Youth sports have long been touted as beneficial for children. According to the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, research has shown that youth sports participation pays both short- and long-term dividends. Mental health benefits like reduced rates of anxiety and depression, lower levels of stress and reduced risk of suicide have been associated with youth sports participation, which also improves bone health, promotes cardiovascular fitness and helps kids maintain healthy weights.
Young athletes who excel in a sport or sports may eventually be offered a chance to compete in travel sports. As parents and youngsters decide if travel sports is right for them, moms and dads can take note of a number of variables that may affect their decision.
• Travel sports requires a greater time commitment than recreational sports. Practices and games for recreational sports are typically held at local parks and schools, and a practice and game may each require roughly an hour of kids’ time each week. By contrast, travel sports practices tend to be longer, and games may be played several hours away from home. As athletes grow, teams may travel out of state with greater frequency and play in weekend-long tournaments. That’s a considerably greater time commitment that families must be willing to meet if they ultimately pursue opportunities in travel sports.
• Travel sports requires a significant financial commitment. The financial commitment required of travel sports. goes hand-in-hand withthegreatercommitment of time. In a recent report from the Aspen Institute, 14 percent of parents indicated more frequent travel as a reason why their expenditures related to youth sports are on the rise. If travel sports tournaments are not close enough to drive there and back each day, parents will need to book hotel rooms and dine out over the course of the weekend. Such ancillary costs can quickly add up, and those do not include the cost of registering a team for a tournament, an expense that mightbepassedontoparents if it’s not already included in the registration fee for the team. Recreational sports expensesaretypicallylimited to a one-time registration fee andthecostofequipment,but Athletes Untapped notes it’s not uncommon for parents of travel sports athletes to pay as much as $10,000 per child each year.
• Playing more may increase risk for repetitive use injuries. The organization STOP Sports Injuries reports that roughly half of all sports injuries affecting middleschoolandhighschool athletes are overuse injuries, which occur when moves are repeated again and again during practices and games. The greater time commitment related to practices and games means young athletes participating in travel sports are repeating movements more often, which Boston Children’s Hospital notes makes muscles, ligaments, tendons, and bones more susceptible to sprains and fatigue. If children really want to play travel sports, parents should emphasize the need to report any pain they feel during practice or games to a coach and Mom and Dad immediately.
Travel sports can help young athletes take their game to the next level. But families must recognize the commitment travel sports requires and the potential for injury that might not be as great when kids stick to recreational sports.