I know that squash is overcoming golf as the #1 in some hubs on the east coast (esp. nyc), but what else is on the list? How do the traditional ones of golf / tennis / basketball currently rank? What are some hobbies/sports that are growing in popularity for networking? Cycling? MMA?
From quora -Which is the best sport for networking in the business world? -it mentions the growth of cycling for networking in the business world, had no idea.
Cycling is continuing to grow in popularity. Like golf because of the time commitment and expense required to take part in the activity it tends to self-select among folks who are at least somewhat affluent and have some control over their schedules. They also tend to be a pretty driven bunch, which is good or bad depending on how fit you are. :)
Also, how does it vary by location? (ie how big is squash on the west coast? do bankers in Toronto go curling together? do VC's in CA go surfing together?)
Golf is the absolute no-brainer. Golf outings are by far the most common networking hobby in finance. Outings are very common between sell-side, buy-side, and company management. If you can't play at a passable level it could even hurt your career advancement.
Skiing, no doubt!
But to get the job and into the industry, I would say joining a gym / club of some sort in a finance area.
Basketball and golf are the basics, the rest are just gravy.
squash is where it's @ if you up in the NYC.
Kickball...not kidding.
The shit we are willing to do to get ahead haha.
Started a thread on the same topic about half a year ago: http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/best-networking-sport
I still think squash is the best networking sport. Quick games mean it's easier to find time to play and you have more potential partners. Games are also intense, potentially attracting more type-A people. Unlike golf and tennis, it can be easily played year-round. Finally, squash courts are available in almost all private city clubs.
Something that's really gaining in popularity is triathlon training/races. Well-suited for competitive people, especially as they age.
Not idea in the US, but fencing is a good one in Europe (i.e. expensive, trendy sport)
London, France, Germany
I suppose a lot of dorks do go into IB.
Former fencer here. Competed nationally and in college, and never met a single influential person while doing it, at least not in North America. Europe may be a different situation, but no matter where you are remember that it is a VERY small community of people.
I think its a European thing. Lots of bankers and hedge fund people doing this, especially in "gentlemen" private clubs
Next year I will play college golf for a target school, will this be a plus when it comes to i-banking interviews since golf outings are so prevalent?
Womanizing
Brazilian jiu jitsu
I remember reading an article about it.
Don't be a geek, pick something you like. I got my first internship at a hedge fund by sparring at my thai boxing gym.
I would've came across as an asshole if I had tried cycling just to network.
very true. do what you love. i was an NCAA All-American in competitive tickling. missed several state titles by a hair. literally.
Squash? Fencing? No sir, not for me. Those sound as boring as f**k. I'll stick with golf, basketball, and traditional tennis.
musical instruments are good. skin flutes especially.
Too real.
The reason golf > squash is because the pace allows for a lot of bullshitting and chit chat. Over a round of golf you will get to know whether or not you like someone. Same principle as interviewing someone and asking yourself, "Would I enjoy grabbing a beer with this guy?" Furthermore, Country Clubs are the ultimate status symbols.The draw for every exclusive CC in the world is the golf course, not the squash courts. Get a guy on Winged Foot, Liberty National or Shinnecock and the business is yours. Take him to Augusta and you can bang his wife.
There are some pretty exclusive gun clubs in NYC. An obvious niche, but if you roll up with a nice piece you will have everyone’s attention.
fishing?
One of my roommates got offered a job by some guy he played blackjack with all night, but I doubt that is common. For myself Golf has been the most helpful.
GOLF + SQUASH = PROMOTION
What about badminton?
Golf dominates any networking sport. Your conversations on the course can be as lighthearted or serious as you want them to be. You get to drink, cruise around the course in carts, and ogle the hot undergrad cart girls. Every respectable golfer in the country enjoys talking about their game, country club, golf clubs, swing issues, etc... golf almost makes it too easy to net work. In my last interview I probably spent 45 minutes with one of the firm's MDs just shooting the shit about the local golf scene.
I've only played golf a handful of times and i usually just focus on getting as hammered as possible on the course. How should i actually go about learning to play. Pay for lessons i assume???
