Competitive high school sports

rymugsy
Sun, 17 Jun 2012 21:14:23 +0000

I go to a school in southern california, where almost every girl plays/ played soccer, and the majority play competitively. I was at high school soccer practice the other day and a group of girls and myself got around to talking about our club teams (some states call these select/ year-round/ travel teams, it’s basically a competitive version of soccer that goes all year long, you have to try out for teams, etc.). I play on a pretty competitive team, but my club team is more of a “have fun, try hard” type of environment than “a win at all costs” environment. Most of the girls on varsity, however, play on extremely competitive teams, are traveling across the country every month for “college showcases” (where scouts see you play), play 3 times a week and go to strength trainers/ personal trainers for a couple times a week, etc.

I love soccer and I love my club team, but most of the other girls complained about their coaches, teammates, practices…they all wanted to quit but though they had to keep playing because of their parents.

My parents and I were discussing the reasoning behind these parents forcing them to play. Some of them have to know that they aren’t going to play soccer in college, and even if they do, they’d be playing a sport that they hate. Most of them come from families with significant wealth also, so it’s not like they are all desperate for scholarships. And women’s professional soccer doesn’t provide a whole lot of career options or money in the long-term.

So, have any of you experienced a similar situation and know the reasoning for it? Have you/ your friend been pushed to play in a sport that you hate? Are you planning on playing in college?