She is 11 and her cheer schedule never stops. Competitions are Nov - April and we have 2 months in the summer (june and july) where she can miss practices for other sports etc. So it is tough and its been hard to find the right balance.
I agree with your statement about keeping up with the year round kids. Again I admit my bias to the situation however the teams we are running into in our area arent having it which a huge cause of frustration for her and her mother and I. Which to your about taking the fall off is something I have mentioned to her but I worry again about actually getting onto a team etc.
To answer your question about college ball - she states on a regular basis that she does want to play at that level but then quickly turns around and says "I quit" so something isnt adding up on that front which is something I have to figure out without the boards help.
Here's your problem...she's 11. She barely knows what college is, much less knowing whether she wants to play there. I will tell you that trying to play ball AND do that heavy competitive cheer thing isn't going to work over the long haul. My DD takes time off from softball to pursue other interest, but when DD plays ball, she plays ball, and is up and ready for nearly every inning her team schedules. She rarely, if ever, misses practice. As you progress into the older age groups, good teams expect that level of commitment.