I was thinking about this same question for my MS soccer playing daughter when she gets to HS. A teammate on her team has an older sister who made varsity soccer team as a freshman but played 0 minutes for the year. Parents thought it would have been better to play on the JV team, get minutes and if varsity team was short on players for a game, can get called up for individual games instead of sitting on the bench the whole HS season.

My daughter and the younger sister will start high school next year. Do we tell the coach, we prefer our girls to be on JV if they get selected for varsity?

Anonymous wrote:I feel for these kids as they age. All the damage that is being done it’s going to be painful for them in their 30s.

I’ve come across too many kids (under 16) with torn ACL in the last 3 years. When did this become the norm? Some advocacy group needs to start sounding the alarm on this because it is unfair to these kids.

I haven’t been in high school for over 20 years. There were lots of kids with torn ACLs in high school back then. This is not a new thing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is the goal to play DI-DIII level and later professionally?

In their dreams

I see posts like this all the time and I wonder what motivates them.

It's like non-sports parents imagine that their kids work super hard no idea where they stand and then get to 12th grade and are shocked that they can't play even d3 for college.

Many of the kids who are playing at the level being described in this thread know exactly how college recruiting works and exactly what their chances are because they have seen older teammates recruited, they are being actively contacted by coaches, and they have college coaches at their games and practices.

I am OP and my kid is not an idiot. I have a talented kid who is tall and knows how to hustle. My guess is that if he played year round and made bball his #1 priority he could find a college to play at.

He isn’t delusional enough to think that if he turns down varsity and other things that option will exist. He has made the choice, he’d still like to play JV if that’s possible.

Just tryout. If he gets pulled up to varsity, don’t accept the spot. He can play Rec instead. He may very well likely just be asked to play JV. I think you are overthinking this. Wait to see if it actually happens before worrying about it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another article talking about the harm from sports specialization at a young age:
https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/specialties/sports-medicine/sports-medicine-articles/kids-sports-injuries-the-numbers-are-impressive

I believe it, and agree with it- I think most people do. The problem is: without early specialization, a kid will not make any teams in high school. Volleyball, soccer, basketball, baseball/softball, golf, tennis….the only kids that make the teams have played extensive travel/club or had intensive lessons/training. With very very few exceptions. If you don’t specialize by middle school or so, the only available sports will be football, wrestling, cross country and track. So most focus seriously on one sport only, and maybe play rec for others.

I’d love for things to be different but short of banning travel sports (ha! I wish) I don’t see anything changing. Trying to bravely buck the trend etc will just leave your kid with few or no sports options at all.

You’re spot on. Unfortunately this is how it is in my town as well. Numbers wise it seems like it shouldn’t be but it is. There were 90 girls out for 30 (varsity + JV) volleyball spots. Unless you’re playing on the top local club team for your age group, you don’t have a chance. Similar numbers are true for girls soccer and basketball. I’m not as familiar with the boys side but would guess it’s the same.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is the goal to play DI-DIII level and later professionally?

In their dreams

I see posts like this all the time and I wonder what motivates them.

It's like non-sports parents imagine that their kids work super hard no idea where they stand and then get to 12th grade and are shocked that they can't play even d3 for college.

Many of the kids who are playing at the level being described in this thread know exactly how college recruiting works and exactly what their chances are because they have seen older teammates recruited, they are being actively contacted by coaches, and they have college coaches at their games and practices.

I am OP and my kid is not an idiot. I have a talented kid who is tall and knows how to hustle. My guess is that if he played year round and made bball his #1 priority he could find a college to play at.

He isn’t delusional enough to think that if he turns down varsity and other things that option will exist. He has made the choice, he’d still like to play JV if that’s possible.

He should try out, make whatever team he makes and if he wants to step down to JV have a conversation with the Coaches. Nobody can say how the coaches will react. They may work with him or ostracize him. Your son should be prepared for both outcomes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is the goal to play DI-DIII level and later professionally?

In their dreams

I see posts like this all the time and I wonder what motivates them.

It's like non-sports parents imagine that their kids work super hard no idea where they stand and then get to 12th grade and are shocked that they can't play even d3 for college.

Many of the kids who are playing at the level being described in this thread know exactly how college recruiting works and exactly what their chances are because they have seen older teammates recruited, they are being actively contacted by coaches, and they have college coaches at their games and practices.

I am OP and my kid is not an idiot. I have a talented kid who is tall and knows how to hustle. My guess is that if he played year round and made bball his #1 priority he could find a college to play at.

He isn’t delusional enough to think that if he turns down varsity and other things that option will exist. He has made the choice, he’d still like to play JV if that’s possible.

I was responding to the “In their dreams” poster. Your question was fine.

I feel for these kids as they age. All the damage that is being done it’s going to be painful for them in their 30s.

