Youth Sports

[Bigcountry40]

Its seems like in the last few weeks this topic has come up quite a few times in my life and tonight received a district wide email sent to every parent of the school district concerning 5th and 6th grade tackle football. My boys are going into the 1st grade, so it did not concern me, but the dates and schedule were attached to the email so I opened it up to take a look. When I opened the attachments and looked at the email I was speechless, 10-12 years olds were starting "camp" the last week of July and had weekly practice (2hours long) through the entire month of August. I think their first game might be in the middle of September. I just don't understand the purpose or goal the coaches or the school district is trying to accomplish, it just seems like a bit much for a 10 year old.
Earlier this week I was talking to a high school classmate a few years older than me who has a 9 year old playing travel baseball (literally playing out of state tournys) which from what I gather was a similar schedule to playing a step below Legion ball, in 10u they also play high school rules, which is absolutely insane to me. When did youth sports and parents become so intense and concentrated? Whatever happened to playing 20 atom/adam (spelling???) league and little league games then going to get a ice cream cone with their buddies? I understand that a large percentage todays children do not get enough exercise, childhood obesity, etc, but I feel like this intense pressure that has been placed on youth sports is only making it worse. Anyone else feel similar? Am I crazy one? I just feel like that a family literally has to decide now either we place sports and do not do anything else or not play sports so families can have some of life. Heaven forbid a father wants to take his 12 year old boy elk hunting outwest and junior has to miss a week's worth of practice and a meaningless game.

 

[jagermeister]

I’m totally with you man. It all seems completely ridiculous to me. 10 year olds shouldn’t be playing “traveling” anything in my opinion. Hell I don’t even think they need to be that serious at the high school level. All these parents and coaches want to live vicariously through their kids, and they all think their kid is going full-ride D1 or professional. They are over-coaching, over-playing, and over-emphasizing youth sports to the point that they’re taking all the fun out of it. I’m a former ball player and I want my kids to play sports too. But, as much as it will hurt, if it gets to be so crazy that we can’t spend normal time as a family because of sports participation, that’ll likely be the end of it.

 

[giles]

Do you want to make money in college or not?

 

[aholdren]

Don't let your kid play or take them out for a week so you can enjoy vacation, risk the chance of not having a spot in the line-up..

Its crazy these days... You'll pull your damn hair out when your kids go thru this... I especially like the way people can look at a group of young kids (8yr-12yr) and say " there is the Kid or Kids that will be our Varsity Starters when they get to high school" !

To me its about opportunity, not every kid gets the same opportunity, weather it be due to Parents not able to get kids there or afford it or the area you live in having it available. With the way its being done today kids are influenced to pick a sport and play it only. Three letter athletes are less in big schools and decreasing in small schools..
I don't envy any young family getting ready to jump in, for me I'm on my way out.... It's been fun and very stressful. Lot's of memories and pictures, and you better have deep pockets.

 

[jagermeister]

Don't let your kid play or take them out for a week so you can enjoy vacation, risk the chance of not having a spot in the line-up..

Its crazy these days... You'll pull your damn hair out when your kids go thru this... I especially like the way people can look at a group of young kids (8yr-12yr) and say " there is the Kid or Kids that will be our Varsity Starters when they get to high school" !

To me its about opportunity, not every kid gets the same opportunity, weather it be due to Parents not able to get kids there or afford it or the area you live in having it available. With the way its being done today kids are influenced to pick a sport and play it only. Three letter athletes are less in big schools and decreasing in small schools..
I don't envy any young family getting ready to jump in, for me I'm on my way out.... It's been fun and very stressful. Lot's of memories and pictures, and you better have deep pockets.

See, I don’t understand that “one-sport” dedication either. Ask any high level coach that’s worth a damn what they’d rather have on their team and they’ll choose a multisport athlete every day of the week.

Its such a double edged sword. These days, kids aren’t playing sandlot ball and honing their craft on their own like we used to. So if your kid doesn’t get into the serious stuff like travel ball or playing on multiple teams, the talent and competition, and development, just isn’t really there.

