Anonymous
Post 04/03/2024 07:46     Subject: How much is too much for kids sports?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I would not. I think it’s a bad idea for kids to specialize so much at that age, mentally and physically.


Sometimes it can't be helped. I tried to involve my daughter in other sports. And what did she do? Spent all of soccer or softball practice doing cartwheels in the outfield or a roundoff before she would kick or pick up the ball. She knows what she wants to do in a way a lot of other kids don't. Some kids are dabblers, and some have an innate interest for a particular activity. It may wane or change over time, but so far everything else has been a waste of time, so this is what we do. She also goes 3x a week and would go every day if they would let her.


I understand a kid’s drive. I have that kid. They asked her to try out for the competition team at 6, she has talent and loves it. I didn’t think it was good for her, or our family, so we declined. Especially for gymnastics, I wouldn’t do it. If a kid has that intense competition/perfectionist drive, it’s not a healthy environment for them. If they don’t have that, rec level should be enough. We moved my daughter up to a harder class with bigger girls, but that is not the huge time commitment. There’s a middle ground.

To each their own but OP asked for opinions and I would vote no.
Anonymous
Post 04/03/2024 06:43     Subject: How much is too much for kids sports?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My daughter has made the team for a sport that she has been doing for many years. She currently does 4 hours of practice a week right now. Practice will be 3 days a week for 3 hours at a time (Mon, Tues, Thursday from 5-8.) She is only 9, currently in 3rd grade. This would be for next school year. Skipping practice is highly discouraged plus travel competitions. This is going to put a strain on our family, miss family dinners, etc. She really wants to do it, and I am actually discouraging it - this isn't a parent living through their kid.

Would you let your kid do it for something they have worked very hard for?


What sport makes a 9 year old practice 3 hours a day 3 times a week besides gymnastics swimming


OP here. It is one of those two.


It’s gymnastics. Just have her do it recreationally or she is on a fast track to ruining her body.


+1. OP, why did you let her try out for the team if you’re not willing to support her? At this point I’d say let her do the team or find an acceptable alternative that she’s excited about. Good news for you is gymnastics is not a lifelong sport and lots of girls decide to switch to other sports once they hit puberty.
Anonymous
Post 04/03/2024 06:31     Subject: How much is too much for kids sports?
My kids are older and family dinners are going to be difficult soon enough, even with rec sports since many will start practicing multiple times per week. I would not agree to travel tournaments and hotels at age 9 but plenty do. For us, it always depended on how long the commitment was, if we could afford it and if we were willing to do the driving.

I had one in an an intensive schedule at an early age because he really wanted it but it was all local travel. We made it work. The 5pm practice 3 times per week will be tough if you work.
Anonymous
Post 04/02/2024 22:38     Subject: How much is too much for kids sports?
Anonymous wrote:I would not. I think it’s a bad idea for kids to specialize so much at that age, mentally and physically.


Sometimes it can't be helped. I tried to involve my daughter in other sports. And what did she do? Spent all of soccer or softball practice doing cartwheels in the outfield or a roundoff before she would kick or pick up the ball. She knows what she wants to do in a way a lot of other kids don't. Some kids are dabblers, and some have an innate interest for a particular activity. It may wane or change over time, but so far everything else has been a waste of time, so this is what we do. She also goes 3x a week and would go every day if they would let her.
Anonymous
Post 04/02/2024 22:32     Subject: How much is too much for kids sports?
Anonymous wrote:My son is in gymnastics. Current 9 hours a week, moving to 12 this summer. He loves it so we do it. It has been great and given him a lot of confidence. If he wasn't 100000% into it I wouldn't do it because it is a lot of work. But it's the only thing he has ever cared about.


Oh I will add. I do not kind the travel. We make weekend trips out of it and go hiking or to museums so basically it allows us to have a mini vacation every month. I love it.
Anonymous
Post 04/02/2024 22:31     Subject: How much is too much for kids sports?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I have a gymnast and it's a hard decision. I'm coming from the perspective of parenting a kid like my daughter who simply doesn't want to do any other sport even though she's been encouraged to try. Gymnastics is it for her, period. If yours is open to trying other things, I'd lean in on that.

If switching sports isn't a possibility, you could always delay competing for another year or two but you might not be able to delay at the same gym, depending on how full the pre-team is, coaches whims, etc. Also, ageism is a risk - your DD is the perfect age for Level 3 or 4 now, but some gyms are more welcoming to older beginners than others. So it might be worth having a conversation with her coach to see what your options are.

If the travel is a bigger problem than the hours, you could look around for another team that doesn't travel as much or as far, or consider doing Xcel (lower hours, less travel) instead of developmental.

