Author Topic: competitive little kid sports (Read 62099 times)

Institutional Control · « **Reply #25 on:** August 21, 2020, 01:18:11 PM »

As someone who has been attending cheer competitions for the past 8 years I don't have any sympathy for someone sitting thru a baseball/softball tournament. On a cheer weekend, my daughter's team will compete for a total of 6 minutes (3 minutes on Sat. and 3 minutes on Sunday) and I will spend no less than 10 hours at the competition. There are annual trips to Atlanta, Indianapolis and Orlando.

Last year, she broke her hand, and I went through all that above to watch her stand in the back of the stage with a cast on her hand.

chum1 · « **Reply #26 on:** August 21, 2020, 01:22:22 PM »

I don't usually sit there and watch when my kid isn't out there.

Institutional Control · « **Reply #27 on:** August 21, 2020, 01:24:02 PM »

Quote from: chum1 on August 21, 2020, 01:22:22 PM

I don't usually sit there and watch when my kid isn't out there.

My daughter has to be at the competition 2 hours before they go on the mat. And then on the second day we have to hang around for the awards ceremony.

MakeItRain · « **Reply #28 on:** August 21, 2020, 02:07:52 PM »

Popular topic, were olds, lol.

I don't see any value to playing travel sports at that age. They certainly aren't getting any sustainable instructional advantage. At that age reps and building love of the sport and being around the team are the most important things they can get. My now 11 year old played rec soccer from 4-9, I coached her and she had fun playing and with her teammates. Last year we had her playing travel soccer. Professional coaches, individual instruction, uniforms even for practices, but she hated it. This very well may be different for girls than boys, but because of the pressure of always having to compete for your spot the social aspect of the team wasn't nearly as close. Also those travel teams have a high burn out rate. She is back to rec soccer this year. I just need to make sure she loves the sport enough to play when she gets to high school.

steve dave · « **Reply #29 on:** August 21, 2020, 02:17:58 PM »

Good stuff guys, thanks

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MakeItRain · « **Reply #30 on:** August 21, 2020, 02:21:06 PM »

Pay for play youth sports is in the top 5 of things I'd reform about America if I were the king.

Brock Landers · « **Reply #31 on:** August 21, 2020, 03:32:05 PM »

Agree with MIR and others. Travelling teams for 7 year olds is insane. They are barely learning basic fundamentals at that age and were probably playing T ball 1 or 2 years prior.

A married couple that I'm friends with basically vanished off the face of the planet for a few years while they took their daughter all over the midwest for travel teams. Between gymnastics/dance and softball it was year round for them. One of them always had a crappy part time job in the evenings to help pay for the expenses so forget about getting to socialize with them. Of course the daughter eventually got sick of it all and quit in her junior year. It's too bad because she was good at softball and could have easily had some scholarships.

meow meow · « **Reply #32 on:** August 21, 2020, 03:44:29 PM »

Quote from: MakeItRain on August 21, 2020, 02:07:52 PM

Popular topic, were olds, lol.

I don't see any value to playing travel sports at that age. They certainly aren't getting any sustainable instructional advantage. At that age reps and building love of the sport and being around the team are the most important things they can get. My now 11 year old played rec soccer from 4-9, I coached her and she had fun playing and with her teammates. Last year we had her playing travel soccer. Professional coaches, individual instruction, uniforms even for practices, but she hated it. This very well may be different for girls than boys, but because of the pressure of always having to compete for your spot the social aspect of the team wasn't nearly as close. Also those travel teams have a high burn out rate. She is back to rec soccer this year. I just need to make sure she loves the sport enough to play when she gets to high school.

agree on a lot of these points. i think it depends on what coach you get. my niece is in the same academy as my daughter and hated her coach last year, i saw who the coach was at tryouts this year and i can see why. my daughter's coach has an entirely different demeanor, and she has 3 other girls from a prior team on her team, so she's getting the fun social side, and they are already learning more than their previous parent coach was teaching them. it's definitely a hard decision, my hometown was smaller than steve dave's so wasn't something i had to deal with growing up. i think if they want to do it, and you have the $ and time, let them do it.

gatoveintisiete · « **Reply #33 on:** August 21, 2020, 04:04:06 PM »

travel team tip
1. why does your team have to travel? is it because your team can't find good competition locally? If you live in a reasonably populated city quit stacking your team with all the talent.

