What is your favorite extracurricular?

[Kimberlyann11]

Of all the extracurricular activities your kids do, which is your favorite?

DD does marching band and robotics. I was in marching band my senior year and I didn't really like it. I am on the executive board of band boosters for DD's band and, while I enjoy the marching and the music, I just don't love it. I can't stand football and I have to go watch the games in order to see pre-game, halftime and post-game. The money I pay for admission goes to the sports programs while marching band gets bupkis.

She is also on a First robotics team. I love that. I thought it was the weirdest thing to join when she first told me (and I had a sneaky suspicion that there was a boy involved - but there wasn't), but the first time I walked into a competition It was like hearing angels sing. I found my people!! The kids are nerdy/cool and most of them are very well-behaved. They do an excellent job with the robots and we went to world champs both years she's been in it. Both years we also got invited to a off-season competition that is considered to be like an all-stars tournament. I do have some issues with the particular "league" she's in - they have some teams that skirt the rules in a somewhat unethical way that's not out-and-out cheating, yet isn't good sportsmanship - but fortunately her coach doesn't play that game and the kids end up learning how to do things the right way. I joke that when she graduates I'll have to find a ninth grader to adopt so that I can have four more years of robots.

Which of your kids extracurriculars do you love more so than others? Feel free to treat this like a total brag thread. It's okay! It's the Dis!

 

[unhinged]

My daughter's special needs All-Star cheer team. I absolutely love the way the All-Star federation has completely included special needs athletes as equals, including a division for them that competes just like every other team. For the first time in her life, she gets to be on a truly competitive team where she has to work hard and can experience the gratification of working her tail off when they win and the heartbreak and lessons of losing.

While I love Special Olympics, it is not real life and it is still the 'everybody gets a ribbon' mentality.

 

[Tiffylv]

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[nugov2]

I like watching the kids enthusiasm more than the games, but Soccer is the most entertaining. I have two soccer players and a baseball player and the baseball games are brutal sometimes. My dd is also in choir and those concerts can be a tad on the long side, but I do enjoy them. Next year my oldest is trying out for cross country, track and scholastic bowl, so it will be nice to add some more activities to the mix.

 

[Kimberlyann11]

My daughter's special needs All-Star cheer team. I absolutely love the way the All-Star federation has completely included special needs athletes as equals, including a division for them that competes just like every other team. For the first time in her life, she gets to be on a truly competitive team where she has to work hard and can experience the gratification of working her tail off when they win and the heartbreak and lessons of losing.

While I love Special Olympics, it is not real life and it is still the 'everybody gets a ribbon' mentality.

I have never heard of that! It sounds incredibly rewarding for these kids.

 

[LilPiglet]

I am still just a kid and I love playing Soccer. My Mom and Dad or at least one of them are always at my games cheering me on. I think they enjoy seeing me do something I like to do.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Bowling, followed by Volleyball. Bowling is great because there are no practices. It's once a week & every pin counts. Volleyball is just 2 1-hour practices a week & the season is short. And it's always been a fun spectator sport.

Choir is just "okay". Some concerts are a lot more fun than others.

DW handles guitar/drum lessons, so I can't really comment on those.

Gymnastics aren't so great. Thankfully, we're not doing that right now. Soccer was a little better, but we're out of that too.

Swim team is brutal. 4 practices a week & because the kids are in different age groups, I'm there 2.5 hours each night, and it's a 20-minute drive each way. The meets are fun, but also long. Sometimes we're out there for hours, trying to write down times while it rains. Ugh.

 

[mjkacmom]

All of my kids do choir, and the school choirs are very good (4 HS, 4 JH, almost always win competitions). My two ildest are involved in local theater. Three play soccer - HS varsity is my favorite to watch. One plays travel basketball, and I love that it's an hour, and inside. He also plays little league, and games can be a little long. My Irish dancers probably have the coolest activity. It's fun to watch, but takes up so much time and money. Dd14 has traveled to Europe twice, and both have traveled to canada twice, plus all over the country.

 

[MIGrandma]

Well, it's been "a few years" since my kids were in school (DS graduated in 1994 and DD in 1997). DS played football for 3 years. I enjoyed going to watch him when the weather was good. But we sat in cold rain too many times. We went to every game though, no matter what. DD played flute in the band and was a cheerleader her freshman and sophomore years. I enjoyed watching the marching band during the football season and also the concerts in the gym of course. She was 1st chair in high school and did solo & ensemble many times and I always loved going to those. And she was in the all-star band too so it was fun to watch the concert for that too. I'll never forget enjoying their rendition of "Phantom of the Opera." And when we were given a program before the concert, with all the kids' names I didn't realize they were in alphabetical order and her band instructor told me she was 1st chair. That was a proud moment too. I also loved watching her as a cheerleader, both for football and basketball seasons. Unfortunately after her sophomore year she chose not to try out again as cheerleading was kind of "falling out of favor" during that time.

