Kids Sports

Bearcat89 wrote:

Some of the sports these days are driven by die hards and pushed way to hard.

The best comment on this thread!!

Just catching up on a few things with this thread. I’m in Werm’s situation where it’s been a few decades since I’ve been in amateur sports and now I’m staring down the barrel of heading back into them with a 4 and 2 year old. Nice to read through this thread to get an idea as to what you’re all doing already.

Having not gone through it yet, my impression from friends of mine is that there’s just too much going on. When I was growing up in a very small farm town almost everyone was a 3-sport athlete and then each sport maybe had an offseason camp run by the coach. Now my friends tell me about shuttling their kids to this or that camp, clinic, or game and I look at the calendar and can’t make sense as to why that sport is being done at that time of the year.

Not trying to be all “ah back in my day blah blah blah” because I never want to be that guy, maybe times are just changing and instead of actively participating and being decent at 3 sports, kids are narrowing it and just focusing on one or two.

I do remember for a few years Kirk Herbstreit and a few others would send out Tweets showing data about the number of 5-star recruits, or college players drafted into the NFL, who were multi-sport athletes in high school, and I’ve heard other athletes talk too about the benefits about playing multiple sports. Just seems like that’s gonna be a challenge.

Having been down this road, and having an opinion, and having run a bigger city in-house, travel and legion baseball program for 6 years, coached soccer, baseball and basketball ( taught them to skate but let them choose on their own what they wanted to do) for 14 years I decided to weigh in.
One of the first basketball programs we took our oldest to had a great program coordinator. He shared statistics about the number of kids who make it to high school varsity, who make it to a college or a D1 college or to the minors or to the pros. Pretty daunting numbers. Told parents to “put it into perspective what they want for their own and their child’s life to be like”
Good to get involved, to learn to play on a team, to play with others, to strategize, to gain confidence, to make new friends, learn to communicate ( education could take a lesson from this guy) and learn that you don’t always win, losing teaches us many lessons as well and then asked for any questions….. crickets.
My boys played baseball hard, I ran the camps, the tryouts, teams selection, high school booster…… Let your kids decide what they want and how much of it they can stomach. Pushing too hard causes many problems and you may find your child retreating back instead of excelling. Teach them to fish, canoe, hike ,golf, garden, play frisbee, tennis, ride a bike. There is more to our world than Football, basketball, Baseball and hockey.

My two cents.

Good post Umy, and as a father of kids who will be involved soon I appreciate any advice from others.

When I was in high school in our very small town, outside of farming sports were everything and still are. Us kids were always talking about it, it was the talk of the town, etc.

I will say that I think in some ways playing high school football prepared me for army basic training. The structure, the hard physical work, dealing with soreness and injuries, and getting yelled at prepared me to some extent. I don’t think the rigor and the way we were talked to at times would fly nowadays, but honestly it was a good life lesson.

joe-winter wrote:

IMO…. The biggest difference in summer baseball is the number of kids playing. You need to be in more populated area now to have “rec” baseball. No tryouts… just evals to split teams up evenly and play 1 to 2 times a week on the local field and maybe a league tournament at the end of the season. We had these leagues even on small towns when I grew up.

Now every town has a program and tryouts for a AAA, AA, and A level teams.. pay 4 times as much…. Some play on a league like the MBL and other just play weekend tournaments. Some both..

I have a 12 year old playing AA in St Peter and on a “rec” team made up of his classmates in Mankato. St. Peter (11,000) didn’t even have enough kids come out to make 2 teams at his age level.

This one resonated with me – I’ve been involved as a Legion umpire for 20+ years and you can definitely see participation declining, not to mention kids not playing for their local team and instead opting for the “showcase” travel tournaments where they can go improve their draft status When’s the last time you’ve seen kids on a ball field just playing by themselves? I remember we did that for hours and hours as kids (gosh I’m getting old).

In our local youngster (8-12) league, the kids who want to play “travel” ball don’t even play with the other kids. While I can see the logic, you’re basically telling kids at 10 or 11 years old that they’re not going to be a varsity-level player. It works well for the elite athletic kids but a lot of the late bloomers have given up by the time that happens. You see this with all sports, it gets so serious at a young age that so many kids just give up on it – of course there’s lots of other stuff to earn their attention. I have friends that coach at one of our middle schools and they’ve been getting 15-20 girls out for basketball out of a class of 350. Another anecdote, some friends have always liked to camp and fish basically every weekend. Their boy and girl are now 13 and 11 and they have hardly done anything in the summers other than chase them to basketball and soccer tournaments the last couple years. I get they’re only young once but holy cow for moderation.

