kids travel sports

[rh71]

My kids are 7 and around this age many of the kids are starting to get into travel sports, hockey/soccer/baseball. They are proficient in all 3. I am a bit overwhelmed at the idea of 3-4x a week of practice & games, along with the exorbitant costs (I have twins).

I know it's completely optional but I'm wondering if kids and their parents do it because they feel they have a chance to make it big. Or is it because the kid simply loves to play so much?

If you played travel when you were younger, how do you feel about it now looking back on it? Or if you're a parent with kids in travel, what's your take?

My goal really is to have them enjoy their youth as much as possible - I have no illusions of them making it big in any sport. At the same time, I feel like if I don't have them at least try it, they are missing out on an opportunity to really excel at something. And starting young and playing often is exactly how that happens.

 

[lxskllr]

Ask them. My daughter decided what she wanted, and I tried to make it happen. Explain the benefits and drawbacks to *them*, and see what they think.

 

[rh71]

^ at this point all they want to do is what their friends are doing.

 

[GasX]

Wayne Gretzky once said his favorite part of the year was the start of lacrosse season, because it marked the end of hockey each year. Even the great ones burn out on certain things...

That aside, it is fairly well established that specializing too young leads to more repetitive sports injuries. Furthermore, playing lots of different sports makes for MUCH better athletes later on in life...

My kids all play travel soccer, but they play rec level everything else for the rest of the year.

 

[lxskllr]

^ at this point all they want to do is what their friends are doing.

I'd say this...

Look. it's serious time now. You can either play standard little league, or get on a travel team, and devote all your time to $sport. Travel is for pro training, and I expect you to treat it as a serious obligation. That means you won't have much time for anything but school and $sport. I'll support whatever you want to do, but you need to make a decision, and commit to it.

 

[rh71]

^ they are most devoted to fricken video games.

I do get the feeling it's more driven by the kid's desires rather than having the parent try and push the kid toward attaining a goal. I guess it's like they always say - the kid has to want it. But kids don't always know for sure and timing simply may not be right.

A part of me feels like their life will be so much easier in HS if they are a part of something special like team sports, being a part of them. In a lot of sports, it's so competitive skills-wise that you practically have to do travel to be good enough just to make the team like the rest of them.

How much of it is a business, which ruins the fun of it all? Is this just a recent thing with travel-everything popping up?

 

[Scarpozzi]

Buy them an Xbox and order pizza every night for 3 months straight....only let them drink coca cola and grape soda. They'll gain so much weight, they'll give up on sports.

I just saved you a ton of time and money.

 

[vi edit]

At 7? Yeah fuck that. Burnout and breakdown city. You don't need to travel to practice fundamentals and basic rules.

 

[NoTine42]

That really depends on travel distance. Around here, travel hockey and soccer mean driving 3+ hours to a major city for weekend tournaments.

We have done some travel baseball and basketball starting at 9 years old (but their travel area is within a more reasonable 1 hour drive). And the travel sport participation has all been at the request of the child.

I think too many parents push their kids into the travel sports, which makes it a political mess for with ability that want to join A travel team.

 

[nageov3t]

At 7? Yeah fuck that. Burnout and breakdown city. You don't need to travel to practice fundamentals and basic rules.

+1

my niece is close to that age and I couldn't imagine her getting seriously devoted to a sport unless she was some kind of prodigy.

if it were my kid, I'd probably stick with local teams until they're older or really show truly exceptional ability in a sport (to the extent that you could see them going pro/Olympic)

 

[theknight571]

Personally, I think 7 is too early for travel. At that point it should be about learning and fun. Once you go travel it's all about the win.

I had my son in rec league until middle school. After that, it was up to him each season.

 

[theknight571]

That really depends on travel distance. Around here, travel hockey and soccer mean driving 3+ hours to a major city for weekend tournaments.

We have done some travel baseball and basketball starting at 9 years old (but their travel area is within a more reasonable 1 hour drive). And the travel sport participation has all been at the request of the child.

I think too many parents push their kids into the travel sports, which makes it a political mess for with ability that want to join A travel team.

I know around here there seem to be more travel hockey teams than house (rec) teams.

Travel is no longer for the better players, just those who's parents are willing to spend more money.

