and theater are choice applicants for many elite schools! If you are making cameos at the Bolshoi and getting A’s in Calc, you’re good to go. There is still much value to be had even without achievement – but I agree, that value is not as sought out or rewarded.
Their green check marks are necessarily in a different place, too, as you described. But again, it’s once they are in college and doing their sport that is what prompted my first post. It’s amazing.
One of mine was a three-sport athlete (and played two of them in college). Not strong enough to be recruited, and paradoxically a little hampered by the fact that the rest of her application was very strong. So, even coaches that wanted her wouldn’t give her a “tip” or any help - they need those for the less strong applicants. She was a happy walk-on at her first choice, but dropped the second sport after the first season.
The time management involved in being a student-athlete is extraordinarily demanding, but it’s definitely a life skill.
And as @bigmacbeth says, there are other commitments that are just as demanding - marching band and certain performing arts, for example.
Good luck to all the AP E/Lang takers today, and any other APs of course.
D17 is a student athlete (hi @fencingmom !), and it’s a slog. 20 hours per week in weeks with no competition, more in weeks with a competition, I don’t know how she gets it all done. Well, actually, I do… lots of coffee.
D20 visited McGill in Canada and they are exactly the same as @VickiSoCal describes for UK schools. I’m sure @ShrimpBurrito is also familiar with this. They had a separate info session just for US visitors, and it was probably the most entertaining one I’ve been to. This is 20 minutes of conversation from the admissions staff boiled down into a few bullets: “ECs? We don’t care, don’t tell us. We don’t want an essay about how your eco-tourism/mission trip changed your life. Don’t bother sending recommendation letters, we won’t read 'em. Just show us your grades and test scores. If your grades and scores are above a certain threshold, you’re in.” Nothing holistic about it at all.
@stencils
I like the Canadian system! I was told Britain’s similar. Of course, it just makes the whole application process not as opaque as the “holistic” kind with all sorts of hooks (kinks sometimes might be a better description) and potential “side doors”.
@bigmacbeth
For IVYs, if the coach had told the student athlete verbally that they are in, the chances of their getting in is very very high. But i would say it is still more prudent to let the whole world know about it AFTER you have that LL in hand.
In terms of admission at McGill, yup, that’s pretty much it. Although, D applied for a merit scholarship and that process was more holistic. You needed to reach a certain gpa/test score threshold to be eligible, but beyond that it was all about essays and ECs and teacher recs.
This is not a flat Canadian policy. UBC’s application had a bunch of short essays.