 

[OhioWhiteTails]

I'm just getting into this with my oldest daughter (8). After this last season with the schools soccer program, I decided to have her play a level up. The competition and coaching weren't that great. I'm probably guilty of living vicariously through my daughter, but she loves to play and she's pretty good. When she's not having fun anymore, we'll pull the plug. Until then, I'm buckled up.

 

[bowhunter1023]

My philosophy is letting my kids chase their interests however passionately they choose to do so. I'm a generalist by nature; outside of baseball and hunting, I've never pursued anything in life to the inth-degree. I have a cousin that's done travel softball since she was 8. She's a junior now with multiple D1 offers on the table. She still plays basketball, but she's doing something softball related 6 days a week, 52 weeks out of the year. It's her passion and her parents fuel her passion. I'll do the same if my girls latch onto a sport like she did softball. If not, we'll carry on at a leisurely pace. Forcing your kid to choose one direction is a parenting misstep; supporting their passion is a parenting win, IMO.

 

[Bigcountry40]

developmentally some kids brains don’t click, it feels like if a kid isn’t truly committed or just doesn’t understand by 9 (especially softball/baseball) it’s to late. I just don’t understand how the collective whole think this is the best method of participation and growth of a high school program. i would think that throwing that much is not healthy for a developing arm and probably causing damage. At age 10 I bet most of us were playing two games a week and some version of wiffle ball in the side yard. These kids play triple that in a weekend.

 

[OhioWhiteTails]

I honestly don't think these younger kids are playing half of what we did as kids. We had sandlot games damn near every evening. I just don't see kids doing this anymore?

 

[Bigcountry40]

I honestly don't think these younger kids are playing half of what we did as kids. We had sandlot games damn near every evening. I just don't see kids doing this anymore?

I've wondered the same thing, it seems like we played all day everyday, but I also thought our side yard field was huge as a kid and the field is literally 60 yards by 20, so I am guessing we played an average of side yard ball 3 times a week probably for 1 half to 2 hours on top of rec league. I still feel like it was less strain on our arms in the side yard, we used tee balls (soft squishy) and never pitch lived (always just lobbed pitched). I never remember my arm hurting or needing to ice until I was 15 playing true travel ball and I never pitched.

 

[Redhunter1012]

We haven't done the year round travel stuff yet. I dont think we will. Greyson does Spring and fall soccer. Basketball in winter. Baseball in summer. Right now from mid June til early August is the only time he doesnt have scheduled sports. And yet every day he's playing some sport with friends in the backyards

 

["J"]

We played Street ball, traffic wasn’t really an issue. We had 2 playgrounds with in a half mile of our street. We were fortunate enough too have enough kids on each street too form teams….. We’d play each street team a couple times a week, depending on schedules and homework… Organized baseball and football wasn’t a big thing for us…. We played all the games, from basketball too kickball too playing flashlight tag and a game we called release…. The only time you caught us in the house and not outside playing is if it was pouring rain out…

Our kids did the same, but also played organized sports as well. Baseball, basketball and soccer. We let them call it it quits when they were tired of it. But if they started a season, they finished that season….

Still made time for the outdoors, and that’s the only thing they stuck with….

 

[giles]

We have a ball field in the front yard...never gets used. Daughter basically plays 7 days a week. Even when she is playing soccer she has softball practice. She loves it.

 

[bigten05]

My daughter is trying out for a travel team for softball in a few weeks.This last spring season she got real nervous when up to bat after getting hit by a 50 mph pitch right to the elbow. I told her if she really wanted to play she's gonna have to really practice and get over that fear because travel ball isn't like our local league if your not practicing to get better almost everyday and showing you really want to play and learn then your not gonna get play time. They play and travel every week I'm not sure I'm ready for all that but if that's what she's wants to do then I guess we will be doing it. In a few years Cooper will be traveling to thays when it will get crazy.hes 5 and was hitting in the 45 mph batting cage over the weekend. He has no fear quite the opposite of savannah. Everything around us is travel ball if you want good competition. The local leagues are very small now compared to when I played. We didn't have big travel leagues back then and alot of kids just don't play anymore 2 of our local fields don't even get used anymore not enough 8 to 13 year Olds to have a league there anymore.