Also kickball is awesome i play in a spring and summer league. All the younger staff play and it is a blast.
To get better at golf, your first step would be to get a solid group of guys that you enjoy playing with. It is really hard to get better if you have nobody to compete against/motivate you especially if you are a type A. Next I would get some lessons at a local course of driving range. After you have developed solid fundamentals go out and buy a nice set of clubs. I recommend doing some research because a good set of clubs can cot upwards of 2 grand, but can be a fraction of that if you buy used/last years models. Keep in mind avid golfers can talk your ear off about the newest clubs so it is good to know a little bit about clubs if you plan on networking on the course.
Lastly I would start to hit the course regularly interspersed with visits to the driving range. Keep in mind it is a gradual process and most golfers will never break 100. If after 5 years you can hold a handicap under 10 consider yourself lucky.
What is "yachting"?
^ it is like powerboating without the motor or the extra chromosome.
Do it the Jimmy Cayne way. Play bridge.
Skeet shooting for the win.
Ice hockey. Half the game is on the ice and the other half in the bar afterward.
I'd differentiate between sports where you merely need to be decent and sports where you need to be pretty good to see benefits. Basketball, golf and skiing fall in the first category, racquet sports and sailing in the second. I've heard very mixed and strong opinions on pro gambling (poker/bridge). Most other stuff you do it for yourself and networking benefits are secondary.
I used to box with him occasionally at the Harvard Club
Drinking can be a sport
cycling is getting huge.....this is the next thing on an international basis...
who the fuck plays basebawl in europe ?
Poker?
golf, squash most of my MD's are big into both of these
A lot of the European/South Asian/Australian finance guys play a lot of Cricket. I know of some big guys playing in a local league in CT
polo, hittin THE gym (the one with soros and the chick from wall street warriors).
What if you're athletically inept?
LACROSSE!!!! End of story
ok, so bottom line if I have time to learn 1 sport this summer, it would be squash?
I'll be in NYC after the summer.
Squash
Poker
GOLF
Working out- You'll see many BSDs at a high class gym/club in the city
CAR SHOWS
DRINKING, your best bet- Bars in the city like: Underbar, W Hotel Bar, The Dubliner, Rosie O'Grady's (Huge UBS bar)
poker
high stakes poker to be exact
Started writing a post on golf but it got long so I'll make a dedicated post.
Best sports for Wall Street networking (Originally Posted: 12/24/2015)
What are the best sports to know to play for networking purposes on the Street? I have heard squash is a good sport to know...how about racquetball? Thanks for any recommendations.
lacrosse hands down
rugby hands down.
all the best MD's played rugby at uni.
shuttlecock
Play Sports? Non-Target? Try this networking hack (Originally Posted: 05/16/2015)
Everyone recommends using the "find alumni" function on LinkedIn to reach out to contacts. However, if you don't go to a well-represented school, this doesn't work as well.
If you were highly active in sports, such a varsity captain at a prominent high school or played at the club or varsity level in college, try googling: ["JP Morgan" "rugby" linkedin] or something similar. It has worked for me in finding many new contacts who will be more willing to respond & help due to a similar passion.
Good luck.
Did this work for you even if they weren't alumni? And if they were - would this really make the difference? Genuinely asking as the idea is interesting, I swam and ran track in HS/club level in college
I think it would mean most coming from a varsity athlete at the college level. Club sports don't count for much unless personal achievement is truly exceptional.
I have played rugby and lacrosse at the high school and club level and this made a big difference with non-alumni. Basically, these people have the similar personalities (this is a generalization) and are willing to help out people they more align with. Put it this way, would you rather help out a fellow athlete in a sport you love that didn't go to your school or the Asian finance nerd at your school who is still a virgin? Not trying to sound like a douche, just trying to provide a compelling example.
@wilder01 In my experience this hasn't been the case. What's more important is SIMILAR BACKGROUDS/PERSONALITIES/INTERESTS rather than achievement levels. Obviously if you haven't played the sport since middle school that would be weird. But if you were a varsity captain, all-conference in high school, and/or an active member of your school's club team that would be just fine.
