game on
travel sports
Have Athlete,
Will Travel?
So your kid wants to play
travel sports. Great idea,
right? Maybe. Maybe not.
Many teen athletes and their parents sign up for travel
teams chasing the dream of sports stardom without a clear
understanding of the time and money involved or the slim
chances of reaching their lofty goals. Before you say “yes” to
hitting the road, read on and learn the facts.
WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY
Mark Fuller is no stranger to the world of travel sports. He
played and then coached baseball at Auburn University, and
he shared the pros and cons of allowing your child to be
a part of travel athletics. “Personally, I can’t justify a great
deal of money spent at the ballpark when I can spend less
with the local parks and recreational leagues and see good
competition,” Fuller said.
But if your teen is talented
and determined to give
college athletics a try, he
added this: “I do believe
spending the money to
play in a competitive
environment with
college coaches in
attendance when a player
reaches a recruitable age (16-18) is a wise use of money that
can have great returns if the player performs well.”
Blake Boren is the wide receiver/
offensive coordinator coach
at Faulkner University in
Montgomery, Ala. He offered his
perspective on the benefits and
drawbacks of travel sports: “The
pro would obviously be player
development, where there’s
no substitute for live, in-game
repetitions. The only drawback in my mind is if the kid
goes year round and never gets any time off.”
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THE CONS, BUT…
Travel sports will eat up your schedule (and your budget), but
they also impact the athletes, as Boren noted, keeping them
busy and taking time away from schoolwork, socializing and
other activities.
Yet, according to a new study done by ESPN in conjunction
with the University of Florida, most of these kids say they
aren’t stressed or overwhelmed. They’re having a blast.
Statistics published in Time magazine showed the same thing:
71 percent of the teen athletes playing travel sports, “love it.”
The Time article also reported that that 70 percent didn’t feel
that travel sports made it hard to complete their academic
work.
WHY THE LOVE?
For the majority of teens playing travel sports, a major
motivation is the belief that they can —and will — get a
college athletic scholarship and go on to play their sport
professionally, and this goal keeps them going and makes
the work fun. According to the ESPN study, 54 percent think
they’ve got what it takes. The hard truth isn’t so rosy; less than
1 percent will actually live this dream.
IT’S NOT JUST THE KIDS
Kids may want to play travel sports, but without their parents’
approval and involvement, it just won’t happen. So with the
financial drawbacks and major time commitments, why do
parents keep saying yes? Because they too believe their teen
athlete can get a college scholarship and/or go pro. Travel
sports do provide more specialized coaching, and more
playing time can translate into better performance, so parents
are willing to pay the price.
www.potentialmagazine.com