s/o How do kids on travel teams get everything done

[Anonymous]

This is NOT a snarky post. Just curious how 'scholar-athletes' get it all done. Obviously, they are incredibly talented. Also, have a supportive family. What are the supports necessary to pull it off? How do families with siblings in multiple sports? When does homework and studying get done once the child is at MS/HS level? Families with kids in aftercare or demanding heavy work travel, what do you need to make it happen? What about meals/snacks - when do you cook?

I would love to hear how other families are pulling this off. Our late elementary DS just got on to a travel soccer team for the fall and the proposed schedule is very daunting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is NOT a snarky post. Just curious how 'scholar-athletes' get it all done. Obviously, they are incredibly talented. Also, have a supportive family. What are the supports necessary to pull it off? How do families with siblings in multiple sports? When does homework and studying get done once the child is at MS/HS level? Families with kids in aftercare or demanding heavy work travel, what do you need to make it happen? What about meals/snacks - when do you cook?

I would love to hear how other families are pulling this off. Our late elementary DS just got on to a travel soccer team for the fall and the proposed schedule is very daunting.

may i rant first? kinda loath these travel teams. some have great coaches and others kick the kid who may not have had a great season to the curb for the next new kid. coaches claim they know about kids, yet they clearly do not have their development or well being in mind.

that said, try to arrange car pools. explain to kid that school work is priority and must be done. buy a mobile wifi in order kid can study in car, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is NOT a snarky post. Just curious how 'scholar-athletes' get it all done. Obviously, they are incredibly talented. Also, have a supportive family. What are the supports necessary to pull it off? How do families with siblings in multiple sports? When does homework and studying get done once the child is at MS/HS level? Families with kids in aftercare or demanding heavy work travel, what do you need to make it happen? What about meals/snacks - when do you cook?

I would love to hear how other families are pulling this off. Our late elementary DS just got on to a travel soccer team for the fall and the proposed schedule is very daunting.

may i rant first? kinda loath these travel teams. some have great coaches and others kick the kid who may not have had a great season to the curb for the next new kid. coaches claim they know about kids, yet they clearly do not have their development or well being in mind.

that said, try to arrange car pools. explain to kid that school work is priority and must be done. buy a mobile wifi in order kid can study in car, etc.

+100 There are hundreds of "travel" teams now and they have truly become meaningless, even as they set completely unrealistic expectations for "athletes" and, even more so, their ridiculous parents. "Travel" teams and "clubs" have ruined sports for kids. Please stop supporting this nonsense. I did--but not until it was too late to realize how much of our lives we wasted on it.

[Anonymous]

Travel Sports actually helped our DD learn good time management skills. Her grades always came first and she figured out how to manage her schedule to get it all done. In fact, she was well prepared for managing her time in MS and HS. She had no desire to play her sport in college but loved playing with kids who shared the commitment level and competitive mindset. She was able to make her HS team and enjoyed every second of it. The kids she played with on her travel team and HS team were all very high academic performers as well as athletes.

[Anonymous]

IME, the kids tend to be very organized and self motivated. They are the type of kids who are doing their homework before anything else. They don't procrastinate. They take big projects and break them down into small manageable pieces. As a parent, I am completely uninvolved in school matters because I'm not needed.

[Anonymous]

I'm afraid my kid does better when he's busy. When he has free time, he watches netflix and sleeps in. But in his busy season, he is so efficient and putting his mind to a project to finish it quickly and get to the next thing. True of many adults (including me) so I get it.

Plus, he loves his activities so he is motivated to get it all done.

[Anonymous]

My son is very smart and it doesn't take him long to do homework as he doesn't put forth much effort. Math takes him a few minutes, writing takes 30 minutes at most, he never studies for tests. Since he won't spend more time on his homework, travel sports fill the time that he would normally bury himself in videos.

[Anonymous]

Our travel team is not a big deal, practice two - three evenings a week and a game on Sundays. plus it is exercise!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our travel team is not a big deal, practice two - three evenings a week and a game on Sundays. plus it is exercise!

Do you work or leave work early? Is your kid in aftercare?

This is what our travel teams are proposing and it seems like a lot. We just spent a year of getting home at or after 8pm 2 weeknights/week and it truly sucked for our elementary aged child's ability to have family dinners/eat/do homework.

[Anonymous]

When my DDs were in grades 3 through 6, they were on travel, and they managed it well and it really improved their skill level. I wouldn't say their academics suffered but there were a few nights when the older one did have to stay up very late.

We were living in NoVA at the time, but just temporarily, and my biggest frustration is that we did not get to drive/fly to places near DC that we are unlikely to make a destination when living on the west coast. (Charleston, Montreal etc). Oh but we've seen every gym in Northern VA and Bethesda. LOL

As a tangent, (window into your future), now my kids are older and one is entering high school this fall, and the JV requirements for the sport are 11 months of the year, no Thanksgiving or Christmas off (you do get spring break, thanks!). Depending on the time of year, she'll be practicing 3 to SIX times a week and missing the late bus so I'd have to pick her up.

So here is the analysis: She is a very good player, but not going to be a recruit for college, so she decided to not do JV because it's clear it will totally impact her GPA. This is the right decision IMO.

I'm saddened that kids' sports has gone to this level that someone who loves her sport has to decide to leave it.

And btw she likes other sports, what happened to the fall sport/winter sport/spring sport concept? These coaches are specialized in one sport, so not incented to have your kid play multiple...nope, they want your kid on their sport, 11 months of the year. So my DD can't even choose another sport in the school.

She is now coming home early, running, and has a weight workout. She is much happier and much of the teen snarkiness has suddenly disappeared because she's just not so stressed out, and has time to walk the dog and be a kid before getting to her homework.

My younger DD is extremely good at her sport and is actually one of the few who may be a recruit. I am not sure how we will handle this when she has to make the decision in a few years. Because you can go down that recruit path, but one injury and you get dropped as a recruit, and then you are left with the GPA that you compromised for your sport.

[Anonymous]

At older ages kids learn to do work in the car and hotels if trips are involved. Less free time but survived

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son is very smart and it doesn't take him long to do homework as he doesn't put forth much effort. Math takes him a few minutes, writing takes 30 minutes at most, he never studies for tests. Since he won't spend more time on his homework, travel sports fill the time that he would normally bury himself in videos.

OP here. My kid is headed to a MS magnet program, where the homework expectations are greater (so I've heard). I'm worried that the quality of his work, done in the back of the car, hotel rooms etc will not be his best work. He thrives on being busy as well. It is not clear whether he is recruit material. He may have a better shot at college based on his wits rather than his athleticism.

We'd like to give it a shot and support him as much as we can.

[Anonymous]

Ok soccer is extremely hard as a mane to get recruited for I'd let that idea go for now

[Anonymous]

Male

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son is very smart and it doesn't take him long to do homework as he doesn't put forth much effort. Math takes him a few minutes, writing takes 30 minutes at most, he never studies for tests. Since he won't spend more time on his homework, travel sports fill the time that he would normally bury himself in videos.

OP here. My kid is headed to a MS magnet program, where the homework expectations are greater (so I've heard). I'm worried that the quality of his work, done in the back of the car, hotel rooms etc will not be his best work. He thrives on being busy as well. It is not clear whether he is recruit material. He may have a better shot at college based on his wits rather than his athleticism.

We'd like to give it a shot and support him as much as we can.

Why would you put a 6th grader in a magnet and a travel team? SOOOOO over the top. He will live in a car or a bus. Zero social life. Over the top expectations for such a young age.