Homeschool Sports - Why? [17 APR 24]
In 2020, during the craziness of the COVID-19 pandemic, my wife and I were thrust into homeschooling. We used to call ourselves reluctant homeschoolers. First, we were remote through the Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA) school system. With the uncertainty of what life at school would look like and given our incredibly shy youngest daughter, we opted to pull them from school and keep them at home. After seeing the freedom we experienced and the joy of teaching our children according to our values, we were hooked and haven’t looked back. Neither my wife nor I were homeschooled, and we both had relatively uninformed opinions of homeschooling as a legitimate way to raise our children. I was always told that homeschoolers lack “socialization skills” and are sheltered from reality. We have found otherwise along this journey to homeschool our three children.
Although there are struggles, our children have adjusted well, and all are thriving, with my oversight as the primary homeschooling parent. Yes, you read that right; I, as the dad, am the primary homeschooling parent. I retired from the US Army in 2022 after 21 years of service, allowing me to switch roles with my wife as the primary parent at home. My wife wanted the opportunity to have a career after following me around for 17 years. I always promised her that her career would drive our lifestyle once I retired from the Army. I had to be a man of my word. We had the education and routine part of homeschooling down, but the missing piece was allowing my children to be involved in competitive sports as I had in school.
There are several recreational sports leagues in the local Fayetteville, NC, area, and they are great for introducing children to a sport and learning the basics of different sports. As kids reach middle school age, the recreational leagues lose their competitive advantage in developing young athletes' skills, and character development declines. Since recreational leagues tend to have a fair play-in-games rule, i.e., everyone gets equal playing time, the discipline of putting effort at practice, and the desire to get better wain as the kids get older.
I was worried our children would not get the development I received while playing competitive sports through these leagues. I also was unwilling to commit to a club/travel system for one sport as my kids all have interests in multiple sports, and I do not have enough time in the week to go to various sports, practices, and games, even with my wife’s help. How can we bring homeschool sports to the next level in Fayetteville, NC?
In North Carolina, there are thriving homeschool sports leagues for high school sports, and middle school sports are growing in this arena. Fayetteville has had an excellent soccer program through the Fayetteville Homeschool Crusaders for years. What needed to be added were options for other sports, and my kids desired to play volleyball and basketball. This was the genesis of starting Fayetteville Homeschool Sports Inc., a Non-Profit centered on building sports programs for homeschooled athletes with a desire to play competitive sports and not have to play for a private school, charter school, or go back to a traditional school to do it.
We completed our first middle school basketball season this last season (2023/24). We had a boys' and girls' middle school team compete against local private schools. Eleven boys and nine girls competed and were instrumental in kicking off what will become a long-term developed program in which all homeschooled athletes can thrive. Although we didn’t have the most successful record, we gained valuable insight into how to schedule, run, and plan for future seasons to develop these young boys and girls into thriving community members through sport.
Playing sports brings more than socialization to homeschooled athletes. It brings discipline, teamwork development, conflict resolution, resiliency, and increases self-esteem. So often, these traits and characteristics are sidelined for winning and being extremely skilled in one sport or activity. Competing in multiple sports brings a developing boy or girl a sense of accomplishment in adjusting to new rules and new teammates. We all know that this happens all too often in life. Without being exposed to it at a young age, adults can struggle to face these issues successfully, which can handicap them from being successful in their endeavors.
I have a history of jumping into things and saying yes to what God has placed in front of me. Fayetteville Homeschool Sports is my current challenge. Running a Non-Profit was not on my list of accomplishments I was looking for, and yet here I am going at it. All for the glory of God and the betterment of homeschooled athletes in the Fayetteville, NC, area.
As homeschooling becomes more normalized for raising children, our mission at Fayetteville Homeschool Sports is to expand access for homeschooled athletes to compete in competitive school sports. Too often, the problem is visible to a community, and the solution is within the grasp of those participating; we formed to empower those who want to make a difference in homeschooled athletes' lives. The road least traveled is often the most rewarding, and for Fayetteville Homeschool Sports, we are excited to travel this road with those willing to venture onto it.
Brett Chivers
Brett Chivers is a two-time Olympic athlete in the sport of sailing and has competed at every level. In addition, his interest in all sports is as varied as many young athletes, and he seeks to help introduce the multi-sport athlete into the homeschooled arena. He served 21+ years in the US Army as an Army Aviator and retired in 2022 with a passion for serving his family by being present in their lives. He started a consulting business and the Non-Profit Fayetteville Homeschool Sports Inc., all with a passion for helping others in their journey. He is married to Dr. Elisabeth Chivers, and they have three children at home: Georgia, Caiden, and Rowyn. All three participate in various sports and have brought an appreciation of “just going for it” rather than worrying about not knowing how.