Do travel/club sports always pay off?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For whatever it’s worth, club sports are an entry on the common application extracurriculars section. Your student reports hours spent etc and leadership roles there. It shows real commitment over time, much more so than the short high school season.

I don’t know if that helps or not, but it does have that “pay off”.

Absolutely not, but I think the OP is more focused on younger clubs to play in HS. Also doesn't pay off quite often unless the kid is motivated and playing a top level, because there are many places that will take your $$$ and say they play "club/travel".

OP here- yes, I am specifically asking about playing travel/club in order to make middle and high school teams.

Depends 100% on the specific school and the specific sport. Most sports are either no cut, or fairly easy to make at our HS. But we aren't at one of the striver/gunner type schools.

[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.

There is also an ego component and cliquey component for the parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

There is also an ego component and cliquey component for the parents.

That is so true!!

[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.

It definitely pays off in HS and nearly always helps with admission and scholarships to top universities.

[Anonymous]

In our large public high school in FCPS about 15 kids who've played travel baseball since elementary did not make the JV team as freshmen. An additional 30 or so that played little league/babe ruth (basically rec baseball) didn't make it. And there will be additional cuts from JV to varsity. Plus both JV and Varsity have about 25 kids each, at least half of which sit the bench the entire season. It's pretty brutal and a blow to kids who've been successfully playing on competitive travel teams to not get to play with their high school. It also stinks because, for baseball, travel baseball stops during the high school season, so you don't even have that group to play with til the summer season starts up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

It definitely pays off in HS and nearly always helps with admission and scholarships to top universities.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do all kids who play travel or club basketball end up making their middle or high school teams? I know many have been training for years to prepare, but does it ever happen that a player still doesn’t make the school team despite all the effort they’ve put in? Interested in basketball specifically. Thanks.

Unfortunately there is so much competition that many kids do fail to make the school team despite years of elementary club sports. Some of this is just genetic. It's not about past effort but about current strength and size.

[Anonymous]

Yes, they always pay off if you do them for the right reasons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, they always pay off if you do them for the right reasons.

Are you trying to imply that playing club/travel to prepare for high school team is not the right reason?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

It definitely pays off in HS and nearly always helps with admission and scholarships to top universities.

Universities don't value school sports over other activities except in the case of recruited athletes. A girl who played soccer but not well enough to be recruited is in no better position than a girl who did debate, all other factors being equal. That's why people need to be realistic about their kids' abilities and not put all their eggs in the sports basket.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, they always pay off if you do them for the right reasons.

Are you trying to imply that playing club/travel to prepare for high school team is not the right reason?

If parents signed a seven year old for pay to play sports without asking them and has taken it as a requirement for all those years, that the wrong reason.

The right reason is when the child loves the game. Whether the kid is athletically gifted and has everything needed to be a top player or a recreational player who loves his easy going games, it doesn’t matter. Thinking it is a big deal on a college application in ten years is not a good reason. It’s not even true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, they always pay off if you do them for the right reasons.

Are you trying to imply that playing club/travel to prepare for high school team is not the right reason?

If parents signed a seven year old for pay to play sports without asking them and has taken it as a requirement for all those years, that the wrong reason.

The right reason is when the child loves the game. Whether the kid is athletically gifted and has everything needed to be a top player or a recreational player who loves his easy going games, it doesn’t matter. Thinking it is a big deal on a college application in ten years is not a good reason. It’s not even true.

+1

IME, the kids who make the high school teams overwhelmingly have done travel. But it’s not because travel prepared them for the high school teams; it’s because the kind of kids who have the athleticism/skill + passion for the game WANT to play as much as they can, i.e. that’s WHY they played travel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do all kids who play travel or club basketball end up making their middle or high school teams? I know many have been training for years to prepare, but does it ever happen that a player still doesn’t make the school team despite all the effort they’ve put in? Interested in basketball specifically. Thanks.

Unfortunately there is so much competition that many kids do fail to make the school team despite years of elementary club sports. Some of this is just genetic. It's not about past effort but about current strength and size.

+1

It really depends on the school, but at large competitive HS programs, it can be challenging. There are only so many spots. Also (IMO) things often change quite a bit during/after puberty- size, speed, athleticism etc. A good reason to encourage multiple activities for as long as possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

It definitely pays off in HS and nearly always helps with admission and scholarships to top universities.

No. Everyone thinks their kid is going to be a recruited athlete or even professional. Travel is practically a necessity to play in HS, but it’s no guarantee. And people need to consider their sports, look at the number of football scholarships vs baseball. Participate in travel if your kid absolutely loves their sport. Support them as you do in all endeavors. But don’t ever count on your kid being a recruited athlete or pro.