Travel Soccer?

[Anonymous]

So I'm told that my child should be trying out for "travel soccer". My child currently plays in a recreational league and loves it. "Trying out", for crying out loud. My dear, precious, 9 year old. I did not play soccer in a league growing up, so this entire concept is new to me. What is to be gained by playing on a travel team?

[Anonymous]

What's to be gained? Dunno - unless the push is coming from your child who really wants to devote all his free time (plus some) to soccer.

What's to be lost? Balance, and any other activity that might be of interest to you.

[Anonymous]

My son had previously played several years with DC stoddert (recreational league). He became a bit frustrated and bored with the relaxed nature of the rec league. He wanted more competitive play and skill development. The travel team seems more disciplined and focused. My son loves the challenge. While it is a bit more of a commitment than a rec league (with practices twice a week in addition to Saturday games), my son still has time for his other interests (include one additional sport as well as a non-sport activity). I would say that the gains are more competitive play (if your son wants it) and likely better coaching.

[Anonymous]

It totally depends on the kid. My son also played for DC stoddert soccer, rec league, and he was an unabashed star. Parents would literally be pacing on the field until my son arrived for the game because they knew he was the only hope for our team. If there were 15 goals scored by our side, my son scored 14 of them.

Anyway, all of this is a preface to the natural decision we took, when he was 8, to switch him to travel. Surely a kid who loved soccer this much and had so much God-given talent was meant for travel soccer.

Well, it's been 9 months now and I can tell you, all my son talks about it how he hates soccer, how he begs us to quit, and how next year he wants to go back to rec soccer. We should never have switched him. Number 1, it totally destroyed his self esteem. Before, he was a soccer superstar. True, he was among a group of spastic 8 year olds, but who cares? My son felt like he was Pele. On a travel league, all of a sudden he is confronted by kids trying to get college scholarships through soccer, screaming at him when he makes a mistake. Even the parents get upset if a kids makes a mistake. It's a totally different mindset from rec.

Second, it's insane practice. Because my son hated the DC Stoddert travel league he was in, we ended up having him do tryouts in Maryland, and he went and landed on some team which is an hour away for practice. It practices two times a week and then they have Saturday AND Sunday games. The only burst of sanity from our family was that after about 8 weeks of that we told the coach our son could only go to one practice a week, take it or leave it. They have allowed him to have this abbreviated soccer practice schedule, but even then, he loses the entire afternoon once a week with the travel and his weekends are totally shot.

FInally, it's crazy expensive. It just cost us $600 for the spring season (about 10 weeks) and that doesn't include the required uniforms/gear. My son said he wanted to continue for the spring so we signed up, but then he immediately regretted his decision. Wanting to teach responsibility, his dad and I have said if he wants to quit now, he has to pay us back the $600 we just plunked down. But seriously, I have never seen such an unhappy kid and at this point I don't even care about the money.

I know some kids love soccer and travel is great. I think in my son's case, it all changed when the kids changed (before, class friends, and now, a bunch of kids for whom this is their whole world and my son is screwing with their chances of success if he lets a ball go past him), when the coach changed (before, a whole bunch of "yeah team!"s, and now some crazed lunatic screaming at the kids left and right), and when the hours changed (before he just did his saturday games). There must be some threshold of how much your kid has to love soccer to switch to travel (or you need to switch to the right travel). Obviously, my kid has not passed that threshold.

[Anonymous]

Stoddert Rec parent here.

DS really wants to try out for the travel team. He'll be 9 next year. Tryouts our coming up soon. I want to be supportive of his interests, but I fear that he might face rejection for the first time in his life. Not saying it's a bad thing, just thought this is the type of thing that should be coming up, I dunno, say in high school.

Don't get me wrong, he is a very solid player to this untrained eye, but it does seem very competitive, at least based on the intensity I sensed from the parents at the recent introductory meeting on the subject.

So here's my question -- just how hard is it to make the travel team?

Can anyone who knows tell us roughly how many kids try out and how many kids make it on any given year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stoddert Rec parent here.

DS really wants to try out for the travel team. He'll be 9 next year. Tryouts our coming up soon. I want to be supportive of his interests, but I fear that he might face rejection for the first time in his life. Not saying it's a bad thing, just thought this is the type of thing that should be coming up, I dunno, say in high school.

Don't get me wrong, he is a very solid player to this untrained eye, but it does seem very competitive, at least based on the intensity I sensed from the parents at the recent introductory meeting on the subject.

So here's my question -- just how hard is it to make the travel team?

Can anyone who knows tell us roughly how many kids try out and how many kids make it on any given year?

It depends on the club and whether it's truly a developmental soccer club or whether the club just wants the best of the best (kinda already developed) kids. For example, I know it is very, very difficult to make the team for Potomac Soccer Club so that club might be one to avoid if dealing with rejection will be tough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It totally depends on the kid. My son also played for DC stoddert soccer, rec league, and he was an unabashed star. Parents would literally be pacing on the field until my son arrived for the game because they knew he was the only hope for our team. If there were 15 goals scored by our side, my son scored 14 of them.

