How do you balance competing interests and overlapping sports' schedules?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are only doing private training for DD's three sports so we can set it up as a schedule that works for us. She guest plays in tournaments where possible for soccer, basketball and field hockey but we won't have her join any of the teams until late middle/early high school when it's time to get recruited in the two that she likes best that also don't overlap seasons in college.

This is sick

How is this beneficial to her in team sports? Where is she developing team camaraderie and sportsmanship? How will she ever excel in team sports if she has only had this perfect, concierge version of sports instead of working with a variety of coaches and teammates?

She usually guest plays with the same teams/clubs, but guest-playing in general means coming into contact with different coaches and players because she's not always with the same group. She is also starting to do several camps in the summer to be known by the college coaching staffs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are only doing private training for DD's three sports so we can set it up as a schedule that works for us. She guest plays in tournaments where possible for soccer, basketball and field hockey but we won't have her join any of the teams until late middle/early high school when it's time to get recruited in the two that she likes best that also don't overlap seasons in college.

This is sick

How is this beneficial to her in team sports? Where is she developing team camaraderie and sportsmanship? How will she ever excel in team sports if she has only had this perfect, concierge version of sports instead of working with a variety of coaches and teammates?

She usually guest plays with the same teams/clubs, but guest-playing in general means coming into contact with different coaches and players because she's not always with the same group. She is also starting to do several camps in the summer to be known by the college coaching staffs.

What basketball teams allow guest players for tournaments? How on earth does she know the plays?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are only doing private training for DD's three sports so we can set it up as a schedule that works for us. She guest plays in tournaments where possible for soccer, basketball and field hockey but we won't have her join any of the teams until late middle/early high school when it's time to get recruited in the two that she likes best that also don't overlap seasons in college.

This is sick

How is this beneficial to her in team sports? Where is she developing team camaraderie and sportsmanship? How will she ever excel in team sports if she has only had this perfect, concierge version of sports instead of working with a variety of coaches and teammates?

She usually guest plays with the same teams/clubs, but guest-playing in general means coming into contact with different coaches and players because she's not always with the same group. She is also starting to do several camps in the summer to be known by the college coaching staffs.

What basketball teams allow guest players for tournaments? How on earth does she know the plays?

Well for the ones she has played with multiple times we know further in advance if she will be playing and so we will try to attend a practice and of course she learns them during the course of playing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are only doing private training for DD's three sports so we can set it up as a schedule that works for us. She guest plays in tournaments where possible for soccer, basketball and field hockey but we won't have her join any of the teams until late middle/early high school when it's time to get recruited in the two that she likes best that also don't overlap seasons in college.

This is sick

How is this beneficial to her in team sports? Where is she developing team camaraderie and sportsmanship? How will she ever excel in team sports if she has only had this perfect, concierge version of sports instead of working with a variety of coaches and teammates?

She usually guest plays with the same teams/clubs, but guest-playing in general means coming into contact with different coaches and players because she's not always with the same group. She is also starting to do several camps in the summer to be known by the college coaching staffs.

What basketball teams allow guest players for tournaments? How on earth does she know the plays?

Well for the ones she has played with multiple times we know further in advance if she will be playing and so we will try to attend a practice and of course she learns them during the course of playing.

A practice? My middle school DD's team has a man defense, a man press, two zone presses, and two zone defenses. They have a base motion offense but another two they run against different zones. That's in addition to inbounds plays. If your daughter picks that up after a practice, she must have an amazing basketball IQ

[Anonymous]

I am struggling with this as well. I am trying to expose my kindergartener to different sports and I feel like I am tripping all over the place. It is frustrating that these sports are played in different seasons. I am struggling

[Anonymous]

We are in a similar position too. DS 9 does basketball, soccer and swimming and wants to do all. He also runs but that is seasonal. I’ve been nudging him to pick one main sport and to do the other two once a week. Soccer is twice a week and coach wants him to move to higher program which will be 3 times a week. Swimming also wants him to move up a level. I’m telling him it’s great that he is good at several sports but encouraging him to pick one main and he can switch later if he changes his mind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is similar and in high school now. Our rule was one year of travel overlap and then they have to choose. When there are no conflicts, they had to both choose and tell the coach that they were missing. It worked well enough, they ended up with one year round travel sport plus rec swimming in the summer, soccer and volleyball fall and spring and travel basketball year round. They play three sports in high school

How did the rec-level coaches handle it? We allow my son one travel sport and they compete about 9 months a year, which means we often have to miss rec-level games, and the coach and other parents seem annoyed. I really love the idea of multisport athletes but I feel ashamed to show my face at the rec-level games we can attend lately.

Rec rosters age huge. A no show means more playing time for other kids

This hasn’t been our experience. The rec families and coaches have been less than thrilled with DS’s attendance. He plays travel hockey on a team that travels nationally and rec/town lax.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am struggling with this as well. I am trying to expose my kindergartener to different sports and I feel like I am tripping all over the place. It is frustrating that these sports are played in different seasons. I am struggling

For Kindergarten, it’s good to expose your kid to multiple sports so DC can figure out which ones they like and are good at. You may get lucky and kid picks one or two but you may be like us where DC wants to do several and you have to help them select one or two. I think 4th grade is where you really need to narrow down the choices as many sports become 2 or 3 times a week at the higher levels.

[Anonymous]

Carpool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am struggling with this as well. I am trying to expose my kindergartener to different sports and I feel like I am tripping all over the place. It is frustrating that these sports are played in different seasons. I am struggling

For Kindergarten, it’s good to expose your kid to multiple sports so DC can figure out which ones they like and are good at. You may get lucky and kid picks one or two but you may be like us where DC wants to do several and you have to help them select one or two. I think 4th grade is where you really need to narrow down the choices as many sports become 2 or 3 times a week at the higher levels.

I agree about exposing them widely, but if they want to circle back and try a sport again that they didn't like as a first grade it may stick later.

[Anonymous]

You explain early on that they can’t do it all. Give choices and make them pick. I wouldn’t do any club year round sports in early elementary. There is time for that later. We fell for thay money grab once and dropped back.

By upper or mid elementary they can pick a club sport and stick with rec for the rest. We have told our kids no. We have to balance what they want to do with the family and our other children. We can’t spend all of our time driving one child to 100 practices each week at the expense of our other kids.