True, I guess this came more into play for me during interviews. I swam varsity in HS and club in college, so if I interviewed with someone who also swam, things usually went well. However, I wouldn't feel comfortable cold emailing someone simply because we both swam. But to each their own..best of luck!
@wilder01 yeah everyone has their own style I just wanted to spread the knowledge about something I felt worked for me. good luck
Sports for Networking (Originally Posted: 05/10/2015)
Thanks for those who posted helpful responses. Deleting the original post because of a lot of unnecessary flack.
No Polo?
When you say networking, are you trying to play sports as a way to interact outside of the work place with people you already know, or are you trying to meet new people outside of your workplace?
The ones that you mentioned are a bit more of a go with people you know type of thing. I don't know how squash clubs work, but I just can't imagine it's a bunch of guys hanging out waiting for some rando to play with. I could be completely wrong, and wouldn't mind being corrected.
Golf would semi work as you could go to the clubhouse as a single and if a group doesn't mind, you could hop on with them to finish out their foursome, but you better be good to do this or at least as good or better than the people you're playing with.
Sailing... I got nothing on that.
Team sports I feel are a better way to network with people you don't know as you'll be able to meet new people. Through playing hockey I've met a bunch of people that are in the industry. I play with some on my teams and I'm sure if they were in IB instead of PE, HF, AM, etc. that they could help me move forward.
Not only do team sports allow you to meet new people, it forces you to meet new people, and lots of them.
I mean mostly to meet people at other firms in case I want to make a jump to the buyside. Like, I join a squash club or sailing club and happen to play with or sail with a guy who works at a hedge fund that needs an analyst, we get to talking and find out I would be a good fit for the job. That kind of thing
Go backpacking In Costa Rica... I can't think of lamer sports than squash, golf, and sailing.
Have you played them? I've played traditional sports also but I doubt many 40 year olds play basketball in their spare time. Maybe I'm mistaken.
This whole thing honestly sounds kind of tool-ish. Just go have fun--don't learn a sport when you're 21 for the sake of trying to network with old rich guys.
My vote is for Costa Rica
Peter Lynch got a job at Fidelity while working as a caddie
Additionally, when it comes to networking, or having a successful person "take you under their wing," none of them times either have happened in my life have had anything to do with hobbies or sports but have had everything to do with simple, every day, social interaction. Anecdotal, sure, but I've had success in grocery stores, restaurant bars while waiting for a table, or just sending a resume and saying I'd love a mentor while never getting any career help on the golf course, softball field, or the gym. Most of the time, I've found that people don't want to talk shop at those times.
Ultimate Frisbee. White yuppies fucking love ultimate frisbee.
This is also true of flag football and rugby to a lesser extent, although rugby takes some brass balls to play( I tried it in college and sucked ass until I decided I didn't give a shit about pain).
Bowling, basketball, and foot/bike races are also good social sports but they tend to attract a less professional audience.
Likelihood I take anyone playing ultimate frisbee seriously? 0% -- don't care if you're Bill Gross or Peter Lynch; if you play ultimate frisbee (or as they like to call it by its shorthand to make it sound like an actual sport, 'ultimate') then you are a germ to society.
I think all of the sports you mentioned above should have at least a considerable number of 'contacts' that might help you (elite sports, you're forgetting tennis by the way). With that being said, I think it would be a bad move to do a sport based solely on the will to find a contact, I think you can do that externally, but up to you anyways.
I just don't see why would you want to do that based on networking... Sports are great for the body, soul, and mind; if you devote to one of them and embrace it WILL turn you into a better person. Jiu-Jitsu for example, absolutely great for the body, teaches you self-defense, makes you humble, open-minded... you might even make good friends out of it.
My advice would be to do it for the love of the sport, not for the networking purpose. However if you still want to follow through with it: Sailing -> Golf -> Tennis -> Squash
I love costa rica and golf, so this is tough.
go golfing in costa rica.
in all seriousness, golf isn't a great networking sport at any club you could get into (public). it becomes valuable if you're a new member at a club and join mens golf association or other groups there (one club around here has a beer snob golf group that brings pitchers out for a twilight round during the week), that's how you network in golf.
in reality, most of the time you're not interacting (looking for your ball, getting ready to hit, not shooting the shit while a hedgie is lining up a putt), and if you blow dick at golf you don't have the time to get better so I don't think it's worth it. only start if you're passionate about it, otherwise go to costa rica. I've never backpacked there, just surf trips, but if you go to the beach, let me know and I can give you some recs.
also, you don't have to be good at golf to leave the sell side. plenty of my friends at funds or in PE are god awful at golf (because they're busy working) but when they get out there for work trips they play fast, they have a good time, and best of all have a good attitude.
