Quality Physical Education is Possible for Home-Schooled Kids

A question that comes up for many families who teach their children from home, especially during the high-school years, is whether a home-schooled child can participate in sports and athletics. Here, I will help you find the answer.

The simple answer is yes. But, of course, there will inevitably be the why and how, as those who are homeschooling get curious. Also, there's the matter of whether or not a homeschooler is eligible for a college scholarship in sports.

There are a number of ways a homeschooled child can participate in sports, whether from the very beginning or starting in high school.

The first option is to be on independent sports teams, such as those of the YMCA . Any child, homeschooled or not, is welcome to join any of those teams. This gives the homeschooled child the added benefit of being exposed to children who attend public, private, and homeschool. This is a great option for adding socialization in the early years and beyond.

An interesting bite of information is that the NFL and many other sports started with the YMCA. You can find that fact and more at http://www.ymca.net/about_the_ymca/history_of_the_ymca.html .

The YMCA's version of participatory sports is non-competitive, which means that everyone works together and winning is not as important as enjoying the game. Many parents find this a benefit. If you are looking for your child to get recruited to college teams or offered college scholarships for sports, YMCA sports may not be the best program to work with.

Students in homeschool also have the option of joining the teams of their local public schools. Just as the public-schooled kids have to try out, so do students in homeschool. Some school districts will try to be difficult in this process. That's when you just contact HSLDA and they will help you find the answer or provide you with the information you need to get your homeschooled child a chance to try out for a public school team.

Another growing option is to join a homeschool sports league. These are just like those of public school teams, except the homeschool teams play against other homeschool teams. College recruiters also watch many of these.

There is also the option of joining up with any of the leagues advertised at public schools for youth of all ages. These leagues vary in regards to price and ages. However, they are open to all children and the subject of homeschool probably won't even come up because these are private leagues, seperate from the public schools. These are usually held by gyms, parks & rec programs, recreational centers, sports organizations, and other private organizations around the city.

No matter the decision you make regarding sports and your homeschooled child, you can rest assured that if you want your child to participate in sports, there are a variety of options. In fact, a homeschooled child has one extra option that the public schooled children don't have, since they have their own leagues available.

Below you will find a list of some athletes that are or were homeschooled, for reference that homeschool does not limit an opportunity in a sports career. Also listed are some useful links for those interested in doing more research on homeschool sports.

Homeschooled Athletes:
Jason Taylor - football(University of Akron & Miami Dolphins - paved the way for NCAA scholarships)

Venus & Serena Williams - tennis champs

Kevin Johnson - basketball

Nathan Day - basketball

Katie Hoff - swimmer

Mike Beasley - basketball

Shaun White - snowboard gold medalist

James "Bubba" Stewart - motocross champ

Kyle Strait - mountain bike champ

Sam Warren - basketball

Russel Monroe - basketball

Will Swedburg - football

Other articles on homeschooled athletes:

http://www.hslda.org/docs/news/hslda/200112120.asp

http://www.hslda.org/courtreport/v21n2/V21N201.asp

http://www.surfinthespirit.com/teens/sports.html

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/preps/2005-06-07-home-school-cover_x.htm

http://archives.cnn.com/2001/fyi/teachers.ednews/03/12/homeschool.athletes.ap/

http://www.lsj.com/news/schools/040523_monroe.html

http://www.percipion.com/topics/extracurricular/articles/athletic_scholarships.htm

http://www.mhla.org/advocacy/miaa_successstory.htm

http://www.home-school.com/Articles/phs34-chrisklicka.html

Homeschool sports Links:

http://www.homeschoolsportsinsider.com/

http://www.hspn.net/default2007.asp

http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/explore/sportsprograms.htm

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