Sports were part of my life as a teen, but not more important than friendships, grades, boyfriends, making money and college. None of my female peers chose their colleges based on athletics. Title IX was passed when I was in middle school and the equal opportunities for females did not seem accessible until well after I graduated from college. My recollection of the “boy experience” of the 70’s is different. There were super star athletes who had “a natural gift” and went on to play in college, but without the fanfare of today. In fact, I just found out, serendipitously, that I graduated high school with an elite miler who was recruited by Cornell. His mile record still stands, 30 years later. Who knew? I doubt that would go unnoticed today. Looking back, I don’t remember adult conversations focused on the details of athlete’s training, coaching, or college recruiting experiences while in high school. The conversations centered on last week’s sports results or what to expect in next week’s matches.

My daughter had a vastly different experience. People meet me and ask if I was a runner. Or, was it my husband. “Where does that talent come from?” We all want to understand why something exceptional happens to one person and not the next. Is it purely genetics, or nutrition, or training, or a coach or a sleep pattern or a religious belief or better opportunities, or faster twitch muscles or more desire or a better attitude? The list of variables continues to grow because we are looking for answers, or help, to provide the best opportunities for our athlete’s to succeed.

It can be a heavy burden, trying to decide how to support your athlete. It can be a heavy burden financially, emotionally, time-wise and on the family system.
Caroline was my wake-up call to show me how much I didn’t know about life as a high school athlete today . To put it another way, my experience as a high school athlete was immaterial to understanding high school sports in the 21^st century. In fact it doesn’t matter what level of play your athlete engages in – casual/social, bench warmer to elite – the training schedule, nutrition recommendations, equipment, uniforms, you used 15+ years ago are probably outdated.

Raising two athletes is a thrill for me. They both have different skills and different goals. I believe my role as a Varsity Parent is important but I can’t easily access a peer group, resources or experiences to draw on to help me through the journey. And this is how my mission began –I set out to find other parents, experts, coaches and athletes to help us all better understand, support, share insights and learn about the wild, exhilarating ride of high school athletics. Hence VarsityParenting.com was born. Welcome to your world.