Travel sports for elementary school kids worth pursuing?

[Anonymous]

http://www.amssm.org/overuse-injuries-and-burn-p-138.html?StartPos=

[Anonymous]

We hadn't planned to do it as early as we did, but my daughter really wanted "more soccer." She wanted more than 1 practice and 1 weekly game with a bunch of kids who were only semi-interested in the game, and coaches who were generally parents who hadn't played much themselves.

I knew that if she didn't try out the first year it was offered, when there were a bunch of slots, she'd be stuck trying out in later years against kids who were already in the travel system. Her chances wouldn't be that great in that scenario.

We love our rec team, though, so we are doing both travel and rec. Talk about madness. we do other non-soccer things during the summer and winter so she doesn't burn out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous[b wrote:]It's hard to make a travel team in middle school, though, when you are competing against kids that have had travel experience/instruction for 2-4 years.[/b]

It's not for everyone. Some people love it. There are lots of kids that try out for things like travel soccer a year earlier than they are even supposed to. To each their own.

This is the problem. Generally your kid won't make the travel team in late elementary or middle school if they haven't been playing travel since 3rd grade. If they're not playing travel they also
won't make their middle or high school teams (should they want to do that).
Of course there are athletic phenom outliers but it's generally hard to make up for 5 years of intense practice when you're 12 or 13.

I personally think this all stinks but it is what it is.

And then people wonder why kids stop playing sports as they get older.

They can still play rec leagues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We hadn't planned to do it as early as we did, but my daughter really wanted "more soccer." She wanted more than 1 practice and 1 weekly game with a bunch of kids who were only semi-interested in the game, and coaches who were generally parents who hadn't played much themselves.

I knew that if she didn't try out the first year it was offered, when there were a bunch of slots, she'd be stuck trying out in later years against kids who were already in the travel system. Her chances wouldn't be that great in that scenario.

We love our rec team, though, so we are doing both travel and rec. Talk about madness. we do other non-soccer things during the summer and winter so she doesn't burn out.

Sounds like a sensible approach, especially since soccer is an early specialization sport. You can wait until MS to start sports that don't require the same level of skills.

I personally think that burnout rarely, if ever, happens in cases where the kids are the ones choosing to be serious about a sport regardless of the age at which they start.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

This is actually why I wouldn't have my kid take the travel team path so early. Either my kid is a great athlete and they'll make the team in middle school or high school when it's the right time and developmentally appropriate. Or my kid is an average athlete and really why would I want them to spend their whole lives starting from when they're 8 years old playing one sport that they'll mostly never play again after high school. I'd rather have them learn an instrument or do a wider variety of activities. Evidence has shown that a lot of these kids get injuries too from overplaying at one sport too young.

Being a good athlete is fine and good, but that doesn't necessarily transfer to making a team. Technical skills, like ball handling don't just appear b/c the kid is a good athlete. He/she may learn faster, be in good shape, stronger, bigger, whatever, but if there are kids that have been juggling, learning to pull the ball back while running at full speed (and not lose it), bringing a ball out of the air and keeping it at their feet, etc. Those things tend to just get easier the more you do it. So, the kids that have been doing it for 3 years will have an advantage over someone who is "a good athlete". There are lots of good athletes out there.

And you are right about the overplaying injuries, but again, that may happen, it may not. I have kids that are in college now that played travel soccer for 9 years or more on top level teams, in addition to odp, etc, and never had a single injury. Well, anything that put them on a sideline. Sore quad muscle, sore groin muscle, etc., sure. But nothing major. Same for a lot of their friends.

Kids don't have to specialize. Two of my kids played multiple travel sports. Two of them played 2 sports for their high school team. One of them played three. No instruments, though.

Everyone makes decisions that they are comfortable with. No one is right or wrong.

[Anonymous]

If I had it to do over, I would have held off on travel sports and had my elementary children participate on teams that had classmates on them. You know the after school programs such as soccer and boy/girl scouts. Socially they were left out of a lot because their friendships were mostly with travel team kids. I would make a different decision today.

[Anonymous]

I can tell there are a lot of posters with younger kids here. You will be hard pressed to find kids on a middle or high school Team (what every grade kids begin getting cut) playing soccer, lacrosse, etc. . who have not played club for a few years. Things are very different from even a decade ago.

[Anonymous]

True, but if your DC is really talented in a sport it will show with just a year of two of travel, they don't need a resume.

[Anonymous]

This is actually why I wouldn't have my kid take the travel team path so early. Either my kid is a great athlete and they'll make the team in middle school or high school when it's the right time and developmentally appropriate. Or my kid is an average athlete and really why would I want them to spend their whole lives starting from when they're 8 years old playing one sport that they'll mostly never play again after high school. I'd rather have them learn an instrument or do a wider variety of activities. Evidence has shown that a lot of these kids get injuries too from overplaying at one sport too young.



