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Kids and Sports

Ralph Medlin said:
Florida. Baseball never sleeps in Florida.
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One reason I hope my boys don't do baseball. Right now, it's trains and dinosaurs. No travel leagues for that.
 
PhDeac said:
One reason I hope my boys don't do baseball. Right now, it's trains and dinosaurs. No travel leagues for that.
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It's every sport; soccer, lacrosse, basketball...I even heard the youth barrel racing culture was as intense as anything else.

We played a tournament at Disney-ESPN in Orlando a few months ago and as you come over the hill to where the sports fields are located you see this 500 acre complex packed from dawn till dusk with thousands of kids of all ages playing lacrosse, baseball, baskeball, soccer, football. And this was in December.

I gotta hand it to Disney-ESPN for perpetuating the youth sports craziness from a business perspective but it is out of control.
 
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My daughter will be 5 in May. She hasn't done any organized sports yet at all, but she does take horseback riding lessons once a week. My mom has horses and working around the barn is something they really like to do together, so as long as she enjoys the lessons, she can keep going. (Though I'll admit that it freaked me out the first time I went to watch her and saw my 35 pound daughter on a horse all by herself.) She's also had some gymnastics lessons in the past as well, and if she wants to, I'll sign her up to play basketball and/or soccer at the Y.

I'm not an "everyone gets a trophy" type, but I'm not Marv Marinovich either. I just want her to be able to do things that she enjoys that also have a competitive nature about them.
 
I still remember deciding between baseball and soccer in the fall when I was 10, as if it was the hardest decision of my life. I chose baseball and my dad put me in the travel leagues. This thread kinda makes me sad because I don't think I have ever thanked my dad for putting me in travel baseball leagues.
 
DeacLaw05 said:
My daughter will be 5 in May. She hasn't done any organized sports yet at all, but she does take horseback riding lessons once a week. My mom has horses and working around the barn is something they really like to do together, so as long as she enjoys the lessons, she can keep going. (Though I'll admit that it freaked me out the first time I went to watch her and saw my 35 pound daughter on a horse all by herself.) She's also had some gymnastics lessons in the past as well, and if she wants to, I'll sign her up to play basketball and/or soccer at the Y.

I'm not an "everyone gets a trophy" type, but I'm not Marv Marinovich either. I just want her to be able to do things that she enjoys that also have a competitive nature about them.
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If you find out how to do this, let me know.
 
I've headed up a travel baseball team during the Fall the past 2 yrs. This past Fall ours was a 10u team. Pretty solid group of kids...Little League district champs the past 2 seasons both as 8's and as 9's (it's actually a 9/10 level, but the team last summer was mostly 9's...but I digress). Anyway, our "travel" team the past 2 years has traveled all the way across Forsyth County.

Last September we did a weekend tourney and one of the lunatic fathers called me at 11 PM on Sunday night to complain that his kid sat TWO innings in the final game of a 4-game tourney. The father literally told me that his (9-yr old) son's only shot at going to college was through a baseball scholarship and I was "pissing it away". He also complained that his son has received poor pitching instruction, when in fact TWO of our coaches drew paychecks pitching in the minors. He then implied that he was going to confront me on all this stuff at the next practice.

I hung up and shut the team down.
 
I'd love to be a coach for an intramural team. Being a coach for a travel team would be miserable.
 
I stopped coaching my girls soccer teams a few years back because of crazy parents. These are five year old kids. One mom came up to me and asked what my coaching background was and over the name of a book that I should read (first practice). That was my last year coaching. Her kid sucked and stood there picking mud off her shoes the whole season.

At the other end of the spectrum, my younger daughter is pretty darn good at soccer. She scores 5-10 times a game and probably 95% of her teams goals. Several games both her coach and I had to "shut her down" from scoring and try to get her teammates goals. Other parents have approached me wanting to put her on the travel team. My opinion is that it is up to her. She would have to drop dance, gymnastics, swimming, etc. So, up to her.
 
We have taken our sons to Kansas basketball camp for a few years and on the final morning Bill Self always meets with the parents for a Q&A session. Each year he makes a point of saying (a) whatever your kids are doing athletics-wise at 9 years old has almost no correlation to how/what they will do athetically in high school and college, so stop with the dreams of the college scholarship and just make sure they are having fun and not getting burned out and (b) if anyone is gracious enough to give their free time to coach your kid, keep your mouth shut and don't criticize them. Hard to do at times, but we try.
 
freakadeac said:
I still remember deciding between baseball and soccer in the fall when I was 10, as if it was the hardest decision of my life. I chose baseball and my dad put me in the travel leagues. This thread kinda makes me sad because I don't think I have ever thanked my dad for putting me in travel baseball leagues.
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If your dad is still around, call and thank him.

If any of you have daughters, don't think cheerleading is an escape from these issues. My daughters were in competitive cheer for years and we covered the entire east coast during a season that covered most of the year. Practice was year-round and injuries were more common than any other sport.
 