I’ve come across too many kids (under 16) with torn ACL in the last 3 years. When did this become the norm? Some advocacy group needs to start sounding the alarm on this because it is unfair to these kids.

Anonymous wrote:Another article talking about the harm from sports specialization at a young age:
https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/specialties/sports-medicine/sports-medicine-articles/kids-sports-injuries-the-numbers-are-impressive

I believe it, and agree with it- I think most people do. The problem is: without early specialization, a kid will not make any teams in high school. Volleyball, soccer, basketball, baseball/softball, golf, tennis….the only kids that make the teams have played extensive travel/club or had intensive lessons/training. With very very few exceptions. If you don’t specialize by middle school or so, the only available sports will be football, wrestling, cross country and track. So most focus seriously on one sport only, and maybe play rec for others.

I’d love for things to be different but short of banning travel sports (ha! I wish) I don’t see anything changing. Trying to bravely buck the trend etc will just leave your kid with few or no sports options at all.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is the goal to play DI-DIII level and later professionally?

In their dreams

I see posts like this all the time and I wonder what motivates them.

It's like non-sports parents imagine that their kids work super hard no idea where they stand and then get to 12th grade and are shocked that they can't play even d3 for college.

Many of the kids who are playing at the level being described in this thread know exactly how college recruiting works and exactly what their chances are because they have seen older teammates recruited, they are being actively contacted by coaches, and they have college coaches at their games and practices.

I am OP and my kid is not an idiot. I have a talented kid who is tall and knows how to hustle. My guess is that if he played year round and made bball his #1 priority he could find a college to play at.

He isn’t delusional enough to think that if he turns down varsity and other things that option will exist. He has made the choice, he’d still like to play JV if that’s possible.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is the goal to play DI-DIII level and later professionally?

In their dreams

I see posts like this all the time and I wonder what motivates them.

It's like non-sports parents imagine that their kids work super hard no idea where they stand and then get to 12th grade and are shocked that they can't play even d3 for college.

Many of the kids who are playing at the level being described in this thread know exactly how college recruiting works and exactly what their chances are because they have seen older teammates recruited, they are being actively contacted by coaches, and they have college coaches at their games and practices.

Anonymous wrote:That is insane. So kids can’t have a primary sport, a secondary sport and participate in theater at your kids school?

It is totally insane. It used to be four seasons, four sports. And time to do a few other things.

Now it's four seasons, one sport. And no time for anything else.

When it becomes to basketball, all of the MCPS high schools are like this. And most of the privates. St. Albans even. And for sure St. Johns, DeMatha, Gonzaga, Sidwell, Bullis, Landon.

And most players have mediocre grades because there's no time for anything else. The opportunity cost of playing varsity basketball - and probably a few other sports like soccer, baseball, football, lacrosse at some schools, even crew - has become far too high. Unless you really need that athletic scholarship and you're good enough to get one, varsity sports in the DMV is not worth it for the vast, vast majority of players. In basketball, you can at least do low key AAU or club for the fun of it.

Cross-country and track seem to be the only somewhat balanced place for athletes.

Have a runner and a bball player. Can see the difference.

But yes, we ruined high school varsity sports. Cultivate the nerd, not the jock.

Another article talking about the harm from sports specialization at a young age:
https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/specialties/sports-medicine/sports-medicine-articles/kids-sports-injuries-the-numbers-are-impressive

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents are saying that HS and even MS kids have to act like they are professional athletes (play one sport year round) if they want to play varsity. The uptick is youth sport injuries makes perfect sense now.

My kid was told by multiple coaches starting in MS "You have to think of this as a job, not as fun. You're competing with kids who are going to do this for a living. If that's not you, you shouldn't be doing it." It was really sad and crazy. Everyone who coached/trained him had played professionally, so that was 100% the mindset.

Parents are feeding this nonsense. There is nothing wrong having a main sport and playing others for fun in the off-season. This notion that there isn't really an offseason is crazy to me. The rise in directly related to sports specialization and year round participation in young athletes.

https://www.uclahealth.org/news/injuries-among-youth-athletes-are-on-the-rise-but-why

This thread is off the wall.
I don't know what sport you are talking about but at our very large, very competitive public there are definitely a number of kids who only tried out for JV.
I'm thinking of one kid in particular who was really really good but would have been benched on varsity because there were two others who played his position on varsity who were not only even better but older.
Played the whole time on JV and was made captain.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Crazy how petty and vindictive these coaches are.
Is the JV squad working as hard as the squad?

I don’t think the coaches are being petty. His interest lies elsewhere so why waste a spot on him? If he turns down varsity this year he most likely won’t even be considered for varsity next year.

It's HIGH SCHOOL, not the NCAA. Why does HS have to be treated as such these days?

It doesn’t. But there are usually far more talented kids that want to play for their HS team than slots. So if one kid isn’t interested, what is wrong with moving on to another kid who is.