Extracurriculars you regret supporting

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So far no one has mentioned they regretted having their kids in club swimming..I have a 9 year old in club swimming so good to hear! Although the time commitment gets pretty brutal by the teen years, no one regrets it?

My kids are in club swimming. It has potential to be over the top and time consuming and expensive..

But for us, it is very much an individual choice what kind of experience you want to have since swimming is an individual sport. Our club has the option for 2-6 days per week of practices. You can pick what works for you. They publish the meet schedule at the beginning of the year. You can go to all the meets, one, or none- up to you. Since my kids also do another sport, we only do practice 3 days per week for swim and maybe 2 meets per year. Some clubs do have minimum participation requirements, but as long as you find one that is flexible it doesn't have to be insane. With that said...I do hate swim meets. So many kids and parents and HOT and all day. I couldn't handle more than a couple per year.

I have 2 club swim kids. I love that they have a coed team with kids of all ages. They learn to define success by achieving their personal best, not by how they place in a heat or event. They work hard in practice and there’s less favoritism/daddy ball stuff than in other sports. My kids also play club soccer, so I’ve seen how that goes. And flexible practices are a lifesaver - there’s no need to worry about conflicting practices or meeting times in another sport or activity. If there’s extra band practice on Tuesday, no problem, kid will swim Wednesday instead. If kid is invited to dinner Friday, no problem, they will swim Thursday instead. It also opens the door for other sports like water polo, sailing, etc. And provides them with a low impact exercise they can do well into old age. I don’t mind the meets, but I get how many parents can’t stand them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Travel soccer. The parents and coaches were way too into it and I witnessed some pretty bad behavior.

Same for us. DS played in two different states and had problems with some of the kids' bullying behavior and nasty parents. He's quite a good player and now practices with a coach that gives small group private lessons. The coach is fantastic, and the other kids are great too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So far no one has mentioned they regretted having their kids in club swimming..I have a 9 year old in club swimming so good to hear! Although the time commitment gets pretty brutal by the teen years, no one regrets it?

It's just that the serious swim parents are too sleep deprived to check DCUM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Competitive dance - costumes, makeup, dance moves, etc. Who are they trying to impress? Creeps?

+1. Competition dance is such a waste. We left and found a lively non-competitive team and we are all so much happier.

I would add any sort of dance, including ballet, at a dance school/studio with a poor environment can wind up being a big regret in hindsight.

Agree. I advise avoiding dance all together. While it occasionally can be a good environment and beneficial, more likely than not it won't be

Wow, hard disagree. If your child likes it, a regular studio that isn't super competitive or intense (and supports healthy body image) can be a great, reasonably priced option. It's especially good for kids who don't like sports. A dance class once or twice a week is a nice habit that has physical benefits, can be artistically rewarding, and helps to build friendships. I have zero regrets about signing my kid up for dance at a small local studio with wonderful teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What does competitive roller skate look like? Dance routines and coustumes?

Yep. Think ice skating but on wheels (quads and inline). And...roller skaters still do the actual figures -- which, at first, I didn't understand why. But they are extremely technical and are the foundation for many of the elements of a freestyle routine.

RollArt is the current judging system and is modeled after what ice skating uses.

Our oldest cleaned her axle, in a competition...and considered herself -- D.o.n.e. Youngest has it in practice but no desire any longer to do FS and we're a-OK with that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not into it but the whole travel sports industry is pretty laughable.

Why?

It’s a for-profit industry; it’s not about the kids, esp kids whose families don’t have $$$.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What does competitive roller skate look like? Dance routines and coustumes?

Yep. Think ice skating but on wheels (quads and inline). And...roller skaters still do the actual figures -- which, at first, I didn't understand why. But they are extremely technical and are the foundation for many of the elements of a freestyle routine.

RollArt is the current judging system and is modeled after what ice skating uses.

Our oldest cleaned her axle, in a competition...and considered herself -- D.o.n.e. Youngest has it in practice but no desire any longer to do FS and we're a-OK with that.

I have to ask: What does this mean? Is this a euphemism?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not into it but the whole travel sports industry is pretty laughable.

Why?

I think a lot of it is keeping up with Jones's, being in the club, or being able to say I am/my kid is on a travel xyz team. You are giving up weekend, weekend. to go stay in a hotel, to hang out with other parents while you kid plays a couple games a day, for what really? Odds are your kid isn't getting a scholarship, not going pro, and once they go to college aren't going to use that skill set much at all. They aren't going to be infinitely better than playing on a local club team. It is just a trendy thing parent's feel they should do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Girl and Boy Scout. All of it. What a waste of time.