 

[Homerboy]

Disclaimer: Youth sports is my passion and my hobby. I spend COUNTLESS hours involved in it on MANY levels and MANY aspects.

"travel ball" is a vague term -- is it literally TRAVEL like going all over the region/country? Or "select ball" where there are tryouts, only X kids make the team and playing time is not guaranteed to be equal for all kids.

At 7/8 I have no gripes about select teams -- my son has done them since that age. Those teams may have "traveled" (usually just a couple of hours away to warrant an overnight stay at the hotel) to 1 or 2 tournaments in the season, but it was regional. It was more so the kids would have a fun doing cannonballs in the pool.

But at 7 years old they should be practicing fundamentals and learning to love the game they are playing. Winning and losing is still important, but it's not why they are playing at that age. that's where the parents ruin it. I've said countless times, I'd rather have my kid lose more than win -- you learn MUCH more from losing that from winning. Losing is hard. Winning is easy.

At 14, he is now on an "official" travel team -- we'll have 5-6 out of state tournaments (along with lots of local games) and a couple of overnight tournaments within the state.

He loves baseball. I mean LOVES it. We're doing this for his love of the game. Neither I, nor he, has delusions of grandeur that he will play professionally, but there's no reason he couldn't get some beer-money scholarship to a D3 college to play. If he can play baseball while he takes his midterms, I'm not going to stop him from doing that - in fact I will give him every opportunity to do so.

I think at younger ages, these "elite travel teams" are just ridiculous. They are money making machines for the organizations and people that run them. They will get as many kids as humanly possible to sign up (regardless of true talent) at $2K a year. Sure they will get a kid or two that ends up being good, but that's on top of the dozens and dozens of kids that sucked and their parents threw thousands and thousands of dollars at the program. Ugh... it sickens me.

There's nothing wrong with doing it for the LOVE of the game. Just you MUST keep it in perspective. I could talk about this for hours and days.

Shameless brag pic of my boy:

 

[rh71]

^ I welcome more posts like that and if you want to post more opinions on the topic, please do. At the rink we play at, even the pro shop guy who has kids in travel went on a tirade to me about how it's all about money for travel programs (what you call select in this case). At the same time, they are more structured to teach (think curriculum) than house leagues, play more a week, and the competition is better too. He told me to do it anyway if I want my kids to be better. They need to learn from adversity.

One thing I must say about baseball. I'm more passionate about hockey and help coach a clinic, but baseball... I don't know how the parents can sit in the stands for so long just to see their kid up at bat only 3 times a game and stand idle on the field for the remainder of it. If you're a coach or otherwise helping out, that's a different story. It takes a tremendous amount of patience for having a kid in baseball (having him on the mound that game is also a different story).

 

[waggy]

Oh something I have experience in!

I may have mentioned once or twice that my daughter is in gymnastics. She has practice anywhere from 16-20 hours a week. This goes on ALL year.

She started late compared to most girls. She started when she was 8 (she just turned 13). We put her in for a summer class for her B-day (lol ended up not quitting). Anyway she is slightly older then most of the girls a her level (well until this year anyway).

Last year nearly all the events were in Chicago area. One in Michigan though. Usually for a event its a 1-2 hour drive. We got lucky this year in State was only 45 min away.

Why do we do it? well she loves the sport and she is really good. She is alwaysin the top 20 for the state .She has taken 1st in some events and best overall score was 3rd (state meet) Last year she took 8th and was mad because she fell off the beam. IF she hadn't she would have taken first.

This year though she is going to a higher elite level. Her competitions are going to range all over the US. IF she makes nationals then its even more travel (doubt she does this year. she has jumped up to high level competition)

It's a lot of time, effort and money. BUT as a family we do enjoy it. My son has has been in gymnastics and martial arts for years too. We hope next year he will be on a male gymnastics team. IF they don't start one he wants to do wrestling this year.

 

[Humpy]

It might be different now and 7 could be too young.

For me, sports and the accompanying practice, travel, teammates, fans, coaches, parents, sponsors, etc. taught me way more about life than I understood at the time. It was similar, separate, but far more effective than anything that happened at school as far as learning about effort and humility and success and failure and how to behave out in the "real" world. My involvement in sports when I was young has made the rest of my life seem easy.