This will save everyone lots of time and money.

Don't tell me about how good lil weirdo is, if he needs more exposure in high school take him to some perfect game showcases.

MakeItRain · « **Reply #34 on:** August 21, 2020, 04:09:58 PM »

I also grew up in a small town and I'm old so I didn't even play organized sports until Babe Ruth baseball, summer after either 7th or 8th grade. My playing sports before that were neighborhood games of baseball, football, basketball, and soccer. We'd play baseball for hours, sometimes 2 on 2 until dark. So kids even play backyard/sandlot baseball anymore? Dead serious, is it a thing? My son is 1 and my daughters hate baseball. We can't even get the kids to play pickup basketball or soccer. We have a 60x35 yard field in our backyard and we're hosted one game and the boys quit because the girls were beating their asses.

michigancat · « **Reply #35 on:** August 21, 2020, 04:16:39 PM »

I never played sandlot baseball when I was a kid. When I coached basketball and soccer I tried to get the kids to play pickup, but it was a hassle because kids had such rigid schedules and parents today of letting their kids walk to the park solo

Dr Rick Daris · « **Reply #36 on:** August 21, 2020, 05:24:59 PM »

I have two boys. One has played a ton of sports included traveling baseball his whole life and the other one played only one year of tball when he was in kindergarten. Why is that? One wanted to play all those different sports and the other absolutely did not. So here’s a hot take- if your kid wants to do competitive baseball and is good enough and you have the money and think it would be a decent time, then let him. If any of those things aren’t true then don’t.

Also and for a million reasons, yes to multiple sports if sports are something he’s kind of into.

Pete · « **Reply #37 on:** August 21, 2020, 05:47:17 PM »

Quote from: Dr Rick Daris on August 21, 2020, 05:24:59 PM

I have two boys. One has played a ton of sports included traveling baseball his whole life and the other one played only one year of tball when he was in kindergarten. Why is that? One wanted to play all those different sports and the other absolutely did not. So here’s a hot take- if your kid wants to do competitive baseball and is good enough and you have the money and think it would be a decent time, then let him. If any of those things aren’t true then don’t.

Also and for a million reasons, yes to multiple sports if sports are something he’s kind of into.

Mostly, I agree with Rick. But, I guess I'd just add that if one kid is super into an activity that requires way more investment and time from parents than the other kid, just watch out for building future resentments in the other kid who might feel neglected despite all the while saying "i'm cool with it."

Pete · « **Reply #38 on:** August 21, 2020, 05:50:47 PM »

I should add that I know that RD and his wife are NOT that way, but some "sporty" families are criminal how they treat the kid who simply doesn't like sports. I've seen some really sad cases.

Pete · « **Reply #39 on:** August 21, 2020, 05:51:58 PM »

Also, also, for me personally as a person, travel team ball and having to talk to travel team dads is a fate worse than death itself. go cats.

Institutional Control · « **Reply #40 on:** August 21, 2020, 06:00:42 PM »

Man, I feel bad for RD’s neglected child.

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steve dave · « **Reply #41 on:** August 21, 2020, 06:18:05 PM »

As someone who knows RDs family you shouldn’t feel bad for anyone there. Go cats.