Do not agree with this one. Girl Scouts (what I am familiar with, i have girls) is really affordable (And GSUSA gives schloarships for books, uniforms, very easy process for that)
If you get involved in the camping it's fun, and the girl scout camps (overnight and day camps) are a bargain for some fill-in weeks for the summer. Even the troop camping at the local camps during the school year for the weekend was a blast. But you need to have a GS camp certified adult, which means one mom needs to give up her weekend and go camping with a bunch of other moms, and that was no fun. It's all done by middle school too (mostly). A good activity, esp for the non-athletic girls.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yep. Think ice skating but on wheels (quads and inline). And...roller skaters still do the actual figures -- which, at first, I didn't understand why. But they are extremely technical and are the foundation for many of the elements of a freestyle routine.

RollArt is the current judging system and is modeled after what ice skating uses.

Our oldest cleaned her axle, in a competition...and considered herself -- D.o.n.e. Youngest has it in practice but no desire any longer to do FS and we're a-OK with that.

Anonymous wrote:I have to ask: What does this mean? Is this a euphemism?

A "clean" jump has the proper take-off, in-air positioning, full rotations, and the landing is on one foot, on the proper edge. FWIW, an axle is actually 1.5 rotations as the take-off is going forward and the landing is backward. It is considered the most difficult jump in the skating arsenal.

(Thanks for asking! It's rare to get inquiries about something we've spent so much time doing. )

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yep. Think ice skating but on wheels (quads and inline). And...roller skaters still do the actual figures -- which, at first, I didn't understand why. But they are extremely technical and are the foundation for many of the elements of a freestyle routine.

RollArt is the current judging system and is modeled after what ice skating uses.

Our oldest cleaned her axle, in a competition...and considered herself -- D.o.n.e. Youngest has it in practice but no desire any longer to do FS and we're a-OK with that.

Anonymous wrote:I have to ask: What does this mean? Is this a euphemism?

A "clean" jump has the proper take-off, in-air positioning, full rotations, and the landing is on one foot, on the proper edge. FWIW, an axle is actually 1.5 rotations as the take-off is going forward and the landing is backward. It is considered the most difficult jump in the skating arsenal.

(Thanks for asking! It's rare to get inquiries about something we've spent so much time doing. )

Do kids in this sport tend to try both ice and roller and then choose one? What are the differences between the two sports that make someone choose one or the other? I have only seen talented roller skaters on the streets, with amazing skills, and I didn’t realize it was an organized sport.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do kids in this sport tend to try both ice and roller and then choose one? What are the differences between the two sports that make someone choose one or the other? I have only seen talented roller skaters on the streets, with amazing skills, and I didn’t realize it was an organized sport.

Street skaters do indeed have amazing skills! So do some of the weekend night skaters at the rink.

It's really rare for a 'skater' to do both ice and roller (VA native Natalie Motley is an exception)....and I think they 'pick' based on what they're first exposed to or get the opportunity to try. Ice skaters have to deal with the cold, roller skaters with the smell of stale popcorn. /s

If you want to see it done beautifully, check out Rebecca Tarlazzi (ITA) on youTube. The South Americans also have a terrific roller tradition too, especially in team/group events.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not into it but the whole travel sports industry is pretty laughable.

Why?

I think a lot of it is keeping up with Jones's, being in the club, or being able to say I am/my kid is on a travel xyz team. You are giving up weekend, weekend. to go stay in a hotel, to hang out with other parents while you kid plays a couple games a day, for what really? Odds are your kid isn't getting a scholarship, not going pro, and once they go to college aren't going to use that skill set much at all. They aren't going to be infinitely better than playing on a local club team. It is just a trendy thing parent's feel they should do.

As PPs have pointed out, beyond a certain age, rec options dwindle. I have a friend who coaches older boys in soccer, and every year he struggles to field a full team.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Competitive dance - costumes, makeup, dance moves, etc. Who are they trying to impress? Creeps?

Everyone gets a trophy. The medals and trophies became meaningless after awhile. The awards ceremonies were a joke.

So you want it to be even more competitive?

I think the point is that achievements are meaningless when everyone gets a trophy. Unlike, say, track and field when you are competing for a time or distance, something objective.

Where else can you work with a dance troupe and perform and perfect your routine? Seriously asking. Sometimes the "competition" is the excuse to do that.

But then again, I don't understand all the hand wringing with participation trophy nonsense. if adults simply participated in/executed better eating and exercise routines, we'd be a really healthy nation.

Why do you need to go to a competition to learn a routine? Why doesn't a winter recital and spring recital accomplish the same thing with thousands of fewer dollars?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not into it but the whole travel sports industry is pretty laughable.

Why?

I think a lot of it is keeping up with Jones's, being in the club, or being able to say I am/my kid is on a travel xyz team. You are giving up weekend, weekend. to go stay in a hotel, to hang out with other parents while you kid plays a couple games a day, for what really? Odds are your kid isn't getting a scholarship, not going pro, and once they go to college aren't going to use that skill set much at all. They aren't going to be infinitely better than playing on a local club team. It is just a trendy thing parent's feel they should do.

But, that circles back to the question do kids really need to play ports or do extracurriculars at all?
As PPs have pointed out, beyond a certain age, rec options dwindle. I have a friend who coaches older boys in soccer, and every year he struggles to field a full team.