Reply to At what age do you have to go travel?

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[quote=Anonymous]There are a few ways to think about this:

1. Will your child be behind other kids if they don’t start more frequent practice in sport X by a certain age? This differs by sport. For example, I think most people acknowledge that age 12 is pretty late to go from rec level to a serious figure skater or gymnast. Whereas, other sports like field hockey or lacrosse allow later entry. If your child wants to be a serious figure skater, then yes, they should get started early. If they want to be a fencer, then they have more time.

2. Will your child be shut out of certain travel clubs if they don’t start by a certain age? Yes, it is easier to get into certain soccer teams, swim teams etc if they start earlier. Kids can certainly be good enough to join later, but they might be shut out because of all the kids who signed up earlier.

3. Will your kid not get the same level of instruction staying in rec vs travel? Yes that is likely. Rec coaches can be excellent, but they usually have kids who don’t want to be there, less skilled, or have other commitments so they often miss games/practice. Club teams have some disinterested kids, but on a whole, their parents are paying more for them to be there, so they show up.

All the posters who advised to let your kid have more time with rec sports and not to hurry to travel have a good point, but #2 above really throws a wrench into that plan. It is really frustrating to find yourself in the position of being shut out of programs. Find parents of kids who are a few years older and ask them about their experiences with travel and if they have any advice. 
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