I remember everyone wanting to be the best they could be and have fun but, seemingly unlike today, I don't remember much talk or focus on future success with scholarships or professional paydays or Olympic teams or what have you.

 

[Homerboy]

^ I welcome more posts like that and if you want to post more opinions on the topic, please do. At the rink we play at, even the pro shop guy who has kids in travel went on a tirade to me about how it's all about money for travel programs (what you call select in this case). At the same time, they are more structured to teach (think curriculum) than house leagues, and the competition is better too. He told me to do it anyway if I want my kids to be better. Learn from adversity.

** please note too I speak from a baseball perspective

Around here these "elite travel teams" are often attached to "Academies" that have large, beautiful facilities with paid coaches (often ex-pro and college players). I strongly believe that as the kids are older (High school) these academies can serve a purpose as these kids are now well invested with blood sweat and tears and love their sport. These kids are usually the cream of the crop and need better coaching and facilities to do the fine tuning on their craft. These academies know scouts, they have ins at colleges and "next level" baseball.

BUT these academies also have dozens of teams that are U14 and under. Parents spend $2K+ a year on an 8 year old to be "developed"? The kids barely have enough attention to finish the latest Nintendo game, let alone take instruction from ex-pro. They clock pitching speeds of 9 year olds. NINE!!! Since the day my son has wanted to be a pitcher we worked on pitch placement and strategy... velocity will come as you get older. Not when you're 9! Ugh drives me nuts that EVERY add and sales pitch I see is "we'll add 10mph to your son's pitch". I then counter with "Will you pay 100% of his TJ surgery too?"... idiots.

/rant

Anyway, back to your question. Let your YOUNG sons enjoy the sports. They can do that with local teams, playing other local teams. They can even be "select" where playing time isn't a given and not everyone gets a trophy. As they get older, they will decide what they want to do, and YOU will know when it's time to do it.

 

[Homerboy]

Oh something I have experience in!

<snip>

It's a lot of time, effort and money. BUT as a family we do enjoy it. My son has has been in gymnastics and martial arts for years too. We hope next year he will be on a male gymnastics team. IF they don't start one he wants to do wrestling this year.

I knew Waggy was around the corner. We always seem to show up in these types of threads

He brings up a good point too. Trust me, there has been NO BETTER bonding with my son than through our love for HIS baseball (he does basketball too but... meh) We have incredible love for the game, and have made COUNTLESS memories. I would not trade his years of playing and mine of coaching for anything. It has been just incredible every step of the way. My wife loves every minute of it too. My daughter though... she can't stand it.

 

[waggy]

I knew Waggy was around the corner. We always seem to show up in these types of threads

He brings up a good point too. Trust me, there has been NO BETTER bonding with my son than through our love for HIS baseball (he does basketball too but... meh) We have incredible love for the game, and have made COUNTLESS memories. I would not trade his years of playing and mine of coaching for anything. It has been just incredible every step of the way. My wife loves every minute of it too. My daughter though... she can't stand it.

lol yeah a thread like this? of course i'm posting.


I enjoy going to my daughter's events. sure they are like 4 hours long. But i sit with the other parents and we talk while we watch. We are lucky in the parents all cheer for each others kid.

My wife and son don't enjoy it as much. My son will go if has male gymnast also. he will sit and happily watch that. otherwise he get's bored if its just watching the girls.



It can't

 

[Homerboy]

lol yeah a thread like this? of course i'm posting.


I enjoy going to my daughter's events. sure they are like 4 hours long. But i sit with the other parents and we talk while we watch. We are lucky in the parents all cheer for each others kid.

My wife and son don't enjoy it as much. My son will go if has male gymnast also. he will sit and happily watch that. otherwise he get's bored if its just watching the girls.



It can't

Yeap. I have made many life-long friends (and countless good friends/acquaintances) through my son's sports. I have coached for 6+ years now and have watched these kids grow and it has been immensely rewarding - I love a lot of these boys like my own. It's been incredibly fun being part of these kid's lives. We've all made memories that will last forever.

 

[tential]

This is all about social skills development and stuff like that. Definitely worth the cost even if it's high. Making sure your kids are socially adapted is hugely important!

 

[ctbaars]

Can't talk right now. I have to go pick up my daughter from Dance class ...