BY JAXYN CLOUD
The sun isn’t up yet, but high school students from across Oklahoma are traveling hours for basketball practice. The 7 a.m. call time requires Baron Prock, a 16- year-old from Enid who plays on a traveling basketball team, to wake up at 4 a.m. to make practice on time in Oklahoma City.
Across the country, travel sports have evolved from a casual activity to a full-time job for children as young as 8 years old. School is done on a computer, then they’re off to the gym to get some shots up before practice. Some coaches argue that this builds skill and discipline, but are kids giving up their childhood to chase an unrealistic dream?
Travel and club sports teams are groups of kids who travel to compete at their game in other areas. Travel sports typically start for kids around 8 to 10 years old and are independently funded by parents or organizations, unlike school sports that are funded by the public school district.
Over the last 60 years, travel sports have dramatically increased in popularity and how they’re viewed by parents. Travel sports have been around for ages, but the likelihood of a child participating has increased drastically in recent decades. People born in the 1990s were three times as likely to participate in club sports as people born in the 1950s, according to a study in the Journal of Sport and Social Issues.
The amount isn’t the only consideration that has changed.
Many parents and players say the culture of travel sports is evolving into a monster they do not want to be a part of.
One of the main advantages of playing travel sports is the opportunity to play at a higher level of competition. These students are exposed to skilled teams from across the state, nation or even the globe. This creates a more challenging atmosphere that athletes probably wouldn’t experience staying in their home town or school sports. Playing travel sports gives athletes the chance to improve their skills during the off season.
College sports are competitive and require outstanding athletes to make the team. It takes even more talent and skill development to go to a university on a scholarship for athletics. For some students, sports is the only chance they have to get a higher education. This is where travel sports come in.
College recruiters attend these weekend long tournaments in hopes of finding their next star athlete. For students in rural communities, travel sports might be their only chance to get noticed by bigger universities. What all started as an activity for kids to play has turned into networking events that could totally change the trajectory of an athlete’s life.
Beyond athletics, travel sports are often credited with building young athlete’s character. It helps them to develop life skills like responsibility, cooperation, time management and resilience. Balancing school and travel sports can teach young athletes a lot about commitment and accountability.
Ryann Morton, a Division 1 volleyball player and travel volleyball coach, said, “Travel sports give athletes the chance to compete at a higher level while learning how to handle pressure and responsibility and keep the mindset of college ball.”
Morton went on to say that she has seen incredible growth in her athlete’s character throughout the last season of travel ball.
“If you’re just looking for [physical] activity, this isn’t for you,” Morton said.
She acknowledged the hardships it creates, including financial, mental and physical challenges for some families and players.
Travel sports can be a heavy burden to carry for some families financially. A parent of a travel baseball player broke down the cost of playing the sport. One child playing baseball requires a helmet, bat, glove, cleats, baseball pants, jersey, belts, socks and a bat bag. All of this gear can cost parents anywhere from $200 to $400.
Some parents find a way to alleviate some of the costs by taking hand me downs from older athletes, but without those connections the costs can be high. According to Engage Towson University, the average cost of team fees amongst the top 15 youth sports is $1,663.
It is clear that not every family has the financial means to put their kids on a travel sports team. Students from low income households are three times less likely to be on a club sport team, according to Engage Towson University. The students who would be most benefited by college scholarships might be the same students who don’t have the means to attend these tournaments. If college scouts aren’t attending school tournaments anymore, how will the non-travel athletes get noticed?
Travel sports are posing a threat to school sports in multiple aspects. Year-round club sports have created a rise in “single-sport athletes.” Students used to participate in every sport a school offered. Now they are choosing one and competing in that throughout their high school years. Single sport athletes are hurting athletic programs, especially in rural communities.
The drop of participation in multiple sports could eventually cause sports programs to get cut because of the lack of participation.
At the same time, travel sports can raise the overall skill level of school athletics. Athletes who participate in high-level travel programs often return to school teams with advanced training, experience against higher competition and stronger technical skills.
Some schools encourage their teams to participate in a travel team together, forming their own way to elevate competition while still building team chemistry. The Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association, has strict guidelines on how schools can go about this. School coaches have strict rules about coaching travel teams, but they are allowed to be in attendance at the games. Teams often use the same plays and positions as they do in school ball.
There are opposing sides to this occurrence. Some believe it is a great opportunity for school teams to improve their skills and teamwork. Others see it as a way to outcast some members of the school team who can’t afford to travel on the weekends. Erin Sandwick, a freshman volleyball player from Enid, said she felt like her travel team, which was all girls from her school team, was time consuming and a big commitment.
Even if families have the means to put their kid in travel sports, not all have the time. Between multiple evening practices during the week and tournaments on the weekends, it doesn’t leave a lot of time for family, friends or anything else. “I won’t put my future kids in travel sports because of the time commitment,” said Ashlan Light, a former college basketball player. “It leaves no time for family bonding or relaxation, and it’s so hard on kids’ mental health. They get so burned out.”
Extreme pressure is put on children when they are expected to perform to the best of their abilities multiple hours a day without much rest. Many find it difficult to prioritize their school work when they are left with such little time. Baron Prock, a sophomore basketball player, decided to withdraw from his public school and start school online through Epic Charter Schools. This is becoming more common for student athletes who want to prioritize their game. Prock said that his day usually looks like waking up, working on school for two to three hours, then heading to the gym to put some shots up.
Twice a week, he heads to Oklahoma City bright and early in the morning to his team practice. The travel demands often leave little time for school work on practice days. Prock said the time commitment forces him to carefully plan his schedule around both school and basketball obligations.
Prock said every practice and hour in the gym is worth his time. He said he believes that one day, it will all pay off and he’ll be glad that he put in the work for so long. “Every tournament is more than play, it’s an opportunity for a brighter future,” he said