Anonymous
Post 12/16/2024 10:10     Subject: Constant fear of being cut
I think it's a reasonable fear, especially as you get closer to high school. I've seen kids with not a lot of talent get picked just for size. You are teach the skills, but you can't make them grow. Unfortunately, there is nothing he can do about this.
Anonymous
Post 12/16/2024 09:57     Subject: Constant fear of being cut
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I’m seeing that now even with age 9. Coaches are prioritizing huge kids. Sometimes the parents are 5’2/5’6. They are just heavier or early bloomers. Jokes on them I guess.


+1

It starts earlier and earlier. Baffling.

My oldest DS was tallish as a child but then plateaued in middle school and was a very late bloomer- 5’3” 90lbs-ish? in 8th grade. Currently a junior & 6’ 1” but quit team sports 2yrs ago. A lot of the “big” early bloomers were fully grown in 8th grade and haven’t grown since- my DS is much larger than some of them now. But they get allll of the reps/playing time/spots on the top teams for years.

Not picking on early bloomers either. At all! I just wish that coaches would recognize the different growth patterns & show some patience and eye for development. Instead it tends to be “win win win. Today!” for so many.


Um shouldnr that be the strategy?


Should it? I think developing kids that top out at 7/8th grade is a horrible long term strategy.


Long term for what? A lot of teams get moved around every year. Nothing wrong with playing the kids who are the best at age 11 on a team for 11 year olds. Then re evaluating which kids are best at age 13 when it’s time for a team of 13 year olds. If a child is a standout athlete they will not get cut at age 11 for not hitting puberty yet because they will have excellent ball handling skills and be fast (thinking of soccer here). And if they are, they can find a different team that works for them.

I am a parent of 2 boys who are both small and NOT athletic , so, truly no horse in this game. My kids enjoy their rec teams.

Anonymous
Post 12/16/2024 09:52     Subject: Constant fear of being cut
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I’m seeing that now even with age 9. Coaches are prioritizing huge kids. Sometimes the parents are 5’2/5’6. They are just heavier or early bloomers. Jokes on them I guess.


+1

It starts earlier and earlier. Baffling.

My oldest DS was tallish as a child but then plateaued in middle school and was a very late bloomer- 5’3” 90lbs-ish? in 8th grade. Currently a junior & 6’ 1” but quit team sports 2yrs ago. A lot of the “big” early bloomers were fully grown in 8th grade and haven’t grown since- my DS is much larger than some of them now. But they get allll of the reps/playing time/spots on the top teams for years.

Not picking on early bloomers either. At all! I just wish that coaches would recognize the different growth patterns & show some patience and eye for development. Instead it tends to be “win win win. Today!” for so many.


Um shouldnr that be the strategy?


Should it? I think developing kids that top out at 7/8th grade is a horrible long term strategy.
Anonymous
Post 12/16/2024 09:39     Subject: Constant fear of being cut
I think in areas like the DMV coaches and organizations have the luxury of numbers so they aren’t forced to develop kids who are less physically mature and can pick kids for their teams based on size. Of course these teams wants to win and be competitive (as do the kids and families who sign up to play), but we’ve gotten so out of balance. My boys were right in the middle of the pack size wise so we were able to avoid a lot of this, but definitely saw kids get pushed out for size reasons earlier than they should have (pre-puberty) in baseball and basketball. These were highly engaged, solid athletes who got the later growth card.
Anonymous
Post 12/16/2024 07:18     Subject: Constant fear of being cut
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I’m seeing that now even with age 9. Coaches are prioritizing huge kids. Sometimes the parents are 5’2/5’6. They are just heavier or early bloomers. Jokes on them I guess.


+1

It starts earlier and earlier. Baffling.

My oldest DS was tallish as a child but then plateaued in middle school and was a very late bloomer- 5’3” 90lbs-ish? in 8th grade. Currently a junior & 6’ 1” but quit team sports 2yrs ago. A lot of the “big” early bloomers were fully grown in 8th grade and haven’t grown since- my DS is much larger than some of them now. But they get allll of the reps/playing time/spots on the top teams for years.

Not picking on early bloomers either. At all! I just wish that coaches would recognize the different growth patterns & show some patience and eye for development. Instead it tends to be “win win win. Today!” for so many.


Um shouldnr that be the strategy?
Anonymous
Post 12/16/2024 01:16     Subject: Constant fear of being cut
Anonymous wrote:I’m seeing that now even with age 9. Coaches are prioritizing huge kids. Sometimes the parents are 5’2/5’6. They are just heavier or early bloomers. Jokes on them I guess.


+1

It starts earlier and earlier. Baffling.

My oldest DS was tallish as a child but then plateaued in middle school and was a very late bloomer- 5’3” 90lbs-ish? in 8th grade. Currently a junior & 6’ 1” but quit team sports 2yrs ago. A lot of the “big” early bloomers were fully grown in 8th grade and haven’t grown since- my DS is much larger than some of them now. But they get allll of the reps/playing time/spots on the top teams for years.

Not picking on early bloomers either. At all! I just wish that coaches would recognize the different growth patterns & show some patience and eye for development. Instead it tends to be “win win win. Today!” for so many.
Anonymous
Post 12/15/2024 21:02     Subject: Constant fear of being cut
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I’m seeing that now even with age 9. Coaches are prioritizing huge kids. Sometimes the parents are 5’2/5’6. They are just heavier or early bloomers. Jokes on them I guess.


