- Jun 8, 2016
- 16,118
- 113
We all don't have sleighs to get our kids to tournaments..he has a built in logistical advantage..Are you trying to make the rest of us feel like slackers? Cuz if you are......it might be working.
We all don't have sleighs to get our kids to tournaments..he has a built in logistical advantage..Are you trying to make the rest of us feel like slackers? Cuz if you are......it might be working.
Are you trying to make the rest of us feel like slackers? Cuz if you are......it might be working.
A friend of mine was a 4 year starter in HS in 3 sports, soccer, basketball, and softball. Never played travel ball in any of those sports except as a guest player occasionally. She went to a large school and all of her teams were very good. She then went on to be a D1 softball player and two year starter. Every athlete is different so there is not a single correct way to do it. As long as they stay healthy and engaged, leave them alone and let them do what they want.I usually chuckle when I hear about the benefits of the multi-sport athlete. I truly understand and fully appreciate the point of view that kids should engage in as many sports as possible for various reasons. However when the time comes to specialize I don't think that the specialization turns off the valve of training and has such negative consequences like others feel. When my softball player trains she runs, maybe more than some track athlete's. She lifts heavy and for reps. She trains kickboxing at the local UFC gym and spars with others often. She jumps during anaerobic workouts and puts up numbers that are top of the charts. Her team workouts include burners, suicides' and just about every other exercise that basketball players engage in. Maybe her program is unique but I doubt it and think that many on here have their DD's in programs that are similar and I'm sure some are more intense.
Fast forward to this week, I am having a conversation with a parent who has a DD the same age as my kid. This is a parent who was adamant that my DD should not specialize in softball so early and even questioned our parenting back in the day for allowing her to do so. Our DDs both played basketball until 12's and LAX, Softball etc and they both wanted to play D1, they even picked out schools at 12 years old and hung banners on their walls. They were like sisters and the other DD was a much better pure athlete in my opinion, in fact she was a better softball player than DD in REC. DD decided to take the softball path and her friend went with the multi-sport approach because her parents refused to allow her to focus on only one sport even though she wanted to play softball year round. So her glove would get put away in fall and picked back up in spring.
Here we are 3 months from HS graduation and I bumped into DD's friends mother last night. Hadn't seen her in years. She congratulated me on DDs commitment and said "Yea I wish we could have kept "Danni" in just one sport, she is looking at a few colleges but no matter the sport will be a walk on, no schools have offered her as of yet".
I have no doubt that she will walk on and be a contributor to any program. Still a great overall athlete but in my opinion but never made the commitment to become great at one sport. I know that this is not a popular point of view and I remember being judged by parents from REC back in the day for moving DD from our local travel team to a regional team. There is no one size fits all approach and guess what, the multi-sport athlete doesn't have a clear advantage when it comes to playing in college, I'd argue it's a disadvantage to those who want to do so. Just my point of view.
Does she play club/travel for basketball or soccer? A weak bball program in Indiana?Well high school softball is getting ready to start here in Indiana. Will see if my kiddo earns her 3rd varsity letter of her freshman year. Funny that the sport she plans to play in college is the one she will have the hardest time making varsity on as a freshman. Extremely strong program with multiple upper classman P5 D1 commits. School is middle size but the soccer and basketball programs aren't strong programs right now. She works so hard at sports and school. Lifts 3 days a week. Hits formally twice a week and practices preseason 3 x week. Somehow still studies, has friends and makes straight As. Blessed
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She's a talented athlete who loves playing multiple sports. I doubt that playing multiple sports made her better at any one of the sports.
My daughter loves to compete. She plays 10 Varsity sports. She is not the best at all of them (volleyball, cross country running, Nordic skiing, rifle, tennis, wrestling) but has made the State Championships in all of them. We are very remote: taking planes to basketball games, 700 mile bus trip for Conference opponents... but those are the trips and experiences she values most of all.
She has traveled across the globe for track, softball, baseball, and basketball. She is very busy during the summer but has gotten encouraging feedback from college coaches on her athleticism.
Playing a lot of sports and trying new ones (represented USA in international competition for *table tennis*) has definitely shaped my daughter in ways playing only softball never would have.
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Nope not anymore. She used to through 8th grade for basketball and summer after 6th for soccer. She just athletes her way in soccer because she's so fast. Basketball just isn't a big thing in our school. Teams not bad....winning record 2nd in sectional but not great. She played just enough to earn a letter. Shes learning there that she might need to spend a minute on some skill development if she wants to keep playing. Softball team is a perennial power program. Had 3 peated for the state title and had a solid shot at the 4 x when covid hit. Back in the days of early verbal we had d1 commits that didn't make varsity freshman year so its a tough environment. Twice a week preseason practice for now. Her travel team practices on Sundays until the official start of practice on 3/8Does she play club/travel for basketball or soccer? A weak bball program in Indiana?
My DD's HS is the opposite. Bball is really strong and softball not so much which is kind of weird since we live in Norman, OK. Not sure how it will be by the time she hits HS in 4 years but if history is any indication it won't change.