IS TRAVEL BALL leaving people/players/rec & school behind...OR...

[radness]

And the discussion continues that independant travel ball which is volunteer based, continues to flourish and grow, while programs that are community-based and take volunteer work are diminishing.

It is interesting that the independent efforts are flourishing...

Just noticing...

 

[Vertigo]

In Malcolm Gladwell’s book “outliers” he discussed youth hockey in Canada. The finding was basically that if you didn’t have a Jan-March birthday, which made you the oldest in the league at a young age, leading to more success early, to better coaching, and to even more success, that it created a ripple effect. Your chances of making the NHL decrease with every month later you are born in the calendar year. This same effect can be found in European soccer and baseball here in the US. We are most definitely leaving kids behind for many reasons. Any teacher can tell you the importance of a good teacher on a young kid. Kids that are exposed to great coaches earlier have a much better rate of success than kids who aren’t.

Totally forgot about this as well! I know of a number of parents who “reclassed” their kids to give them more of a physical edge in sports.

 

[radness]

I know of a number of parents who “reclassed” their kids to give them more of a physical edge in sports.

Hmmm taking initiative?!

 

[radness]

Maybe people don't want to volunteer for City programs and school because they are so heavily regulated? They have to adhere to pre-specified parameters.

 

[Vertigo]

Hmmm taking initiative?!

Is it though? Having a kid repeat a grade they already passed at another school just to be able to gain a physical advantage in a HS sport?

I know my ds would not be happy about that even though he has physically developed a lot between his freshman year and now (junior year).

I guess some people don’t mind doing it but I couldn’t imagine it would go over well in my household.

 

[radness]

Is it though? Having a kid repeat a grade they already passed at another school just to be able to gain a physical advantage in a sport?

I know my ds would not be happy about that even though he has physically developed a lot between his freshman year and now (junior year).

Well it was brought up and people made that decision for a reason

Certainly there are people making that decision before their kids even start school.

 

[nixxy311]

What would be nice is if this big TB programs or even smaller ones who want to help would go and volunteer at local rec leagues - either give camps or if possible have some girls be assist coaches. Because nowadays it seems like we're always looking for coaches.

DD did rec cheer, all-star cheer and high school spirit and comp. Rec cheer ends at high school so they will actually have high school cheerleaders go and assist the younger rec cheer teams. And the high school holds a camp every year teaching the new rec teams all cheers, etc.

Our high school will do a camp with the rec girls during the summer that the players help out at. So a TB team putting together a camp or clinic for rec would be a nice way to give back. I feel like I've seen it done before but people still need to invest in rec - everyone came up through rec. Unless you started late - we did have a girl who hadn't played SB before try out and make the MS team - though she did do rec that season as well but she is a natural athlete.

 

[Vertigo]

Well it was brought up and people made that decision for a reason

Certainly there are people making that decision before their kids even start school.

Usually when done at the elementary school level it is more due to mental maturity than physical. Some parents feel that their kids who hover right around the cutoff date for Kindergarten are not mentally mature enough yet to start full-day school. I totally can understand that.

 

[_MIA_]

There ya go! Not income based

Shiney object based!

The income disparity discussion was related to your comment about nobody being left behind if they put the work in which was a statement you put in your OP.

 

[Dabears17]

Usually when done at the elementary school level it is more due to mental maturity than physical. Some parents feel that their kids who hover right around the cutoff date for Kindergarten are not mentally mature enough yet to start full-day school. I totally can understand that.

When my DD made the basketball All-Star team when she was in 4th grade the best player was a 3rd grader. I later found out that 3rd grader had a May 2005 birthdate and my daughter had a late August 2005 birthdate-- so she was almost 3 months older than my daughter but a grade behind. That best player is now a sophomore in high school playing basketball on a very good high school team with a couple D1 scholarship verbal offers. So parents are definitely holding players back for athletic advantages, not just due to mental maturity within a month of the cutoff date.