Hope that foul mood's gone soon! And for myself (actually, for my kid), I'd probably pick Choice B. Two practices a week plus games sounds like enough to me, and extra playing time is a real plus. My kids always preferred being a big fish in a small pond to the opposite. JMHO, of course!

My 15 yr old daughter plays in a soccer club, on the mid-level team. The coaching is ok, not great. She starts and plays a majority of every game. I have discouraged her from trying out for the higher level for one reason: the girls at the higher level (and their parents) are just plain mean. They are focused on competition, and winning. There is great coaching, but a distinct lack of cameraderie or team. And they appear to have no fun at all.

My daughter loves soccer, and has fun at practice and during the games. Her team mates are like-minded.She takes a great deal of pride in being a starter and an important part of her team. She knows that it would be very different, less fun, less friendly, on the highest level of the club, so it was really a no-brainer. She didn;'t even consider trying out for that team. And, I should mention, she could play up there with those girls, if she decided she wanted to.

I have really NO idea what you're talking about (hardy har har). Have you asked what your child wants to do? Are they more into the competitive group or the other one? Let them make the decision.

You know, it took me a good four minutes to type that - my fingers must be all mushy!

B

I'm all for less time, more play. There is more actual game experience that way.

I'd look into the coaching a bit more if you can-quality coaching and lots of playing time could mean big things for your daughter. Better teams don't always translate to better coaching. Sometimes they can be full of themselves and teach the kids way more about poor sportsmanship than about the actual sport. Also, I'd consider the competition at the different levels. With choice B will she be challenged enough by the other teams? Will she be too challenged on choice A to learn much more than humiliation? I think Carolyn has a good point also-to consider the attitudes of the girls on both teams. Ok, so that's probably more than you wanted...Good luck making the decision!

Team... wha? Sorry. Distracted by that banana hammock directly below this post.

Uh, dinner was fun! I needed that! Yes, let's do it again soon!

Hey this is the time of year its tough to be in a good mood so its not just you :-)

Kevin
http://www.kidsdesk.net

Been there, done that :-)

First, ask the kid what they want to do. Most important :-)

Second, is the girl THAT good that she is likely to get scholarships for this sport? Is she a superstar? If not, then go for the playing time!!

My son played soccer and eventually ended up playing "travel" - don't know what that equates to in your neck of the woods. He made the "B" team the first year and had a lot of fun. He thought he wanted the "A" team because, well, they were the A Team! Power and Glory and all of that.

Two years later, at the annual tryouts (they all had to go through tryouts every single year), the A Team wanted him. He decided he did NOT want to play for them as the kids and coach were tough and mean and a lot of the kids just weren't having fun. He had made friends on his team, it was fun, they had good seasons and bad and he was usually one of the starting players and played a lot. If he had gone to the A Team he would not have been a starter (they had a handful of truly gifted players) and who knows how much play time he would have gotten. That coach also would bench a kid if they made a mistake.

He wanted to PLAY and to have FUN, not sit on a bench and be stressed out. He got to play with a lot of the A Team kids once they all got to high school and they were all of the JV and then the Varsity soccer team, and did not enjoy playing with them at all. It wasn't that they were better than him, yes, some of them were and he can accept that. It was their attitudes. Do all higher caliber team kids have that attitude? No, but this team certainly did.

He was a good player, but not so good that he would have gotten lots of college scholarships or be on a Nationals team or anything. My boss's son on the other hand ... they did the whole competitive route ... multi teams, coaches, clinics out the whazzoo. Lots of missed vacations, hours and hours and hours on the soccer field, lots and lots of money, constantly changing teams to get a good coach etc. And he is no further along than my son was at the same age. He is a swing player now and will only make the Varsity team when he is a senior just as my son did. My boss started to see the light and wished and they had not been so manic about this way back when and had more of a sane family life.

I'd go with the team/program that offers better coaching, training and conditioning. That will help the skill level, no matter where the kid is now, and ensure safety. At least, as much as you CAN ensure that. Haha.

I realize you are trying to keep the details sparse, but without the details, I can only say, "It depends."

There are definite benefits to both angles. You will learn a lot more "about" the game by playing the game more than practicing. If you are looking to refine skills more (something that will be playing longer, or hoping for a scholarship on) then the emphasis may lean more towards playing less and learning more.

You know your child to know what kind of competition level they prefer, and I suggest talking to the coaches to see what kind of coaching philosophy they have. I wish my parents had taken more time to investigate my coaches when I was younger. I played softball with a really rough, tough group of girls and while I got to do a lot of cool stuff, I got a lot less playing time (or played catcher.) It would have been nice to be able to be an important part of the team, win or lose, and have more time to just be a kid instead of always going to practice.

Also, if you are practicing a lot, what does that do to school work? Is the child at a level where the homework is starting to pile on? Do they need extra time for homework, or are they more likely to get a scholarship for academics than sports?

Just some thoughts I had. :)

I worked in college athletics for 8 years--the director was also the soccer coach and my boss. I learned a lot about sports and even more about coaching/coaches/playing etc.

A college coach will not only look at your child's ability--they will measure it against who they played with. Everyone can be a superstar on a team that isn't particularly challenging.

Playing on a team with others who are more skilled will raise your child's skill level. They will also strive for more playing time--which means they rise to the level of the best players on the team--as long as they have the ability.

Hope that makes sense. I talked to lots of parents on the phone and in person who thought their child deserved a scholarship because back in East wherever they were a star on their team--but their team and the leagues they played in weren't good, so it didn't really say much about their child's ability.

Also, where soccer is concerned...it is much better to play on a team for your school--especially when your school team has a good reputation. When you have to pay to play on a team--well, everyone can play, because they paid.

I'm going to guess this is about volleyball, since this is close to our latest dilemma and regional/national tryouts are generally held about now. Not a fun choice to make.

My DD made two different regional teams, one that took #1 in the region last year and qualified for nationals and it is VERY focused on the win, and the other seemed to be more focused on development, but the coaching was NOT as strong. (My DD is in 6th grade.)

I'm a total newbie, I didn't even know that travel volleyball existed before someone suggested she try out. I researched it, sought out high school coaches to find out their opinion, gathered as many facts as I could, then laid out all of my concerns and what I knew and was really honest with my DD. Then I left it up to her.

Good luck with this one!!

foul moods are best won by a $20 delivered pizza. Then angst over lost money.

I know Tony is in music and not sports, but we decided that he needed to work through the system and not jump over any aspect of it. He could have tried out for the international choir, but if he had made it, it meant he would have missed out on the fun, family aspect of the national choir. The international choir is run like a business, where as the national group is a family on tour.

I would suggest option B, and work through the system.

I'm cracking up at the 2 tubes of Jello! That made my day, hope you're in a better mood!

Emily
Mama and Hustler???
Great MOMS Think Alike
Barefooted Me
The Photographer In Me
There's A Geek In Every Girl
Writer Wannabe

(That was you in a bad mood?! Dang. You and your mood were more fun to hang out with than most people in a good one! Loved it.)

Since my girls seem to go for the weird solo-type sports (aerial silks, anyone?) I don't have much to add to the discourse. However, since I am more LazyMom than BusyMom, I'd personally go for the one that involved less driving for me.

"Jello Tubes" would be a great name for a rock band!

if you are looking at the sport as a potential scholarship then A. If your child is still under 14 then I would go with B.