If your kids do competitive sports, do they manage to do anything else?

[snickelfritz]

Older dd is 7. She is mad about soccer. I know she's only 7. But, people are already serious about it and forming competitive teams that they want to keep together all the way through. She's in a rec. league, but she's been asked to join a competitive team next year.

 

I like the sport. I don't want her to stop. It's great exercise and a huge confidence boost for her. My observation is that pre-teens/teens who are athletic carry themselves with more confidence (even when compared to kids who are talented in an area like orchestra.) But, it is already leaving little time for other activities. Fall soccer. Winter indoor soccer. Spring soccer. If she joins the competitive team, I figure there's a good chance that they will do something over the summer. I kind of hope not, because she wants to learn tennis and I told her it needed to wait until summer. I don't mind the time involved, exactly. I mind that it's headed towards not leaving time for anything else.

 

Our violin program does a LOT of performances from Thanksgiving through Christmas and she will miss every single one for a soccer game.

 

AARRRGGGHHH. It's a frustrating atmosphere. I watched a high-school, girls, softball playoff on TV. The announcers talked about the high rate of injury, because they play ball year around. But, they pretty much have to do that if they want to stay competitive.

 

ETA: It turned into a vent. But, I'm really wondering if anyone manages to achieve a balance.

Edited December 3, 2010 by snickelfritz

[Mejane]

Seven sounds young to make such a serious commitment. That said, soccer is huge here in CT. The kids on the travel teams do not do anything else. My kids dance seriously and they do not do anything else. I think when you get into serious pursuit of an interest like that, you have to choose. Many girls in my daughter's ballet school dropped dance around age 12 so they could concentrate on soccer.

[snickelfritz]

Seven sounds young to make such a serious commitment

.

That's the way I feel, but it's the reality. And it just wasn't that way when I was a kid, at least not for team sports. They were more seasonal. And it's the same with her gymnastics. She goes once a week, just for fun. It's to the point of either needing to commit to more time or drop it. Some kids her age are on the competition track and go 3 days a week.

 

She does have other interests. She likes the violin and is good at it, we just can't make it to performances. She's dropping gymnastics for a drawing class, which she is very excited about.

 

We're missing 2 violin performances tomorrow, so I guess my frustration is at a peak right now.

[rfhsmom]

Just a thought about the whole having to compete year round to stay competitive....we do not do soccer, but other sports so take this with a grain of salt.

My ds(15) started baseball at 5 and completely stood out all of those young years. He was on all-stars in little league and they always begged us to let him play on travel teams. We left the decision up to him and he chose not to because he wanted to be able to camp, fish, play music, do theatre,........in the summer time. Last year he decided that baseball isn't his favorite sport.

 

He now plays football, wrestles and is going to run track this year all at our local high school. He still does not buy into the whole "you need to train with the football/wrestling team all summer and go to all the camps in order to stay competitive" attitude that the coaches/many parents have. That said my ds, who did not work out or go to camp or......like so many say is necessary just got a starting position on the varsity team, lettered in Varsity football, and won the rookie of the year award. Even after they gave him his awards, the coaches speech still included references to the players needing to work out all year with the team to excel.:confused: It seems that when they voted to give him the award they did they proved their whole theory wrong by chosing him over some of the guys who did all the camps, workouts, etc.

Sorry this got so long, but just wanted you to see that from our experience a child who is gifted in athletics can jump in and still shine. Your daughter will still be gifted and may even find another sport she loves more. She is young....I would encourage you to encourage her to try lots of other activities.:grouphug:

[dani3boys]

We chose not to let our 12yo son participate in traveling soccer next year. He will still play on a rec. soccer team. If we had let him be a part of the team, we would not be able to go on a family vacation we have planned, and he would not be able to go to camp. Soccer IMO has gone too far in how much they expect of the children and their families. We would have to shell out hundreds of dollars just for a fee, and that is just the beginning. We would then have to spend at least six weekends staying in motels for tournaments that are 150 miles from home. We were told that we could not plan a vacation during this time. The child HAS to be at every game and every practice unless they are sick. They pretty much cannot have a life outside of soccer.

 

During the school year all three of my boys are involved in basketball, band and Bible quizzing. The schedules occasionally overlap, but it's rare. Last night they had a band concert and a basketball game scheduled for the same time. We chose the band concert. The basketball coach understood, and was just fine with it. That's the nice part about being on the homeschool team!

We are involved in a lot of activities, but none of them are so intense that everything else has to take a backseat to it. It's hard to find the right balance sometimes!

[snickelfritz]

We are involved in a lot of activities, but none of them are so intense that everything else has to take a backseat to it. It's hard to find the right balance sometimes!

 

Well, dh is the coach. And dd is the leading scorer by about a 2:1 to 3:1 margin for her and the rest of the team, put together. So, there are issues about the team depending on her. Whereas, the orchestra is mixed ages and she is one of the younger ones. So, she's not critical. But, I still think the experience is beneficial.

[MamaT]

I have an upper level competitive gymnast. She is at practice from 12:30 to 4:30 five days a week one hour from our home. I also have a dancer who has danced for 10 years and is in a city-wide company. She practices 3 hours 3 days a week, and more during the week before a performance. She has been at the theater this week until 10:00 every night except one (Nutcracker opens tonight!). They have other interests, but have chosen to spend most of their free time on the ONE thing they absolutely love. The day they say they are through, we'll be done.

 

I also have a 11yo son who is interested in lots of things, but not to the degree they are. He plays baseball in the fall and spring and is about to take up karate. My 17yo can drive himself now. By carpooling, having older siblings pick up/drop off, etc. we manage to make sure everyone gets to do their "thing." It is hard and sometimes I want to just quit, but they LOVE what they do, so we manage. I am a homebody by nature, so it is a real sacrifice to me. Their childhood won't last forever and I can stay home when they're grown. :001_smile:

[KarenC]

The level of commitment required depends on the club that you join. I don't know how many clubs are in your area to choose from. Your club may or may not practice over the winter. Some clubs practice here once a week during during some portion of the winter, some don't start practice until March 1st.

 

I don't know of any clubs that start practice before mid-July here. Most start August 1st and the fall season starts mid-August. All practices during the off-season are "optional," but what that really means depends on your coach.

 

It also depends on the level of team your dd is on. Premier teams are more likely to practice in the off season and usually travel farther to play.

 

Karen