From the article: FAQs About Youth Sports and Travel Teams
Youth sports have changed tremendously in the last twenty years. Many young athletes now hone their skills through groups known as travel teams or select teams. Some believe that this level of competition puts too much stress on young athletes. Many parents and grandparents who have shared this experience with their children or grandchildren see it as a unique opportunity to build skills, character and family ties. Have you had experience with travel teams or select teams? Share your insights! Share Your Experiences
I like It!
- My sons play tournament baseball, and we all have enjoyed it as a family. The teams they are on do not travel very much and only play in local tournaments. We might play in 8 tournaments during the season from spring until the summer. As a parent I like my boys playing tournament baseball because they get a lot more out of it. When they played Rec. baseball they were more advanced than the other kids and were not getting anything out of it. They have expressed they like tournament baseball better because of the competition level and I like it because they are getting quality coaching. We don't play Rec. baseball anymore just tournaments.
- —Guest msplayer
The sports I love
- I am 13 and play on a 14U travel baseball team. I also play on a recreation soccer team. My dad coaches the baseball team and he is so hard on me. I'm about ready to quit the team and play middle and high school soccer instead of baseball. Even though I'm really good at baseball, I'm starting not to like it the more I play it. And I am in love with soccer and I'm ready to try out for a travel team. What should I tell my parents?
- —Guest Bsballplayer
Travel Softball
- My 11-year-old daughter played travel softball this past summer, and our family really enjoyed it. There was a healthy balance of competition and support, and while not all the girls got equal playing time, the coaches were careful to give everyone game opportunities. I also felt that even though my daughter felt the pressure to perform well, she was never overwhelmed by this feeling, and it did not diminish her enjoyment of the sport. The coaches, of course, were excited for well-executed plays in the field and successful at-bats, but were also highly supportive and encouraging when the girls didn't perform as well. My daughter also learned a lot more about the game than she did from the rec league, and her playing improved tremendously. I was also really impressed by how supportive the rest of the team parents were of their daughters and of the program. I know we were lucky, though, because we did unfortunately sometimes see less-than-stellar behavior from coaches and parents of other teams.
- —Guest Isochrona
Thoughts from a D1 athlete
- While you do have a point with many families in sports, what about the kid whose drive and passion is 100%? As a parent of three self motivated athletes I only try to be supportive. The time and money spent are well worth it.
- —Guest ScMom
Select Team VS REC League
- My son will be turning 6 yrs old in 2 weeks and was just selected to be on a 7U baseball team in St.Louis. He has played baseball for almost 3 yrs up one level to just to play organized. He started at the age of 4 on a 5U team. 5 on 6U & 7U last fall. This fall he is 6 playing on a 7U select tea. When will he want to play with his own grade level or when will that level be good enough? I want him to learn and have fun. Are there ways to check the coaches out or the team? Thanks! A careful parent
- —Guest z06lang
Be Careful
- I agree with "thoughts from a D1 Athlete" Our 12 year old daughter began playing softball 18 months ago and has gone from zero to travel in that time span. We recognized early that she has the physical makeup to play this game in college (she is already 5'6" and SOLID) but still has a LONG way to go. I was also a D1 athlete and I come from a family of athletes; I have two close cousins that played major league baseball, one that played in the NFL, several relatives that played college, etc. and there is one thing that there is no substitute for.....PHYSICAL ABILITY. During tryouts this last weekend, I cannot tell you how many kids that were out there who simply did not have the physicality to be successful in sports beyond a purely recreational level whose parents somehow think they are the next D1 softball player! There are many things you need to be competitive in sports; a good attitude, drive, etc. You can have all of this but if you are 5'2" /85 lbs, it is time to get real.
- —tjackson1000
good, bad and ugly
- My daughter played select ball for 8 years, so I think I am a fair spokesperson of the ins and outs of the programs. During her tenure she was lucky enough to play with many excellent girls. She made great friends from all over the Houston area and around Texas that she is still friends with today. She learned sportsmanship, built a lot of character and ultimately, how to be a better player. What she never learned to deal with were coaches. These guys (both m/f) are a different breed of human during a game and at practice. I am happy to say she did have some GREAT coaches who were concerned about teaching girls how to be the best they could be. She also had some coaches who had no business dealing with kids. They could be tempermental, obnoxious and sometimes out of control when dealing with kids. In just a few short words, they could tear down a lifetime of self-esteem building. You have a 50/50 chance of getting either, so good luck and remember, it's just for fun!
