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Down the Road
Is Your Daughter Ready for Travel Sports?
By Kelly Burgess
"Up until puberty little girls are extremely competitive and athletic. In general, they outshine boys," Redmer says. "Dad sees this and thinks, 'Hey, my kid's a major leaguer!' In order to keep her interest, he starts a travel league and has more interest than he knows what to do with. The problem comes when the little girls get to be about 13 or so and decide sports aren't as important. A lot of times, they continue to stick with it to please Dad, or maybe Dad makes them stick with it, and it becomes a problem."
There are also other considerations. Playing for these travel teams, depending upon the sport, can be prohibitively expensive. Some cost thousands of dollars a year for equipment, field time, uniforms, travel expenses and insurance. Families can find every second of their spare time consumed with their child's sport. Less athletically-inclined siblings may resent the focus on one child. One parent may become obsessed with their child's "career" to the point that it causes strains in the marriage.
However, if these issues can be worked out and if the sport can be kept in perspective (in other words, it is only a game), this can be a fun period of a child's life – and it just might turn into more down the road.
* Last name withheld to protect privacy.