Do a sport because you like it and there may be a chance it could be useful somewhere down the line. As an entry level person you're most likely not getting invited out on the golf course, or anywhere, unless you're in a client facing role and/or you're really good. I had a low handicap when I was 23, senior guys found out in the office and I was out at least once per week, but I wasn't sitting on a trading desk where you have to be at the office or at a massive BB where I was one of hundreds. You're not going to casually bump into many fellow squash players who are senior because you probably aren't going to belong to their club. They most likely don't play at the Y. Same with sailing and golf-the freebie or few hundred dollar/year community sailing club or public course isn't where a senior hedge fund guy's going.
It may come up in conversation that you sail, golf, play squash, basketball, soccer or whatever and you may get invited to do so, or to a pick up ball game but I highly doubt you'll make a network by randomly bumping into more senior guys doing any of those things.
Just as an fyi, a lot of middle aged guys like road cycling as well. Not in NYC itself but go to CT or NJ and they'll all be out there in their lycra cycling shorts every weekend and I know guys who get invited to do that pretty often.
I know of 5-6 senior people in my group that play squash off the top of my head. Some belong to the same club. I have no idea whether or not they could get me invited to join their club though (or if I could afford it on an analyst salary).
Dressage?
Regardless of what you just added, the main theme of the answers still stays. Knowing how to play individual/1v1 sports is not a great way to meet new people. Not only that but those clubs you want to join in order to meet the higher up people you're interested in meeting won't be cheap, or even close to cheap.
The Margin Games.
.
Did WSO institute a character limit?
Golf takes a long time to gain any sort of competency and it takes constant practice, as in 18 holes 1x/week and hitting a bucket or two of balls another day, just to keep your game up after you've learned the game. You don't need to be a scratch golfer to incorporate it into business but sub 100, and really closer to a
Ok but I tried to learn and it did not come naturally at all. My swing just doesn't look right, and I don't know if I should get serious lessons to try and get to a level that's playable with clients or just focus on things I actually enjoy. I know people on my desk do play with clients occasionally.
.
Squash, only because I actually find it fun.
Hey man. I can tell you first hand that squash and golf are invaluable in terms of networking not only internally but with clients as well. I found a place to play squash the summer before I started FT doing FI sales and it's gone a long way. I highly recommend doing so as the best way to start the conversation is to be able to say "would you like to come play with me?" not, "Can I come to your club?"
As far as golf is concerned, I think it is at your great advantage to learn the game...the golf community in S&T goes very deep. If you are staying at home for a lot of the summer, getting competent is a great use of your time.
Road cycling is the new golf
From working in the last 7+ years on the floor I can tell you it doesn't fucking matter. I worked sales so for me connecting with clients is quite important, that said here is my experience with sports in banking:
tennis: I was decent at tennis so would play with 2 of them from time to time but that doesn't mean it changed my life.
golf: I don't play golf, and can't be asked - a client of mine was a golf fanatic, he still gave me most of his tickets because we got along at the pub. He never really cared if I played. Some colleagues played golf for the fun, no one was doing it to network.
Squash: my old team loved squash and we had courts downstairs, I played a few times with them, never got me anywhere except for cracking a proper sweat. My traders were particularly fond of squash, but the prices I got from there were still shit after a few plays...
Soccer: I played with some of the guys outside of work, you get to meet a lot of new people, but that was ranging from back office to everything in the bank. That's where I had the most fun, but again I wasn't looking to play with Paulson and just had a good time.
Cycling: Some people are really into their cycling, I cycled to work from time to time and do triathlons quite often. It comes up in conversation but quite rarely. I had a coworker who would put his lycra on and go with one of his clients on the weekend.