Something else to consider is that some/many kids hit a mental wall around middle school age and start to be scared of skills they've done their entire lives. ex: For a period of time in 6th grade, my daughter refused to do any sort of backwards tumbling at all, just balked whenever she attempted anything, even a simple back handspring. She got over it eventually but she lost time where she should have been learning new skills so it set her back and she repeated the same level the next season. So as kids get older and heavier and taller, they can start to realize that what they're doing is scary. That's why coaches try to get kids through the lower levels as quickly as possible before the dreaded mental blocks start to kick in.


OPs daughter may very well be in the Xcel program which is more recreational. All these downsides are less relevant.


True. 9 hours per week with lots of travel for a kid newly promoted to “the team” just sounds more like Level 3 than Xcel Silver to me but it’s possible. Either way, travel is travel no matter what program she’s competing. If 9 hours at age 9 is too much (and it’s actually very common in gymnastics, for better or worse— I’m not defending it), OP should look ahead at the practice schedules for the levels above because that’s what the future would look like.


But she’s 9. Not 6 making the team for the first time. What was she doing previously at the gym?


Probably preteam? Many gyms aren't competing kids in levels 1 or 2. A 9 year old new level 3 is very, very normal.


Either way, she's 9. If this is what she wants to do I don't think 9 hours is that much. There's a lot of standing around, stretching, and socializing at gymnastics it's not like they are running laps for 3 hours.
Anonymous
Post 04/02/2024 22:30     Subject: How much is too much for kids sports?
My son is in gymnastics. Current 9 hours a week, moving to 12 this summer. He loves it so we do it. It has been great and given him a lot of confidence. If he wasn't 100000% into it I wouldn't do it because it is a lot of work. But it's the only thing he has ever cared about.
Anonymous
Post 04/02/2024 21:52     Subject: How much is too much for kids sports?
I would not. I think it’s a bad idea for kids to specialize so much at that age, mentally and physically.
Anonymous
Post 04/02/2024 21:23     Subject: How much is too much for kids sports?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I have a gymnast and it's a hard decision. I'm coming from the perspective of parenting a kid like my daughter who simply doesn't want to do any other sport even though she's been encouraged to try. Gymnastics is it for her, period. If yours is open to trying other things, I'd lean in on that.

If switching sports isn't a possibility, you could always delay competing for another year or two but you might not be able to delay at the same gym, depending on how full the pre-team is, coaches whims, etc. Also, ageism is a risk - your DD is the perfect age for Level 3 or 4 now, but some gyms are more welcoming to older beginners than others. So it might be worth having a conversation with her coach to see what your options are.

If the travel is a bigger problem than the hours, you could look around for another team that doesn't travel as much or as far, or consider doing Xcel (lower hours, less travel) instead of developmental.

Something else to consider is that some/many kids hit a mental wall around middle school age and start to be scared of skills they've done their entire lives. ex: For a period of time in 6th grade, my daughter refused to do any sort of backwards tumbling at all, just balked whenever she attempted anything, even a simple back handspring. She got over it eventually but she lost time where she should have been learning new skills so it set her back and she repeated the same level the next season. So as kids get older and heavier and taller, they can start to realize that what they're doing is scary. That's why coaches try to get kids through the lower levels as quickly as possible before the dreaded mental blocks start to kick in.


OPs daughter may very well be in the Xcel program which is more recreational. All these downsides are less relevant.


True. 9 hours per week with lots of travel for a kid newly promoted to “the team” just sounds more like Level 3 than Xcel Silver to me but it’s possible. Either way, travel is travel no matter what program she’s competing. If 9 hours at age 9 is too much (and it’s actually very common in gymnastics, for better or worse— I’m not defending it), OP should look ahead at the practice schedules for the levels above because that’s what the future would look like.


But she’s 9. Not 6 making the team for the first time. What was she doing previously at the gym?


Probably preteam? Many gyms aren't competing kids in levels 1 or 2. A 9 year old new level 3 is very, very normal.
Anonymous
Post 04/02/2024 20:54     Subject: How much is too much for kids sports?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:No. We don't let our kids do team sports for this reason. A third grader doing 12 hours a week and traveling? No.


Ironically, the sports OP named were both individual sports. No team sports are pushing 9 year olds that hard


Travel soccer


Wrong.

Anonymous
Post 04/02/2024 20:51     Subject: How much is too much for kids sports?
Also, you need to worry about their academics. Are they growing their vocabulary, following structured writing techniques, advancing with mental math and pre-algebra? You can do a lot of other things with 9 hours plus the weekend. I
Anonymous
Post 04/02/2024 20:44     Subject: How much is too much for kids sports?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:No. We don't let our kids do team sports for this reason. A third grader doing 12 hours a week and traveling? No.


