Do travel/club sports always pay off?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I also think there’s a status or ego component for kids playing on competitive club teams. The more elite the team, the higher the perceived status at school. So the goal may not be to make the school teams even though it might appear that way.

Yes, at our large public, the soccer coaches ask for the team kids play on as part of the application. And then have 100+ kids at tryouts. The kids who make it are all on the "top" teams, because that is who the coaches are focusing on. Multiple mostly immigrant kids (but also others whose parents didn't have the time or money for the top teams) who are very good but don't have the resume don't make it. No sour grapes for me - our kid is on one of those teams and did make the team. But that is what I hear and what DS says as well - that some amazing players didn't really get looked at seriously.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here- we are at a competitive public. Most boys who are playing club basketball are doing it in order to make middle and high school teams. I am sure they all love the sport and have fun as well, but their parents and the kids goal is to make the middle and high school teams.

Not sure about middle school, but I also have a kid at a large, very competitive high school. All of the kids who made the freshman basketball team that I can think of played travel basketball. Only one made JV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That’s an interesting way of thinking. It might be a fraction of how they pay off, but sports pay off in myriad other ways.

I am confused as to whether you know the difference between rec and club. Do you not differentiate between the two?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A lot of travel/club sports are rec in disguise because those programs have been gutted. High level is probably worth the price tag, but there are many clubs cashing huge checks for barely rec programming. So, my final answer is YMMV.

What does this mean? What rec programs were gutted?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A lot of travel/club sports are rec in disguise because those programs have been gutted. High level is probably worth the price tag, but there are many clubs cashing huge checks for barely rec programming. So, my final answer is YMMV.

What happened to the rec programs? I noticed there aren’t many for my HS DD who wants to play volleyball, but I thought that was due to low demand. I could see how the girls are either high level enough to make HS and club teams, or they get discouraged and quit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A lot of travel/club sports are rec in disguise because those programs have been gutted. High level is probably worth the price tag, but there are many clubs cashing huge checks for barely rec programming. So, my final answer is YMMV.

What does this mean? What rec programs were gutted?

This could be a whole different thread. Essentially all the resources go towards low level travel/club (this is very sport dependent though) who charge fees substantially higher than local rec programs. The only people left in rec have 0 buy in often have trouble even fielding teams week to week. In the not so distant past, you had a decent variety of players (including some very talented ones) still playing rec to try different sports. That's all but gone now in most areas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do all kids who play travel or club basketball end up making their middle or high school teams?

No. Travel sports are a money grab. My DD plays volleyball and we refuse to do travel, she practiced serving and hitting alone in the backyard and is better than other kids on her team who play travel.

None of them - my DD or the other kids - will make the high school team.

[Anonymous]

So basically to have a shot at making the middle/high school basketball teams one has to first be able to make the best/elite club team?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NO! Not at Williamsburg MS and YHS in Arlington! Its nuts.

This is a wealthy area where a large amount of kids are on travel teams. It would be impossible to let every kid on club/AAU join the teams.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So basically to have a shot at making the middle/high school basketball teams one has to first be able to make the best/elite club team?

That's overstating it depending on the school, but yes a lot of kids are putting in a lot of work in one specific area. It's hard to compete against someone playing 10-11/months a year at a high level vs. just doing it for one season for a rec program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A lot of travel/club sports are rec in disguise because those programs have been gutted. High level is probably worth the price tag, but there are many clubs cashing huge checks for barely rec programming. So, my final answer is YMMV.

What does this mean? What rec programs were gutted?

This could be a whole different thread. Essentially all the resources go towards low level travel/club (this is very sport dependent though) who charge fees substantially higher than local rec programs. The only people left in rec have 0 buy in often have trouble even fielding teams week to week. In the not so distant past, you had a decent variety of players (including some very talented ones) still playing rec to try different sports. That's all but gone now in most areas.

Yep. Everyone wants to be able to say they do travel so rec suffers. Low level travel is basically rec level play but with more time commitments and $. DS just wanted to play rec soccer, not his main sport, just to basically have what would have been pick up games 30 years ago. Did rec all through elementary school. In middle school, even though it was rec (not low level travel), we had to travel all over the DMV for games. He quit the next year because he wasn’t looking to spend that much time on soccer.

[Anonymous]

Whether your DC will make a team in HS really depends on local competition. If they have enough kids to pick from travel teams, they'll do so. Obviously if someone plays travel, they're more likely to be better than someone who does not. That said, if your kid is good and the coach is honest, they'll make the team in HS. My DS's HS has a coach who looks at all kids and is fair, he obviously knows who plays club and himself trains younger club kids (HS coaches are not allowed to coach age group), but looks at the skill and potential. The basketball team on the other hand is a complete mess.

[Anonymous]

* My DS's HS soccer coach

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kids shouldn't be doing it for it to "pay off". They should do it to have fun.

What a weird comment. Trying to call someone out but you just sound foolish.

This is like telling a strong musician that her private lessons to try to get into an orchestra should really just be for funsies.

NP but it’s not weird or foolish. Not every kid plays travel sports in order to make HS or college teams.

[Anonymous]

I definitely see this. Kids switching club teams in order to make the most elite teams signaling to other kids that they are now better than them. Also, they do private coaching and tons of extra skills training besides the elite teams practice and games. So it does take a lot of time, effort and commitment to actually be good enough to make the high school team.