Time to rebuild youth sports in America?

[Doodads and Hoohah]

Exactly. When I heard there are actually 6, 7, 8 and 9 year-old “travel” and “club” teams for baseball, I almost sh!t myself. To me, people who put their kids on those types of teams that early are the parents sucking the fun out of sports at an early age and living vicariously through their kids. Just my opinion.

I have kids this age on school teams. Technically we are USSSA but play in a local league and the farthest we will travel is Monticello for a tournament. My 9 year old practices once a week and will play 22-24 games. I am very cognizant to try to keep it as developmental as possible.

So yes there are some insane club teams for young kids but also many school teams where kids just want to play with their friends.

 

[Pinehawk]

There is something for everyone now. From rec league just for fun, to extremely competitive Club/AAU teams.
Find what works best for your family, budget and schedule.

If the goal is for the athlete to be as good as they can be, they will see better results with more and better training and in a more competitive environment.

 

[ANYCHawk]

There is something for everyone now. From rec league just for fun, to extremely competitive Club/AAU teams.
Find what works best for your family, budget and schedule.

You again missed the point of the thread. Options of what's best for your family and budget are drying up.

It's clear you view club sports as some type of status symbol. That's not a good thing

 

[Pinehawk]

You again missed the point of the thread. Options of what's best for your family and budget are drying up.

It's clear you view club sports as some type of status symbol. That's not a good thing

Not at all. I coached rec league for many years. My kid did both rec league and club. I see the pros and cons of both.
Ideally both survive and thrive, but in certain areas I can see where it might be a challenge.
That is no reason to reduce options however.

 

[evander03]

My 2nd grade daughter has been doing one hour a week of gymnastics. They had a try out to see if she could move up. Just got the results and she can move up to a competitive level. Three practices a week and three hours per practice for a measly $400/month. No other options were given. So I guess the gymnastics career is coming to an end.

 

[Pinehawk]

My 2nd grade daughter has been doing one hour a week of gymnastics. They had a try out to see if she could move up. Just got the results and she can move up to a competitive level. Three practices a week and three hours per practice for a measly $400/month. No other options were given. So I guess the gymnastics career is coming to an end.

Just don't 'move up' and keep doing what you're doing if you're happy with that.

 

[jasonrann]

I know I am going to have my hands full depending on what the daughter and soon to arrive son get into. My 13 year old niece is in dance. They're traveling pretty regularly on the weekends. She has practices 4-5 nights/week that last two hours, including Sunday. Seems like a bit much to me.

 

[SoDakHawk]

My 2nd grade daughter has been doing one hour a week of gymnastics. They had a try out to see if she could move up. Just got the results and she can move up to a competitive level. Three practices a week and three hours per practice for a measly $400/month. No other options were given. So I guess the gymnastics career is coming to an end.

1st grade daughter the same thing. She was going to 2 one hour sessions a week. Now she got moved up to competitive gymnastics. Two 1 1/2 hour practices a week. Personal instruction/smaller group. Seven meets a year. Went from $200/mth to $250/mth. For all that she's getting I think $250 per month is a good deal.

Sure, some might look at that and say how can you spend that much on little girls gymnastics. My response is that you can't really put a price on what she's getting. This little girl is developing serious athleticism, core strength, and fitness. At 7 she already has a bit of that gymnast build and she can flip and jump and bound around all over the place. Contrast that to a few of the other girls on our block that are already obese. What price should I put on my kid's health?

She's not going to be an Olympic or D1 gymnast but she will have an athletic foundation for dance, volleyball, or basketball which are the other activities she is interested in.

 

[evander03]

Just don't 'move up' and keep doing what you're doing if you're happy with that.

Age wise you can only do that so long.

 

[evander03]

1st grade daughter the same thing. She was going to 2 one hour sessions a week. Now she got moved up to competitive gymnastics. Two 1 1/2 hour practices a week. Personal instruction/smaller group. Seven meets a year. Went from $200/mth to $250/mth. For all that she's getting I think $250 per month is a good deal.

Sure, some might look at that and say how can you spend that much on little girls gymnastics. My response is that you can't really put a price on what she's getting. This little girl is developing serious athleticism, core strength, and fitness. At 7 she already has a bit of that gymnast build and she can flip and jump and bound around all over the place. Contrast that to a few of the other girls on our block that are already obese. What price should I put on my kid's health?

She's not going to be an Olympic or D1 gymnast but she will have an athletic foundation for dance, volleyball, or basketball which are the other activities she is interested in.

1st grade daughter the same thing. She was going to 2 one hour sessions a week. Now she got moved up to competitive gymnastics. Two 1 1/2 hour practices a week. Personal instruction/smaller group. Seven meets a year. Went from $200/mth to $250/mth. For all that she's getting I think $250 per month is a good deal.

Sure, some might look at that and say how can you spend that much on little girls gymnastics. My response is that you can't really put a price on what she's getting. This little girl is developing serious athleticism, core strength, and fitness. At 7 she already has a bit of that gymnast build and she can flip and jump and bound around all over the place. Contrast that to a few of the other girls on our block that are already obese. What price should I put on my kid's health?

She's not going to be an Olympic or D1 gymnast but she will have an athletic foundation for dance, volleyball, or basketball which are the other activities she is interested in.

Yep, same here. She is 7 too and also in basketball, soccer, softball and starting some volleyball camps this summer. She is a pretty good athlete right now. That’s one reason I like gymnastics she has good core and body control.