With all of the time and dollars involved in youth sports, it doesn’t seem as though the level of play has gone up much, if any. Baseball, for sure, has gone down.

Both of our girls play softball, last week there was either a practice or a game everyday of the week excluding Friday with farthest game being in New London, we live in Sauk Rapids. Back to New London again today. Pretty much the same schedule this week with a scheduled tournament in Hudson, WI this weekend. I don’t mind a tournament but heck, you think they could be better at keeping things local.

The first school that started these summer leagues/programmes just laid the foundation for the madness. As soon as one starts others need to follow and try to keep up with the development. During my lusturious baseball career in St. Stephen, we played the same three teams all season, gone are those days

slough wrote:

This one resonated with me – I’ve been involved as a Legion umpire for 20+ years and you can definitely see participation declining,

Agreed. I still play slow pitch softball, and for awhile every year there were younger teams joining the league. For about the last 5 years that has not been the case, and the league’s are shrinking and while we are getting old we are still younger than some teams. Baseball is a feeder to old man softball, and that pipeline is running dry.

I have a lot of friends that coach football at a high level (Varsity Head Coaches of successful programs and college coaches), and unanimously they want (some even require) their kids to play other sports in the offseason. Somehow at the youth level this is getting lost, and there’s an increasing emphasis on specialization. You don’t, and imo shouldn’t, do this to your kids, even if they want to. They will burn out or their body will develop in a way that would lead to more success in other sports. As an example my neighbor has an 11 year old that is nearly 6 foot tall already and athletic, these youth programs want him playing AAU basketball year round, and baseball wants him on the travel teams and on and on. Thankfully he’s got good parents that realize that would require sacrificing the families entire summer, and the Dad is about 5’8″ so the kid is probably as tall as he will be, so they kept him out of AAU in the offseason and off the travel baseball team. The kid and his 9 year old brother are in the backyard all the time playing every sport imaginable and some made up ones, and I’d bet anything they both continue to outperform the specialized kids throughout their athletic careers. To use one of my favorite movies as an analogy, I’m trying to raise Sandlot kids, not the Cake Eaters in the clean uni’s.

BigWerm wrote:

, I’m trying to raise Sandlot kids, not the Cake Eaters in the clean uni’s.

Top 10 things I’ve ever read on Ido

I don’t think a kid needs structured sports or choir.
More of good parenting and positivity in there life. I remember when I quit all school sports and my dad was red hot. I enjoyed riding BMX 10x more and part time skate boarding. My mom would help me out to get in to 3rd layer so I could do weekend skates and or pick me up from the BMX park. Her support pushed me a long ways.

When I went to my son’s wrestling tournaments, half the parents seemed mentally unstable, I couldn’t imagine what it’s like being one of the kids in that family. Winning was the only choice. I see alot of that at my nephews hockey tournaments as well.

When I quit school sports it just wasn’t fun. If you weren’t best buddies with the coaches kids then you were nobody. In both baseball and football. I still see that now days. I always support my son if he wants to play sports ride mx, be a pro rock skipper or you tuber. I’ll always be his biggest fan

My kids are both fairly involved in sports and we also make time to fish, hunt and be outdoors. It’s exhausting but these days are fleeting and wont last forever. As soon as they say they don’t want to play anymore, the wont. It will kill me when they both stop hockey because there’s nothing more fun than watching them play and it also makes the winter go by fast. but there’s a LOT of ice fishing to be done when that day comes!

Sports are a metaphor for life. In a society that’s grown increasingly entitled, sports are one of the last ways we have to teach kids that life isn’t fair. The worst and most disgusting part of youth sports are the parents who don’t realize that and constantly yell at officials, other parents, etc. in front of all the kids when a call doesn’t go their way… Hockey is the worst and I’ve unfortunately witnessed the worst of parental behavior.

Bearcat89 wrote:

I love watching my son play sports, but it’s his choice ultimately. He plays baseball and enjoys it. He is very good at the sport and one of the best on the team, I think that helps him have fun. The boost of confidence when his team is screaming his name cheering him on.
He told me he doesn’t want to wrestle any more which is sad, after 4 years and 3 of which he went to state. But it is what it is. He wants to get in to racing ama district dirt bikes. We track ride a couple times a week and I’m game with him racing.
I wanted him to play football but he has 0 interest so I ask him every year but when he says no I drop it.
We still fish every week, ride mx, and hike. I never gave him the option to play hockey and I won’t. We don’t have the time for that

Which state tournament did he make it to? My son wrestlers and made NYWA state this year as a 6th grader.

Which state tournament did he make it to? My son wrestlers and made NYWA state this year as a 6th grader.
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Same one. In Rochester 2nd 3rd and 4th grade. He was invited to Bemidji, or Brainerd and we could not make it due to work.