Ironically, the sports OP named were both individual sports. No team sports are pushing 9 year olds that hard


Travel soccer

Travel baseball has entered the chat.


With the right mix of coach, families, and a passionate kid it can be wonderful. It can also drain your will to live. It was great for my son. I loved it most of the time but we did have a toxic period with a sick coach and that was a misery.
Anonymous
Post 04/02/2024 20:19     Subject: How much is too much for kids sports?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I have a gymnast and it's a hard decision. I'm coming from the perspective of parenting a kid like my daughter who simply doesn't want to do any other sport even though she's been encouraged to try. Gymnastics is it for her, period. If yours is open to trying other things, I'd lean in on that.

If switching sports isn't a possibility, you could always delay competing for another year or two but you might not be able to delay at the same gym, depending on how full the pre-team is, coaches whims, etc. Also, ageism is a risk - your DD is the perfect age for Level 3 or 4 now, but some gyms are more welcoming to older beginners than others. So it might be worth having a conversation with her coach to see what your options are.

If the travel is a bigger problem than the hours, you could look around for another team that doesn't travel as much or as far, or consider doing Xcel (lower hours, less travel) instead of developmental.

Something else to consider is that some/many kids hit a mental wall around middle school age and start to be scared of skills they've done their entire lives. ex: For a period of time in 6th grade, my daughter refused to do any sort of backwards tumbling at all, just balked whenever she attempted anything, even a simple back handspring. She got over it eventually but she lost time where she should have been learning new skills so it set her back and she repeated the same level the next season. So as kids get older and heavier and taller, they can start to realize that what they're doing is scary. That's why coaches try to get kids through the lower levels as quickly as possible before the dreaded mental blocks start to kick in.


OPs daughter may very well be in the Xcel program which is more recreational. All these downsides are less relevant.


True. 9 hours per week with lots of travel for a kid newly promoted to “the team” just sounds more like Level 3 than Xcel Silver to me but it’s possible. Either way, travel is travel no matter what program she’s competing. If 9 hours at age 9 is too much (and it’s actually very common in gymnastics, for better or worse— I’m not defending it), OP should look ahead at the practice schedules for the levels above because that’s what the future would look like.


But she’s 9. Not 6 making the team for the first time. What was she doing previously at the gym?
Anonymous
Post 04/02/2024 20:13     Subject: How much is too much for kids sports?
If you do it, it becomes a lifestyle. Lots of people do it. But, your daughter will be hanging out at the gym for 3 hours every other night. That’s a fact. And your weekends will be travel involved to get her to competitions. My relative loved it but the rest of the family did not.
Anonymous
Post 04/02/2024 20:09     Subject: How much is too much for kids sports?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I have a gymnast and it's a hard decision. I'm coming from the perspective of parenting a kid like my daughter who simply doesn't want to do any other sport even though she's been encouraged to try. Gymnastics is it for her, period. If yours is open to trying other things, I'd lean in on that.

If switching sports isn't a possibility, you could always delay competing for another year or two but you might not be able to delay at the same gym, depending on how full the pre-team is, coaches whims, etc. Also, ageism is a risk - your DD is the perfect age for Level 3 or 4 now, but some gyms are more welcoming to older beginners than others. So it might be worth having a conversation with her coach to see what your options are.

If the travel is a bigger problem than the hours, you could look around for another team that doesn't travel as much or as far, or consider doing Xcel (lower hours, less travel) instead of developmental.

Something else to consider is that some/many kids hit a mental wall around middle school age and start to be scared of skills they've done their entire lives. ex: For a period of time in 6th grade, my daughter refused to do any sort of backwards tumbling at all, just balked whenever she attempted anything, even a simple back handspring. She got over it eventually but she lost time where she should have been learning new skills so it set her back and she repeated the same level the next season. So as kids get older and heavier and taller, they can start to realize that what they're doing is scary. That's why coaches try to get kids through the lower levels as quickly as possible before the dreaded mental blocks start to kick in.


OPs daughter may very well be in the Xcel program which is more recreational. All these downsides are less relevant.


True. 9 hours per week with lots of travel for a kid newly promoted to “the team” just sounds more like Level 3 than Xcel Silver to me but it’s possible. Either way, travel is travel no matter what program she’s competing. If 9 hours at age 9 is too much (and it’s actually very common in gymnastics, for better or worse— I’m not defending it), OP should look ahead at the practice schedules for the levels above because that’s what the future would look like.