Like most everything else in life or business in 2013, it is about setting reasonable expectations, consistently communicating (and reinforcing) those expectations on a regular schedule, immediately addressing any behaviors that don't meet those expectations, and doing it all with a smile and with everyone's best interest at heart. My kids are 18 and 14 now, and I have been through all of this. I've coached HS basketball, AAU basketball, rec league basketball, and 5 year old pee-wee basketball. I've also been just a parent. It can be done. It isn't easy, that is for sure. Many parents GROSSLY over-estimate the ability of their kids. They key is to follow the formula I mentioned above. I had a parent meeting before every season, before I made team selections. I followed up the group meeting with one-one-ones. "Do you understand my program and approach?" "What do you think Junior's playing time should be?" "Here is what their playing time is going to be....here is how he/she can improve it." "What things does Junior need to work on?" "What is your preferred method of communication when you are upset?" "Here is my preferred method..." With some basic working agreements before the team is formed, it makes it easier to refer back to them during the season. Frustrating thing is that you STILL have a few parents who can't abide. Middle class, middle aged parents be crazy...
 
Dkin said:
I've headed up a travel baseball team during the Fall the past 2 yrs. This past Fall ours was a 10u team. Pretty solid group of kids...Little League district champs the past 2 seasons both as 8's and as 9's (it's actually a 9/10 level, but the team last summer was mostly 9's...but I digress). Anyway, our "travel" team the past 2 years has traveled all the way across Forsyth County.

Last September we did a weekend tourney and one of the lunatic fathers called me at 11 PM on Sunday night to complain that his kid sat TWO innings in the final game of a 4-game tourney. The father literally told me that his (9-yr old) son's only shot at going to college was through a baseball scholarship and I was "pissing it away". He also complained that his son has received poor pitching instruction, when in fact TWO of our coaches drew paychecks pitching in the minors. He then implied that he was going to confront me on all this stuff at the next practice.

I hung up and shut the team down.
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SO you shut the whole team down based on this lunatic?
 
Got to coach a U6 soccer team this past fall and had a much better time than I thought I would being as competitive as I am. We technically don't keep score, but everyone does in their head. It was my son's third season and he scored his first goal. Most times he would rather play in the dirt than the actual game he had just turned 5 in June. He has one more season in U6 and he wants to play. We doubt we will be moving him up because those U8 kids are crazy good.

He is also wanting to play his second season of tball and we play park ball at the same place I grew up playing. He has been asking about football, but he is not quite old enough yet and they take their little league football here seriously. My boy is tiny and I think the first time he gets hit he will not want to go back. My daughter just turned 3 in December and I think she will be the athlete last spring 4 months after turning two she ran out on the U6 field and got the ball and dribbled it all the way down the field away from the other kids.
 
Milhouse said:
HS football is where it's at
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Yup. Coached my kid in rec league, then turned him over to the school system in 7th grade and the parents at that point are basically out of it. He had the thrill of winning a state championship his junior year at Kenan Stadium, and the greater thrill of playing for (though losing) a state championship his senior year at Wake/BB&T. This was the OB year and when the team got off the bus and went into the locker room, eveybody scrambled to get one of the big-name lockers that had Abatte, Skinner, Phonz, etc.'s name on it. Some of his closest friends to this day are his old high school teamates.
 
One of the unfortunate consequences of the intense pressure on children wanting to play sports today is that it seems increasingly rare to find kids playing multiple sports. My oldest played only soccer and bb because he went to a small private school that only provided these options. I regret that we did not make provision for him to do more. His younger brother (by 10 yrs.) played 6 sports in high school and enjoyed all of them. It is difficult to think that very many young boys play basketball, baseball and football, much less soccer also. That is sad; but, traveling soccer teams and AAU basketball make that almost impossible I suppose.
 
jamesda3 said:
He has been asking about football, but he is not quite old enough yet and they take their little league football here seriously. My boy is tiny and I think the first time he gets hit he will not want to go back.
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Look into flag football leagues. Our 9-yo son is tall but really skinny. He has wanted to play football for a couple of years now but I was unwilling to let him play tackle because he's so slender. He played flag this past fall and loved it. Still learned the basics of the game, without the hitting. It was a good alternative.

My son is into basketball and football. Doesn't like baseball (thank goodness; I don't either) and isn't big into soccer. He's not going to win any scholarships, but he loves to play. I actually think he would be a great long distance runner if he wanted to be. I'd like him to start swimming but I'm told he's almost too old to get involved in a swim team. That's so sad when he's nine.
 
When I drive to breakfast on the weekends I see all the parents at the sports complex and thank god that I don't yet have kids.
 
wakegrrl said:
Look into flag football leagues. Our 9-yo son is tall but really skinny. He has wanted to play football for a couple of years now but I was unwilling to let him play tackle because he's so slender. He played flag this past fall and loved it. Still learned the basics of the game, without the hitting. It was a good alternative.

My son is into basketball and football. Doesn't like baseball (thank goodness; I don't either) and isn't big into soccer. He's not going to win any scholarships, but he loves to play. I actually think he would be a great long distance runner if he wanted to be. I'd like him to start swimming but I'm told he's almost too old to get involved in a swim team. That's so sad when he's nine.
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We are starting this this summer for our 9 YO and our 5 YO solely to get them to be better swimmers. Learning to swim laps in your 40s is horrible.

FWIW, my 9 YO weighs 108 pounds, isn't fat, and we wont let him play tackle. Or should I say my wife wont let him play (yet).
 
I love team sports; but there is something to be said for involving children in sports that they will carry throughout their lives: distance running; swimming; tennis; golf.
 
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