It's a really short-sighted approach in a lot of sports. One kid grows tall earlier than another, and the coaches put all their time and effort into that kid while ignoring the others. So even when others catch up in development, they have either quit out of frustration and boredom (because often they are being ignored by coaches and put into practices led by unqualified teenagers). Coaches lose out on potentially excellent athletes that way, and kids who could be really good never even get a chance. It's a sad state that youth sports are in today.


I know. I've sadly noticed this with the late bloomers, smaller kids and younger kids in my child's grade in third. Very sad indeed! Just develop everyone equally and wait until high school to start deciding this.
Anonymous
Post 12/15/2024 20:31     Subject: Constant fear of being cut
Anonymous wrote:I’m seeing that now even with age 9. Coaches are prioritizing huge kids. Sometimes the parents are 5’2/5’6. They are just heavier or early bloomers. Jokes on them I guess.


It's a really short-sighted approach in a lot of sports. One kid grows tall earlier than another, and the coaches put all their time and effort into that kid while ignoring the others. So even when others catch up in development, they have either quit out of frustration and boredom (because often they are being ignored by coaches and put into practices led by unqualified teenagers). Coaches lose out on potentially excellent athletes that way, and kids who could be really good never even get a chance. It's a sad state that youth sports are in today.
Anonymous
Post 12/15/2024 20:28     Subject: Constant fear of being cut
The absurd level of competitiveness at our high school is why DS quit the sport he'd done since he was 3 and refused to try out for anything else. It's all-cut every year, even for seniors. He ended up on the Rifle team. It's been great. No cuts, and anyone who practices enough has a good chance to compete. The downside is it's expensive, but so are a lot of other sports.
Anonymous
Post 12/15/2024 19:04     Subject: Constant fear of being cut
I’m seeing that now even with age 9. Coaches are prioritizing huge kids. Sometimes the parents are 5’2/5’6. They are just heavier or early bloomers. Jokes on them I guess.
Anonymous
Post 12/15/2024 18:16     Subject: Re:Constant fear of being cut
Definitely would not advise talking with the coach. What is there to discuss, really?

What sport?

Totally understand the concerns about size at this age- my son was a very late bloomer and it can definitely be an issue. Some coaches and organizations will be more patient/aware of puberty and growth issues than others, IME.
Anonymous
Post 12/15/2024 14:13     Subject: Constant fear of being cut
Anonymous wrote:Does your DC have constant anxiety about being cut from their team? If so, how have you helped them handle that?

Background—DS has always been one of the stronger players but he’s late to grow/go through puberty and is now feeling like he’s on the chopping block because of his size. He works hard outside of team stuff and coach plays him (and he does reasonably well), but after seeing some kids get cut last season who were of similar stature, DS is expressing a lot of concern around his future with the team. Ordinarily I’d suggest he needs to talk to the coach but it’s become clear that the head of the organization (who doesn’t know the boys well/have real relationships with the families) is calling the shots vis a vis team selection so not sure what good a talk with the coach would do. Switching teams would be very difficult at this time.


What sport is this?
Anonymous
Post 12/15/2024 11:50     Subject: Constant fear of being cut
Anonymous wrote:Does your DC have constant anxiety about being cut from their team? If so, how have you helped them handle that?

Background—DS has always been one of the stronger players but he’s late to grow/go through puberty and is now feeling like he’s on the chopping block because of his size. He works hard outside of team stuff and coach plays him (and he does reasonably well), but after seeing some kids get cut last season who were of similar stature, DS is expressing a lot of concern around his future with the team. Ordinarily I’d suggest he needs to talk to the coach but it’s become clear that the head of the organization (who doesn’t know the boys well/have real relationships with the families) is calling the shots vis a vis team selection so not sure what good a talk with the coach would do. Switching teams would be very difficult at this time.


There is a team for him somewhere.
Anonymous
Post 12/15/2024 08:42     Subject: Constant fear of being cut
Anonymous wrote:Does your DC have constant anxiety about being cut from their team? If so, how have you helped them handle that?

Background—DS has always been one of the stronger players but he’s late to grow/go through puberty and is now feeling like he’s on the chopping block because of his size. He works hard outside of team stuff and coach plays him (and he does reasonably well), but after seeing some kids get cut last season who were of similar stature, DS is expressing a lot of concern around his future with the team. Ordinarily I’d suggest he needs to talk to the coach but it’s become clear that the head of the organization (who doesn’t know the boys well/have real relationships with the families) is calling the shots vis a vis team selection so not sure what good a talk with the coach would do. Switching teams would be very difficult at this time.


I applaud your DS for putting in the work. At least, he won't look back and wonder what if he worked harder. My DD knows that she could be cut, but that's more of a demotivator for her - she will probably think it was inevitable even if she worked harder. I wish she had your DS's drive to improve rather than give up.
Anonymous
Post 12/15/2024 07:44     Subject: Constant fear of being cut
Does your DC have constant anxiety about being cut from their team? If so, how have you helped them handle that?

Background—DS has always been one of the stronger players but he’s late to grow/go through puberty and is now feeling like he’s on the chopping block because of his size. He works hard outside of team stuff and coach plays him (and he does reasonably well), but after seeing some kids get cut last season who were of similar stature, DS is expressing a lot of concern around his future with the team. Ordinarily I’d suggest he needs to talk to the coach but it’s become clear that the head of the organization (who doesn’t know the boys well/have real relationships with the families) is calling the shots vis a vis team selection so not sure what good a talk with the coach would do. Switching teams would be very difficult at this time.