Friday, April 27, 2012

Youth Sports: Two Sport Athlete Overcommitted (Part 1)

Is it fair to commit to two different teams in the same season? Fair to the respective coaches, fair to both sets of teammates, fair to other parents who spend a lot of money to be on a team with high expectations?

My two sport athletic daughter is over-committed and her basketball coach is not happy about it. I don't know what to do about it. Over the next several posts, I am going to think through the problem. I am not a fan of specialization at age 11, but we obviously need to address the situation to be fair to her teams.

Last year, CC found out that a soccer teammate named Mel played both AAU basketball and elite soccer at the same time. CC loves basketball and wanted to do the same. I found it hard to believe that you could do both, but I promised to investigate it. I asked the Mel's dad about it. He told me that they have been handling it with relatively few conflicts. He also mentioned that Mel's basketball team was holding a tryout over the next two weekends.

I looked at the basketball tryout schedule for first weekend and realized that we wouldn't be able to make it due to an out-of-town soccer tournament. That should have been my first clue. I looked at the second weekend and as bad luck would have it, my daughter had a soccer game 60 miles away from the basketball tryout. At first, I did not think we could do both, but I figured out that if the soccer game started and ended on time, we could possibly make it to the basketball tryout 5 to 10 minutes late.

It was a rainy day and I was hoping that soccer was going to get canceled, but it didn't. Fortunately, it was raining so hard, that the refs decided to start the game early and cut half-time short. This gave us an opportunity. Unfortunately, the rain snarled traffic and slowed us and we arrived at the tryout 50 minutes late. That should have been my second clue.

CC took the floor with complete confidence and I took my place on the bleachers. I then did a quick count of the number of girls on the court vying for 10 spots. There were 44 girls. After missing the entire first tryout and 50 minutes of the second, I figured CC's chances were slim to none. I thought to myself, that it would probably be for the best.

After the tryout, I told CC how proud I was of her for confidently jumping right in there. I told her that she can definitely play at that level, but that the chances of being noticed during the last 40 minutes were not good.

The following night, I got a call from the coach. CC made the team the team for the winter. We were also informed that another tryout would be held in February for the AAU National Tournament team.


We accepted the invitation to play on the winter team. CC's soccer team competed in Futsal in the winter, but the winter season for soccer is pretty laid back. CC only missed 3 of 20 Futsal games due to conflicts.

In February, CC made the National Tournament team and we accepted. To my surprise, Mel decided to decline her offer. Her dad thought it was too much. WHAT??#@%@ He convinced us that it could be done. That should have been my third clue.

Well, thanks to a lot of rain last spring, most of the weekend soccer games were rescheduled for the weekdays. And thanks to luck, the 5 basketball tournaments were on different weekends than the 3 soccer tournaments. CC did not miss any soccer games (19) or any spring basketball games (49).

The Main Point

An 11 year old athlete should not have to specialize in one sport, but it is so difficult to do in this over the top youth sports world with year round teams.

This year is a different story all together. It has not rained much this spring and there are lots of conflicts and the basketball coach is not exactly happy. More in the next post - including a letter from the coach.

86 comments:

  1. We are living this very issue right now. My 11 y.o. is playing on a top soccer team, as well as an AAU team this spring. We told the AAU coach that soccer was the priority, and she is pretty OK about it. K is averaging 12 hrs of practices plus a soccer game every week, and a bball tournament every other weekend. When she misses a soccer practice she feels guilty, and when she misses a bball game, she feels even worse, and her playing time is reduced for the rest of the tournament.

    We just told the bball coach we are missing the out of town Memorial Day tournament to attend the local soccer tournament. We will see how things go between now and then.

    I really think K will stick to the local drafted league winter basketball, and skip AAU next year.

    I look forward to hearing how you and CC resolve this issue.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Guilt is a powerful thing. My daughter feels it too. I am glad that my daughter feels a sense of commitment, but an 11 year old should not have to feel guilty.