- —Guest ball mom
Anyone interested?
- I am writing a story on it in my school's magazine and I would love to have an interview or use some quotes from your submitted results. If you are a coach or ex-player or parent and would like to share your opinion on this subject, Please email me at softballchick4ever@sbcglobal.net if you wouldn't mind talking on this subject.
- —Guest softball1234
Not For Us
- We're a family with many interests, and the commitments of joining a traveling team just wouldn't leave us with enough free time to spend on other passions. We also protect any "down time" we can find throughout the week, and again, I just can't see us finding any if our weekends are committed to traveling and playing. My hat is off to these families who can pull it off, and enjoy it. But it's not anything we'd ever consider.
- —JenniferODonnell
Good and Bad
- My experience with club volleyball has been both good and bad. I owe the fact that I play in college soley to both exposure and training I got from outside of high school programs. And I wouldn't trade playing in college for anything, so I definitely don't regret the things that led to that. However, most of my memories of club are not pleasant. But for my sisters, club volleyball has been amazing. They love their coaches, the drive isn't bad, their team has great chemistry, and they get to travel all over the US. Plus, we all remained involved in other things. Really, I think it just depends on what team you find and picking a club with coaches and directors who are simply there for the love of the sport. My sisters found it in club ball, I found it afterwards. I'd recommend club/select ball to any kid who wants to play college sports, but also caution them that sports are not the only thing in life, to really try out different clubs, and to not start at too young of an age.
- —ahazelwo
Be careful, it's easy to get burned out.
- I played softball on a select team several years prior to graduating high school. In the summer, fall, and winter I was playing in a tournament nearly every weekend. In the spring I was playing for my high school. I personally lean more to the con side of this topic. For one, all the playing I did provided more opportunity for injury and in the end, due to a bum shoulder, prevented me from playing in college, which is the reason I was playing so much in the first place. Secondly, the cost financially can be incredibly high. It was costing a good two grand a year to play. Another con I find is that nearly every weekend of mine as a teenager was spent playing softball which took away from free time to spend with friends or studying. However, spending those weekends at the ballfield probably kept me out of a lot of trouble. I also am thankful that I got to visit some fantastic places such as being picked to play in an international tournament in Hawaii. I'm just not sure I'd recommend it.
- —Guest Tina Robinson
Skeptic
- The real problem I have with these select teams is the conflicting messages kids can get. Select coaches and school coaches often have different agendas, and then you throw in the influence of parents on select coaches (whose continued employment often relies on the support of parents, as opposed to school coaches), and its difficult to really know if the kids' best interests are at heart. I've just heard too many horror stories of sleazy opportunists hanging around select teams to fully trust that system, given how little oversight it has.
- —Guest Jesse P
practice makes perfect
- want to hone your craft? practice! i guess 'off-season' could be termed 'a chance to make myself a better competitor because i had more time to practice and a chance to compete at a higher level due to the higher general competence of the aptitude of other select players also looking to push their skills...
- —Guest perspektive
Thoughts from a DI college athlete...
- Having competed in track and field at the DI NCAA level, having competed in numerous HS sports including select basketball teams, and having come from a family of coaches, my voice is credible. The emerging phenomenon of select sports is a telling sign of a culture that obsesses with competition, success, and illusions of children's futures. The downsides are too many to consider here. Select sports are the manifestation of parents unrealistic dreams for their children to be great athletes. This creates children whose self-worth is bound up in their performance, and it engenders varying degrees of parental love which are determined by their child's performance(s). Further, such an overemphasis on a child's ability in one singular facet of life severely limits the development and well-roundedness of both experiences and abilities. And select sports are a severe tax on time, money, family, weekends, schoolwork, and other friendships and opportunities. A bad investment...
- —Guest tpriest
Some Negatives
- Our daughter played select basketball for several years in middle school and high school and, while we all mostly enjoyed the experience, we all found it dismaying how important the experience was to the parents. The fathers acted as coaches, second-guessing the coaches and coaching their daughters from the stands. I had mothers begin to ask me about college recruiters starting in middle school! Perhaps not coincidentally, many of those girls had given up on sports by their sophomore or junior years. The costs of these teams, time and money-wise, are often thought by parents to be investments toward college scholarships. But our experience did not produce that in a single instance. In our house, academics came first and that's how our daughter got her scholarships. Ease up on these kids! Stop dreaming of college sports careers based on these pay-to-play programs.
- —Guest cham
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