Busy D. had soccer tryouts this week.
(He's going to be in U11, can you believe that??)
Yes, we're the people with a little kid in travel sports.
We didn't really set out to be those people, it just happened.
While all our kids enjoy sports, Busy D. truly has a passion for soccer, and has some aptitude for it, and we're learning what to do with that.
He takes it very seriously, and recreational soccer really didn't have people like him, and even at a young age, that frustrated him, so he was excited and relieved to find his people in travel soccer.
I know there are a million arguments against young kids playing travel sports, but it's been a great experience for us both in volleyball and soccer (we have a great coach and team), and I think it gets a bum rap, sometimes.
Granted, there are some situations that are less than ideal, but the right club and coach can make all the difference in the world.
Despite the stereotype, it's not all insane travel and practice with screaming coaches and parents with unfulfilled dreams That part is played by the dads of the little girls in rec soccer. (I kid! I kid! Sorta).
For us, travel sports offers the chance for kids to work hard at something they love, meet friends who share their passion and develop skills when they have the drive to get better.
Sure, he may not want to do this forever, and it's true that it can take a lot of time some weeks, but, for now, we enjoy the games and the tournaments and spending time with the other families.
Besides, HOW ELSE is he supposed to get a full ride to college, become a famous soccer player and support us in style for the rest of our lives?
I can't blog forever, ya know, and we gotta maintain the standard of living to which we've become accustomed.
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Your travel teams sound like a whole lot of fun. This post would make a great addition to a coach's manual!
I have no beef with travel teams. Long long time ago I was in gymnastics and we traveled and I was young. I was not yelled at and I made some friends from other schools which was a good thing.
We're in U11 now, too. Can't believe it! Miss C loves it. So far it's not too insane. So far... (mwaa haa haa haa)
There is no way in heck BusyBaby is in U11 soccer. Nope. Can't be. I REFUSE to believe it.
I like traveling sports... I think it helps keep a lot of kids out of trouble, teaches an excellent work ethic and the importance of working together as a team for the good of the group... I could go on & on. It isn't for everyone and there are those who can give it an ugly face, but you find that in everything including "rec" sports.
I think it sounds like fun. My daughter isn't into the sports thing, but if she was, and was at a travel sports level, we would go for it.
We have 2 kids in travel baseball and there is nothing more I would rather do then spend my weekends in 90 degree weather playing 3 games a day. They love the competition, they love the kids they play with, they love that they are on the field with 8 other kids that want to be on the field. We got into this because the rec sports were just too watered down and as much as I tried to coach kids up, it was more like they were told they had to be there because their parents didn't want them sitting in front of the xbox then they really wanted to be out there. It made it very tough on the competitive players to play with them. I'm glad we made the move with the 2 younger ones and the oldest just finished his first year of HS ball and that was fun also, it will get better as he moves through HS.