What you'll notice is I never met new people via sports. It's only existing clients and colleagues with whom I'd pick up a game from time to time. Do a sport because you enjoy it. I got tired of tennis and stopped playing, that doesn't mean my clients don't talk to me anymore. You want to network with top HF? Call them and go get a pint with them. They won't magically fall in your lap because you can play golf...
Do a sport because you like it. You're way overthinking this...I guess you don't really have much networking experience?
Good idea, that way no one else that has the same question has a shot at every finding this thread.
I get your question, but people play all sorts of sports in this industry. I played basketball in college and have formed a network of guys I play with from time to time. If you're passionate about a sport, you can find other guys to network with who share that same interest. It doesn't have to be a rich white sport like squash or golf.
Agree with you Whgm45. I happened to play squash at a NESCAC and have been able to network through my passion for the sport. I encourage anyone to find a sport they love and leverage it to expand their career and social networks
So much hate on sailing here. Regattas and all that maybe a bit much but casual sailing is loads of fun.
Best Networking Sport? (Originally Posted: 08/18/2011)
What is the best sport for networking and why?
Not talking about athlete alumni groups, but sports that you could play as a professional where you stand the best chance of doing some networking.
My experience is that squash is the best sport for networking. Quick games mean it's easier to find time to play and you have more potential partners. Games are also intense, potentially attracting more type-A people. Unlike golf and tennis, it can be easily played year-round. Finally, squash courts are available in almost all private city clubs.
Runners up: Golf, tennis
NB: My current job resulted from some squash court networking, so I am biased.
Polo. If you own a horse, you probably deserve a job.
I don't play polo, but I would have to agree on this. The amount of funds that go into keeping a horse, and cost of field time, I can imagine all participants must be successful or full of old money. Also I would assume that since there seems to be such a small niche of players, that would create a bond that foster opportunities.
I also play rugby, and so does my roommate who works for a big IB. In his interview, he mentioned he played (the interviewer was British) and they deviated from the set schedule and talked about rugby for the remainder of the interview. He was qualified, but from a off-target school, and did get the job. To say rugby caused him to get the job would be a stretch, but he made it seem as though it helped a lot.
Golf is great because it gives you ample time to get to know the people you are playing with.
Yeah def squash I would say.
Problem with golf is its too time consuming and Tennis can be very weather dependent (indoor courts seem rare in major cities???).
Biggest problem with those two is if your not decent chances are you will look like a complete and utter tool....takes a massive commitment to get even half decent at tennis or golf.
Squash on the other hand is not rocket science to pick up...if your fit and can devote a bit of time you can reach a decent level quick enough...add in the fact its quick and can be played any time no matter how the weather is and its great.
Would say sailing is pretty good too.....actually a lot easier to get into than people think. Boats are always looking for crew and all you have to do is volunteer....having said that it can be very snobbish and can be a very cliquey atmosphere (in m limited non-US experience).
That's a great point that I neglected to mention. You can be halfway decent at squash even if you are a total hacker, as long as you are in somewhat good shape. Anyone with skills will still destroy you, but as long as you can get to the ball you'll be GTG for a little while.
I was thinking about adding sailing, but it's in the grey area between the "activity" and "sport" realms.
I never played squash but I play racquetball all the time. Are they different enough that I should practice squash too or just be familiar with the rule differences?
i've been hearing about squash as a good way to network.. might try that. Here in buenos aires i stick to the classics - baseball/basketball, but nothing beats a cigar & a beer on a sunny day on the golf course w/ a couple fellow web-entrepreneurs / remote-workers / internet-marketers
Yacht racing, hands down.
Squash.
And if you're in a completely different league than the rest of us, polo or yacht racing. But if you're in that league, then you don't need to network anyways.
Golf. Really helped me meet some great people (friends and contacts, alike).
Polo is for lames.
Horses are meant to be ridden around an oval track at breakneck speed by anorexic midgets for the profit and amusement of the betting public.
And glue.
I like glue. Not really for the taste, just for the consistency.
