Not OP, but wouldn't it be better for the future of the country if instead of encouraging your kids to compete and use all of their energy for something that is highly probable to be nothing more than a hobby in their lives, you have them learn to be aggressive and competitive academics and voracious readers? Just saying, studying is a learned skill. A PP asked how we use our weekends if not travel sports...um, our kid in elementary school is learning a second language, going to museums, reading...things that will make a difference to them and to our country.

We did not go that route when DS was younger, but he’s doing travel baseball this summer because he wants to play in college. I’m not thrilled with my plans revolving around his team’s schedule, but he’s enjoying the experience and feels his pitching has improved significantly. Academics will come first when it comes to choosing a college, and there are a lot of excellent schools with D3 programs that might work for him.

Our team doesn't travel that much- so maybe we don't meet the definition of a true travel team. We tend to play 3-4 tournaments a season but most are within a 90 min drive. We don't want to keep playing the same teams over and over again so we try to go a little further to escape that.

Honestly, my kid gets most excited by big out of town tournaments. He loves it. The hotel, the downtime with teammates, the unknown competition, etc. You play a tournament at Patriot Park North and it's the same teams we play in regular NVTBL season games. Fine competition but it gets boring.

What do you and your family do on the weekends, OP? Simple question.

No expectation here of college sports at all. If it leads there I would be pleasantly surprised but I know it’s very, very unlikely. And that’s fine.

I have kids that do travel. It is 1-2 flights per season h and then 2-3 trips that are Richmond, VA Beach, VA Tech, etc. But these trips are much fun for my kids, to hang out in a hotel room with their teammates. And it’s fun for us and the other parents too. We enjoy spending time together and we enjoy watching our kids compete.

Anonymous wrote:I don't know about others but for us it is quite simple. Our kid loves her sport and we love our kid.
She has too much skill to play rec level as it is frustrating for her. The travel level provides her with the challenge she craves.
She sets the pace and as her parents we want to support her. Nothing more, nothing less.

This. I used to mock travel parents too and actively tried to avoid it, but my kids are driven and wanted this.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know about others but for us it is quite simple. Our kid loves her sport and we love our kid.
She has too much skill to play rec level as it is frustrating for her. The travel level provides her with the challenge she craves.
She sets the pace and as her parents we want to support her. Nothing more, nothing less.

The dc metro area has a ton of the same level players as your kid—why does she need to travel to Delaware and North Carolina when there are players around here at her level? I get not wanting to do rec, but why do the “travel” teams have to travel so far they need hotels? You are ALL leaving the area when you can play each other here.

+1 to the pp. what you write is true re soccer so that kid plays most local. Not true for hockey, so we have to travel. We don't control the system. We just sign up for the options available to us. I am definitely a hesitant participant and if my hockey kid quit tomorrow, I'd be thrilled, but he loves it, so there is that.

The parents I know on our clubs ECNL 2012 team are almost all prior college athletes. There’s probably an expectation that their kids will play something in college too.

OP. Can I ask why you care? It's not for you. Are you even into sports? Is your kid into sports? Some travel is 15 minutes away. Others 5 hours. Depends on the sport, league and the level.

What are you into and what is your child into. Follow those paths.

Anonymous wrote:I don't know about others but for us it is quite simple. Our kid loves her sport and we love our kid.
She has too much skill to play rec level as it is frustrating for her. The travel level provides her with the challenge she craves.
She sets the pace and as her parents we want to support her. Nothing more, nothing less.

The dc metro area has a ton of the same level players as your kid—why does she need to travel to Delaware and North Carolina when there are players around here at her level? I get not wanting to do rec, but why do the “travel” teams have to travel so far they need hotels? You are ALL leaving the area when you can play each other here.

As a family we like sport and competition. Even as an adult I still compete in a league which has levels and some travel. Travel sports is also a more set time for practices. We know the coach and the players and the days and times of practices.

Parents are living vicariously through he kid

I don't know about others but for us it is quite simple. Our kid loves her sport and we love our kid.
She has too much skill to play rec level as it is frustrating for her. The travel level provides her with the challenge she craves.
She sets the pace and as her parents we want to support her. Nothing more, nothing less.

Sorry, can’t explain, at a very important life altering 9u soccer tournament.

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?