      Delete
  2. My eleven year old son tried this spring to play for a club soccer team while also playing on a rec lacrosse team. We live in Baltimore, where people take lacrosse very seriously. My son thought that he wanted to play soccer year round and because he initiated the decision, I had him try out for Pipeline Soccer Club. He made the team and we quickly found ourselves at four practices a week--2 for Pipeline and two for his lacrosse team. He also was playing games all weekend, with little time for friends or sleepovers. He finally scored a goal for his soccer team and it was right after this game that he said to me, "You know how you always tell me that if you aren't having fun, you shouldn't be playing the sport?" I told him I still believed that. That it was a game, not a job. "Well," he said, "I am not having fun playing for Pipeline." We talked a lot that evening about why he was not having fun--the professional coach who was 21 years old, the kids on the team, the time commitment with lacrosse. I let him pull out of Pipeline, which is something that I rarely let any of my three children do. But I feel like I learned an important lesson: Eleven is too young to be playing a year round sport. Club teams pressure parents and children to play the sport all year when in reality I truly believe kids are happier and healthier when they play three seasons--at least through middle school. The time commitment required for a club soccer or lacrosse team for an eleven year old is insane. Mark Hyman is my hero and I think about his books, both of them, all the time now when I am making decisions about my third child's involvement in rec and club level sports.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This is not the first time that we have been in this situation - my son was also a two sport athlete - There were times when quitting was discussed - We have a rule that if you start something then you need to finish it. We are trying to teach commitment - yeah right - letting son or daughter join two teams is not exactly full commitment is it? I can hear it in your writing that you struggled with the quitting decision. I guess we both have to remember that they are 11 - in the overall scheme of life youth sports is not as important as we make it out to be.

      Delete
  3. We will be facing a similar issue this Australian summer with major swim and athletics meets clashing. I think 9 years old is way too young to have to make the choice between two sports my daughter loves, but we will probably have too. These are mostly individual sports and we don't have an obligation to a team and coach as you do...I wish you the best of luck for your decision and I will be reading with interest!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love when you add the down under spin to things - thanks

      Delete
  4. Great topic! My 9-yearold son is also in a similar situation with an AAU basketball team and a city baseball league. The games don't conflict so much, but the practices do! I'm definitely interested in how you resolve it and so curious about the letter you got from the coach!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Last year - basketball practice and soccer practice were both on Wednesdays at the same time. I worked a deal with the soccer coach to allow my daughter to train with the older team on Tuesdays so she was still getting her work in. She went to basketball practice on Wednesdays.

      Delete
  5. We are in the same boat, I have an 11 and 13 year old that are playing both travel basketball and travel baseball. Many of the boys teammates on both of thier travel teams also play more than one travel team/sport. I'm anxious to read what you have to say next about this subject. I will say, on my 11 year old's travel basketball team we have had two boys back out who had committed and already played two tournaments. They are a big loss to the team and a great dissapointment so from the perspective of a parent on the other side of the issue, it has been very frustrating to have our team let down and our coach now scrambling to try to find two more players. I guess I would say that as parents we should really try to weigh out the issue before committing so as not to be put in the position of needing to pull our child out. That being said, I understand sometimes we think things will be one way and they end up another. For the most part we have had very few conflicts but the teams my boys play on try to have at least 4-6 players on the bench so that we can accomodate a players missing here and there.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Will comment more after I read a few more posts. Have already done so on twitter. Coached a kid at the AYSO/rec level in soccer who played club basketball. My one Friday night practice conflicted with his club basketball practice. Mother made a comment to me before the season that we've got a problem. Told her that we don't have a problem, that I come from a basketball background and that the training he's receiving in basketball transfers to soccer fairly easily (both are invasive sports). Didn't mind him missing practices because I could coach him during the games and he had the athleticism, instincts, attitude and competitive drive to make a difference on game day. I once coached a girl who showed up for exactly two practices. Had church conflicts. One of my better players too - was practicing soccer with her school team, so she was getting some training. At the youth soccer level, I find that kids who have an athletic background can play off each other easier in soccer than basketball. Chemistry is important in all sports, but basketball is a tougher game to play than soccer at the youth levels.