Well, there's always the chance that your kid really loves the sport. For instance, I've tried everything to get my DS involved in other things. I've enrolled him in martial arts and guitar lessons (after already suffering through a miserable year on the trombone in 4th grade) and scouts and soccer and...all that really comes back is that he absolutely loves baseball. So, he gets to play baseball. He's good enough for travel so we do travel. We don't have visions of scholarships (especially with baseball) or the pros (especially with baseball) or, even really, high school (the competition in baseball is fierce). But he's doing an activity/ sport that he enjoys and he's making friends. So, it's worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Travel sports are a lifestyle choice.

Yep. A lifestyle choice parents force upon their kids.

I disagree, when you child start losing interest in an activity, no matter what it is, sports, band, chorus because they are not challenged because they coach to the worst kid on the team, it is time to get beyond parent coaching and be challenged.

The talent gap get larger around 4th grade and if a kid is not challenged they lose interest. A close friend's child was good, really good, she wasn't getting anything out of her weekly practices, her competitions were all wins, her coach suggested she move up and go to a higher level, she ended up with a full ride for chorus because she moved up and was challenged. It isn't just sports where kids are doing this it is in academics but because it is academics people think differently of the parents acting the same way as sports parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can see if a child is really talented but Even then, why push do hard early? When we were young we didn't even start formal sports until middle school. Now they are playing Football in third grade. Go figure

I started travel soccer in this area in 1980 and I'm a girl.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can see if a child is really talented but Even then, why push do hard early? When we were young we didn't even start formal sports until middle school. Now they are playing Football in third grade. Go figure

I started travel soccer in this area in 1980 and I'm a girl.

I was in 4th grade when travel started.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:True, but if your DC is really talented in a sport it will show with just a year of two of travel, they don't need a resume.

That means your elementary aged child would be on a travel team. It's also much more difficult to start travel after 9 or 10,'teams are set and your child is competing against kids who have been on travel for several years. My nine year old is definitely in the minority as a firstmyearmtravel player on his club and he is in third grade.

[Anonymous]

Totally depends on the child. For some of them it works well.

One of my DC started becoming obsessed (there is no other word for it) with his sport at about age 8. I was very glad travel was an option for that DC. It's been years now since DC started travel. He is still obsessed and still plays. We started him in travel when we saw him come home from his rec team practice and go back outside to practice more because he wanted to keep playing. I remember him arguing with me when he had pneumonia and a 103 degree fever that he could still go to practice when he was 9.

My other DC do rec, don't have any interest in travel, and prioritize their free time. They are also enjoying their sport (totally different sports) on their own terms. I guess if I'd had kids who were more like my other DC, I'd find travel incomprehensible, but I've seen both sides and I think it's good that there are both club and rec options available.

If your kid is only showing half-hearted interest, I'd do rec (or not do sports at all and just have free time). If your child is self-motivated and driven to play, do travel. It does not need to be complicated.

Also, when I was a child, my brothers started travel in second and third grade. I don't think elementary school travel teams are anything new.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous[b wrote:]It's hard to make a travel team in middle school, though, when you are competing against kids that have had travel experience/instruction for 2-4 years.[/b]

It's not for everyone. Some people love it. There are lots of kids that try out for things like travel soccer a year earlier than they are even supposed to. To each their own.

This is the problem. Generally your kid won't make the travel team in late elementary or middle school if they haven't been playing travel since 3rd grade. If they're not playing travel they also
won't make their middle or high school teams (should they want to do that).
Of course there are athletic phenom outliers but it's generally hard to make up for 5 years of intense practice when you're 12 or 13.

I personally think this all stinks but it is what it is.

This is actually why I wouldn't have my kid take the travel team path so early. Either my kid is a great athlete and they'll make the team in middle school or high school when it's the right time and developmentally appropriate. Or my kid is an average athlete and really why would I want them to spend their whole lives starting from when they're 8 years old playing one sport that they'll mostly never play again after high school. I'd rather have them learn an instrument or do a wider variety of activities. Evidence has shown that a lot of these kids get injuries too from overplaying at one sport too young.

Even a great athlete is unlikely to make a middle school team without travel team experience in certain sports, like lax or soccer.

But it sounds like sports aren't' that important to your kid. Some kids love the activity, the competition and being on a team. They are on a travel team because they enjoy it. If your kid prefers another activity, they should do that. No guarantee that will continue to do that into adulthood either. I haven't picked up a clarinet since fifth grade or ballet shoes since sixth.