Which Sport at Berkeley High School?
- Related page: PE Requirement at Berkeley High
Archived Q&A and Reviews
Sports for 17-year-old exchange student?
August 2008
we are hosting a 17yo exchange student. She is attending BHS and she would like to do some kind of sports activity while here. Unfortunately, none of the PE classes were appealing and she did not make the volleyball team. I'd love to help her to find some sport she could do but don't know where to turn. Team sport would be best - she could meet more kids. Also she should be able to get there and back on the bus (we are in Berkeley). The YMCA is right by BHS but not sure if they have anything for teens there. Any suggestions? Thanks! Luca
Your exchange student might enjoy field hockey. It's happening now and ends in early November. It's a great group of girls. Practices are 4-6 on Monday and 6-8 Tues, Wed, Thurs at the football field. Games are scheduled on different days and most are away. Hit the ball with a stick. Lots of running. Willingness to learn some plays and having a sense of game strategy helps. If she has played soccer before that will help.
Other, Mersey Soccer club has practices at the King Middle School and they have teams for different age groups. Soccer seasons are in the fall and spring. Lissa
Has your student thought about running cross-country at Berkeley High? It's a really great sport. It's as competitive as she wants it to be. The coaches are GREAT and it's easy to get on the teams. The practices are everyday with meets on some weekends and week days. My daughter ran for three years and really liked it. She met a lot of great people. It's hard but worth it. Look on the website for photos and practice times. http://www.geocities.com/bhsrunning/CrossCountry.htm mother of a runner
Luca - Please ask your student to check out Girls Field Hockey. Starts in the fall, and the girls recruit at the beginning of school. Enthusiasm and spirit required, but no experience necessary. My daughter was a proud player on this team for 4 years. They didn't win many games, but the girls loved wearing their uniform on game days and carrying a big stick! Cathy
Sports for shy daughter coming to BHS?
Dec 2007
My daughter is at a small independent school and is thinking she might like the bigger pond at Berkeley High. At the same time, she's a shy introvert, and her way into social groups tends to be through sports. She is interested in running (cross-country and/or track) and to some extent in basketball, volleyball, lacrosse, or crew.
In middle school she's been a good athlete but not a star. I wonder whether (a) she'll qualify for Berkeley teams (do kids have to try out for all the teams?) and (b) as a white girl, will she be equally welcome in all sports - I've heard that some sports tend to be more racially segregated, and (c) do all the teams practice every day after school - is it possible to keep up school work and team work?
Thanks! ...Frog Hopping from Small to Big Pond?
Hi, My daughter also came from a small school and made a beautiful transition into BHS. She has played on the junior varsity volleyball team at BHS for the last two years. They have three team levels: freshman, JV and Varsity so there are usually spots for everyone who tries out.
It has been a wonderful experience for my daughter. She has formed close friendships and grown tremendously as an athlete. Freshman year was pretty easy for her to balance school work with sports. This year was a little more challenging but still quite manageable. I understand maintaining school work and sports can get more difficult in junior year as curriculum becomes more challenging. Many of the girls I know who play volleyball are excellent students. I would argue that sports is a great way for girls to have some balance in their lives. It helps relieve stress, they get a good workout, and it's a lot of fun.
During the season the girls practice every day for about two hours beginning at 4:30 and play about two schools per week.
Students do need to try out for sports teams but I can only speak specifically about volleyball. The tryouts begin the week before fall semester, M-F and last about three hours at a time. If you sign up to receive the BHS newsletter online announcments will be made about tryouts a few weeks before they begin.
Your daughter might want to consider taking a skills camp during the summer. Cal runs a great summer program at the UC campus. The CAL womens volleyball coaching staff and women's volleyball team members coach the camp participants. Check online at the UC Berkeley Sports Department website for more information. They offer camps for most of the other sports your daughter is also interested in playing. Sign ups begin early so check the website as soon as you get a chance. Volleyball teams at BHS are racially mixed.
