Exactly. A couple of years ago I thought about taking the course to get certified to referee soccer. Then I thought about what I would really be getting into. I did not sign up for the course.
Travel sports are inexplicable to me. The vast majority of parents with kids in travel seem to be worse human beings for it, from very small to very large ways, and I just don't get it. I get being a horrible human being in the pursuit of sex, money, power, or drugs. Not saying I agree with or encourage it or that it's a good tradeoff, but I definitely get it. But for travel sports? What in the ever living 17?!?! It's just amazing to me to hear people vocalize travel sports as an excuse for being an *** hole. "Yes, I trashed that relationship for my kid and my family that could have lasted for years if not decades, but this ain't rec ball anymore." "No, we don't really go to church any more; even if we happen to have a free weekend, we just need to relax and catchup on rest." "No, I can't donate time or money to anything even though I'm blessed." "No, my kid doesn't have any unstructured free time even though they're 10, and no, they don't really keep up with their homework or do particularly well in school". I just don't get it.
My bad, bro. But you really need to get your head out your asss. That girl was clearly offside!!!**
I'm not defending travel ball, and it's definitely not for everyone. But in truth, there are some benefits - IF, like everything in life, it's handled properly. For example, I have a 14 year old daughter who can no longer play rec. Not that she's Mia Hamm by any stretch, but there is no competition around rec soccer that makes her better. In fact, she might get worse, as she tends to play up - or down - to her competition. She's playing school soccer, but they don't play enough to really get better during the season. The high school ends up mostly taking all the best club players in their school to make up the team. And if your kid wants to play in college, for example, then you basically have to put them on a travel team. Even if you just concentrated on private lessons (which are way more expensive per hour), there is a ceiling to how much better they can get without actually playing games.
What if he would have been smacking the umpire with those oven mitts they wear?
That sounds great for your daughter. On the other hand, I have a now former co-worker who coaches I think 8U girls travel team. They are playing 2-3 tournaments a month for about 10 months out of the year. It's insane.
For how much money travel ball costs, the amount of white trash, redneck mess that goes on at these tournaments always surprises me.
Yep, that's too much for us. Maybe if she is Mia Hamm, and you only have one kid... but I also have others playing. You have to find the right team for them and your family for sure.
It sounds like y'all are doing it for the right reasons. The issue becomes when Daddy gets his feelings hurt cause lil Jaxston didn't make the 6U all-star double gold team and forms a team himself.
I don't know your situation is with your boy, but is there a Miracle League in your area? It's a great organization for kids/adult with disabilities.
The travel ball for post-pubescent kids doesn't really seem dumb to me, as long as it's waiting until they are actually selecting kids for skill and ability and not just who hit puberty first (which I think is probably in the 14 age range for boys; probably a little earlier for girls?).
That’s the way we were. She gave it up this year because she didn’t have the passion and we stood by her decision. But the four years we spent were great. We made lifelong friends that we still hang out with even though she is not playing anymore. We had so much fun on most of those weekends and our group was very chill. I had a shirt that said “I just hope both teams have fun.” and I could feel the rage of some other team’s parents.
I mean, who is gonna get in your face. From what i understand you are pretty swole.
At the Ridgeland baseball/softball fields on McClellon Dr., they have a turf softball field that I fairly regularly see people playing wheelchair softball at. That's impressive to me. And cool that they have that available for them.
Miracle League played next to where my daughter practiced. We’d stay for those games because it was so uplifting.
In some areas, there's a lot of pressure on parents of kids who play baseball/basketball/volleyball to have them on a travel team just for them to be able to play HS ball. Unless your kid is an insane athlete, the deck is stacked against them if they're not playing club sports.
I need this shirt. It would piss off so many other parents.
