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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]What is the mindset of parents who sign their pre-teens up for intense travel sports?  Are they trying to keep up with the Jones'?  Hoping their kid will get a baseball scholarship?  Hoping their kid will be the next David Beckham?  I just don't understand the appeal of an entire family sacrificing all of their weekend and weeknight time to these leagues.  Patrice's multiple night s a week sometimes an hour away from home, tournaments lasting all weekend long four hours away, how do so many parents get sucked in?[/quote]

Without reading any posts after this one and getting sucked into flame wars, OP I will say that the main reason people do this is because they really truly believe their kid has a shot at becoming a pro athlete or an Olympian. At least that has been my experience with friends and my kids' friends. I don't think people do it to keep up with the Joneses because most of the Joneses don't do travel sports. I agree that for 99% of families it's not a good investment of their time or money, but some people don't put a price on dreams or their kids' happiness. It's not my business.[/quote]

Your friends are not typical. Most absolutely are keeping up with the Joneses so their kid has some social capital and so they have a shot at making a HS team. Most do not believe their kid will go pro or be an Olympian. [/quote]

My current friends who do travel sports and intense private coaching are probably not typical.  Some even homeschool to put sports first. I admire their dedication and their optimism, but I think it's a gamble, and with my own kids I don't put all my eggs in the sports basket.

I don't really associate with a lot of keeping up with the Joneses type people any more. I found they add nothing to my life. [/quote]

My friend's daughter did online middle and high school while figure skating competitively. Although she didn't make it to the Olympics, she was nationally competitive and did some collegiate skating. She still got into her first-choice college and is now applying for an advanced degree. I don't think she negatively views the years she trained and did online school. [/quote]

I don't see how you can necessarily come to that conclusion.  Andre Agassi absolutely detested his upbringing and the life of a kid that wants to become a pro tennis player.

He detested it so much that he basically forbid his kids (BTW, these are Stephie Graff's kids as well) from pursuing tennis competitively and directed them to true team sports like soccer and baseball.  His kid may still play (but may have graduated) for the USC baseball team.[/quote]

I'm just speculating, but the fact that she still shows up for a freestyle on summer breaks, teaches a bit and occasionally competes in college suggests she still loves the sport even though she's no longer trying to qualify for national/international competitions.  I concede that there are probably more Andre Agassi stories than stories like my friend's daughter.  Unlike Andre Agessi's parents, my friend and her husband were level-headed parents. [/quote]

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