WHY EVERY PARENT NEEDS TO ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT TRAVEL TEAMS
The way it works these days in American sports, if your son or daugter shows any kind of athletic talent when they’re a youngster, then very quickly you will hear of a local travel, select, or club team that you might want your child to try out for and play on. This is very exciting and usually brings great joy to you and your child.
But as you’ll hear in this podcast, first and foremost you need to do your homework about these programs. For starters, know that these travel teams usually charge fees to not only try out, but also, if your child makes the team, you will agree to pay a substantial amount of money to the coach and his/her organization for your youngster to be on that team.
Now, suddenly, you’ve entered into a business relationship. And the good news is that most travel/club programs are run well by coaches who are dedicated and who care about the kids on the team, and know how to teach and coach them. But as you’ll hear on this podcast, you have to first find out more about the team, its reputation, the coaches and their background, talk to other parents who played on the team the year before, and much more. Find out about the time commitment, how many practices and games, what happens if your child misses a practice or game. Find out how the tryouts are run, and whether there are certain kids who have already been promised a slot on the team. Find out if any kids from the B team are ever promoted to the A team, and if they are, do they get substantial playing time on the A team or just ride the bench?
There are all sorts of questions, and I’ve done my best to try and run through a bunch of them. Most of all, I try to warn parents that if you’re going to spend thousands of dollars on a travel team for your child, understand that once you write the check, it’s hard to change things if it’s not a pleasant or positive experience for your youngster. In short, better to ask all the right questions up front - and if the coach seems to be bothered or annoyed with your questions, perhaps that tells you what you need to know about that coach and their team.