The Worst Part About Youth Sports in Idaho

Playing sports growing up is a big part of childhood. The pain from a tough defeat, the joys of hitting a winning shot, goal, hit, or doing something special for the first time are irreplaceable. It teaches the value of hard work, teamwork, and creates memories and friendships that can last a lifetime. Almost everyone plays a sport growing up, and for some kids, they consume them and they love sports, and for other kids, it may not be for them, and they eventually move on to something else they are passionate about. There is one part about youth sports in Southern Idaho that sucks and needs to change, and it is the worst part of kids playing sports in the area.

The Type of Youth Sports in Idaho

Youth sports take commitment. There are practices, games, and sometimes tournaments that can take up an entire weekend. There are different types of leagues when it comes to youth sports. There are travel leagues that kids and parents expect to drive all over the state and even into other states to compete against other competition, and these leagues typically require more money to play in and more commitment, but it is usually a sport that your child has shown the most interest and passion for, and one that the family invests in. There are also recreational leagues, where kids are learning how to play the sport they are in. This includes learning the fundamentals, playing for fun with their friends, and seeing if this is a sport they want to pursue passionately or only enjoy playing for fun. These leagues, while taking commitment, shouldn't have the same expenses, traveling, and be as demanding as travel teams. 

The Worst Part of Youth Sports in Idaho

While ideally, youth sports in recreational leagues would mean playing close to home and not having to drive too far for games, that isn't always the case, especially when your child is a part of a team in a smaller town. To keep things fair, typically, smaller towns play against smaller towns, and these towns are spread out throughout Idaho. Driving 10 to 15 miles for a game is acceptable, but when having to drive an hour, an hour and a half, and longer to play a game that lasts less than an hour, it can be taxing on families every weekend. It eats into Saturdays, it is tough for families to make it to games on time, and it may not be worth it to some to put the mileage on their vehicle for a youth sports game. How far is too far? Is there a way to make sure every child in Southern Idaho gets to compete, without having to spend more time driving to a game than the time they spend playing? 

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The towns in Southern Idaho are spread out, and this is a part of the commitment in youth sports, but for recreational sports, it may be asking too much of families, compared to travel teams, where it is expected. The alternative is your child skipping games or not playing at all, but that shouldn't be a decision that families have to make. What is the furthest you are willing to drive for your child's youth games? Should you teach them commitment and take them no matter how far it is, or is it ok to stay home and skip the long-distance games? Is this the worst part of youth sports?