Remember that the people who benefit the most from "networking" (AKA being a good friend) are folks who are more ambitious for the people around them than they are for themselves. And you should get involved in a sport because it's fun, not for the networking. (That is actually kind of sad.) Hence why I will never play golf unless a really good friend is dragging me by the ear to a (cheap) public course, they are ready to watch me hit 9 quadruple-bogeys, and a lot of PBR or Leinenkugel's Amber is involved.
In general, capital-intensive sports- everything from golf (real estate) to kitesurfing to large boat sailing to paragliding- tend to have an above-average proportion of people from finance participate in them. Just remember to treat the sport as the core investment and maybe keep the networking in the very back of your mind as a free option that comes with it.
Hang gliding/ paragliding is a very clannish, tight-knit sport, though not totally cliquish. In the northeast, it takes about a year of training to get rated for foot launching and you make a lot of friends on the hill. You will start carpooling from the city, and soon you will be debating the wind conditions and whether Saturday is worth it or not. Eventually you'll be doing mountain launches in heavier winds- and you'll need to find someone you can trust to hold on the wires and keep you from blowing away with your glider when a gust comes- they'll probably be from the group you learned hang gliding with.
Basketball. Lots of people in banking are naturally athletic and played some sports in high school, thus basketball makes the most sense for them to continue to play. If you're good, you can play after work and impress people with your ability. The thing that's different about basketball than golf or squash is that people will actually be impressed if you're good, just make sure you're a decent athlete unless you want to embarrass yourself.
Golf - one of the few sports that can be played by people of any age/athletic disposition. None of the others listed can be played by an older, paunchy guy without him being at a real disadvantage.
Where are some good places for a squash beginner in NYC?
Let's be honest, golf is great for networking. My father probably retained/got promoted in his job for many years because of this. He went from selling stenography equipment to a corporate executive mainly because of his networking. Golf was no small part of it. He talks about the fact that the CEO wanted to play with him because he had a 0 handicap, and how he played all over the world with clients, how people would specifically ask him to be their sales dude because of his golf. I'll be honest, if you can't hold a conversation for 4 hours or you're a hacker- don't do golf. But if you are decent (let's say 10 handicap or lower) and are cool then you will be fine.
One other thing, who considers tenis to be a sport for men. I play tennis, but all the older men (some executives, most not) consider tennis to be for pussies and women.
For just networking it would have to be Golf. The "sport" is made for networking. It moves at a slow pace giving plenty of time to get to know people, usually is not ultra competitive if competitive at all, and takes no athletic ability.
Unfortunately getting good at golf is expensive and time consuming. Also as someone mentioned if you are not any good at golf and are paying with people who are you will look like a dumbass and would have been better off staying home.
One that hasn't been mentioned is distance running. It is a great way to stay in shape and usually it is not difficult to get a group to run with. While also not a sport at least you can get some exercise while doing it.
Golf is a slow, plodding sport. It makes a baseball game look like a boxing match. I can see how it could be a good fit for some folks in IBD and F500 management, but I just don't have the patience for it.
Get into a sailing race and it is at least interesting. There's a deliberate and obvious strategy for passing other boats. Sometimes there's a bit of risk involved- like doing a jibe (downwind tack), which requires a degree of skill to execute safely.
Yeah, the older guys would typically skipper in the larger boats. On the 420s (13 ft boats) we raced, one guy (skipper) would handle the tiller and the main sail, one guy would handle the jib sail (crew). I would imagine that on a larger boat with a main sail that has a significantly larger surface area and requiring a lot more work to pull in, you're probably going to want to have a separate guy handling the main sail as well.
I love 420s and Flying Scots. So much fun to race and you can actually get a physical feel for everything you do to the boat.
On the bigger stuff (I spent a long time on the Schock 35 circuit), you'll typically have a mastman (my position) and a bowman who work in concert and handle all of the hauling (sails going up and down). This is grunt work mostly, so it's the younger, burlier, and ballsier guys who do it (the front of the boat can get pretty gnarly during a race). Sail trim is all handled by guys in the back because it's generally less physical and there is an abundance of winches back there if you need help grinding. Besides, most sail trim is pretty minute adjustments.