 

[huntn2]

The commitments and expectations are insane anymore.

 

[hickslawns]

Over the weekend my son wanted to get the dirt bikes out. He had a blast. He commented "I can't believe we haven't ridden these in so long." I can. I was chasing his butt all over the state the last 8-9 years with travel soccer year round. Breaks my heart he is entering his senior year and we missed all the riding trips my father and I made when I was his age. Riding trips in between me playing 3 sports. My sport seasons didn't overlap.

Where did all the travel soccer take us? Burn out. He is not playing soccer anymore. Pick your poison wisely. We supported our son. Our family made sacrifices for his passion. Now he isn't very interested and we've missed out on other opportunities as a family. Camping. Dirt biking. Changing vacations due to tournaments. There are opportunity costs associated with supporting their passions. And it doesn't mean they will take it to the next level. Plenty of high level athletes never make it.

 

[Big_Holla]

My daughter got into the higher level year round travel softball when she was 10. Our family vacations were softball tournaments, period. She played on the East Coast, south as far as Orlando and west into Kansas fall, winter (domes), spring and summer. We spent so much money in the 10-11 years of softball it is sickening. We got into financial trouble and came close to losing our house at one point because we were too stupid to slow down as a family. She played at a Jr. college for 2 years and got a little money for doing it, nothing like we had hoped and thought she would. You get caught up in the whole dog and pony show. At 12U we bought a camper so we could save money going to all these tournaments. Used it maybe 2 weekends during all those years for that purpose. When summers came and she was done for that 2-3 weeks in August we had hopes of going camping a lot, nope no money left and it was tryout season. Do I regret this stuff....yes, yes I do. Do I think it was good for Jenna? Yes and no, it has made her a strong young woman but she also lost friends and experiences she will never get back.

With Allen it has been different til this past year. He was on a 'travel' team that mostly played in a county league. They would go on one or two tournaments per year, not much more. However they also made promises to do big tournaments such as Ripken and Cooperstown however we somehow always missed the sign up date and money always seemed to disappear. Covid came and his HS coach had gotten him a contact with a different team as a fill in. They traveled into Ohio a few times and around the state of Mich a couple places. He loved it and wanted more, even though he didn't play much. This past winter is when he found the team he is on now. We have been to Kentucky, Ohio and Michigan so far and this weekend coming up is the last for their season. I'm glad it is over soon but I don't think he is done with it yet. So we will support him in whatever decision he makes and go from there. Time to get to work to try and pay some late bills and somehow build a little savings again for whatever life and travel sports brings. Ugh.

 

[Big_Holla]

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=297469045459459

 

[jagermeister]

I totally understand and get on-board with supporting the passion(s) of our kids. But if their passion is creating a troublesome situation for the family as a whole, I think everyone would agree the right thing to do is dial it back.

My personal perspective is that all of these "travel" leagues and teams have gotten severely out of hand. During my childhood, there was virtually no travel sports because the local availability, talent, and competition was there. The city parks were full of kids and the leagues were packed full of teams. Then, as technology advanced and parents worked more hours, kids lost interest or ability to play, and the league participation decreased. Talent, competition also decreased. Parents, who's kids showed some promise, felt it was best for their kids to join these travel teams in order to achieve their highest potential. Rightly so. But over time, the travel shit has gotten so popular, the local park and rec leagues are virtually non-existent. The ones that do exist are so poorly coached and poorly skilled that no one wants their kids to play there. Also, rightly so. Now it's just an unstoppable force. Your kid plays travel ball, or they don't play. Sink thousands of dollars and hours into it as a family, or you're the asshole and your kid resents you. Meanwhile, the league/tournament administrators and mega sports complex managers reap the benefits and rake in the dough. Stupit.

 

[bowhunter1023]

I totally understand and get on-board with supporting the passion(s) of our kids. But if their passion is creating a troublesome situation for the family as a whole, I think everyone would agree the right thing to do is dial it back.

I agree with this, even as a passion pursuing parent.