Can someone define travel sports?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the intense winter swim programs are akin to travel sports but travel sports doesn’t even mean anything anymore. The companies have realized that it’s a moneymaker to admit as many kids as possible onto these teams so anyone can do travel who wants to pay for it now. Back in the day there might’ve been cuts to make the team - now they just have multiple levels of teams to give everybody who wants to participate a slot.

It depends on the sport and team. Basketball still has a brutal number of cuts. DD’s club has two teams at her age, but 50 tried out for 24 spots. There are other clubs fielding one team each per age getting similar numbers at tryouts

[Anonymous]

Spending a fortune, and traveling every weekend, for the forlorn hope (in most cases) that your kid is getting a full ride to UVA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the intense winter swim programs are akin to travel sports but travel sports doesn’t even mean anything anymore. The companies have realized that it’s a moneymaker to admit as many kids as possible onto these teams so anyone can do travel who wants to pay for it now. Back in the day there might’ve been cuts to make the team - now they just have multiple levels of teams to give everybody who wants to participate a slot.

It depends on the sport and team. Basketball still has a brutal number of cuts. DD’s club has two teams at her age, but 50 tried out for 24 spots. There are other clubs fielding one team each per age getting similar numbers at tryouts

This.

DS’s 15U tryouts were two days and like 150 kids trying out for 40 spots on 3 teams (15-17u). Given that most of the 16 and 17 U teams were returning players, and most of the 15Us who made the team had been invited to try out, they were really only looking for a handful of new kids.

The coaches started walking around within 10 minutes on the first day and tapping kids on the shoulder to let them know they were cut. I felt really bad for the kids who weren’t at the right level and got dismissed like that.

[Anonymous]

Basketball is certainly a cut sport. And travel basketball probably means the teams are going to specific tournaments out of state.

[Anonymous]

"Travel" in the context of sports really means "select" - the player was selected to the team but not all players who want to play are selected.

"Travel" was borne out of 30-40 years ago when sports weren't as big as they are now and, to find good competition, select teams were put together but clubs generally had to "travel" to the next town to play against other teams.

[Anonymous]

OP swimming is an individual sport. It’s doesn’t map well onto the travel sports definitions because it’s not a team sport. Yes certain meets may include team scoring but that is simply adding up the points from individual swimmers.

There is no need to compare them. Just say your child swims on a year round competitive swim team to people who don’t know swimming, or say club swim to people who do know it. Everyone uses the word club to differentiate a USA Swimming team from summer league or high school swim. That’s because club is the term USA Swimming uses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the intense winter swim programs are akin to travel sports but travel sports doesn’t even mean anything anymore. The companies have realized that it’s a moneymaker to admit as many kids as possible onto these teams so anyone can do travel who wants to pay for it now. Back in the day there might’ve been cuts to make the team - now they just have multiple levels of teams to give everybody who wants to participate a slot.

It depends on the sport and team. Basketball still has a brutal number of cuts. DD’s club has two teams at her age, but 50 tried out for 24 spots. There are other clubs fielding one team each per age getting similar numbers at tryouts

This.

DS’s 15U tryouts were two days and like 150 kids trying out for 40 spots on 3 teams (15-17u). Given that most of the 16 and 17 U teams were returning players, and most of the 15Us who made the team had been invited to try out, they were really only looking for a handful of new kids.

The coaches started walking around within 10 minutes on the first day and tapping kids on the shoulder to let them know they were cut. I felt really bad for the kids who weren’t at the right level and got dismissed like that.

That part is rough. At that age, most parents aren't watching, so those kids are going to have to wait around for an hour or two until their parents come to pick them up

[Anonymous]

It’s the club where 8 year olds pretend to be Neymar and then get bounced back to reality when they hit puberty

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Travel" in the context of sports really means "select" - the player was selected to the team but not all players who want to play are selected.

"Travel" was borne out of 30-40 years ago when sports weren't as big as they are now and, to find good competition, select teams were put together but clubs generally had to "travel" to the next town to play against other teams.

+1. These days it means a team that travels to play in tournaments, whether out of lack of local competition or not.

But originally, it referred to teams that traveled out of necessity. My kid is in a league where there are several teams from small towns in 2 neighboring states. Many of the kids on those teams, in turn, commute to practice from several towns away. These out of state teams travel here for their regular fall and spring games, because they have no one to play at home. They drive several hours and schedule 2-3 games on a Saturday in order to belong to this league. That is an old school travel team!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP swimming is an individual sport. It’s doesn’t map well onto the travel sports definitions because it’s not a team sport. Yes certain meets may include team scoring but that is simply adding up the points from individual swimmers.

There is no need to compare them. Just say your child swims on a year round competitive swim team to people who don’t know swimming, or say club swim to people who do know it. Everyone uses the word club to differentiate a USA Swimming team from summer league or high school swim. That’s because club is the term USA Swimming uses.

Thanks, really just wanted to get the lingo down.

[Anonymous]

When you are spending in the four-figure range, you're likely talking travel/club level of youth sports. Almost anything above "rec" falls into the travel/club category for me.

Here are some examples of fees at the travel/club level (I'm not directly involved with any of these organizations, but I am now a bit more familiar with these youth sports):

Virginia Elite (volleyball): https://www.vaelite.com/club-fees
Paramount (volleyball): https://www.paramountvbc.com/fees

Fairfax BRAVE (soccer): https://www.fairfaxbrave.org/about-brave/fees
McLean (soccer): https://mcleansoccer.org/registration-fees/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After a certain level or age most swimmers travel for meets

Not true if soccer or basketball, baseball etc

Rec soccer turns into the suburban friendship league which has as much travel as a low level travel team. The big difference is that anyone can sign up

I’m disappointed there is no rec league that continues for U10 and up …

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After a certain level or age most swimmers travel for meets

Not true if soccer or basketball, baseball etc

Rec soccer turns into the suburban friendship league which has as much travel as a low level travel team. The big difference is that anyone can sign up

I’m disappointed there is no rec league that continues for U10 and up …

Our rec league goes to u12. Then they play SFL which is a rec league. The "travel" is generally like from Herndon to Chantilly. Plus half the games are at home. It is definitely rec tho

[Anonymous]

Takoma soccer is also good enough.
As is SOTH

[Anonymous]

Overpriced bragging rights