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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Depends on how much she enjoys it. There are so many travel soccer teams. Unless she’s on the top one or two, she won’t play on the hs team. [/quote]

If you are organizing your 8 year old's life around playing on a high school sports team (do not do this), then just don't play soccer, or volleyball, or baseball, or probably a few other things. Maybe field hockey, softball, get into running young, try crew in middle school.

Planning "oh she has to make VARSITY" in elementary school is so odd to me, but it comes up on this board again and again. Maybe a 5th or 6th grader who loves a sport very much has a sense they want to play school sports. OK. But at 8?[/quote]

I didn’t see OP mention “varsity” - she’s really just looking for feedback on pushing a kid.  Now more than ever, [b]most successful athletes were pushed to some degree at younger ages[/b],  and their own drive takes over (or doesn’t) by ~ 12. It’s fine to try for success in sports. [/quote]

The bolded statement is not true.  Some parents do follow this model, many don’t.  A good example of the two approaches can be seen by looking at Tiger Woods (pushed) vs Roger Federer (not pushed).[/quote]

Roger Federer's parents enrolled him at TC Old Boys tennis school at 8 (same age as OP's daughter), and he was nationally successful by 12.  His parents are a good counter to Tiger's dad, but Federer's parents still actively supported him in elite training and competition at a young age.  [/quote]

At 8 years old in tennis you can see a child’s unique talent and drive and have them go to a professional school.  At 8 years old in soccer if the child is mediocre but enjoys it she is right where she belongs.   Be happy your child enjoys it and don’t ruin it. [/quote]

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