Youth sports culture has kids specializing, playing same sport year round
Monday, August 5, 2013 Last updated: Monday August 5, 2013, 7:30 AM
BY KARA YORIO
STAFF WRITER
The Record
Related: Young athletes feeling the pain of too much play
Everything slows down in the summer — everything except the youth sports world that engulfs so many North Jersey families.
Young athletes not playing summer games and tournaments are filling their days with camps, private lessons and “training” sessions, honing their skills at their selected sport. Children as young as 8 or 9 are specializing, choosing only one sport and playing it year round, a trend that has drastically increased in the last five to 10 years,
according to those involved in local youth sports. – See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/218320411_Youth_sports_culture_has_kids_specializing__playing_same_sport_year_round.html#sthash.CdElhY4j.dpuf
It is crazy. There are elementary school children traveling to MD and other states for lax tournaments. Many of them may not be talented but there are plenty of traveling clubs willing to take their money. Dads drilling the boys on the fields think that this will be their ticket to college, they do not see any down side.
Do well in school. There are plenty of academic scholarships for students. This coincides better with the goal of going to college.