Finding The Right Travel Team For Your Child

"Behind every young child who believes in himself/herself is a parent who believed first."

- Matthew L. Jacobson

Trying Out For Competitive Teams: Part 5

Trying out for a competitive team, be it your local community team, a travel team, or a national team, is a stressful experience. For athletes trying out for youth and high school sports, it can be incredibly stressful for parents as well.

As parents it’s important to support your child through the process and to gather information to help determine whether a team is the right fit.

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Tips for parents:

1. It’s important to be objective when learning about different teams. The last thing you want to do is to lobby for your child with coaches. Your child should earn a spot on the team, on their own.

2. Attend informational meetings that teams put on. This is a way to understand team philosophy and mission. It’s also an opportunity to meet the coaches and staff, as well as parents and athletes involved with the program. Just because a team is considered the best team in the area, doesn't mean that it's the best team for your child.

3. Read through the code of conduct and team handbooks as well. This is another way of understanding what the expectations are for the team. For example, some basketball clubs will have middle school basketball players practice with high school players. The majority of middle schoolers aren't ready for that type of competition, nor should they be.

4. Talk to other parents at the tryouts. Learn from their experiences and gather strengths and weakness of the program.

Stay tuned for more. Next time, we will discuss what questions you can ask coaches to help you find the right team and coach(es) for your child.