Best of luck. Volleyball Mom
My son is a freshman at BHS and he's on the (novice) crew team. We're new but I can tell you what I've seen so far. The BHS crew team is probably the most diverse crew team in the country! (It is the only public HS crew team west of the Mississippi.) I think most of the kids are white, but there are many kids from other ethnicities rowing at all levels (novice, JV, and varsity). The crew team takes anyone who is committed and comes to practices. The women practice in the mornings before school and the men after school. Everyone practices on Saturday mornings, too. During the off season (fall/winter) practices are three days a week, and in the spring during racing season, they are six days a week. It is definitely challenging to get homework done, but we have found that the exercise, team work, and camaraderie are as valuable (if not more) than homework!! It's an expensive sport and there's lots of fund-raising activities, but even though we're new, I feel like we've entered a wonderful community. (Before my son started, I worried it would feel snobbish or elitist, but I see now that it's far from that!) It was highly recommended to incoming parents that freshmen get involved right away at BHS in a club or sport--and I think that was the best advice. Good luck to your daughter! New Novice Mom
I can respond from the perspective of my/my daughter's limited experience with Berkeley High sports, which was freshman volleyball. (She's now a jr.) If I remember correctly, there were tryouts, but everyone made the team -- maybe because not that many girls tried out. The team (around 14 or 15 girls) was about half African-American and half white/other. They practiced 3-4 days/week. The season was short for freshman that year - Sept. & Oct. My daughter chose not to continue with volleyball, but did make a couple very good friends with whom she continues to socialize. So for her (she also came from a small independent school) it was a nice way to meet new people. Anon
Sports at Berkeley High are definetly NOT segregated, not sure what gave you that idea.
Most teams do have tryouts, and your child does not have to be in the top 10 to get on all teams. However some teams have a lot of kids trying out who have been playing the sport for years on club teams (soccer for instance) and those will be more competitive.
My daughter has been on the cross-country team for the past 3 years and has loved it. It's a fun sport and everyone is welcome regardless of their ability. The coaches are supportive of everyone who trys. I highly recommend her going to the first practices that start the week before school does in August. I know a lot of the cross-country kids go onto track in the spring. My daughter is also on the softball team. There is a tryout for that but as you didn't mention her being interested in that I won't go into it.
I hope someone else can respond to you about the other teams that your daughter is thinking of trying out for.
Most teams have practices everyday after school, sometimes starting at 4 until about 6-7. The student athletes do need to juggle homework and practices, but it has seemed to work out okay for us. One thing that comes up is some teams will have their games at the end of the day before school is out so the students miss their 5th and/or 6th period class. It's up to them to talk to the teacher and make up the missed work.
And, finally, if you and your daughter are open to being on a team with other ethnicities (and in a school for that matter), I don't know why she wouldn't be welcome. Sports are a life-saver for all kids. Happy Holidays. sports mom
The advantage of Berkeley HS is that it offers many, many sports opportunities. The disadvantage is that the talent pool is incredibly deep and consequently many sports teams are intensely competitive. Our daughter came from a very small private school and chose BHS precisely because she wanted a big school and wanted to play sports. Although she was a competent competitive club soccer player, she did not make a soccer team her freshman year and was devastated. However, she rallied and went out for lacrosse as a complete novice, made a team, and ended up loving this sport almost as much as soccer. If your daughter is interested in lacrosse she has a good chance of making a team, although the week-long try-outs are strenuous. For crew, she almost certainly would be accepted. Basketball and volleyball, however, are going to be very competitive. Don't know about cross-country.
With regard to racial mix, my daughter (who is Latina) has found the lacrosse girls to be mostly white but she has never commented on any feeling of being treated differently because of race or ethnic background.
Practice times vary with the sport. For lacrosse, there are either practices or games every day. For away games I have had the luxury of being able to attend most games and so I could drive my daughter home after her JV game without having her wait through the Varsity game to come home on the bus. If your daughter is good about doing homework at the game (if it is cold or wet, the girls stay in the bus to do their work), then even away game days are workable.
Good luck with your decision-making. Anon
I already posted the brief answer about my daughter's volleyball experience and wanted to add something that I don't think anyone else pointed out -- that is, students who are on a sports team will get P.E. credit (I believe 2 years are required for graduation). That's something to take into consideration when trying to decide if it's worthwhile/doable to manage homework and practice. Anon