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Regarding sports: how do I find out whether my state permits HSers to join local teams?


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The issue currently is that in order to make the HS work, I am moving from a very urban area (NYC) to a very rural area 2 hours away. My 9 yr old son currently plays tennis (private lessons twice a week) and the closest serious program I can find for him is about 1.5 hrs away.

I think I will commit to this program if I can see the light in terms of organized teams later on. If there is a middle school with a tennis program, would my child be allowed to participate? Or at the high school level perhaps? I read somewhere some states' law requires schools to permit participation, but how do I find out whether my state (NY) is one of them? And if my current county has no such program, would we be able to go to the county over? Many thanks!

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It is my understanding that New York does not have a law that requires schools to allow participation. It is up to the individual school district. I find it unlikely that your child would be allowed to participate in the next district if you don't live within their borders.

 

Your best bet is to approach the district in which you live and ask them ever-so-politely if they are willing to allow your son to participate in sports.

 

Legal matters regarding individual states can be found at: hslda.org

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The issue currently is that in order to make the HS work, I am moving from a very urban area (NYC) to a very rural area 2 hours away. My 9 yr old son currently plays tennis (private lessons twice a week) and the closest serious program I can find for him is about 1.5 hrs away.

I think I will commit to this program if I can see the light in terms of organized teams later on. If there is a middle school with a tennis program, would my child be allowed to participate? Or at the high school level perhaps? I read somewhere some states' law requires schools to permit participation, but how do I find out whether my state (NY) is one of them? And if my current county has no such program, would we be able to go to the county over? Many thanks!

 

My kids are serious tennis players, too. Imo, the USTA tennis circuit would be a much better fit for your son than playing tennis for his middle school or high school for a few reasons:

1. Even if you could find a school that would permit your homeschooled son to participate on the tennis team, the school tennis season is very short. The USTA tennis season is year round.

2. There are many opportunities to play team tennis in USTA and the competition is at a much higher level.

3. I know your son is young, but if he would like to play tennis in college, the only data point that the college coaches look at is the student's star rating which is based off of USTA match play- high school tennis is not a factor at all.

 

If you search on the USTA website, you will be able to find tennis tournaments in your area that your son could enter. Once he has accumulated enough points, he could qualify for many of the team competitions that occur mainly during the summer months:

1. Davis Team Cup - teams travel with their coaches and stay on a college campus. The teams compete against other teams in their part of the country, ie. Midwest, Southern, Eastern, ect.

 

2. Zonals - kids from each region are placed on a team and that team competes against other teams throughout the nation.

 

3. There are other more local team competitions as well that you would be able to find on the USTA website.

 

Good luck with your move.

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oh my goodness, snowbeltmom, I am EVER so grateful for your post. It made my day, week, and more. This move/life change has many stressors and this in one i felt I was not making headway at all. Thank you thank you for the detailed info.

Thanks for your reply. Tennis is a sport that is very compatible with homeschooling. In fact, many of the top tennis players who are in traditional school don't even play for their high school teams; they would much rather focus on the USTA tournaments.

 

Feel free to pm if you have any other questions. There is a learning curve to figuring out the USTA system.

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