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Replies: 25
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TigerNet Elite [76362]
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Anyone here have kids or grandkids in travel sports?
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Feb 15, 2025, 9:15 AM
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Schedules are crazy these days. Grandson has a soccer match this morning and they are playing in a drizzle at 10:30 with temperatures in middle 40s. Hope I am home for tipoff at noon.
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Top TigerNet [31518]
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Re: Anyone here have kids or grandkids in travel sports?
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Feb 15, 2025, 9:28 AM
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It is crazy. My grandkids aren’t there yet but I’ve known some folks whose kids played travel sports. It got crazier the older they got. Have to be careful to make sure the kids can still have a life.
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Rival Killer [2600]
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Re: Anyone here have kids or grandkids in travel sports?
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Feb 15, 2025, 9:31 AM
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G'luck, dress warm, stay dry my friend, I remember the days. You signed up for this and there's nothing better! Enjoy!
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TigerNet Elite [77065]
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Re: Anyone here have kids or grandkids in travel sports?
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Feb 15, 2025, 9:37 AM
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Oh yes. They are always finding more creative ways to separate parents and grandparents from their money. I will say we have always enjoyed watching the grandchildren play sports. There are some good life lessons to learn through team work and sacrifice.
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National Champion [7654]
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are any D1 or Pros coming from the travel teams ?***
Feb 15, 2025, 9:50 AM
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National Champion [7851]
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Re: are any D1 or Pros coming from the travel teams ?***
Feb 15, 2025, 11:55 AM
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Yes, most of them
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110%er [3643]
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Re: are any D1 or Pros coming from the travel teams ?***
Feb 15, 2025, 12:03 PM
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Wrong.
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National Champion [7851]
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Re: are any D1 or Pros coming from the travel teams ?***
Feb 15, 2025, 12:30 PM
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It’s not wrong. Tons of the kids playing HS ball played travel ball first.
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Oculus Spirit [43532]
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Re: are any D1 or Pros coming from the travel teams ?***
Feb 15, 2025, 12:38 PM
[ in reply to Re: are any D1 or Pros coming from the travel teams ?*** ] |
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Most if not all D1 players play travel ball. High School ball is normally a lot less competitive than travel sports.
These D1 coaches are at most of these showcase tourneys. See a lot more talent in a shorter time frame.
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All-In [10594]
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Re: Anyone here have kids or grandkids in travel sports?
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Feb 15, 2025, 11:07 AM
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Yes and the sad thing is if parents or kids dream of getting a college scholarship down the road, it will only happen in a very small number of cases. Travel ball is expensive and the promoters are making huge bucks off the games and teams.
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National Champion [7230]
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Re: Anyone here have kids or grandkids in travel sports?
Feb 15, 2025, 6:42 PM
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Some travel ball is very expensive but our team raises money. We don't pay much more out of pocket then we would in rec league. The only expense is spending all weekend at the fields but I love that.
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Dynasty Maker [3255]
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Re: Anyone here have kids or grandkids in travel sports?
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Feb 15, 2025, 11:12 AM
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I know I am in the minority but travel sports need to go away. Unless you are willing to spend money and travel and miss church time for travel ball in different sports the rec sports are dying fast. Easley little league has no spring baseball for my son 11 to 12 year olds and I know it has a lot to do with travel ball taking over. Kids and parents now feel like they have to participate in travel ball to have a chance at the next level (c team or JV or High School) and it’s just not fair to those that do not want to spend the money or time it requires.
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All-TigerNet [5800]
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Re: Anyone here have kids or grandkids in travel sports?
Feb 15, 2025, 11:54 AM
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My granddaughter is in travel softball and also plays high school softball. Spend lots of time and money traveling due to games being played in Iowa, Indiana, Missouri, Wisconsin, Minnesota and in Illinois. The big tournament is being played in Colorado this year and is over 7 days. Best thing is she already has a partial scholarship to college, but hoping it turns into a bigger scholarship. Hopefully she doesn’t get injured and then can’t play. She also attended a camp in Clemson a couple of years ago.
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Paw Master [17310]
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Re: Anyone here have kids or grandkids in travel sports?
Feb 15, 2025, 2:21 PM
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I'm past those days now, but my son played baseball in Illinois and on a travel team. In one summer he played in Illinois (of course), Wisconsin, Missouri, Kansas, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and NY. He did get spotted by the Royals who used to show up at every home HS game he pitched. The scout was a nice guy and serious about drafting him.
It did have adverse affects from burnout after 5 years. Between his HS Junior and Senior years, he said he didn't want to play travel ball. As a result, I retired as a coach and he enjoyed the summer fishing. He later told the KC scout he was playing football in college and wasn't interested.
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Oculus Spirit [43532]
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Re: Anyone here have kids or grandkids in travel sports?
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Feb 15, 2025, 12:40 PM
[ in reply to Re: Anyone here have kids or grandkids in travel sports? ] |
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Very true. Our travel schedule did nothing to help our family dynamic and priorities. We basically revolved our life around my son’s schedule. Something about that seems a little off to me.
