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Thank you all for the information you've shared. I'm so relieved to hear that there possible options for her. And @retiredref...thank you for the great info on what to look for to help find her the best options for her situation. My hope is that she'll come to love the game again, and your advice will go a long way toward that.
Thanks again, all!
Thanks again, all!
DD played travel for a number of years. A variety of factors--some in her control, some not--caused her to eventually lose her love of the game, and she quit at that point.
A few things have changed in the last year or so, and she's showing some signs of being interested in playing again (including saying she'd consider it when I asked). If she decides she wants to try travel, she's missed tryouts for the year. Her current circumstances (sorry to be vague) mean that she wouldn't even be able to try out or play until the beginning of the school year, after late-summer practices have started. She's headed into her Junior year, so if she really wants to play, not finding a team this year would be really disappointing.
Anyway, here are a few pieces of the puzzle I'm hoping to navigate:
- She's not really interested in playing on her HS team, as she used to play on travel w/ some of those girls, and would hate it if she didn't make the varsity team with them.
- While she played at several different levels, she finished at the top-level team. However, there were extenuating circumstances, and it really wasn't the best fit for her skill level. Some of the issues with her skills are no longer a factor, so she may be a better player now. That said, she hasn't played for a while, and could be comparatively worse.
- Given that, I don't know if travel (on a lower-level team) is even possible. I'm hoping so, but is that even realistic? And by the upper high school age, are do clubs even have lower-level teams?
- I'm at a loss for other options. Rec doesn't seem like it would be "enough" for her, both in terms of excitement/competition and in terms of practice schedule. My sense is there isn't much of a middle ground for older kids between rec and travel, but if anyone knows of anything, I'd love to hear about it.
Thanks in advance for any thoughts you can offer!
A few things have changed in the last year or so, and she's showing some signs of being interested in playing again (including saying she'd consider it when I asked). If she decides she wants to try travel, she's missed tryouts for the year. Her current circumstances (sorry to be vague) mean that she wouldn't even be able to try out or play until the beginning of the school year, after late-summer practices have started. She's headed into her Junior year, so if she really wants to play, not finding a team this year would be really disappointing.
Anyway, here are a few pieces of the puzzle I'm hoping to navigate:
- She's not really interested in playing on her HS team, as she used to play on travel w/ some of those girls, and would hate it if she didn't make the varsity team with them.
- While she played at several different levels, she finished at the top-level team. However, there were extenuating circumstances, and it really wasn't the best fit for her skill level. Some of the issues with her skills are no longer a factor, so she may be a better player now. That said, she hasn't played for a while, and could be comparatively worse.
- Given that, I don't know if travel (on a lower-level team) is even possible. I'm hoping so, but is that even realistic? And by the upper high school age, are do clubs even have lower-level teams?
- I'm at a loss for other options. Rec doesn't seem like it would be "enough" for her, both in terms of excitement/competition and in terms of practice schedule. My sense is there isn't much of a middle ground for older kids between rec and travel, but if anyone knows of anything, I'd love to hear about it.
Thanks in advance for any thoughts you can offer!