    I'm in agreement with your point about sports specialization, but I think you're barking up the wrong tree in thinking the conflicts posed by playing two club sports means you can't pursue the objective of playing multiple sports in the middle school years. Suggest you dial it down. Select one club sport & play the others on a recreational level, at school, in summer camp situations, on the playground (old school way - good luck finding a run). By the way, the kid I talked about had a great sports experience with our team. Best team I've ever coached at youth level & he was an integral part of the team. Just a dynamic athlete with a selfless attitude. Loved coaching him.

    ReplyDelete
  7. "We would all be better off if we mastered the art of saying “NO”; We often regret saying 'yes'."
    Coach George Raveling - from his blog post - "Inside Coach Rav’s Head:"
    http://coachgeorgeraveling.com/inside-coach-ravs-head-5/

    ReplyDelete
  8. Clarence I appreciate your wisdom.

    ReplyDelete
  9. girl play same sports game , i think it will be give them more strongger body and some muscle

    ReplyDelete
  10. The children who play sports get more chance of meeting and interacting with people of similar interests and make new friends, this boosts their confidence. guarantor loans

    ReplyDelete
  11. This is a great inspiring article.I am pretty much pleased with your good work.You put really very helpful information. Keep it up. Keep blogging. Looking to reading your next post.
    Poker Online

    ReplyDelete
  12. Simultaneously, I want to give competitors and mentors alike how to for all intents and purposes apply these standards and which are the elements with higher weightage as far as making progress and pinnacle execution in games. 1 스포츠토토 2토토사이트

    ReplyDelete
  13. It makes the activity of putting away b-balls a mess simpler. Since we recognize what they are, let us set aside some effort to take a gander at the physical structure of a run of the mill ball rack.토토사이트

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thanks again for the blog.Thanks Again. Much obliged. http://www.suratkabar.web.id/

    ReplyDelete
  15. Your blog is too much amazing. I have found with ease what I was looking. Moreover, the content quality is awesome. Thanks for the nudge! 안전놀이터

    ReplyDelete
  16. Admiring the time and effort you put into your blog and detailed information you offer!.. 안전놀이터

    ReplyDelete
  17. Thanks for another wonderful post. Where else could anybody get that type of info in such an ideal way of writing? 안전토토사이트

    ReplyDelete
  18. I am continually amazed by the amount of information available on this subject. What you presented was well researched and well worded in order to get your stand on this across to all your readers. 릴게임

    ReplyDelete
  19. Very good written article. It will be supportive to anyone who utilizes it, including me. Keep doing what you are doing – can’r wait to read more posts. UFABET

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hi! Thanks for the great information you havr provided! You have touched on crucuial points! 먹튀검증

    ReplyDelete
  21. Hi! Thanks for the great information you havr provided! You have touched on crucuial points! 먹튀검증

    ReplyDelete
  22. Wow, What an Outstanding post. I found this too much informatics. It is what I was seeking for. I would like to recommend you that please keep sharing such type of info.If possible, Thanks. Fafa191

    ReplyDelete
  23. This article is an appealing wealth of useful informative that is interesting and well-written. I commend your hard work on this and thank you for this information. I know it very well that if anyone visits your blog, then he/she will surely revisit it again. togel online

    ReplyDelete
  24. Thanks for a very interesting blog. What else may I get that kind of info written in such a perfect approach? I’ve a undertaking that I am simply now operating on, and I have been at the look out for such info. http://onlyonlinecasinos.com/

    ReplyDelete
  25. This was a really great contest and hopefully I can attend the next one. It was alot of fun and I really enjoyed myself.. cmd 368

    ReplyDelete
  26. Huge leverage - If you bet say £50 a pip (a pip is usually the minimum price movement you can bet on), you can easily win four or five times your original bet if the price moves in the right direction. On a really good bet, you can win much much more. keputusan 4d

    ReplyDelete
  27. Chasing losses at first sight may appear to be an easy way to guarantee an eventual profit but the true story is it is a game for fools and statistically will not work unless you generate an overall level stakes profit. their explanation

    ReplyDelete
  28. As illustrated, the leader has placed the "five-three", the second player the "three-four" and the third player, the "five-blank". dominoqq

    ReplyDelete
  29. Thanks for the blog loaded with so many information. Stopping by your blog helped me to get what I was looking for. BK8

