Around the Big Ten

[iam416]

My son was fairly crushed when he didn't make travel hoops -- a lot his friends did, and he's better than some. But, whatever. He barely worked at it over the summer and fall, and I explained that to him and he gets it. We'll have lots of fun doing a normal "little league" type basketball. 8 or 9 games, probably about 11-12 total practices. Perfect. And I'll get to coach. So, I was well-pleased on a number of fronts, from teachable moment to avoiding cash and time sink to getting to coach again.

He really loves baseball, has worked really hard at it and has improved. He didn't make it last year and did this year. Another teachable example. So I'm happy to commit my resources to that.

Unfortunately, he'll won't be good enough to play either sport in HS. It's just too big of a school. They'll have 80-90 kids try out for the baseball program and keep 45 or so for all 4 grades.

Whereas my hick school with a class of 90 meant I got to play everything!

[iam416]

All in all, though, I'd much rather have regular district-wide leagues. I get the need for travel for some sports -- most districts aren't going to produce 60 kids for hockey. But, for baseball, basketball and soccer, it's a no-brainer.

[froot loops]

I foresee a backlash to this bullshit coming in about ten years as the next generation of parents decides it's not worth investing in it, or in being helicopter parents in general.

A lot of these parents do it to try and get their kid a college scholarship, they don't realize that by the end of high school a lot of these kids have had it with the sport.

All my kids play multiple sports but none of them have done the team travel stuff. My daughters do Irish dancing, it is a lot of $$$$$$$$ and time, but you can pick and choose when you go to a competition, if you compete at all.

[THE_WIZARD_]

UNL is a slivovitz situation. U12 soccer is merely a good IPA situation.

Reffing MW games, incidentally, is a swallow your gun situation.

Hell...UNL would finish 6th in the MW...heh...so STFU...

[iam416]

Yeah, I was talking to a father of a kid, and he says that the kid wants this to be his last year of baseball (11u). Just tired of it, I guess. He's a great kid. I hope he keeps playing.

[Wild Hoss]

I foresee a backlash to this bullshit coming in about ten years as the next generation of parents decides it's not worth investing in it, or in being helicopter parents in general.

You would think, but this isn?t all new and doesn?t show any signs of relenting. I remember my brother being frozen out of an ?elite? youth sports program because my parents would not acquiesce to the time commitment...they had a lake house and wanted to spend their weekends entertaining friends and family there, in lieu of meets in Sioux City. That was twenty years ago.

[hack]

Here we have our choice of laid-back leagues and some more-intense ones, it seems to me.

[froot loops]

My son has gotten a few letters from a couple small schools trying to recruit him for football. He has no desire for it, the only thing he is contemplating is trying to walk on at MSU or CMU if he goes there. I'm sure we can get him doing that at CMU, I'm not sure about MSU. I think he gets sick of people asking about it and uses that as a something to tell them.

[froot loops]

Here we have our choice of laid-back leagues and some more-intense ones, it seems to me.

The problem lies in when your kid is pretty competitive and gets into the middle school years, depending on the sport the laid back leagues are not competitive enough and the travel stuff is too consuming.

[Wild Hoss]

A lot of these parents do it to try and get their kid a college scholarship, they don't realize that by the end of high school a lot of these kids have had it with the sport.

That can happen, but I think alot of people underestimate how much money there is out there for athletic scholies. I have gotten a peek into it recently with the experience of my cousin and the son of a close friend, and its changed my outlook a bit.

My cousin got a full-ride (Part athletic, part academic) at a Big 12 school for cross country; free college, just to go run a long ways. My friend's son got a $24K/annual "academic" scholie to play baseball at a DIII college.

[Wild Hoss]

Here we have our choice of laid-back leagues and some more-intense ones, it seems to me.

Yeah, the Rec leagues are trash...and that'd be OK if the competition was equal, but many leagues use Rec teams as schedule filler for the clubs. When my daughter was playing Rec they'd run into these club teams with paid coaches and stable rosters (like the one she's on now) and they'd get thrashed 17-0. That's just discouraging for the kids.

[THE_WIZARD_]

Parents should pay more attention to their kids academics...I get a kick out of watching psychotic parents at youth sporting events whether rec, travelling or higher...amusing...get a fucking life ya douche'

[Wild Hoss]

Parents should pay more attention to their kids academics...I get a kick out of watching psychotic parents at youth sporting events whether rec, travelling or higher...amusing...get a fucking life ya douche'

They are probably yelling at you.

dumbass

[entropy]

The problem lies in when your kid is pretty competitive and gets into the middle school years, depending on the sport the laid back leagues are not competitive enough and the travel stuff is too consuming.

That is the problem... there is little in between.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[hack]

I mean, if the kid's good, and wants it, then go do the serious stuff. I don't think my kid's going to get to that point. I think he likes it and wants to go out there and play, and that's that. Seems to me there's a place for each approach there. A middle-ground might be nice, granted.