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Club sports in summer

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  • Club sports in summer

    We have a daughter that is in a cheerleading "club" -- starting at 6. Similar to yourself, this club has us traveling (currently only throughout Michigan), but some destinations are 120+ miles. Also having a son (age 6), if he desires, we have a traveling "junior" hockey team that travels weekly for competition. At times, the travel could appear to be a burden as well as an expense for lodging, meals, etc, but we try to view these as a positive. We are blessed that are kids are healthy and can participate in such "clubs" and would prefer that they have access to activities rather than wasting away behind a TV, video games, or worse. The "clubs" provide -- confidence-building, team-building, friends, etc, & the travel gives us an opportunity for a "mini-trip." We usually try to take some time on each occasion for other activities as well. Thank you - Lee.

  • #2
    Club sports in summer

    Is there anyone else out there with daughters on club sports teams? It's summertime and this is when club teams really start to heat up. While they play in tournaments almost every Saturday and Sunday during the entire year, summer is when national championship tournaments are held so the competition gets intense. I have a 9th grade daughter in club basketball and a high school senior in club softball. Each one of them has a tournament every weekend in the summer until mid-August when they take a two week break before starting up again in September. My softball daughter has already played 4 tournaments this summer, one in Las Vegas and 3 local. We consider anything under 120 miles local and don't stay in a hotel. She also goes to Fresno, Hillsboro Oregon, Beaumont Texas and Atlanta for tournaments this summer. 13 tournaments in all from Memorial day to August. My basketball daughter plays mostly local but does have tournaments in San Diego and Las Vegas. Add to that they both play for the high school basketball team which starts a 6 week summer schedule the day after school lets out. This includes practice 2 hours per day, 5 days per week. It also includes 2 tournaments and a week long camp in Santa Barbara. As you can imagine this keeps our family very busy and my wife and I are ad different venues each weekend. Thank goodness for cell phones! However, don't believe for a minute that I'm complaining. Our daughters just love their sports and they can't wait to get on the field or the court. It's a hectic time but it will slack off the end of next summer when our senior goes to college. Well, maybe not. She's in line to get a softball scholarship and my wife informs me she wants to travel to see her games. One of the colleges recruiting her is Hawaii. Whew, that'd be a lot of travel! Costs? About $4k per year per kid. If your daughter is in club sports you understand. If not, you think we're crazy. chuck Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of my employer.

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    • #3
      Club sports in summer

      Our only child (daughter) has played basketball and softball from the time she was old enough to the time she graduated college. During this time my husband and I traveled everywhere and anywhere we had to in order to watch her and her team play. Yes, it was tiring, expensive and alot of things we wanted to do had to be put 'on the back burner'. Now she lives in another state, works full time, is in her graduate program and we only get to see her once or twice a month. You just keep up the good work. Let the kids be kids and participate in their lives as much as you can (just ignore them if they ever complain...it's only a phase). We would give anything to have those hectic, grueling, tiresome but wonderful and exciting times back for just one weekend! Perhaps if more parents put their children's interests before their own (as you are), this world would be a better place for all of us. So....Congradulations "Dad's" (at 50, I am still my "Daddy's" little girl because of the wonderful way he's always treated me). Hope your kids have an enjoyable season(s).

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      • #4
        Club sports in summer

        Kim said: "You just keep up the good work. Let the kids be kids and participate in their lives as much as you can" I view this as my parental obligation to keep them occupied and off drugs. Our kids are too busy to have any spare time to "hang out at the mall" or be couch potatoes. Idle time is the enemy of any teenager. In fact, they've become better students because they know if they have a half an hour free that they need to use it for studying. Often they take text books to do homework in the car. Kim also said: "(just ignore them if they ever complain...it's only a phase)." You know, that hasn't happened. I hear all kinds of horror stories from other parents how their teenagers complain and those are the toughest years of their lives because their kids won't let them be involved in their life. Yet, the opposite has happened with our kids. They enjoy and encourage our participation. I do the web sites and volunteer for all of their teams and they are proud of my participation. My daughters often say to me, when we are returning from an event, "thanks, dad, for taking me. I really appreciate your help." It's the most wonderful thing to have a 17 year old or a 14 year old show unprompted appreciation. I'm always careful, though, to let them know that if they ever want to stop doing a sport that it's up to them. I see too many kids playing because their father has pushed them into it. In fact, my youngest daughter gave up club softball last year to concentrate entirely on basketball. Part of me was hartbroken and part of me was relieved to have less conflicts between the club coaches. However, I've never let her know either of those emotions. It was her decision and I would never want her to feel guilty for making it. Kim said: "Perhaps if more parents put their children's interests before their own (as you are), this world would be a better place for all of us." I've never doubted that it was my obligation to give my best to my children. That was the task I took on when I had them. Same with discipline. My kids know exactly where their boundries are and know what will happen should they cross those boundries. I see too many parents try to be "friends" with their kids and have fuzzy boundries. Their kids keep pushing the limits to see where the boundries really are. Those kids end up being whining brats. As my late, dear mother-in-law used to say, "Nobody likes a brat, and you want everyone to like your kids." It's a rule I live by. Kim said: "So....Congradulations "Dad's" (at 50, I am still my "Daddy's" little girl because of the wonderful way he's always treated me). Hope your kids have an enjoyable season(s)." You have the pleasure of knowing that they appreciate the work you did. That's something they'll never take away! At 51, I have at least 4 more years to go. Someone recently asked me, "what will you do when the girls are gone?" My response, "exhale!" chuck Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of my employer.

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