Am I the only one??

[SandlotMom]

My DD plays everything she can. She has played travel ball for 5 years and now that she has hit middle school and school sports have started it has piled up. This past summer she had both volleyball and basketball workouts and camps for the school on top of her normal travel ball schedule and lessons. This past summer was absolutely crazy. Her seasons do end but they all run together.

We had not taken a family vacation outside of our softball trips in five years. Finally skipped a couple of days of school and took advantage of the long weekend last week to go on a cruise. We have been at this so long it is almost amazing to me how much fun it was just to get away from everything and all of us take a break.

Yeah....I keep saying "next year we'll go to_________________." If I do decide to coach, I'm just going to end the season by the beginning of July no matter what. It's 12U....they'll be fine. If I don't coach, I have no idea when we'll take a good vacation.

 

[Tatonka]

I have a sneaking suspicion it's going to get worse before it gets better.

 

[Sparky Guy]

It's hard enough that she has chosen not to play basketball outside of afterschool sports because she is already committed to soccer and softball. I would not make her choose to stop playing either of them because she has a very good chance at playing both in high school.

SLM,

Is HS soccer a spring or fall sport in CA? If it's a spring sport she'll have to choose between the two. If it's a fall sport she has the best of both worlds. I know in Illinois soccer is a spring sport.

 

[SandlotMom]

SLM,

Is HS soccer a spring or fall sport in CA? If it's a spring sport she'll have to choose between the two. If it's a fall sport she has the best of both worlds. I know in Illinois soccer is a spring sport.

In our area it is currently a spring sport but next year they are moving it to be a winter sport. Before they approved this, she was stressing out. She was thinking of doing soccer in high school and softball in the summer but now she can do both.

 

[Momo'sDad]

You're far from alone and I do agree with you. I like to vent about this subject every few months myself. I don't like the never-ending softball season, but many of the basketball and soccer coaches treat their sports the same. So, we've managed DD's softball involvement within the structure of the softball culture where we live, which means a 2-week break after summer, and then about 4 weeks off (except for tryouts) after the fall season. As an aside, I was hoping that she'd do a different sport this fall, but it was not to be. I gently encouraged her to consider other options, but also made it clear that the choice was hers. As long as she keeps her grades up, I'm assuming that she plans to play in the spring and I'm fine with that, but I've already told her that I will not sign off on her playing next fall.

 

[SandlotMom]

You're far from alone and I do agree with you. I like to vent about this subject every few months myself. I don't like the never-ending softball season, but many of the basketball and soccer coaches treat their sports the same. So, we've managed DD's softball involvement within the structure of the softball culture where we live, which means a 2-week break after summer, and then about 4 weeks off (except for tryouts) after the fall season. As an aside, I was hoping that she'd do a different sport this fall, but it was not to be. I gently encouraged her to consider other options, but also made it clear that the choice was hers. As long as she keeps her grades up, I'm assuming that she plans to play in the spring and I'm fine with that, but I've already told her that I will not sign off on her playing next fall.

It's hard because I've done the research on youth sports injury, burnout, etc...experts, professional athletes and college coaches are encouraging youth to play multiple sports to prevent these things and yet the youth organizations don't follow. The college athletic trainers say that the ones that are most hurt are ones that played one sport compared to the multiple sport athletes which are hurt less often. My asst.coach was a physical therapist at a university and asked all the trainers and they said the same thing. Kids need rest from one sport by resting or cross train and do another sport.

 

[riseball]

As they say - If ifs and buts were candy and nuts every day would be Christmas. You can lament all you want about how you think it should be, and your view about what is best for kids, but that will not change a thing. I get the idea that this is much more your issue than your daughters. It sounds like she should not be playing TB and maybe rec would be a better fit for her. If you do not want to commit to one sport, then don't. It is that simple. But don't expect the world to change to suit your needs. You asked if you are the only one? The answer is no, but like it or not you are in the minority opinion on this issue.

 

[grcsftbll]

We love playing as long a season as possible. This year we played our first tournament in late Feb and tournaments typically run through November. We (including my daughter) love it. If you coach a short season in a climate that supports a long one, you probably won't get many really strong players, because they usually love to play and want to play as much as possible, IME. I'd say pick a priority and go with it.

 

[chinamigarden]

Its a battle in some areas. I live in the country and the girls on our HS team normally play more then one varsity sport. But we play in a league with teams from the Metro Detroit area and they tend to be more specialized. It was tough to find good travel teams that were willing to accept a multi sport athlete. We basically had to start our own.

If you want to attract good players to your team and have a shorter schedule then other groups I would lead with that. I would advertise the heck out of the fact that you are developing softball players who also play other sports. Treat this as a strength not a weakness. Right now you end up with other orgs cast offs. Believe me, your dd is not the only girl who plays more then one sport who wants to be able to enjoy her travel experience without having to look over her shoulder because she has other commitments. You will attract good players who will appreciate your team atmosphere.

In my view your team's culture is a good one, nurture it and celebrate it, you are on the right track.

 

[JJS]

Yeah....I keep saying "next year we'll go to_________________." If I do decide to coach, I'm just going to end the season by the beginning of July no matter what. It's 12U....they'll be fine. If I don't coach, I have no idea when we'll take a good vacation.

And many of your kids will play pick up for the teams playing championships in July/August. Many won't come back. Happens all the time.