Anyway, all of this is a preface to the natural decision we took, when he was 8, to switch him to travel. Surely a kid who loved soccer this much and had so much God-given talent was meant for travel soccer.

Well, it's been 9 months now and I can tell you, all my son talks about it how he hates soccer, how he begs us to quit, and how next year he wants to go back to rec soccer. We should never have switched him. Number 1, it totally destroyed his self esteem. Before, he was a soccer superstar. True, he was among a group of spastic 8 year olds, but who cares? My son felt like he was Pele. On a travel league, all of a sudden he is confronted by kids trying to get college scholarships through soccer, screaming at him when he makes a mistake. Even the parents get upset if a kids makes a mistake. It's a totally different mindset from rec.

Second, it's insane practice. Because my son hated the DC Stoddert travel league he was in, we ended up having him do tryouts in Maryland, and he went and landed on some team which is an hour away for practice. It practices two times a week and then they have Saturday AND Sunday games. The only burst of sanity from our family was that after about 8 weeks of that we told the coach our son could only go to one practice a week, take it or leave it. They have allowed him to have this abbreviated soccer practice schedule, but even then, he loses the entire afternoon once a week with the travel and his weekends are totally shot.

FInally, it's crazy expensive. It just cost us $600 for the spring season (about 10 weeks) and that doesn't include the required uniforms/gear. My son said he wanted to continue for the spring so we signed up, but then he immediately regretted his decision. Wanting to teach responsibility, his dad and I have said if he wants to quit now, he has to pay us back the $600 we just plunked down. But seriously, I have never seen such an unhappy kid and at this point I don't even care about the money.

I know some kids love soccer and travel is great. I think in my son's case, it all changed when the kids changed (before, class friends, and now, a bunch of kids for whom this is their whole world and my son is screwing with their chances of success if he lets a ball go past him), when the coach changed (before, a whole bunch of "yeah team!"s, and now some crazed lunatic screaming at the kids left and right), and when the hours changed (before he just did his saturday games). There must be some threshold of how much your kid has to love soccer to switch to travel (or you need to switch to the right travel). Obviously, my kid has not passed that threshold.

I think you're right in that it's important to be on the "right" travel team. Not all soccer clubs are created equal. Some just focus on winning, while others focus on sportsmanship, love of the game and development of skills. It may be a good idea to consider switching so that your son can still enjoy the game. BUT, the practice schedule (two per week) is pretty standard no matter what travel team you belong to.

[Anonymous]

Not sure if PP is OP or not. My daughter is on Stoddert Travel team (U9). Interesting to hear about the boys version! Generally it is competitive to get on the team but they don't have a certain # of spots to fill. They take who they think will work best.

It is extremely serious especially for 8 year olds. But my daughter loves it. The coaching is top notch. But it is expensive! Count on $2000+ per year including fees, required camps, and recommended clinics. Also generally speaking the kids on the team have parents who have resources. They can get their kids to practise (ON TIME) and games (ON TIME). I think the first year is just as tough on the parents as it is on the kids.

FYI - at U9 level you don't actually travel. You play up a level (rec league u10). Which is really nice.

[Anonymous]

My DS will be trying out for Stoddert's travel soccer team soon. I went to the introductory meeting, but still don't quite understand the process. Will my DS be doing things like timed drills and strength tests during tryouts, or will he simply be playing soccer during the tryouts?

[Anonymous]

Arlington Travel Soccer tryouts were this weekend.

I have to say, he had a blast at tryouts. I didn't expect that at all.

I'm still not sure if I hope he makes it or if I hope he does not.

[Anonymous]

What was involved in the tryouts? Running, jumping, timed drills, tests, or just playing soccer??

[Anonymous]

This is 12:59 again (so hated travel soccer). I see the thread is active again and wanted to update everyone.

About a week after that post I told my son he could quit travel soccer and he didn't have to pay us back. On Saturday morning, my son was eating his pancakes, and he was so happy knowing he didn't have to go to it anymore. And he started talking about how he wanted to play rec soccer next year, and he was so excited thinking about it. To everyone else, that might seem like a step backwards, but not to me. I gave my son back a sport he really loved. Just not at that level.

[Anonymous]

Sorry, I'm the above poster. I meant I was 22:23 (the one whose son hated travel soccer)...

[Anonymous]

22:23 -
Thanks for that. Our son is getting very enthusiastic about joining travel (if picked), and it is nice to see that
a) there might be parents like you and me - I wasn't impressed with the sideline parents I overheard at tryouts
b) kids quit.

I am the PP whose son loved tryouts. They did drills and scrimmages. At the young ages, I've been told it is more about potential than learned skill (maybe true, maybe not).

[Anonymous]

Okay, so we just finished the 2nd and final day of Stoddert's Travel Soccer tryouts for almost 9 year olds. It was pure madness. Over 200 kids tried out. I am so curious - just what are those coaches writing on their clipboards as they assess our kids?