Does focusing on one sport effect your chances?

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xray328

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My sons finishing his freshman year and is a dual sport athlete, soccer and track. He also plays club soccer. His club coach is telling us he needs to focus on one sport because he's coming from track totally exhausted to his practices. My sons fine with that, but we hear the really want two varsity letters.

Will focusing on one sport, soccer hurt his chances? He'll be Varsity in the fall, and is clearly better at that over track. He'd no doubt reach varsity level in track by his junior/senior year though. The club soccer coach also says we risk injury (especially overuse) when he's trying to do both sports.

So would playing both Varsity and club soccer be enough if he's a strong candidate everywhere else?

I don't think he's going to be able to make D1 as of now but who knows.

I guess the other option is to give up club soccer and play fall ball and run in the spring but again his passion is more with soccer.

Thanks!
 
Passion wins in my book.
 
Agree with AFrpaso

I would add something else they are looking for when it comes to sports is commitment and leadership.

Years in one or two sports show them that they don't ditch when it gets hard or the team is always losing.

Staying with one sport usually means they also have an opportunity for leadership, such as Captain. It is something they like.

Now with that being said. He is a freshmen. What age...maybe barely 15, or even still 14. I would not worry about this because sports for the appointment process is a portion of 20%. Whole Candidate Score (WCS). However, 60% of the WCS is what is called PAR...prior academic record.
~ Nobody flame me. I know sports matter. I am just saying the OP believes they are not at a Div 1 level. LOA might not be offered for either track or soccer. Many soccer clubs are more competitive than the HS team. So, for me keep playing sports, but don't forget the biggest chunk for an appointment is academics, and they need to look at any SA appointment as the same as an IVY league acceptance.
 
If you are wanting to play soccer at USAFA and asked the coach he would tell you to give up High School soccer long before club soccer. Admissions may or may not have a different opinion.
 
Doesn't help. Club soccer starts up right after school soccer is over, they can't play club and school at the same time, IHSA rules.
 
DS played HS soccer and club soccer all 4 years - was captain for both teams, plus varsity track his junior year. His club coach did not discourage track, as a matter of fact, he encouraged it. The challenge was balancing the demands of academics with the demands of sports. It was a struggle for DS.
 
Started posting before seeing Pima's reply. As usual her advice is solid and she has been there done that so certainly take note.
 
I went from 3 varsity letters sophomore year to 2 junior year down to 1 in senior year.

For me, people who interviewed me didn't care that I quit but were always interested in why I quit (so make sure you have a good reason). I quit cross country to get ready to lead a team (swimming) that I was elected captain of which was also seeded 1st in the state going into the season. Most importantly I love swimming more than running (even though I was better at running).

It is YOUR choice in my opinion don't play sport so it looks good on a resume. Play it because you love it. I stopped loving track so I quit and focused on sports that I loved more and could become better at.
 
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DS played club and varsity soccer all four years of high school. He was captain of one team and not of the other. Being a one-sport athlete didn't hurt him a bit. I agree that club soccer is far more developmentally meaningful than high school soccer - but I know that their heart is with their school team, even if their school team is not very good! If your son's passion is soccer, let him follow his passion. He shouldn't participate in a second high school sport he doesn't really love, just because someone thinks it will look good on an application he won't complete for another few years. Showing dedication and improvement in one sport (and thereby increasing his chances at a captain's armband) are more important than participating in a variety of sports.

And Pima is right, as usual - the academics are the biggest part of the whole equation, so your son needs to do everything in his power to fulfill his potential academically. The same perseverance, discipline and work ethic he displays in soccer should help him in his courses and standardized tests as well.
 
Remember; it's the "WHOLE PERSON". Some appointees/cadets played 3-4 sports a year in high school. Some played just one. Some played no high school sports, but they did some form of community or club athletics. Some only did individual type activities.

The point is, whether you do 1 varsity sport, or you're involved in 3-4 varsity/club sports, that isn't a deciding factor. The deciding factor is a compilation of all your sports, academics, volunteer time, leadership, etc.

What I'm saying is; for one person, concentrating on just 1 sport can benefit their application; while for another person it could hurt their application. Your sons have to do what THEY THINK IS RIGHT. Not what you, I, or anyone else on this forum thinks. If they want to play 2 or more sports, then that's what they should do. If they want to give one up and concentrate on the other one, that's their choice two. My son play 4 sports from 7th grade until his sophomore year. At that time, he only stayed with 2 sports because academics and volunteer time in the IB program was taking up too much time. When he received his appointment in the fall, he decided to not do soccer that year. (Soccer for our high schools is in the spring). He didn't want to risk getting injured. So he stay with football in the fall and left the spring free to enjoy the end of his senior year.

But none of this is the RIGHT or WRONG answer for anyone else. Simply ask your sons. If they want to keep doing 2 sports, then that's great. Go for it. If they want to reduce it to one, that's fine too. It's got to be their choice. As long as they remember that they need to MAXIMIZE their time efficiency. They need to balance it between the "Best" grades they're capable of; along with athletics; along with leadership; along with volunteer time; along with extra-curricular clubs and activities; etc. If any one area is compromised because of too much time in another area, then it needs to be looked at. But only your sons can make that decision and choice. No one else. They know what their capabilities and limitations are.
 
One sport AND national ranking helped our cadet. Obviously great academics, ECs, community service comes without saying. These are the same kids that the Ivys and top schools will recruit heavily and the SAs know that. I think that one leadership position will trump 2 member positions with everything else being equal, correct me if I'm wrong. Like everyone has said, your son should know his strengths and weaknesses and should work to balance everything on his resume so that he can present the best WCS on his application. Good luck.
 
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