On the Schock 35s, we had a bowman, a mastman, a pitman (the pit is where all the lines lead to), a main trimmer, a headsail trimmer, a helmsman, and a tactician. Then we usually had one or two other crew running around as rail meat (ballast).
Are you guys totally comfortable defining sailing as a sport? I sail (mostly J-24s) and love it, but I'm not sure if I would put it in the same bucket as the other sports mentioned here.
I guess it depends upon how you look at it. Like I said, front-of-the-boat stuff if pretty physical. And outside of racing, some of the long-distance deliveries I've done (500+ miles) have destroyed me physically. The last big one I did (New Orleans - Isla Mujeres) even landed me in the ER.
In Europe: - Rugby - Played when I was in Europe - You'll meet plenty of people that work in Finance - Golf - Squash
In NYC: - Squash - Tennis - Golf - Boxing (more confidential but definately rising)
You'll be also surprised to meet a lot of finance professionals in "hunting / fishing clubs"
Hell yeah.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100014240527487048105045763071926234768…
Eddie, it sounds like you're in a different sport than I was in junior high. We had no trapeze, no spinnaker. The most physical part of the work was reeling in the mainsail and trying to keep the boat flat by sticking our feet on the opposite rail and leaning out as far as we could.
We were on the west side of Lake Michigan so we'd sometimes get crazy rotor even a mile out. Hence we'd make a lot of adjustments as beam reaches became broad reaches and back to beam reaches. That was a lot of work for two 13-year-olds before you had to start worrying about a team of older kids trying to exploit the right-of-way rules when you passed them.
BTW, if you decide to do hang gliding, skydiving, or paragliding, sailing experience gives you a huge advantage when it comes to reading the wind.
IP, the small boat stuff gives you great sailing instincts. Everything on the bigger boats is muted quite a bit compared to the centerboard stuff. You might find this curious, but Thierry de la Villehuchet (the fund manager who killed himself in his office when he lost everything to Madoff) was quite a name in the Star class (smaller Laser-type boats like you trained on), and even took a 2nd place in an international race here in France the month before Madoff turned himself in.
As for hang gliding, etc... my discomfort with heights precludes me from sports like that.
I've found squash to be pretty good here in China... Golf courses are too far away to go on any sort of regular basis and I also hate missing the opportunity to kill 2 birds with one stone and work out at the same time as socializing... so again, squash and raquet ball.
Young people... kickball
Senior people... golf (as long as you are decent)
I need to move to Europe where rugby is relevant.
What city are you in? There are tons of clubs in NYC and Boston.
Basketball. I played with a bunch of finance guys in NYC and they were the best games I could find anywhere - always super competitive.
Would a novice or inexperienced sailor in Boston have any luck finding a crew/group to take him on and show him the ropes? Seems a bit far fetched but I would consider pursuing something like this if it was realistic.
Not far fetched at all. Just walk the docks on a Wednesday or Friday evening around 5 o'clock and you'll find a bunch of club racers looking for extra crew.
Alternatively, you can go to any sail loft (North Sails, Ullman, etc...) and they've all got bulletin boards with boats looking for crew and crew looking for a boat.
^^^Is that possible for someone with NO experience in sailing?
Absolutely. Yachties are friendly people and club racers are always looking for able bodies to tug on lines and hike out on the rails. In fact, it's a great way to learn sailing.
That's awesome, wish I lived somewhere I could try that out
Generally speaking do you need to be part of a sail or yacht club to just "walk on to the docks?"
No. Marinas are some of the least secure places on the planet, lol.
Talk about Lebron James
Polo Pros: Fun sport, great outdoors, you can take your posh gf to chat with the other player's wife/gf. Usually involves having a drink or lunch afterwards. Learning curve is rather short (relatively speaking) Cons: Price (you can rent the horse but you still have to spend some bucks on the equipment) and the fact it's quite dangerous. I believe the biggest con is that you can only play it during the seasons which is 3 month long in the northern hemisphere. The biggest pro is that 50% of the players work in finance (i believe it's related to an aggressive personality).
Finance people play polo? It was always a great sport for middle-aged middle-class midwestern farmers. My uncle used to play it, then he started to weigh too much and had to give it up at age 55.
