High-Cost Summer Camps...

Yes, we are in the heart of summer camp season. Are any of you going broke or skipping a vacation this year to send your child to the best sports camp you can find? Why?

The prices of summer camps are sky rocketing. I think it's absolutely ridiculous. Don't get me wrong, I truly believe camp experiences are important, but don't be tricked into believing that the best camps are the most expensive camps.

Here are a few tips to help you search for the "best" cost-efficient camps:

1. Check out local Colleges and Universities. Many college coaches run summer camps with the help of their athletes. Because they are affiliated with the schools, they tend to be less expensive than camp programs that are brought in from other areas.
2. Check out local school systems, including your own system and other systems. High school coaches and their athletes are often great instructors. If you can't make it to a camp in your own school system, check out other schools. For example, if the school across town is known for their great baseball program, most likely your child will learn alot from that camp. Sometimes it's great for your child to get some coaching for a week with a different point of view than their regular coaching. Also, it's always beneficial for your child to play a sport with kids he doesn't know.
3. Check out other local sports organizations. Your child might play on your local travel team, but that doesn't mean he has to do the local camp. Is there a pro team in your area? Are they running a camp? Often, retired or current pro athletes will run summer camps at reasonable costs to raise money for charities. Your child will learn skilled athletes, and you can feel good about the money going to a charity. You can't get more for your money than that!

Go ahead and send your child to camp, but don't feel guilty if you want to be economical about it. They'll still have a great experience!

Team Tryouts: The Mechanics of Your Child's Sports Team...

Your child is trying out for several teams. They know that there's one team they want to make. They tryout, and do not get picked for that team. They're devastated. You're devastated.

It is your job as parents to help your child through these devastations. And yes, they are devastations. When your child gets cut from a team, it's a terrible feeling for you and your child, but you can and should pick up the pieces and move on.

First, before your child even tries out, remind them that anyone can get cut, even the best player. Every time there are tryouts, a "team" is being formed. The coaches are not only looking for talented children, they are looking to create a total team. Many high-level teams consist of players who work well together, a balance of players for specific positions, players with potential for improvement, and many other factors.

We recently saw a child get cut from a team, and somehow they had the best attitude. The parents had prepared their child for the possibility of getting cut from the team. They told their child that even if he gets cut, it doesn't mean he wasn't good enough. You can't always guess why you didn't make the team. They encouraged him to try his hardest and to move on to his next choice if he didn't make the team. When he got cut, he was prepared to move on to another tryout.

Teach your children to move on to plan B. Always have a plan B. Find the positive in every situation. Your child will have more success in life by learning these important lessons and knowing that every team is looking for something different. They can always try out again next year!

Your Child Athlete's Attire

Spring is here, and your child athlete is playing on a new soccer, lacrosse, hockey, or baseball team. Do they need the optional team shorts or sweatsuit? Do they need a matching bag or new equipment? Where do you draw the line?

Many of us ask ourselves these questions in the beginning of a new sports season. The good news is that most of our children are in the same position. At the beginning of a season, many child athletes are starting out on newly formed athletic teams. Even if a team isn't new, there are always some changes to the roster when a new season begins.

Although it can get costly, we have occasionally bought our children the little extras that come with being part of a team. No, they don't need another t-shirt, but a team t-shirt can make your child proud. It's good to give our children that feeling of importance, but remember that you need to buy every item available.

We have interviewed many high-level athletes, and the bottom line for many of them is team work and learning to be part of a team. Team work is on the field, but should transfer over to off the field. If the team wears matching blue socks or carries purple bags, then go ahead, and teach your child that it's fun to join in.

Preparing Your Child for Tryouts

As we head into the spring, many of our children will be trying out for travel teams in various sports, including soccer, baseball, and even hockey. How do you prepare your child for tryouts? Should you prepare your child for tryouts?

With our three children we look for the following signs to determine if they're ready to tryout for travel teams:

• Your child shows a desire to tryout for a travel team. This includes the child specifically requesting to tryout.
• Your child works hard in their sport; therefore, advancing to a higher level team is a good idea.
• Your child is talented in a sport. Keep in mind if they are talented, then you want to make sure they are challenged by putting them on the appropriate level team.

Tips on preparing your child for tryouts:

• Make your child aware that they will have to work hard at a tryout to earn a position on a team.
• Let your child know that if the put forward one-hundred percent effort and don't make the team, it's OK. Effort is the key.
• Tell your child that whether they make a team or not, it's important to set goals and to keep trying to earn a spot on a team. It might just take another year of practice to earn a spot on a travel team, and children need to follow their passions and work hard to get where they want to be.

In interviewing high-level athletes, almost all of the athletes stress the importance of applying one-hundred percent effort in sports. Most of these athletes are impressed by a not so talented player who exerts one-hundred percent effort.

Let your child know that you support them. Encourage your child. And, most importantly, have your child follow their passions in sports.

When to Start Your Child in Sports

I recently spoke to a group of parents who wanted to know what's the appropriate age to introduce organized athletics to their child. Of course, there is no absolutely "right" answer, but I have some guidelines:

1. Look for your child should express an interest in a sport. For example, if they enjoy kicking around the soccer ball in the yard and they participate well in group situations, such as preschool, then consider joining the appropriate local soccer team for their age group.

2. Vary the sports. I believe that preschool and elementary age children should be introduced to multiple sports so a parent will be able to observe their child and learn what the child's true passions are. If you introduce swimming for a session, then gymnastics, then a soccer team in the spring, a parent might notice their child enjoying one sport over another.

3. Encourage playing all sports in the yard or park as much as possible. I have interviewed many high-level athletes, and they often state that they begin their children in sports at older ages than most parents in today's world. These athletes do not see an urgency to have their children in organized sports in preschool or even the first years of elementary school.

Always look for your child's natural talents in a sport, but remember that your child should express a passion to participate too.