Soccer. Basketball. Tennis. Dance. I did it all as a kid. My parents used to shuffle me to a soccer game and then afterwards, drive me straight to basketball practice. Playing a lot of sports was something that I enjoyed–I made new friends, it kept me busy, and I genuinely enjoyed playing them (some more than others).
By the time I was in high school, I was playing basketball and soccer. But as the recruiting process started, I had to make important decisions. What sport did I want to play, and at what level? Did I even want to play a sport? Could I play two sports in college? After all, being a college athlete will last four years (or more!) of your life. Eventually, I decided on soccer, and I am so happy with the decision. It was the most demanding four years of my life, but the most rewarding.
If you're struggling to make this choice, learn from me–here are three pieces of advice that could be helpful in making decisions in the recruiting process as a multi sport high school athlete:
1. Continue to play multiple sports through high school if possible
While I ultimately decided to play soccer in college, all through high school I also continued to play basketball and doing so gave me different skill sets, techniques, and abilities that helped me succeed in soccer. This dynamic is known as cross-sport skills–while playing one sport all year round is already a lot of time commitment, playing another sport that I liked gave me more balance, believe it or not. Even though it adds more things to an already busy schedule, playing another sport through high school can give a mental break and prevent single sport burnout (getting sick of a sport from doing it all the time). Playing basketball helped retain my love for soccer for way longer than if I were to specialize in just soccer at an early age. Playing multiple sports in high school also helped me manage time better in college because it got me used to being constantly busy.
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2. Consider your options (and limits)
Picking just one sport to play in college can be hard and realistically, at the Division One level, it will be very difficult to play two sports at once, especially on scholarship, because a coach expects full commitment from their players during the season and in the off season. At a lower division, playing two sports can be more manageable, but still might not be feasible.
Talking to coaches of both teams about this in the recruiting process and being honest is your best bet. You still might be forced to pick a single sport, but an alternative option to this dilemma is using your 5th year of eligibility to play a different sport. For example, someone I know played football for four years and then spent his fifth year doing track.
Related: More Sports, More Fun? Inside the Mind of a Multi-Sport Collegiate Athlete
While this situation does force you to choose a single sport to play in college, it can be a good option if you still want to be part of a team after your first sport's eligibility expires. Keeping yourself educated with NCAA eligibility rules and talking to coaches and advisors while you're at college can help in assisting with this option if it ends up being something you would want to do.
3. At the end of the day: pick the sport you truly love doing
Playing a sport is one thing, but enjoying what you do is another. You can be super talented at a specific sport, but if you do not genuinely enjoy doing it, you will not like playing it in college. Especially at the collegiate level, there is a lot of time, hard work, sweat, and tears that comes with playing. Your love for the sport helps you push harder and makes it all worth it. If this means picking a sport you truly love and playing at a lower division level or without scholarship instead of picking a sport you don't like as much but are better at, do it. College will be that much better for you and your decision will be worth it.
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* Originally published on January 2, 2023, by Amanda Nardella
