To Club or Not to Club....

[MacLobo]

So, I've got a question that I need some help with. I've got a daughter that loves softball, loves soccer, loves gymnastics, likes cheerleading, and has asked to play basketball this winter. I don't understand how she does it. She's 7.


She shows promise in everything. She could commit to gymnastics, and do amazing things. Same with softball, same with soccer. After a while, she gets bored with cheer, so I think this is our last year with that.

She's been invited to play-up with a U9 club soccer team this fall. I exchanged a few e-mails with the coach, and basically told him "thanks, but no thanks." My reasoning was that when I asked him about conflicts with other sports, he was pretty clear that if you miss practice, your PT is adjusted, and it's 100% unacceptable to miss games. I understand his point of view, and thus, told him that I'm not making my 7 y.o. choose 1 sport at this point, and I think multiple sports helps the athlete. I didn't want to say yes, and then disappoint him if I had to miss a practice for a softball game.

Sorry about the rambling......I'll cut to the point:

In your opinion, regardless of the sport, at what point should kid have to make a decision? Or do they not even have to? Should a coach (whether club or rec level) understand the importance of multiple sports?

 

[canyonjoe]

I personally think any travel team before 10U is a waste of time, but since they exist you have to find one that will accept
multiple sports. It's a catch 22 for the coach because you want to let all the kids play during tournaments so you try
and keep your roster at a reasonable level so that you don't wind up with 15 kids showing up for one. Some coaches
are very understandable about other sports others are not. As long as they are honest and actually stick to the rules. Our last
team had one that if you missed both practices that week you sat out the first game. The coach was hones and told them
he understood they played other sports, but the kids who showed up to practice deserved to play.

I don't think it makes any sense for her to choose a sport. Play your seasons and hopefully she'll get good at a few and have
a choice where to go. Also it's not just limited to sports. Learn to play the piano, or a foreign language or do a play.

 

[rdbass]

My DD played multiple sports starting at age 6 up and during high school. It can be done and should. Little young to 'put all your eggs in one basket'. JMHO.

 

[Orange Socks]

How can anyone ask a kid to commit to only one sport before they know how to pick out their own clothes in the morning?

Kids should have the opportunity to cycle through all of the seasonal sports without having to commit to only one sport. Most of the best softball players that I have seen play multiple sports. My DD played soccer(fall), basketball(winter), softball(spring/summer) and swam for the local swim team during summer for many years. Soccer fell off at 5th grade. IMO not until they get to the 14U/16U level(showcasing) should they be fully committed to their team other than high school sports and you just hope that all the kids are as committed as your kid is. Anything below that is all about development, learning how to compete, learning to love the game and having fun!

We always did our best to NOT do multiple sports at the same time, but this last fall with HS basketball, theater and Fall softball was brutal. As a coach, I understand the value of playing multiple sports, but not at the same time. That is not fair to either coach and the kids' teammates unless you can make it work and are okay with diminished PT when conflicts do occur if that is the rule. I understand that there will be some intertwining of sports as one season bleeds in to the other.

In the big picture there will always be conflicts along the way. As a parent you do your best to avoid them and communicate with all involved.

 

[grcsftbll]

If she's interested in multiple sports she should keep playing them in my opinion. We force ours to play basketball (she has fun one it gets going). I'd really like her to try volleyball. I think she'd like it. I agree with you that there are benefits to playing multiple sports when they're young especially.

 

[MacLobo]

Well, I'm glad that most of you are on the same page as I am. I probably wouldn't have much of a problem if the club soccer teams here didn't make you commit for both Fall and Spring! But, that's the way of the world today, I guess.
She'll keep doing what she's doing, and hopefully we'll find a coach that's a little more understanding of our situation.

Thanks!

 

[Snotbubbles]

Daughter plays multiple sports. We prioritize conflicts by season. Fall soccer comes first. Winter is basketball. Spring is softball.

 

[Lenski]

I have a dd that played softball, volleyball, soccer, basketball, and cheered in her youth. She played at a select/club level in everything except soccer. She dropped them one by one on her own over time to where she was left with volleyball and softball going into her freshman year of HS. After her freshman year, she dropped volleyball to focus solely on school and softball. When she decided to drop a sport, it was her decision. The only stipulation was that if she started a sport, she had to finish it.

 

[grcsftbll]

Mine plays travel softball and it gets first priority. But when she's playing basketball her coaches are cool about missing a practice for a game. It's in the softball off season so choosing between games rarely happens. With the right coaches you can make it work but if they won't be a little flexible it's pretty tough.

 

[chinamigarden]

I'm a big fan of the multi sport athlete. I think it truly creates a more well rounded person, and it teaches the athlete more lessons then if they specialized. Not to mention its better for them physically.

You will need to balance your expectations with those of any team you are on, you will probably be forced to only play in one travel type team and the rest rec. Regardless of how I feel about playing multiple sports, you still have to be fair and balance your activities in a way that you are not being a bad team mate or not meeting a team's expectations for attendance. My dd played 4 sports for a while and then during HS she played 3 varsity sports and travel softball. It can be done. Be prepared at about age 11 for people to insist on specialization. At that point you will have a decision to make. But not at age 7.