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You all seem to be confusing “travel” sports with inappropriate coaching or a “win at all cost” attitude. I can’t help but think that some of the posts above were written by people, who have never coached a sport in their lives. While I agree that sports from 3rd grade and younger are best structured with a “clinic” approach to teaching fundamentals of a sport, some sports groups in many towns are forced to travel because their numbers are insufficient to allow “in town” games at a given grade level. While Ridgewood is fortunate not to have that problem in many cases, it is not always the case.
The real issue is a “healthy approach” to organized sports, not whether a team competes against other towns. There are countless examples of coaches in Ridgewood, who teach valuable lessons about sportsmanship, leadership and effort, while playing competitively. A little bit of heathy competition is not a bad thing, as long as winning is not valued as the only measure of success and that coaches don’t play their best players at the expense of less experienced or less gifted players.
It should also be kept in mind that recreational programs exist to serve one purpose, while travel programs exist to serve a different purpose. Parents and players need to understand which is appropriate for them. If all your son or daughter wants to do is socialize with his or her friends in an athletic environment, then travel programs are the wrong choice. However, there are many middle school children, who seek active competition with other boys and girls their own age. These children may be well suited for a more competitively geared program. This is not always driven by a parent’s desire for their children. In either case, the quality of the coaching matters. “Dad” may or may not be the right coach.