Now, for our grandchildren we go to anything we can, and enjoy watching all of them at whatever they're participating in (football, choir, band, volleyball, wresting, cheerleading, etc.). I think it's important for parents, and if possible grandparents as well, to attend everything they can for their kids/grandkids. I remember my boss never attended one single wrestling match for her son, she said it "wasn't her thing" and I just thought that was so sad, to not show support for your child.

 

[Kimberlyann11]

Bowling, followed by Volleyball. Bowling is great because there are no practices. It's once a week & every pin counts. Volleyball is just 2 1-hour practices a week & the season is short. And it's always been a fun spectator sport.

Choir is just "okay". Some concerts are a lot more fun than others.

DW handles guitar/drum lessons, so I can't really comment on those.

Gymnastics aren't so great. Thankfully, we're not doing that right now. Soccer was a little better, but we're out of that too.

Swim team is brutal. 4 practices a week & because the kids are in different age groups, I'm there 2.5 hours each night, and it's a 20-minute drive each way. The meets are fun, but also long. Sometimes we're out there for hours, trying to write down times while it rains. Ugh.

That's a lot of EC's. I only have one kid so just a few for me. One of the bonuses of robotics is that it's all inside. During build season they are at the school from 3:30- 7 two to four nights a week and every Saturday from 9-4. Fortunately parents don't have to be there for build and we are only three miles from the school so the driving isn't a huge chore. We just have to be there for the $$$$ handoff and competitions.

 

[unhinged]

Bowling, followed by Volleyball. Bowling is great because there are no practices. It's once a week & every pin counts. Volleyball is just 2 1-hour practices a week & the season is short. And it's always been a fun spectator sport.

Choir is just "okay". Some concerts are a lot more fun than others.

DW handles guitar/drum lessons, so I can't really comment on those.

Gymnastics aren't so great. Thankfully, we're not doing that right now. Soccer was a little better, but we're out of that too.

Swim team is brutal. 4 practices a week & because the kids are in different age groups, I'm there 2.5 hours each night, and it's a 20-minute drive each way. The meets are fun, but also long. Sometimes we're out there for hours, trying to write down times while it rains. Ugh.

All my children swim. My kids are spread far enough apart that I have had somebody on a swim team for 18 years. My youngest was on the 8-unders at 4. He got thrown in the pool because his siblings were at practice and he got tired of having to watch them swim. Now he just finished up the last ever high school season and we just started our last summer league season.

I have the choice job on the summer league team, I run Meet Manager. So, I am under a tent bringing in the times to the computer. I get to be shaded in the heat and covered in the rain

Our high school practices 5x a week at 4:45am. The summer league practices at 6:30am 5x a week with meets on Saturdays. There is nothing better to get a teen a car when they get their license than the fact that Mom doesn't have to drive to practice anymore at ridiculously early times.

I love swimming as much as cheer, but I guess that is just because it is so much a part of our life.

The youngest also was the varsity center for the HS football team and while I loved it, some of those games were cold! Much prefer swimming as it is indoors and in the summer it is warm! Another sport of theirs I loved to watch was Lacrosse. After being introduced to it by the children, we ended up buying season tickets to the local professional lacrosse team.

 

[Meriweather]

When my kids were in school.....we loved watching soccer, karate and High-Q
tennis was just okay

 

[Gumbo4x4]

That's a lot of EC's. I only have one kid so just a few for me. One of the bonuses of robotics is that it's all inside. During build season they are at the school from 3:30- 7 two to four nights a week and every Saturday from 9-4. Fortunately parents don't have to be there for build and we are only three miles from the school so the driving isn't a huge chore. We just have to be there for the $$$$ handoff and competitions.

It does sound like a lot, but fortunately there isn't much overlap.

Bowling ends in March (we also have the option to pre-bowl or post-bowl if we have a conflict)

Volleyball is April-Mid May

Swim team started this week & ends July 12th

Bowling doesn't start up again until mid September.

Choir is all during school hours.

Guitar/drum lessons are the only year-round thing we have. It's every Friday afternoon before I even get off work.

Now, when DD2 was in Soccer & gymnastics, it was also during bowling season. We only agreed to that because my parents volunteered to take her to gymnastics. I would pick her up from there & drive straight to soccer practice. She would eat & change clothes in the truck on the way there. That was too much!

 

[DisneyNutMary]

My kid plays quidditch. And I love watching from the bleachers.
My two boys both played soccer from kindergarten through high school. The younger one is still in high school playing soccer and running track, but the older one gave up soccer in college for a new, up and coming sport, quidditch. Once I got over the broomstick aspect, I saw that it's really an interesting and challenging sport. He has been to the World Cup three times, once in Kissimmee, once in Myrtle Beach and once in Rock Hill, SC. The hardest part of graduating for him has been saying goodbye to his teammates.