Other tips:
-Don't drink before the match, but there's a huge keg of PBR afterwards.
-Wear clothes that you don't mind getting muddy. Ideally ratty old t-shirts and jeans with a hole or two in them. -Just have fun. It's just a silly game where people ride around on horsies for ~40 minutes hitting a ball with a mallet. -Everyone needs to get a shovel and help clean up the field outside the HS afterwards. Also need to put the soccer goals back.
I'm just surprised that folks with busy schedules play such a boring game in the city. Next time my uncle is in town, you guys should hook up; sure he'll be happy to bring the keg of Pabst or Miller Light if he can park the RV on the edge of the field for a few days.
Polo would be much more interesting if they just lost the ball and rode around swinging the mallets at each other. Kind of a last man standing type deal.
saw polo for the first time live in buenos aires when i was still down there, and i don't think it would be a great sport for networking, because it is usually the people that own the horses that you want to be talking with, not necessarily the riders / players.
but if someone does it "casually" (only possible for loaded people if they own the horses), then, yes, they probably have some good connections.
played squash in HS and college, and played a few times in the city, and I'm sure if I had tried to network (i was actually there just to get a workout and play) it would have been a great sport for networking, if you can actually breathe / talk in between points.
that is why I think Golf is better -- a bit slower, can chat the entire time, etc.
Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, MMA in general. These full contact sports attract competitive A type personalities and they're not cheap to practice in NYC so you also get people pretty well established. At my gym I met a bunch of finance and law guys.
...and boxing
I don't view combat sports as networking-friendly. Racquet sports are pretty much the only thing to rival golf, and seeing as they have far less entry cost and an easier learning curve, I'd say the vote goes to them.
Starcraft.
every hedge fund guy I know is either training for a triathlon or marathon. cycling and running are huge in nyc and are a real, easy way to meet people.
golf is obviously a no-brainer as well. (and starcraft)
yachting is a little too niche, and would be hard to get an invite onto somebody's boat. squash is ok but not that many courts around and I see little evidence of a critical mass of players.
Thats interesting. I currently train for 5k races and find it very tough fitting in 50-60 mile weeks around work and other commitments. If I was to train for a marathon I would be looking to hit 70-80 miles a week....may be just possible with my current job (40-50 hour weeks) but anything front office I dont think I could manage it.
Does anybody know of people working front office (S&T, ER, IBD) who manage to fit running into work schedule? Its something I feel Im gonna have to give up if I ever end up where I want to be.
Starcraft is for noobs. World of Warcraft, on the other hand, is for pros.
What about Fencing?
I am pretty good at foil and epee, and enjoy it. Is it useless?
I work at a BB and my boss and coworker have both trained for the NYC marathon and done the NYC triathlon (last week)
And I am not kidding about the cycling / tri culture at hedge funds. Those guys do not work crazy hours and some of them are all uber crazed about health and fitness, hiring crazy expensive trainers and riding $10k bikes.
We saw some of the crazy fitness crowd in middle office groups like research and analytics, but in trading, fewer people run marathons. There are a couple charity 5ks that folks will participate in every once in a while, but that takes about 5 miles of jogging on the treadmill in a quick weekend to prepare for if you are under 40 and weigh less than 250 lbs.
From my point of view golf is the best sport for this purpose. Golf courses all around the globe.
All sports are good for networking. Just make sure that you are good at it! I personally believe golf is the best. Tennis is also great.
Should you play a sport when working on Wall Street? (Originally Posted: 12/04/2013)
Do a lot of people on Wall Street play racquet ball or golf, etc. Just wondering if that would help you networking or not.
golf
I play hockey 2 times a week
Chelsea piers?
Squash/Racquetball. Lift heavy.
beer league hockey or softball
Helicopter Polo
I heard that Jamie Dimon was boxing after he left C. Apparently this was popular for a while.
http://news.efinancialcareers.com/us-en/145187/white-collar-boxing-is-p…
From talking to people in industry the general feedback I've gotten is that things are moving further from golf and more into the active solo sports-cycling, running, crossfit, etc. So instead of hitting the course you might meet up for a cycling class.
Swimming and ultimate frisbee occasionally
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