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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]

This is actually why I wouldn't have my kid take the travel team path so early.  Either my kid is a great athlete and they'll make the team in middle school or high school when it's the right time and developmentally appropriate.  Or my kid is an average athlete and really why would I want them to spend their whole lives starting from when they're 8 years old playing one sport that they'll mostly never play again after high school.  I'd rather have them learn an instrument or do a wider variety of activities.  Evidence has shown that a lot of these kids get injuries too from overplaying at one sport too young.

[/quote]

Being a good athlete is fine and good, but that doesn't necessarily transfer to making a team.  Technical skills, like ball handling don't just appear b/c the kid is a good athlete.  He/she may learn faster, be in good shape, stronger, bigger, whatever, but if there are kids that have been juggling, learning to pull the ball back while running at full speed (and not lose it), bringing a ball out of the air and keeping it at their feet, etc.  Those things tend to just get easier the more you do it.  So, the kids that have been doing it for 3 years will have an advantage over someone who is "a good athlete".  There are lots of good athletes out there.

And you are right about the overplaying injuries, but again, that may happen, it may not.  I have kids that are in college now that played travel soccer for 9 years or more on top level teams, in addition to odp, etc, and never had a single injury.  Well, anything that put them on a sideline.  Sore quad muscle, sore groin muscle, etc., sure.  But nothing major.  Same for a lot of their friends.

Kids don't have to specialize.  Two of my kids played multiple travel sports.  Two of them played 2 sports for their high school team.  One of them played three.   No instruments, though.

Everyone makes decisions that they are comfortable with.  No one is right or wrong.[/quote]

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