TRAVELING TEAMS OVER SCHOOL TEAMS?

[NICKNEVADA]

Should a youth player be allowed to play on a traveling sports team instead of his home school team? Do you think this is appropriate, fair? opinions?thanks

[Devilologist]

If the kid does both , then guess how good he can get. I just know from experience in the past with my kids, the more you offer as far as opportunities,, the better they turn out, the athletic they become that affects all sports.. My son played USSSA, AABC and little league baseball in one year. It was spread out as not to overload him and he had a great time.... We were busy , but we had fun.. We stopped when he did not want to do this anymore and no questions were asked..... We now have been to 2 state tournaments in Little League in a row. 9-10 and then 10-11.....did really well and who knows,, he may have never had those opportunities if had not worked hard to begin with...... I think a kid should do what he can,, have fun and play hard.

[pcohio]

Are we talking about kids younger than Junior High here? If so, what schools offer "school teams" to kids younger than 7th grade?

6th Grade and younger = depends on how serious the player and his/her parents are about the sport! If they want to take their game to a higher level than a Rec/Biddy League would afford them, then by all means they should seek a higher level of competition.

7th-8th Grade = I feel they should participate with their school team if the program is offered and then participate on a travel/club team in the offseason if so desired. I feel that this is an essential time for coaches to build teamwork among the participants and it would be very helpful if all of the participants that plan to continue into high school were present.

[NICKNEVADA]

Do you think if the school offers an elementary basketball league for example, the player should play for them instead of say an out of state traveling team?

[Unioto Rocks]

No school can say that you are not "allowed" to play on a travel team. Obviously the schools would like for the players to play for them and make their team look good, but if you have the opportunity to play on a traveling team then you must weigh the pros and cons of each team and choose the team the benefits your child's development best. You can't (and won't) make everyone happy, so do what is best for your child.

The decision is up to the player and his parents. Doesn't matter what the school thinks or the other parents for that matter, doesn't matter if they think it is fair or not. They may not like your decision, but it is yours and your child's decision to make, not anyone elses.

[Tall One]

My daughter is a sixth grader, and she plays travel basketball in the spring/summer. Last year we played in our local league and went undefeated, We also put together another stronger team of fifth graders and played in the 6th grade division and went 7-4. I have found that the competition level in the local league basically makes her lazy. She doesn't have to work hard to put up 20 pts and get 20 rebounds a game. This year our league held tryouts and put together a travel team and we will play in the columbus league. Hopefully they will have to work hard to be successful. She and I had allready discussed and decided that she would not play in the local league this year. What we were running into however was that most teams in the regular season were based on kids going to the same school districts, as were the tournaments. She had decided if her only options were to play in the local league or just spend that time in a gym working on fundamentals, that she would take the second option. Fortunatly the local league directors also saw the need for better competition and the travel teams came together. Good luck with whatever you decide.