Multi-Sport Athletes

[SoftSocDad]

My DD is a multi-sport athlete and frankly I'm glad she likes so many different sports. I'm a huge believer in the benefits of playing more than just one sport. At some point she will have to narrow it down, but she is only 8 and I am trying to do everything I can to keep up with her and let her find "her sport". She is an absolute sports nut.

Here is our problem. She currently plays academy soccer (travel soccer......but they don't actually travel) and in softball she plays rec only (she is a pitcher). Recently, she has talked about wanting to play travel softball also. I'm thinking it's impossible to do both, but maybe she could be a pickup player from time to time when a local softball team might need a guest at a local tournament. However, after reading these boards, it seems as though pick up players aren't very welcome in many places.

Have any of your daughters been able to play two sports at the same time on a competitive level? or is it totally impossible?
Are youth softball coaches understanding if you miss some softball practices due to another sport? I know many of the youth soccer coaches are not very understanding. My DD's last soccer coach was pissed that she left a few soccer practices early to go to a different sports practice. I think a lot of it was the coaches ego. I refuse to let a coach pressure my daughter into only playing only one sport at the age of 8. From my experience, most of the kids that excel at any sport are the ones that put in the extra practice time at home or with their dad........not the ones with the best attendance at the organized team practices.

So, I guess I'm asking......Do understanding travel ball coaches exist? or is my daughter destined to stay in rec softball ?

The answers are yes and no, respectively, but you'll have to make keen observations and will likely need to do a significant amount of research in order to find the right fit. Unfortunately, it seems to be almost entirely dependent on where you live and the sort of youth sports culture that exists there.

In NorCal, crazy is the norm among both soccer and softball coaches. My DD decided to drop club soccer for this fall, but will still play rec. Her softball coach doesn't want girls missing practices at all for any reason, but I told him before she even tried out that her main fall sport is soccer, so it was his decision whether to take her on the team knowing that in advance.

There seem to be a lot of parent-coach negotiations concerning players that are between 8-12 years old in our area.

I think we have a duty to our kids to keep them active and to do what we can to facilitate their enjoyment of whatever sports activities they choose. I am just honest and firm with the coaches up front and they have the option of choosing or not choosing my child if they want an 12-month, full-time commitment.

 

[chinamigarden]

THERE ARE OVERWEIGHT KIDS PLAYING OTHER SPORTS TOO!!My point is just because a kid doesnt play other sports, does not make them less of a athlete. You dont need to play all the lesser skilled sports to play softball

I have never seen a morbidly obese child play travel soccer, AAU basketball or just about any high level sport other then football and softball. Why do you insist that other sports are less skilled, my guess is because you see soccer as just kicking a ball and running and have never really spent the time in coaching or watching the game enough to realize its a very skill intensive game. Does softball require the most fit of athletes, no it obviously doesn't. But we aren't raising softball players, we are raising children with the task of preparing them for a long good life. To many people justify their childs mounting health problems by saying, well she is an athlete she plays softball. I have seen more then once a parent on here describe their child similar to, 13YO, 5'4" and 180 lbs of pure muscle. No its not pure muscle, stop lying to yourself.

And no a child doesn't have to play other sports, but she shouldn't be discouraged at 8, from playing more then 1.

I have weight issues, my wife has weight issues. I refuse to ignore the fact that having 40 extra pounds has negatively impacted my life I can only imagine what 40 extra pounds (or more) does to a person 8 inches shorter then I am.

 

[nanotech14]

I have never seen a morbidly obese child play travel soccer, AAU basketball or just about any high level sport other then football and softball. Why do you insist that other sports are less skilled, my guess is because you see soccer as just kicking a ball and running and have never really spent the time in coaching or watching the game enough to realize its a very skill intensive game. Does softball require the most fit of athletes, no it obviously doesn't. But we aren't raising softball players, we are raising children with the task of preparing them for a long good life. To many people justify their childs mounting health problems by saying, well she is an athlete she plays softball. I have seen more then once a parent on here describe their child similar to, 13YO, 5'4" and 180 lbs of pure muscle. No its not pure muscle, stop lying to yourself.

And no a child doesn't have to play other sports, but she shouldn't be discouraged at 8, from playing more then 1.

I have weight issues, my wife has weight issues. I refuse to ignore the fact that having 40 extra pounds has negatively impacted my life I can only imagine what 40 extra pounds (or more) does to a person 8 inches shorter then I am.

So what are you saying to me that I dont have the best parenting skill or none at all? I could careless if a child plays 6 sports a week and practices on Sunday. What was said by screwball is that you only can be a good softball player if you play other sports. I have been around soccer before and sorry it isn't aS skilled as softball ,they do run a lot. I have coached BB for 6 years and it is not as skilled as softball. You can never tell me about raising a child and preparing them for a long good life, been doing it by myself for 13 years and my daughter is 13yo. Her mother decided that her life of fun was more important then our daughters. She was nothing more then a incubator for our daughter as far as I'am concerned. She is not out of my daughters life, she sees her every week. My dd hunts, shoots archery and played BB, I played dolls, painted nails, braided hair and was the one that took are dd to get her first homecoming dress and have her hair done. Because mom took a trip with her friend instead of being there for dd's frist homecoming dance. So I know how to parent!!! You are right about some softball players being heavy. I myself by no means is what you would consider fit, always been heavy. I also have buried those skinny guys and work out guys over and over again at jobs. I love it seeing them gasping for air and spent and I kept going doing their share of work too. So how fit someone is doesnt mean much either. By the way great blood pressure, low cholesterol and pulse in the 50s at 290lbs. Some people are born that way, NOW I WILL STEP OFF MY SOAPBOX, BEFORE IT BREAKS DUE TO THE WEIGHT

 

[chinamigarden]

I'm not trying to point a finger at any one person. Certainly there are weight problems that go beyond food intake and exercise. I agreed with Screwballs assessment that there are too many overweight softball players, because there are. I also hear parents justify weight issues with batting statistics. Again, not everyone, but the parents are out there who are so immersed in travel sports that they take the eye off what they are most responsible for, the kids health. And its not just weight, I have seen people push kids back onto the basketball court before the doctor cleared them after a knee injury, I even saw parents put a girl back behind the plate before her doctor cleared her after a concussion. The girl was telling her friends that she still had headaches and her parents are telling the coach that she is good to go.

