While I'm at it...

We call our DD "Hermione" though it's at least half because she acts like "an insufferable little know-it-all," to quote Professor Snape.   The other half is because she really does work that hard and care that much and manages to get more done than anyone should be able to do with the time they have.  (Yes...I am proud of her, of course...though she can forget that the rest of the family has things to do too - it's all gotten better since she got her own car to drive...)

Seriously, I completely agree with you.  In the weeks leading up to the school musical, the pit band rehearses 2-3 hours a day, 4 days a week; the week before the play, they go for 5 hours Mon-Wed, then put on the show Thu-Sat.  I cannot imagine keeping that kind of schedule for an entire sports season. 

There is next to no overlap between sports and the extracurricular musical groups; the kids simply can't be at a sports meet and also participate in symphony, chamber orchestra, jazz band, show choir, and what have you.

He does it before and after since dh is leader, and goes in early and leaves late. He also skipped the dodgeball game. The boys often play at the end about 15 minutes of dodgeball, he skipped it to do homework. He does not do it during the meeting portion.

I didn't pick my dd's school, she did. Not is she going to a large school. I think you better get information about this school acceptances now. There are more people applying to colleges than ever before. My dd applied to 4 schools and was accepted to all four with scholarship offers. They were in the mid-west, all small liberal arts schools. high placement rates, etc... The one said that they had 7000 applicants for 700 openings. These are not hoity toity schools, so you may have to a bit of homework on the realities of getting into college now!

Having volunteered with Girl Scouts, church and now Boy Scouts, I tell the kids there is a difference between going to the only school that will take you and choosing which school you want to attend.  My kids are benchwarmers, usually, not first string, they are not first chair in band either,  but dd still was courted by many schools.  Her good friend also wrote an essay and got a full ride to a nice school (it was on dd's short list), but to be fair, it was the only BIG scholarship offered.  Dd looked at only div 3 schools, not athletic scholarships are offered at all, but they still come courting and with other offers!!  WHy limit yourself!!