Lots of interesting points to ponder. In such a large country, one size won't fit all. Do I have it correct that private equity is mostly interested in facilities/real estate?
A few points I've consistently hit with youth sports parents- 1) Don't get too excited about anything pre-puberty, especially with boys. So much can and will change with physical maturity. Their favorite sport may even change. 2) Travel teams at early ages are unnecessary for multiple reasons. Instead, if your kid is advanced and "dominating" his/her age group, play them up a year in rec. Some clubs even offer different levels of rec within an age group. If the kid really loves it, do your homework and find a good individual skills trainer to supplement rec practice and games. You'll still save money and small group instruction makes a big difference when done by the right teacher. 3) Make sure they play multiple sports, getting different experiences and preventing one sport from taking over the family calendar.
Good advice here. In an ideal world, I'd say, 'Stay off social media' because comparison is the thief of joy. But that isn't happening any time soon.
My son's team last year was cohesive, with parents, players and coaches all in alignment. Part of this, I think, was us all witnessing a horrific injury to one of the players. We bonded after adversity. The team went on to do very well, in results, and sportsmanship.
However, the transition to the next level has been difficult, as the team disbanded and moved onto 'the next level.'
My wife and I have supported my 16-year-old son through a summer rejection loop, staying positive, giving him hugs (when he lets us), giving him lifts to parks to play with his friends.
Meanwhile, 'responsible adults' in positions of power, have repeatedly let him down, delayed giving him information, or selected their own children ahead of better players.
We know my son will be ok in the long term, but in the short term it's been bloody painful to watch.
Thank you for writing this! I have a daughter (14) and a son (10). Both do travel soccer but it’s not crazy in the sense that it’s mostly local-ish matches. Both also started in rec and chose to move up to club. Daughter also chooses to do XC so she runs in the morning and doubles back for soccer practice 3x per week in the fall. She did this in middle school quite successfully, but it’s honestly becoming harder to manage now that she is in HS (e.g. school work, more miles, soccer is more serious). She also wants to do track in the spring and HS soccer at the same time. Anyway, just a comment to illustrate both the high load and to show it’s getting harder to be a multi sport athlete. She said today that she doesn’t think she is going to do track in the spring. (note: we have taken several steps to mitigate risk like Wed is a full rest day and no XC day after tough soccer weekends, talk to coaches about feel, be transparent about what she’s doing, and be heavily focused on fueling and enough sleep). Thanks, again!
The positive is she has multiple interests to manage. I'd always err on the side of less is more when it comes to mileage on her legs. My son ran track and played basketball in the spring. We were very fortunate his HS track coach let him miss a couple days per week for basketball practice. It worked out well for everyone. It was a tough call for him, but, surprisingly, in 11th grade he became full-time track and no more HS hoops.
Lots of interesting points to ponder. In such a large country, one size won't fit all. Do I have it correct that private equity is mostly interested in facilities/real estate?
A few points I've consistently hit with youth sports parents- 1) Don't get too excited about anything pre-puberty, especially with boys. So much can and will change with physical maturity. Their favorite sport may even change. 2) Travel teams at early ages are unnecessary for multiple reasons. Instead, if your kid is advanced and "dominating" his/her age group, play them up a year in rec. Some clubs even offer different levels of rec within an age group. If the kid really loves it, do your homework and find a good individual skills trainer to supplement rec practice and games. You'll still save money and small group instruction makes a big difference when done by the right teacher. 3) Make sure they play multiple sports, getting different experiences and preventing one sport from taking over the family calendar.
Good advice here. In an ideal world, I'd say, 'Stay off social media' because comparison is the thief of joy. But that isn't happening any time soon.
My son's team last year was cohesive, with parents, players and coaches all in alignment. Part of this, I think, was us all witnessing a horrific injury to one of the players. We bonded after adversity. The team went on to do very well, in results, and sportsmanship.
However, the transition to the next level has been difficult, as the team disbanded and moved onto 'the next level.'
My wife and I have supported my 16-year-old son through a summer rejection loop, staying positive, giving him hugs (when he lets us), giving him lifts to parks to play with his friends.
Meanwhile, 'responsible adults' in positions of power, have repeatedly let him down, delayed giving him information, or selected their own children ahead of better players.
We know my son will be ok in the long term, but in the short term it's been bloody painful to watch.
Thank you for writing this! I have a daughter (14) and a son (10). Both do travel soccer but it’s not crazy in the sense that it’s mostly local-ish matches. Both also started in rec and chose to move up to club. Daughter also chooses to do XC so she runs in the morning and doubles back for soccer practice 3x per week in the fall. She did this in middle school quite successfully, but it’s honestly becoming harder to manage now that she is in HS (e.g. school work, more miles, soccer is more serious). She also wants to do track in the spring and HS soccer at the same time. Anyway, just a comment to illustrate both the high load and to show it’s getting harder to be a multi sport athlete. She said today that she doesn’t think she is going to do track in the spring. (note: we have taken several steps to mitigate risk like Wed is a full rest day and no XC day after tough soccer weekends, talk to coaches about feel, be transparent about what she’s doing, and be heavily focused on fueling and enough sleep). Thanks, again!
The positive is she has multiple interests to manage. I'd always err on the side of less is more when it comes to mileage on her legs. My son ran track and played basketball in the spring. We were very fortunate his HS track coach let him miss a couple days per week for basketball practice. It worked out well for everyone. It was a tough call for him, but, surprisingly, in 11th grade he became full-time track and no more HS hoops.
This is phenomenal. I think your third place diagnosis is exactly what's missing from most dialogue on the topic today.