    ReplyDelete
  30. I wanted to thank you for this great read!! I definitely enjoying every little bit of it I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you post. Startup Marketing Agency

    ReplyDelete
  31. Thanks a lot for sharing this excellent info! I am looking forward to seeing more posts by you as soon as possible! I have judged that you do not compromise on quality. гидра онион

    ReplyDelete
  32. Your articles are inventive. I am looking forward to reading the plethora of articles that you have linked here. Thumbs up! Slot Online

    ReplyDelete
  33. There are hidden benefits to playing poker online come in the form of bonuses, freerolls, guaranteed tournaments and more. Find out why now is a great time to be playing poker online. bandar ceme

    ReplyDelete
  34. Thanks for your insight for your fantastic posting. I’m glad I have taken the time to see this. cf68

    ReplyDelete
  35. master togel menjadi salah satu bandar togel hongkong terbaik untuk saat ini. Karena sudah mencapai top rekor dengan menjadi bandar togel paling baik hati yang pernah ada.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Thanks for taking the time to discuss that, I feel strongly about this and so really like getting to know more on this kind of field. Do you mind updating your blog post with additional insight? It should be really useful for all of us. เกมสล็อต

    ReplyDelete
  37. Data Sdy adalah hasil pengeluaran togel sydney yang sudah kami ringkaskan menjadi 1 bagian setiap hari pada setiap periode yang telah berlangsung dari hasil keluaran resmi sydneypools.com pada jam 13.50 wib, disini para pecinta togel sdy bisa melihat hasil Data Sdy dengan cepat dan juga tepat pastinya pada setiap hari.

    ReplyDelete
  38. syair hk - kode syair hongkong akurat dan jitu dari permainan tebak angka togel hongkong.

    ReplyDelete
  39. You have a good point here!I totally agree with what you have said!!Thanks for sharing your views...hope more people will read this article!!! joker สล็อต

    ReplyDelete
  40. Joker123 slot gaming สล็อตออนไลน์ หากคุณมองหาความสนุกที่มั่นคง เล่นเว็บตรงอันดับหนึ่งเท่านั้น เกมยิงปลา เกมสล็อต บนมือถือ ได้ทุกที่กับ Joker123 ฝากง่ joker 123

    ReplyDelete
  41. This kind of seems totally best. Every one of these little information are manufactured together with lots of backdrop information. I prefer that a whole lot.
    บาคาร่าฝากถอนไม่มีขั้นต่ำ
    บาคาร่าขั้นต่ำ10บาท

    ReplyDelete
  42. I was reading your article and wondered if you had considered creating an ebook on this subject. Your writing would sell it fast. You have a lot of writing talent. เว็บพนันSA Gaming

    ReplyDelete
  43. เล่นบาคาร่าสด Thanks for the blog filled with so many information. Stopping by your blog helped me to get what I was looking for. Now my task has become as easy as ABC.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Thank you for liking, press share
    I exactly got what you mean, thanks for posting. And, I am too much happy to find this website on the world of Google เล่นพนันเกมยิงปลา

    ReplyDelete
  45. เว็บดูผลบอล I am always searching online for storys that can accommodate me ผลบอลสด365

    ReplyDelete
  46. replica bags canada replica gucci handbags r3h02s2r24 replica bags toronto replica bags vancouver click here now b1h63e0a50 replica bags hermes useful content y6d81p7d38 Ysl replica bags 7a replica bags meaning

    ReplyDelete
  47. Youth sports is any sports event where competitors are younger than adult age, whether children or adolescents. Youth sports includes school sports at primary and secondary level, as well as sports played outside the education system, whether informally or organized.

    In sports studies and public policy contexts, an age limit of 18 (the age of majority) is usual in discussing "youth sport". Not all sports governing bodies define "youth" as "under-18": while the Youth Olympic Games and the FA Youth Cup are for under-18s, the LEN Junior Water Polo European Championship is for under-17s.

    Many youth sport programmes have multiple age levels, for example under-8, under-10, under-12, etc. It is not, however, only underage sport that may be considered as "youth" sport; for example, the existence of the World Rowing U23 Championships recognises that adults aged 18–22 have not yet reached peak condition.

