At a recent math tournament, the coach/coordinator for our teams expressed surprise at the small amount of time that DS spends on math. Since she has taught/coached/coordinated classes/teams involving a large number of the top contenders in our state, I expect that her perspective is fairly reliable. Anyhow, it got me to thinking about whether to actively encourage DS to increase his time commitment to math moving forward if he is to become more serious/active in competing. DS is a 6th grader but has competed individually and as part of a team at both the middle school and high school levels in various regional and national competitions. I think that as he enjoys doing well, he may be amenable to increasing his time commitment moving forward. This wouldn't necessarily all be competition prep, but may include classes, practices, etc.
Based on your own kids or other kids you know, what are some typical time commitments for middle and/or high school students who are serious contenders at math competitions?