 

[nanotech14]

I'm not trying to point a finger at any one person. Certainly there are weight problems that go beyond food intake and exercise. I agreed with Screwballs assessment that there are too many overweight softball players, because there are. I also hear parents justify weight issues with batting statistics. Again, not everyone, but the parents are out there who are so immersed in travel sports that they take the eye off what they are most responsible for, the kids health. And its not just weight, I have seen people push kids back onto the basketball court before the doctor cleared them after a knee injury, I even saw parents put a girl back behind the plate before her doctor cleared her after a concussion. The girl was telling her friends that she still had headaches and her parents are telling the coach that she is good to go.

Sorry to take offense, didn't mean to get upset. My daughter Emily just isnt allowed to play BB anymore because of the heavy contact that takes place in the games now a days. Dr. said she can play softball next year and run and do areobic excersise all she wants. But contact sports like soccer and BB are out. Dr. wouldn't take softball away from her, but like I said before now she will be wearing a lacross helmet. Iam sure she will hear commits about that next year playing. This is a subject with me that really pushes my buttons. The HS sofball HC said to me that he would never vote for a senior girl to get athlete of the year if they only played one sport. Up to this point my dd was the only girl to play more then one sport in her grade. So now, this coach says that to me. The winner of this award gets a small scholarship towards college, so that would mean, no matter how hard or succesfull a girl in my dd's shoes could be they dont count. DD's only going into the 8th grade,but give me a break.

 

[MsDinosaur]

It's great to play a variety of sports. However, I think playing high-level soccer and softball is very difficult. Since they both have fall and spring/summer seasons, basically playing or practicing year-round, there's just too much overlap. If it was VB or BB (...something that doesn't last all year), I think it could work.

My daughter played both B level U11 soccer and B level 10U softball for one year. Even only at the B level, it was too much: practices were in conflict, games were in conflict. There were times we drove straight from one to the other, with her changing uniforms in the backseat and trying to gulp down a snack. We saw it though as best we could, but way before the end of the year, we told her soccer team that this would be her last season.

 

[redhotcoach]

I know 100s of 4th-8th grade girls. Now with my 7th grader that I coach every girl is single sport specializing or spreading the word that they are soon. I know a bunch of tb sball girls who say this is there last year, the are only going to play bball. A few tb girls quit this last year because it conflicted with vball. Dd1 will most likely play only sball, she would love to play rec bball, but the team she always played with broke up with coach and several girls moving. Dd2 will only play soccer, she like to pitch and hit softballs, but would never compromise a soccer practice for it. I don't like the specialization, but that is just the way the chips are falling. In a large suburban high school/ junior high system, there will be a couple of all around athletes, but they will be competing at each sport with girls that play year around.

 

[ConorMacleod]

An 8 year old shouldn't have to choose one sport. That being said, my 10 & 11 year olds have only played softball. They are two of the best players in their age group. We practice year round, because they are a Pitcher & Catcher, respectively. Contrary to one persons belief, the number of sports you play does not demonstrate how good at any of them you are. Also, while there certainly are some large girls that play softball, it is very easy to incorporate cardio conditioning into the training. A pitcher doesn't just pitch. A Catcher doesn't just catch. Both need strong legs to play their position. Running is a great way to condition them for that. So, it isn't necessarily about the sport they play, but how they practice, in ones conditioning. So, let your 8 year old play multiple sports, and more importantly, have fun.

 

[GTRH8R]

DD is going into her freshman year of HS. She played several sports up until she decided softball was her first love and quit the others. She is still going to run cross country and will probably run the 400 & 800 in track, but she is not going to be a top notch athlete in either because she will not put in near as much time. My biggest concern is grades, but I think she will be fine playing SB and doing some running - they are short seasons.

At 8? There is no way a kid should be forced into choosing one sport. They are still learning what they really want to play seriously if anything.

 

[southwestsoftball]

My dd is a good athlete. She is tall and fast. She loves sports as our family is very sport oriented. ( Myself, uncles, my mom etc....all college level athletes). So my dd has been in love with athletics since she was very young. Started soccer at 4 years old, started track at 5 years old, at 6 years old basketball and at 7 softball.

Its pretty ridiculous the things you hear from people. Beleive it or not, we have heard from numerous soccer, track and softball coaches that she should only focus on that particular sport. ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS! I have heard everything from she will fall behind and not be able to compete by the time she is in middle school to she has the potential to be a college star and needs to work at it year round. Haha. People are crazy!

My dd is 9 years old, in 4th grade. She is in travel softball, travel soccer, basketball and competes in track locally and all around the Southwest. Most of her peers have dropped other sports and only play one sport. Probably 80-85%% of them. She is still ALWAYS one of the top 1 or 2 players on her team. So dont buy into the BS. If your dd is having fun, then let her be a kid and enjoy different things. Our kids shouldnt be playing sports to earn a scholarship, it should be to have fun and instill life lessons which will help them later in life.

Also on a side note: I have coached ALOT of college athletes and IMO the kids who played lots of sports when they were younger are usually much more well rounded. They usually spend that time developing all these other skills which help them in the sport the decide to focus on when they get into HS.

JMO as always.