Sports Teams

My son is in 5th grade and he decided this year he was going to play baseball. It is his first grade on an 11/12 yr old team and he knows the other kids will be advanced but he is ok with that. So no you are not alone in waiting or not having her in sports. All kids are different

If she is asking to I would let her. Yeah, the other kids will be more advanced but she will be ok. DOn't deprive her of the chance to see what its like to play on a team. I was never allowed to do any team sports when I was young and to this day I still think how much it stinks that I don't know what being part of a team feels like.

As a high school coach, I think there is ENTIRELY too much emphasis put on sports!! Body control, health benefits and working with a team is important. If your daughter is getting all of that in other avenues than good for her (and you)! I would make sure that she could play backyard volleyball, play basis catch with a ball and Frisbee so she will feel comfortable in gym class and family gatherings and be good with that! :)

I think your daughter is just fine! Some kids are just not athletic or team oriented. Or they may just be more academic. I don't know what your daughter is, if she is happy with herself and confident and healthy, then she is one of the lucky young ladies in this society. Please don't force her to play sports.

I was never good at playing sports growing up but I always wanted to play. Between ages 8-12 yrs I tried playing gymastics, ice skating, soccer, volleyball, even flag football. I was mediocre at best in all of them and never made any of the teams...can't tell you how many try outs I went to. The only thing I was good at was dance...I even made my high school drill team, but I quit after 2 weeks because I hated it. Now I just watch (too much) sports and can appreciate the game. But as a kid, I never played and I think I turned out just fine :)

I would classify ballet as a sport - it's a physical activity at the very least.

So, you do not consider dance to be a sport? I think that dancers are every bit the athelete as a soccer or football player. So, your daughter is artistic. I have NEVER played an organized sport and would have laughed at my parents if they tried - I too am an artsy kid, always have been always will be.

my kids were pretty much in "sports" since they could walk.

For your daughter there will be A LOT of kids who are more advanced and some that will not be. Usually AYSO leagues offer summer soccer camps for a week in the summer. So if you are worried I would contact your league to see if she can give it a go. It is a focus on skills and may bring her up to speed. It will at least give her some confidence in her abilities. Then if she likes it she can play in the fall too. But it does sound like your daughter is somewhat athletic and coordinated so she should do alright.

Dance is a sport.

Whew! Problem solved :)

As for soccer... She'll be ages ahead of others because she's been taking instruction in body movement for years. She'll be fine. Just look over rules of the game ahead of time if it's not a first time team (many older ones ARE), or sign up for a weekend intro workshop/seminar/yeesh... Forget the phrase. Someone help me out?

I wouldn't worry about it all . . . if she seems interested, go for it. If not - she's got plenty of other things to do it sounds like.

I was a sports mom for MANY years, and my older son (18) actually regrets how much time he spent on team sports. He discovered drama and music in high school and wishes that he had had more exposure there earlier in his life. Me too because he's very talented!

Good luck.

My son is in 8th and has never played a sport and shows no interest in being in one. Actually none of my kids are in sports...although I have one that is interested in playing and thinks she the best, and then gets frustrated when she doesn't pick it up immediately.

But yeah, none of my four are.

Our son's in the third grade and has shown no interest in team sports. I don't care one bit. In fact, it's a bit of a relief. Every parent I know with a child in team sports does eye rolls when talking about the time and money commitment. Our son has been in gymnastics, karate, golf and parkour in the past, in addition to other things like Pokemon art drawing. We let him determine what his interests are and support him. So far, team sports aren't it.

I was never in team sports and turned out just fine. :)

Well, dance is a sport. BUT, my 11 year old was just put in soccer this year. She did horse-back riding, gymnastics and girl scouts before that but nothing since she was 9 years old. She's loving it and her daddy and I never thought we'd be sports parents but we are LOVING her soccer games!!! They haven't even won a game yet, but it is so cool to be there and support the team!

My 18 year old son didn't start athletics until he was in high school. Then, he did three years of cross country and four years of track. Since he was involved for personal growth, he never worried about being "behind."

My 14 year old did soccer for about a year before we had to pull him because of conflicts with religious school. Now that his formal religious education is over, he's back in soccer. He was able to easily catch up to his peers after a 4 year absence and is now participating in open field to play on the high school team next fall.

If your daughter is happy with what she's doing, then just go with it. Not everyone is an athlete, nor do all children want to be one. You can have a well-rounded, happy childhood without being on a sports team!

Good luck.

Why would you be concerned that she hasn't participated in an organized sport? It sounds as if she has enough extra-curricular activities to produce a pretty well rounded child. Some children are just not athletically inclined and, again, it sounds as though she is getting plenty of exercise. If she wants to join soccer, I would let her do so. However, don't push her to join a sport just because "everyone else" is doing it.

I never did, and neither did my brothers. We all took piano and my brothers were in scouts. I was an artist, I read a lot of books, was in a lot of piano competitions, and eventually got a degree in music. I never had a regret that sports weren't a part of my youth ;)
I DO wish I'd had the chance to learn horse-back riding, however......

My son , 11, has been on soccer teams since he was 5. Last time there were a couple kids who had never played. They are all in 5th grade, they lost every game but they all rallied around the new kids and it was great fun for all involved.
It all has to do with the coach. He can make or break a team.

My daughter has never played an organized team sport, she swims, but has never played soccer, volleyball, basketball, softball. She is homeschooled and next year will go into the high school where she will have to take gym class. Talk about throwing her to the wolves, lol

Your daughter will be fine.

Just a thought sign her up at the local rec center for a soccer camp.... That way she can learn drills and skills used on soccer teams... Also meet friends and maybe bond with friends and she could join one of the friends soccer teams in the fall.
L.

If you decide to put her into soccer, I wouldn't sorry too much about the fact that she's never played before. Our high school JV soccer team this year needed kids in order to have a team, and so they have recruited a few who had never really played before.