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All-TigerNet [5953]
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Re: Anyone here have kids or grandkids in travel sports?
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Feb 15, 2025, 12:02 PM
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Swear I don’t get it. College coaches used to recruit you during your high school season and during American Legion ball. It was a big deal to get to play travel to Greenville to play at G-Braves stadium, now kids travel 3 states away routinely.
Not sure how parents work and still get to watch their kids play ball. And can’t imagine the cost of just being on the team, hotels , gas , food etc just to watch a 14 yr old play baseball .
It worked just fine forever and was really cheap when I played and college coaches still find you
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110%er [3643]
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Re: Anyone here have kids or grandkids in travel sports?
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Feb 15, 2025, 12:11 PM
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I have two in travel sports. I literally hate it. My kids are good athletes and are in the top half of their teammates. However, travel sports today have very little to do with the kids. Everything to do with the people making the money. The sad part is that travel teams will take everybody and make more teams because they make more money. The talent pool has significantly diluted because parents put kids in travel sports who have zero business playing competitively. But the travel teams will take them because it means more money. The whole travel sports world is in a cycle that feels impossible to stop.
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Dynasty Maker [3255]
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Re: Anyone here have kids or grandkids in travel sports?
Feb 15, 2025, 1:37 PM
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The only way to stop it or change it is parents quit signing their kids up for it and put their kids Back in rec. sports. I know that is easier said than done. I only have one child left that this effects but maybe my grandchildren will be negatively impacted by travel ball.
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Oculus Spirit [43532]
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Re: Anyone here have kids or grandkids in travel sports?
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Feb 15, 2025, 12:34 PM
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My boy was in travel soccer years ago. We played in any weather that did not involve lightning.
Schedules are crazy and the whole deal along with travel and food is very expensive. Good luck to your grandson. I’m sure he enjoys the heck out of it.
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Paw Master [17949]
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Re: Anyone here have kids or grandkids in travel sports?
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Feb 15, 2025, 12:35 PM
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Paying too much to travel too much for your kids to specialize too much.
It kills the joy of childhood and the benefits of well-roundedness, but it’s the price to pay for varsity sports nowadays, unfortunately.
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All-TigerNet [5798]
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Re: Anyone here have kids or grandkids in travel sports?
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Feb 15, 2025, 1:20 PM
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Travel sports can get out of hand quickly. I played sports and so did my kids but they still had time to be kids. When my boys played baseball they had teammates that were playing school ball and travel ball, playing way more than they should especially pitchers.
Enjoy watching your grandkids play sports and being a grandpa
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All-Conference [447]
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Re: Anyone here have kids or grandkids in travel sports?
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Feb 15, 2025, 1:37 PM
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Travel ball is killing rec leagues. Most of the underprivileged aren't capable of participating. We know many other families that the grandparents enable the parents monetarily to help their grandkids play, we also know other couples that rack up considerable credit card debt to afford it. My kids play multiple sports but aren't in travel leagues. I also help coach and have watched first hand the level of competition decrease in rural communities and the number of kids participating has dwindled. I can certainly afford travel ball, but want my kids to be more well rounded and be exposed to a life of opportunities off the playing field.
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All-Conference [447]
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Jeff Francouer Podcast
Feb 15, 2025, 1:44 PM
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Jeff Francouer has an excellent podcast called "The Pure Athlete" I tune in on Spotify. He talks a lot and interviews a lot of great athletes and Olympians that completely disagree with the new age of travel ball.
Episode 107 interviews Cade Klubnick
Ben Watson from Rock Hill also did a good episode. And he has a lot of players from the Braves.
Link: https://pureathleteinc.com/
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Athletic Dir [1116]
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We were realistic about Travel Sports and all our kids took part at some point.
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Feb 15, 2025, 2:29 PM
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No we didn't think any of our kids would end up in the Pro's. No we didn't think they would even get a scholarship. We wanted them to experience team athletics where play time was earned and Medals were won and not given. I feel all my children were better for it.
One could have definitely gotten a scholarship had he wanted, but it would have been a D3 type school up North. (He played Travel Hockey AA). He chose to stop after High School as he wanted to go to Clemson and earn an Engineering degree. And yes he could have played on the Club Team. He had teammates that played for both Clemson and USUCK. To this day he is happy with his choice. Successfully graduated and has a great job in his field.
Parents just need to be honest about what they will really get out of it.
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TigerNet Elite [76362]
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Agree with this! Didnt intend to start
Feb 15, 2025, 6:33 PM
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thread on negative aspects of travel ball. As for hurting rec ball, this league formed as kids passed the rec age limit and are still
Middle schoolers- not many thinking college but wanting to prepare for high school
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National Champion [7230]
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Re: Anyone here have kids or grandkids in travel sports?
Feb 15, 2025, 6:41 PM
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My son plays travel baseball. He just turned 8. He plays rec soccer and church league basketball.
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