 

[mamamary]

Well we are on break from everything now but when activities were going on I guess my favorite to watch was soccer. Both kids played. I enjoy watching my daughter cheer at football games and when my son run's cross country you see him for a few seconds and then he is gone so that was kinda boring

 

[Kimberlyann11]

My kid plays quidditch. And I love watching from the bleachers.
My two boys both played soccer from kindergarten through high school. The younger one is still in high school playing soccer and running track, but the older one gave up soccer in college for a new, up and coming sport, quidditch. Once I got over the broomstick aspect, I saw that it's really an interesting and challenging sport. He has been to the World Cup three times, once in Kissimmee, once in Myrtle Beach and once in Rock Hill, SC. The hardest part of graduating for him has been saying goodbye to his teammates.

I wish my kids school offered quidditch. DD probably wouldn't make the team though because of her fear of heights.

 

[fortwildernessishome]

My youngest son graduated high school last year, so we have moved on from the activities. (We keep saying we should have had a third child, so we could continue watching our kids compete. We LOVED every second of it!!)
Both of our boys did band and had three concerts a year. We attended all of them. At times they could get tedious, so while we enjoyed it and were super proud of them for playing an instrument it wasn't a favorite for me.
They both played ice hockey and baseball from age 5 on up and also played soccer and football when they were younger. Hockey and baseball were my favorite out of those sports.
When our youngest was a freshman he dropped hockey and joined the alpine ski racing team. I thought that would be SO boring to watch!! I would be at the mountain ALL day, from 8:00 am-3:30 or 4:00 in the afternoon. He competed in four races and he averaged between 20-25 seconds per race. I LOVED it!! It was so exciting and new for me! Of course I got to know his teammates and enjoyed watching them race down the mountain too. He raced all four years in high school and I was so sad at his last race. We live in NH and boy, some of the race days were frigid and that wasn't fun, but overall, I loved it.

The other sport that I loved and totally surprised me was cross country. My youngest did that his senior year just for fun. He is not much of a runner, but I LOVED going to the meets. Again, I would be there for several hours and see him for a few seconds at a couple spots on the race route. When I loved about that sport that was so different of any other sports, was all of the cheering by the spectators for ALL of the kids, not just your kid and their team. I had spent years in hockey arena's where many parents were NOT nice, so to see parents cheering for everybody that ran by was so touching for me. I thought I would be bored to tears at the meets and I ended up loving it and always looking forward to race days!

 

[debster812]

DS's primary activity is soccer. He played 5 years at his HS (JV as an 8th grader because they needed bodies) He's winding down his spring club season in the next 3 weeks, and will be playing in a men's U20 summer league in preparation to try out as a preferred walk on when he gets to college in the fall. It's a huge long shot and stretch for him, but he's working really hard to give it his best shot.

He also ran outdoor track for 4 years, and this year he added indoor track. I'm slightly ashamed to admit that I did not make it to one indoor track meet. But DH or I did try to make it to all the outdoor meets, and we did go to all his soccer games.

 

[clori]

My kids primarily do non competitive dance and figure skating. Dance at this point is primarily drop off/pick up with me staying at occasionally. They are 4 years apart so each does there own ballet/tap/jazz/(pre)pointe and they take a lyrical class together. There are 2 recitals a year - Nutcracker and yearly. Dh helps with sound or lighting. I have found I enjoy the recitals more when I haven't seen the girls practice the songs almost every week.

I think my favorite is figure skating. They do some private but mostly group lessons. There are 4 sessions a year with fall, spring and summer being group lessons/free skate. The winter session is longer and only half is lessons with the second half each group learns a routine and ends with a recital. Maybe because everyone is there the same hour or two hours in the winter it seems more like you end up knowing more kids/families. Some kids just skate once but there is a group of kids close to age/ability to both my kids that have been skating together for quite a few years now. All 4 of us go together to skating for the winter session. My dh helps play the music when they work on routines. I help with off ice things like selling tickets, tights, helping with paperwork etc. I also love how as the kids increase in level (they get badges - similar to belts in karate) they reach a point where they get to do a solo in the show.

Most other activities are more short term and more drop off/pick up. My youngest is doing a a few week robotics program at the public library and I sit and read/talk. She just finished a two month weekly basketball program. The girls have taken sessions of a kids/teen program at our local tv station that they enjoy. Next oldest was in band from 5-8th grade so I went to 2 concerts a year and parades but I can't say I miss it. Next year she is taking a theater arts class that puts on at least 3 plays a year which thus far sounds fun.

 

[Tinijocaro]

We've had hockey,track, baseball, softball, cross country, soccer, LAX, and field hockey among four kids. Also band, orchestra and chorus.

Sports-wise, hockey is my favorite hands down. My two that play are pretty good and really enjoy it, fast paced and exciting. I also like that it is indoors, I never am colder than an ice rink and always dry. I hated baseball-snooze! Girls LAX is also a silly sport, esp compared to boys.

Being a music teacher, I love all the concerts. I'm thrilled that my kids are highly involved in music-it's not easy to juggle that with sports and maintain good grades but they all do really well with all of it. My college boy still plays his trumpet in school.