Bearcat89 wrote:

Which state tournament did he make it to? My son wrestlers and made NYWA state this year as a 6th grader.

Same one. In Rochester 2nd 3rd and 4th grade. He was invited to Bemidji, or Brainerd and we could not make it due to work.
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That’s pretty cool. We went to Bemidji and he got 3rd in a 21 man bracket to make state.

Stanley wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Bearcat89 wrote:</div>
Which state tournament did he make it to? My son wrestlers and made NYWA state this year as a 6th grader.

Same one. In Rochester 2nd 3rd and 4th grade. He was invited to Bemidji, or Brainerd and we could not make it due to work.

That’s pretty cool. We went to Bemidji and he got 3rd in a 21 man bracket to make state.
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We did that the first 2 years and not the 3rd. We have most likely crossed paths a time or 2.
What school does he wrestle for. Mine did 1 year with forest lake and 2 years with north branch

He wrestled 1yr with Sauk Rapids and 3yrs now with Royalton. I’m sure we have been in the same gyms over the years.

bigfatcroixbaby wrote:

North Branch, huh? Out of curiosity ask your kid if he’s heard of Jay Chambers…he was powerhouse state champ wrestler from NB back in the day.

I can guarantee you he will have no idea. He just graduated 5th grade and I doubt he remembers his right now base ball coaches name.
But I know who he is

Deuces wrote:

We have to remember as parents our kids are preconditioned to say yes to us, so these questions of whether lil johnny wants to play again would be quite hard for a child to say. Especially when they may have friends in it, their parents seem to enjoy it as much as them, they in their own brain can’t recognize all the other opportunities available even if we can, etc etc.

I’m all for sport but this whole intense sports schedules has completely derailed society IMO. Sports makes kids good to be corporate drones, sit in a cubicle just like they did a field or rink for hours on end.

That’s a bit of a stretch.
Besides I thought it was wakeboard boats that were derailing society.

Ripjiggen wrote:

Besides I thought it was wakeboard boats that were derailing society.

No its video games.

I think what is often overlooked is the PRESSURE that kids these days can feel at a very young age because of how apesh!t crazy some of these sports have gotten.

I was driving the kids to a basketball game last winter and here’s the conversation I had with a 7th grader who is a friend of my son’s.

Background here is that Will possesses absolutely electric intelligence and the sport he really loves and wants to play more than anything is baseball. He’s a pitcher. As a side note, he will is about 4’10” as a seventh grader and he looks exactly like his mother, whom I doubt is 5’5″ unless she’s standing on something.

Me: Will, how did you do in (baseball) tryouts?

Will: It wasn’t good. Jay, don’t tell my parents, but I’m thinking about retirement.

Me: Retirement? From ball? Why?

Will: I can’t bring the heat. My fastball just doesn’t have it and probably never will. I mean…. look at me. Have you ever looked at the pediatric growth charts? Science doesn’t lie. I’m totally hosed.

Me: Well, I think it might be a little early to throw in the towel?

Will: Basically, I have only 32% chance of being over 5’8″. That isn’t going to cut it even to make it to D1 college ball. I’m done for at 13, basically.

Me: Well, what’s plan B? Basketball? (I immediately regretted saying that).

Will: Nope. I think I’m going to pull the plug on the whole deal. I had a good run, it was fun when I was little anyway. Gotta change plans and do something boring with life instead.

Me: Boring? Like what?

Will: Well, my great-great-grandpa was a doctor, great-grandpa was a doctor. My grandpa is a doctor. My dad is a doctor. So I guess there’s always being a doctor, but man it sucks compared to playing in the big leagues. Total letdown.

So at least he has a fallback plan, but man I wonder how many other kids feel this kind of “got to be better than good” pressure every day?

Holy cow poor kid wants to quit a sport he loves playing because he doesnt think he has a chance to play college ball? Feel bad for the kid. Just go out there and play with your buddies.

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

Will: Basically, I have only 32% chance of being over 5’8″. That isn’t going to cut it even to make it to D1 college ball. I’m done for at 13, basically.

Haha that kid sounds like he’s got a good sense of humor, which is a chicken and the egg question for short people. But he shouldn’t be discouraged, there’s no better sport for the undersized! Jose Altuve, Billy Wagner, Greg Maddux, Joe Morgan, Kirby Puckett, Phil Rizzuto, Jimmy Rollins, Hack Wilson and everyone’s favorite Wee Willy Keeler all-time greats that didn’t crack 6 foot tall.

CaptainMusky wrote:

Holy cow poor kid wants to quit a sport he loves playing because he doesnt think he has a chance to play college ball? Feel bad for the kid. Just go out there and play with your buddies.

