Summer vacation isn’t the same for parents of youths involved in sports. This is especially true for those involved in multiple sports. Practice here, practice there, game here, game there. Practicing Monday through Thursday in preparation for the showdowns Friday, Saturday, and if your team is still winning Sunday.
Parents spend hundreds of dollars during the course of a summer on gas, food, shades, sunblock and portable fans, for dealing with the heat. Most parents do not mind because they prefer their child being active and out of trouble. If their work schedule permits, some parents turn road trips into mini-vacations. They may stay a day later visiting amusement parks, zoos, or aquariums with the kids.
During the days of summer there are generally two sports going on while preparing for a third. Baseball and AAU basketball are pretty amped up during this time period. Regular season baseball has pretty much ended and now the focus turns to the travel teams. The travel teams do not play a regular season schedule, they only participate in tournaments. These teams travel from city to city and many times state to state playing baseball. AAU basketball is a monster in itself. Without no regular season at all, the goal of AAU basketball is to win as many tournaments as you can and get to nationals. Your top AAU teams are always on the road. Coaches, scouts, and college personnel flock to these tournaments hoping to find a diamond in the rough. It is this hope of a college scholarship that generates excitement for the parents.
Weighing the travel fees, tournament registrations, and ticket prices appear small compared to four years of tuition. As two of the more popular American sports are in full throttle, a third one starts practicing. Most youth leagues start football “training camp” in June. Training camp strategies vary from team to team. The overall goal of the camp is to teach players plays without full contact and to learn the best positions for those players. Most practices begin at 5:30 p.m., so once again, parents are rushing home from work to get their child to practice on time.
Boys aren’t the only ones considered busy athletes. AAU basketball is a grind and a push for both male and female athletes. The same college aspirations are shared for the parents of young ladies also. The media coverage and hoopla isn’t the same. For example, the WNBA does not attract the same number of viewers, but those games are highly competitive. If you followed the parents of many collegiate females, you would find their summer was just as busy as the males.
That also can be said for the cheerleaders. Youth cheerleaders start their training normally about a week after the guys get going. Most teams do it for registration purposes, but regardless, if you have youth athletes or aspiring youth athletes, be prepared for a busy summer. Even if your child doesn’t become MVP or receive that eventual collegiate scholarship, the years of smiles and happiness that will be shared among the family is priceless.
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