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wetwillie · « **Reply #42 on:** August 21, 2020, 08:13:38 PM »

Traveling as in you have to go to Chicago or traveling as in you just play a crap ton of tournaments in Omaha and KC? My son is in an academy system in the KC metro and just played in a league in OP and we played about 5 or 6 tournaments around the Metro. My parents used to follow my brother all over the damn country playing baseball it was nuts.

steve dave · « **Reply #43 on:** August 21, 2020, 08:31:25 PM »

Quote from: wetwillie on August 21, 2020, 08:13:38 PM

Traveling as in you have to go to Chicago or traveling as in you just play a crap ton of tournaments in Omaha and KC? My son is in an academy system in the KC metro and just played in a league in OP and we played about 5 or 6 tournaments around the Metro. My parents used to follow my brother all over the damn country playing baseball it was nuts.

Tournaments in Omaha is not traveling as I live here. Traveling to KC is traveling. I think ours is mostly the Omaha/KC/Des Moin (sp) and surrounding areas but not sure.

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michigancat · « **Reply #44 on:** August 21, 2020, 08:44:33 PM »

Quote from: steve dave on August 21, 2020, 08:31:25 PM

Quote from: wetwillie on August 21, 2020, 08:13:38 PM
Traveling as in you have to go to Chicago or traveling as in you just play a crap ton of tournaments in Omaha and KC? My son is in an academy system in the KC metro and just played in a league in OP and we played about 5 or 6 tournaments around the Metro. My parents used to follow my brother all over the damn country playing baseball it was nuts.
Tournaments in Omaha is not traveling as I live here. Traveling to KC is traveling. I think ours is mostly the Omaha/KC/Des Moin (sp) and surrounding areas but not sure.

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I didn't realize kids that young traveled that far for baseball. fwiw, I know you're committed if he makes the team, but I don't think you would be doing him a disservice if you told him he had to stick to the local leagues for a season or two. Especially considering he's only been into it for a few months.

steve dave · « **Reply #45 on:** August 21, 2020, 08:53:49 PM »

He’s played awhile now but not every single day we have to be out doing BP and me hitting him grounders and all that. He even watches every single royals game and has told me he’s an Astros fan despite everyone hating them and him having hung out with George Brett a dozen times. He’s just got the fever which may pass in a week for all I know. I sucked crap at baseball so it’s not genetics.

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michigancat · « **Reply #46 on:** August 21, 2020, 08:58:57 PM »

Quote from: steve dave on August 21, 2020, 08:53:49 PM

He’s played awhile now but not every single day we have to be out doing BP and me hitting him grounders and all that. He even watches every single royals game and has told me he’s an Astros fan despite everyone hating them and him having hung out with George Brett a dozen times.

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That sounds awesome, so why change it up? It sounds way better than hauling him to a professional coach a few times a week who will just be throwing him bp and hitting him grounders instead of you.

steve dave · « **Reply #47 on:** August 21, 2020, 09:01:32 PM »

Quote from: michigancat on August 21, 2020, 08:58:57 PM

Quote from: steve dave on August 21, 2020, 08:53:49 PM
He’s played awhile now but not every single day we have to be out doing BP and me hitting him grounders and all that. He even watches every single royals game and has told me he’s an Astros fan despite everyone hating them and him having hung out with George Brett a dozen times.

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That sounds awesome, so why change it up? It sounds way better than hauling him to a professional coach a few times a week who will just be throwing him bp and hitting him grounders instead of you.

yeah, it's awesome now. I have FOMO.

KST8FAN · « **Reply #48 on:** August 21, 2020, 10:16:56 PM »

Keep hitting him grounder and throwing BP to him SD. When I was coaching the coaches I listened to said kids under 10 should be 2;1 practice to games. Unfortunately we have become tournament crazy.

You can hit him and a couple kids grounders and simulate game situations and he gets 25-30 reps. Or you can drive to Des Moines and maybe see him field 5 balls in a weekend.

Tom

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michigancat · « **Reply #49 on:** August 21, 2020, 10:25:26 PM »

Des Moines weekends will always be there with money from you and drive from little SD but playing catch with dad will not