Yep, let's throw out the baby with the bathwater.
There is (hopefully) a competitive level for everyone in an area. It's fine if you don't like it. Even better if you're talented enough to be above it. But I 100% disagree with discouraging anyone from playing because their team or community lacks some element.
If you have a full roster, and an appropriate competition level, play. Or a full roster and some self awareness of your reality, play. Yeah, walkfests sucked for me personally. But I refused to project that on the kids. And they still had fun. And came back. But hey, if someone was good enough to leave, I am more than happy to help them get to a level that was appropriate for them. But at 8/10/12U, I'm failing to see where anyone even cares what your results were. If my DD ends up good enough for a scholarship, but I cost her because we sucked at 10U as we decided having fun was more important than a win/loss record, so be it. She can be mad at me the rest of her life. I'll still sleep at night.
There is (hopefully) a competitive level for everyone in an area. It's fine if you don't like it. Even better if you're talented enough to be above it. But I 100% disagree with discouraging anyone from playing because their team or community lacks some element.
If you have a full roster, and an appropriate competition level, play. Or a full roster and some self awareness of your reality, play. Yeah, walkfests sucked for me personally. But I refused to project that on the kids. And they still had fun. And came back. But hey, if someone was good enough to leave, I am more than happy to help them get to a level that was appropriate for them. But at 8/10/12U, I'm failing to see where anyone even cares what your results were. If my DD ends up good enough for a scholarship, but I cost her because we sucked at 10U as we decided having fun was more important than a win/loss record, so be it. She can be mad at me the rest of her life. I'll still sleep at night.