Kids don’t miss much. When you’re participating in tryouts from the age of 8, it doesn’t take long for the kids to notice what’s going on and who’s on the A team and who’s on the C team.

It’s easy for me at least to see how a kid can feel like there’s no point if they’re not making the A team at 13. By that point they’ve been competing for a spot for years.

And heck, this is baseball. That’s only a 7 on the scale of kids sports crazy.

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

Kids don’t miss much. When you’re participating in tryouts from the age of 8, it doesn’t take long for the kids to notice what’s going on and who’s on the A team and who’s on the C team.

My kids never cared what team they made and they never made the A teams. They just loved playing with their friends. One of my son’s fiends is a diehard baseball nut, but he stinks at it. Doesnt keep him from playing.

CaptainMusky wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>TheFamousGrouse wrote:</div>
Kids don’t miss much. When you’re participating in tryouts from the age of 8, it doesn’t take long for the kids to notice what’s going on and who’s on the A team and who’s on the C team.

My kids never cared what team they made and they never made the A teams. They just loved playing with their friends. One of my son’s fiends is a diehard baseball nut, but he stinks at it. Doesnt keep him from playing.

Most of this goes back to parenting. Not competing in the actual sport. Most kids I work with don’t have the out look at quitting because they won’t be pro.

My buddies kid plays soccer and they constantly travel. This weekend they’re off to Illinois and has to take Friday off. It also means he won’t be able to Celebrate Father’s day with his other kids. The funny thing is when they travel for these tournaments they end up playing other St.Paul teams even though there are teams from all over.
Tough to be well rounded when the majority of their time is spent either practicing or traveling for “tournaments”

My kid had his first taekwondo class today. He just turned 6. He then had baseball in the evening.
We were laying down together for bed.

Me: “Bud how was your day”
Him: “Best ever”
Me: “That’s awesome why was it best day ever”
Him: “I learned how to break a board in class, and I got 2 hits. No really I broke a board with my hands today dad”
Me: Didn’t believe him but showed me the board and did it again in my living room.
Me: Holy poop you can karate chop a board?
Him: Yeah dad can you believe it?
Me: Uh no….

My thoughts oh gawd my next nut shot is gonna hurt.

Him: Dad do you think I can break two boards tomorrow and get 3 hits.

Me: Hell yeah you can. Rubbing my eyes because of my um allergies.🥴

Didn’t have the heart to tell him he doesn’t have baseball tomorrow. 😂

Pretty sure this kid isn’t going to be a corporate robot.

Ripjiggen wrote:

My kid had his first taekwondo class today. He just turned 6. He then had baseball in the evening.
We were laying down together for bed.

Me: “Bud how was your day”
Him: “Best ever”
Me: “That’s awesome why was it best day ever”
Him: “I learned how to break a board in class, and I got 2 hits. No really I broke a board with my hands today dad”
Me: Didn’t believe him but showed me the board and did it again in my living room.
Me: Holy poop you can karate chop a board?
Him: Yeah dad can you believe it?
Me: Uh no….

My thoughts oh gawd my next nut shot is gonna hurt.

Him: Dad do you think I can break two boards tomorrow and get 3 hits.

Me: Hell yeah you can. Rubbing my eyes because of my um allergies.🥴

Didn’t have the heart to tell him he doesn’t have baseball tomorrow. 😂

Pretty sure this kid isn’t going to be a corporate robot.

That’s awesome Rip!

North Branch Ha. Where is that? LOL

Dan wrote:

Not trying to be all “ah back in my day blah blah blah” because I never want to be that guy, maybe times are just changing and instead of actively participating and being decent at 3 sports, kids are narrowing it and just focusing on one or two.

Many kids don’t have a choice. I know the coaches around my area are basically forcing kids to be all in on one sport.

Pretty sad.

I played traveling basketball all over he** from age 10-16. I played all over MN, WI, Iowa, and Illinois. There are memories I wouldn’t give up for anything with some great lifelong friends. However, I’d never begin to force that on my kids or push them in that direction. I also did football and baseball from the earliest age on through high school.

I was the 6th grader who was 5’11 with hair everywhere and weighed 170# and was the fastest kid my age. Luckily my dad knew what it meant and didn’t go overboard. He kept me humble and reminded me every minute of the way that my development advantage was simply that…and it was temporary. I thank him every single time I’m at some youth sporting event that he let me do as much as I wanted, while reminding me I wouldn’t be making a living playing sports.

I’ll always promote being involved as a parent. I don’t care if my kids are in sports, the musical, the band, math team, etc…

As long as they’re doing something to better themselves as a human, learn teamwork, handle criticism, and develop a work ethic, they will be well on their way to success.