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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Our dds - 12 and 14 - do various rec sports. They are not amazing athletes, but they enjoy it, and there a range of players on their teams. People on here are quick to say there's no "middle ground" between club and rec- maybe the rec kids won't be making varsity, but rec absolutely is the middle ground IMO between playing at an intense level and not playing. The vast majority of kids are there because they want to be there, but they or their parents don't want the intensity. But many kids (and parents, as we see on this very thread) get caught up in the competitive culture we have and don't want to be in the "open for all" pool.

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My niece started occasionally playing basketball in 4th grade, no summer programs, no outside practice.  She played all four years in high school.  First year Jr Varsity, the next three years Varsity.  She is 5’10”, that helped, but you still need skill.

[b]There are kids in rec programs that will play varsity.  Talent is talent.[/b]  They would be the ones whose parents like that they have an activity but aren’t going to change their schedules to go club.

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Depends on the school, the sport, and the kid. There are high school players in our rec league (yes, I have a kid playing rec in high school) on varsity. We're a somewhat less in demand sport. But there are also girls who out of rec probably won't make varsity because they are at one of the big schools, or the schools where there's a huge concentration of club players vying for those varsity spots.

Though I will say - if you care about your kid getting to play a high school sport, maybe don't sign her up for U4 soccer, rec volleyball in 4th grade, or basketball. Try something with big rosters and less interest ;).[/quote]

Also a lot of kids don’t want to play high school sports   They like the no stress fun of rec games.  [/quote]

PP here. I wasn't arguing against that. But some people in these conversations act like the entire goal of their kids' childhood is to make the high school varsity team in their sport. If you care - there are options and ways. Just like it's easier in some ways to get a music degree in oboe than piano, because one instrument can only be practiced for a limited number of hours a day so the playing field is inherently more level.[/quote]

NP: I think it is also hard to predict what your kid will want, as they get older (as opposed to what you, the parent, want). For example, one of HS aged sons played a lot of sports as a kid (including some travel), loved it, but really was not all that interested in playing HS sports. This started to become clear in middle school. He played a year of JV in his main sport and then moved on to focus on other interests (music). My other son also loved sports as a kid, became very driven/motivated in his primary sport as he approached high school. Is doing well in that HS sport and wishes he’d stuck harder with a secondary sport (he cut way back on it in middle school and just played rec) he liked as well. He probably would’ve made the HS team in that sport if he had.

I think all you can do is encourage kids to try many sports during elementary school, and then follow their lead as they get a bit older. For a lot of team sports, some travel may be ultimately needed if they want to play in high school- but you can often hold off until they are approaching middle school age. They don’t necessarily need to start at age 8, just because others are. Also not all travel/club teams are equal. Some have lighter schedules and/or don’t actually “travel” very far.

I think most kids will ultimately figure out what they want to do, focus on & spend their time on. As a parent, all you can do is reevaluate every year and try to expose them to multiple sports when they are young. Eventually your kid will let you know where they want to go from there. [/quote]

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