    Moreover, many definitions consider postsecondary/collegiate students ranging from the ages of 17 to 25 participating in sports to be "youth" as well.

    Sport is one of the most popular activities among youth all over the world. The most popular sports are association football, basketball, running and swimming.[citation needed] In 2008, a United Nations-sponsored report on "Sport for Development and Peace" stated:

    Sport can contribute significantly to international, national and local efforts to give children a healthy start. Sport can help those who haven't received a good start, and equip youth with the information, skills, personal and social resources, and support needed to make key life transitions successfully.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Personality Type Explained
    According to Carl G. Jung's theory of psychological types [Jung, 1971], people can be characterized by their preference of general attitude:

    Extraverted (E) vs. Introverted (I),
    their preference of one of the two functions of perception:

    Sensing (S) vs. Intuition (N),
    and their preference of one of the two functions of judging:

    Thinking (T) vs. Feeling (F)
    The three areas of preferences introduced by Jung are dichotomies (i.e. bipolar dimensions where each pole represents a different preference). Jung also proposed that in a person one of the four functions above is dominant – either a function of perception or a function of judging. Isabel Briggs Myers, a researcher and practitioner of Jung’s theory, proposed to see the judging-perceiving relationship as a fourth dichotomy influencing personality type [Briggs Myers, 1980]:

    Judging (J) vs. Perceiving (P)
    The first criterion, Extraversion – Introversion, signifies the source and direction of a person’s energy expression. An extravert’s source and direction of energy expression is mainly in the external world, while an introvert has a source of energy mainly in their own internal world.

    The second criterion, Sensing – Intuition, represents the method by which someone perceives information. Sensing means that a person mainly believes information he or she receives directly from the external world. Intuition means that a person believes mainly information he or she receives from the internal or imaginative world.

    The third criterion, Thinking – Feeling, represents how a person processes information. Thinking means that a person makes a decision mainly through logic. Feeling means that, as a rule, he or she makes a decision based on emotion, i.e. based on what they feel they should do.

    The fourth criterion, Judging – Perceiving, reflects how a person implements the information he or she has processed. Judging means that a person organizes all of his life events and, as a rule, sticks to his plans. Perceiving means that he or she is inclined to improvise and explore alternative options.

    All possible permutations of preferences in the 4 dichotomies above yield 16 different combinations, or personality types, representing which of the two poles in each of the four dichotomies dominates in a person, thus defining 16 different personality types. Each personality type can be assigned a 4 letter acronym of the corresponding combination of preferences:

    The 16 personality types
    ESTJ
    ISTJ
    ENTJ
    INTJ
    ESTP
    ISTP
    ENTP
    INTP
    ESFJ
    ISFJ
    ENFJ
    INFJ
    ESFP
    ISFP
    ENFP
    INFP

    ReplyDelete
  49. The primary purpose of the routing number to identify the bank which is responsible to either pay or give credit or is entitled to receive payment or credit for a check or electronic transaction.

    The Routing Number is intended primarily to serve the needs of sending or collecting institutions by providing the capability for check and electronic transactions to be transmitted and delivered for settlement in an efficient and timely manner with minimal processing and float costs to sending or collecting banks and payment system participants in general. In certain cases, special classes of routing numbers have been defined to facilitate either the presentment or processing of certain payment transactions.

    Receiving or paying banks may use the routing number to enhance the efficiency of their payment processing operations or services provided to their customers as long as these enhancements do not significantly increase payments clearing and settlement costs or delay clearing and settlement of a significant number of items/transactions or dollars. Since the routing number identifies the receiving or paying bank for check and electronic transactions, that bank must be capable of processing and settling these types of transactions at the point designated for the routing number or arrange to have these transactions properly delivered to their service provider as appropriate.

    ReplyDelete
  50. The use of a social security number allows the ability to gather specific information associated with the nine-digit identifier that is used to validate the identity of an applicant and the authenticity of their history. Knowing the right information about an applicant affords organizations the benefit of making the most informed hiring decisions possible. SSN-Validator

    ReplyDelete

Followers

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails