Coronavirus

[Catscratch]

I've got a 12yr old who plays on a travel team basketball. I have zero stories like that, not even close... he just likes to play ball and we do what we can to get him on a court.

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[Mortenson]

I see it pretty closely with my nephew who has been on his travel team for probably 8 years. He's 16 now. I turned really sour on it all this summer. IL had pretty much everything cancelled for the 'rona. So the travel team was heading to WI every weekend for tourneys. Come time for our annual family vaca to North MN, which he has been to all 16 years of his life, and extremely enjoys, we find out last minute that he and his dad and younger brother will miss the 1st and last parts of the trip. That's where all the work happens. My parents are still living life, but in their mid-70s, having come out of an auto wreck 2 weeks prior (long story, an Illegal Spanish dude ran a stop sign and my dad smoked him going 55...my mom broken sternum... all airbags deployed, 6 month old Grand Cherokee totaled), we work like dogs to get ready for this trip and then stuff 2 boats and hit the road. We could use the help. But nope, travel ball reigns supreme. All I ever hear is that these team sports promote team spirit and comradery. I call BS, those guys are a part of our team for that 1 week a year. Just another liberal scam. Worship the sports. Owe nothing to your family. My nephew is possibly good enough to get a weak scholarship to some really expensive D3 school. If he does, his knees will probably be shot for life. My BIL was "smart" enough to see that he wasn't fast and strong enough to be jacking homers like the outfielders, so he made him into a catcher.

Can't say I know anything about swingers parties, not that I'd hear anything. But they sure do spend a lot of time in hotels. We even get to subsidize these family vacations by always being asked to support their fundraisers.

Sorry, just had to vent. It made me pretty mad, and to see my parents have to stress and work even harder was the tipping point. We have a whole year now to think about next year's family trip to MN. It's already booked, same week every year. I asked my sister if they can tell the team, a year in advance, that they'll be gone next year for a week, and she said OK, but I doubt it happens. I'm sure she already forgot about it. If any dads or coaches here would be OK with their child skipping a tourney for a fishing trip, hats off to you. And honestly, in travel ball, everything is a tourney. There is no regular season, like when I was a kid playing little league. Covid-1984 has all the sports seasons messed up, gotta love that spring football season!

 

[chummer]

My daughter was heavy in AAU basketball before corona and no the coach didn’t allow you to miss anything for any reason with out giving you grief. It was shut down for months and in that time she realized she didn’t really like basketball, I guess she didn’t miss it at all when it was taken away. She did not go back to the team when they started back up. But the demands and pressure they put on the kids are unreal and of coarse it is all to keep the cash flowing from the parents.

 

[jsasker007]

Sports are going away--finally! I have been a huge fan of several sports and am to the point that i just can't stand behind the stupidity of the direction of most sports today. Sick of listening to rich idiots claiming they are oppressed,can't stand for the flag,etc.. I would love to see these out of touch with reality idiots have to work a REAL job.jmo

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

That stuff wasn’t around in my day. If we traveled a hour that was a long trip. I did manage a hefty 4’s era at div3. I work with a lady that has a son in a hockey program like you describe. I don’t think it has much to do with the kids. It is an excuse for the parents to travel, get hammered and for the wives to figure out who is cheating on who. Every time they go away for a tournament she calls in sick on Monday. She has great stories about couple swapping, puking in the hotel pool, and other unspeakables.

My oldest son played multiple years on a traveling baseball team, won four state championships, and when his senior year of high school ended he had made his peace with baseball and moved on to the next phase in his life. (being a productive member of society) My 16 year old daughter is on a traveling fastpitch team. They compete ok against the best of the best in the midwest but arent winning any of the big tournaments. I can tell you one thing, None of the foulness that you mention ever took place at any of the places I have been over the past ten years. Maybe it's just a small town Minnesota thing?

Back in the day youth sports was about developing talent, today it's about money.
Back to COVID

 

[chummer]

It didn’t nor could I imagine it happening in the AAU crowd I was traveling with. I guess the hockey crowd is a little on the wild side.

 

[Catscratch]

Man, I didn't know the disdain for sports. I always thought they were what you made them, from the playground to the pro's just play or watch whatever makes you happy. As a parent I decided what tournaments we could attend this summer and marked the calendar at the preseason meeting. We turned down an added tournament this weekend. Coach asked if we wanted to go and we said no. End of story. He offered an additional one next week that we said yes to. Easy peasy!

I know nothing about swingers. I figure people willing to cheat on their spouse probably would do so even if their kids weren't in sports. I could be wrong though (I thought I was wrong once, but that was just a mistake). :)

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[roymunson]

Man, I didn't know the disdain for sports. I always thought they were what you made them, from the playground to the pro's just play or watch whatever makes you happy. As a parent I decided what tournaments we could attend this summer and marked the calendar at the preseason meeting. We turned down an added tournament this weekend. Coach asked if we wanted to go and we said no. End of story. He offered an additional one next week that we said yes to. Easy peasy!

I know nothing about swingers. I figure people willing to cheat on their spouse probably would do so even if their kids weren't in sports. I could be wrong though (I thought I was wrong once, but that was just a mistake). :)

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I don't hate sports at all. I enjoy it, but I try to keep a grip on keeping it in perspective. It's good for kids to learn discipline, teamwork, etc. It's good to learn how to be coached. My issue is when a parent crowns their kid and lives their dreams thru them. We have that a lot around here. Many kids raised amish and never went to high school, leave the amish, and always wanted to play higher level sports, but couldn't because of their upbringing. They take this opportunity to scratch that itch. I am head coach of my kids' 8U rec league team and theres a dad on my team who coaches 3rd and is ready to burn every bridge and relationship in the name of winning. That's what chaps me off.

I have a sister who played college NAIA basketball and started all 4 years. When she graduated, she knew hard work, but had no concept of an $8 burger at a restaruant, or the $25 meal because she'd never earned a dollar and lived on a budget. Simply didn't have time. She figured it out, but was behind the 8 ball for a while because she didn't understand what a budget was. I'd been doing it since I was 14-15 and when I got outta school, I knew how the game worked.

 

[Iowa_Dave]

My oldest son played multiple years on a traveling baseball team, won four state championships, and when his senior year of high school ended he had made his peace with baseball and moved on to the next phase in his life. (being a productive member of society) My 16 year old daughter is on a traveling fastpitch team. They compete ok against the best of the best in the midwest but arent winning any of the big tournaments. I can tell you one thing, None of the foulness that you mention ever took place at any of the places I have been over the past ten years. Maybe it's just a small town Minnesota thing?

Back in the day youth sports was about developing talent, today it's about money.
Back to COVID

It certainly can be. ^^ My sons are now well past their youth sports days, but both were involved with club sports to a certain degree. There were some great positives to those experiences, but also some significant negatives. I did feel like the one club sport(younger son) began to be more about revenue than just a good place for kids to learn and play. Just one for instance...there was a time when the coaches met with select kids and parents on the team and talked about Olympic aspirations, how our son could one day play in London, etc, etc,...the catch...you really need to go to a month long Olympic development camp every summer from now on, etc. I don't even remember what the cost was, but it was bananas and it didn't happen.

It was at that moment that I felt like I was being gouged and while my son was fairly good...he wasn't Olympic level good, not even close. Meanwhile, some other parents took the bait and sent Jr. off to development camp $$$$ and the kid didn't even start on his HS team. That's a racket...but one that some are very willing to participate in.

FWIW, I did hear of certain late night, parental extra-curricular activities, but never saw anything concrete...if it was going on though I am pretty sure those that may indulge knew better than to think that I would be OK with it. Our experience with our older son and his club sports involvement was overall very positive and I am certain that the coach(es) weren't in it for the money...so that probably explains that.

 

[chummer]

I heard my daughters AAU coach say plenty of times everyone on the team had potential to play div 1 or at least somewhere in college. My daughter asked me if that was possible (she was one of the worst on the team). I told her the best girl which was light years ahead of everyone else would probably go if she keeps growing, everyone else has no chance. Why does the coach say that to the kids? He knows if he gets the kids to buy in mommy and daddy will keep writing the checks. I was not a fan of his at all and secretly happy when my daughter didn’t want to go back.

 

[Tree Spud]

Back in the day youth sports was about developing talent, today it's about money.
Back to COVID

I think it is about scamming parents who are guillible enough to think that little Jimmie or Janie are future sports stars. Get them to spend $90 on a pair of socks, $40 on gloves, $280 on shoes. Spend $500 - $1000 a week on "speed camps".

I am sure that at these camps there are one or 2 really good athletes, and all the other kids are grist through the mill.

When only 1 out of 16,000 high school kids ever make it to the pro sports level, parents have their priorities wrong.

 

[H20fwler]

So my youngest sons girlfriend who stays at our house a LOT tested positive for Rona on Monday.
So the youngest son and I both went and got tested yesterday. My work requires mandatory testing if someone you are in contact with often tests pos.
Both of us just got our results back tonight negative. To be tested they wanted drivers license and an insurance card, if this is a pandemic then why is my insurance charged $65 for the testing? I thought that was weird but everything about the pandemic has been.

As far as school sports all three of my kids were very active in multiple sports through HS.
Both the boys were All Ohio athletes and received football scholarships one played D1 one played D2. Getting college money can definitely happen if your kid has the drive abilities and size but it is a lot of work, ever going Pro isn’t a realistic expectation.
In hindsight with everything that we now about concussions and injuries that has come out in last few years with football, not sure we would encourage them so much on a do over.

 

[Mortenson]

I think sports and extracurriculars are good for youth. I just hate seeing it become an obsession, for either the kid or parent. My young kids play instructional baseball and tennis, and twirl a baton. Sure I think that stuff is neat, but I honestly see more value in them learning the ways of the woods, how to fish, how to garden, etc. Running, proper weight training, and swimming also are things we work on. We were on a school of keeper bluegills yesterday, but they stopped biting when my kids decided swimming off the boat was also a good idea. I will give encouragement in their activities and sports, within reason. Nothing wrong with club sports. Doesn't have to be psychotic. If sports can teach them how to live a healthy lifestyle, then that's huge. Definitely not a given, though. I think H2O's, S.T.'s and Cat's athletic kids will crush the 'Rona a lot easier than the couch potato gamers! I tell my parents to keep pounding that treadmill, wear it out, build the lungs. H2O, well wishes to your son's gf. Let us know how she handles it.

 

[roymunson]

I'm loving this thread. We rabbit trail into all sorts of stuff, then come back around to coronatalk.

We had our last 8U game last night. Had fun, but i'm glad its done. My mom asked "so now what? done until a fall league starts up?"

I told her "nope. we're done. our fall league will consist of bobbers, crank baits, and deer blinds"

Maybe if they're good enough and wanna pursue it themselves I won't have a problem with it. But for now, at age 8 and under, we're happy to just play a little ball, and move to the next season.

My sisters kids live for it. And live outside with a baseball glove on in the summer. They're good, but can't do much else. Some day, when we're old enough, my boys and I are going to a lake in ontario to fish for a week. No mom, no phone, no nothing. And if that means missing part of a fall sport, we'll have to deal with the fallout. Those are the things they'll remember.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

My son was in baseball, foot ball and wrestling. While at the time I thought it was a great idea to get out and be active with other kids his age, and be part of a team, but now 5 years after he graduated, and look back at the broken bones, separated shoulder, concussions, hip flexor issues, knocked out teeth, and costs of the sports itself, I wish I would have just spent that time helping him learn more in school. He limps today, and has bad headaches from the injuries.

 

[chummer]

Wow these last few posts really hit home. Good stuff. I played three sports until college but never took any of them to serious. When I wasn’t playing sports I was in the woods or fishing. I am so happy now I had that upbringing because the day after my last college game I have never played sports again other than some beer league softball. My hunting and fishing have stayed with me as my true passions for years later and probably until I check out. I loved playing football but I think I would trade those memories now for all the aches and pains I have on a daily basis. No doubt they are from playing football. There is a lot of parents reliving their youth through their kids and that is sick on some level. Their chance of getting a scholarship is close to zero and you know their chances long before you get there. I always look at the best kid on any team and judge if they can play at the next level. The answer is maybe but where does that leave the rest of the kids. I had a couple kids on my college team that thought they would get drafted. They were really good div3 players but never got a sniff of the minors. I also played against some great players. A couple got drafted but never advanced to my knowledge. Sports used to be about fun and team work, I think for too many that is not the case anymore.

 

[TreeDaddy]

Several years ago, I made a conscious decision never to waste a fall afternoon watching sports

Recently , i made a decision to never, ever watch another NFL /NBA game

bill

 

[Bill]

Sports?

I played spring soccer in 8th grade. Then I played freshman football until the end of September when I realized it was a choice. Bow hunt on Saturday or go to the game. Bow hunting won...

 

[chummer]

Several years ago, I made a conscious decision never to waste a fall afternoon watching sports

Recently , i made a decision to never, ever watch another NFL /NBA game

bill

I am there with you. I am not going to have BLM shoved down my throat. They have been running commercials all morning for the NBA playoffs. Stating something like like “while they fight social injustice they fight for the championship”. BLM all through the commercial. Nope, not for me, I will also be cancelling my Sunday Ticket after having it for years. I am limiting myself to only watching Judge bat when the Yankees play. The rest of them will never get another penny from me until things go back to normal.

 

[Knehrke]

I was a volleyball player, and I love to watch women's beach V-ball. But who doesn't?

On a separate note, I apologize if sometimes I sound pedantic. It's the nature of the beast. I spend my life teaching and critiquing other folk's grant proposals, so I naturally tend toward correction and mentoring, which doesn't play well on a forum like this. I have the greatest of respect for those members who provide sound information and advice on the topic of this board: habitat management. I've learned an incredible amount from reading posts by the various habitat gods that frequent this space, and I like to hope that my own specific skill set can lend value to this discussion, regardless of whether you agree with my opinions or not (mostly not from what I can see lol).

Go Bills!