Two Sport Athlete

[Fanof12]

DD is both a softball player and a volleyball player. She wants to play both at a high level. Problem is how do we deal with scheduling conflicts?

I want to be up front with people as to when there will be conflicts. I'll know the volleyball schedule before the spring/summer SB tournaments go up.

For SB she is a decent pitcher. Frankly she's helps a team more with the bat. She can play 1B/3B/OF.

I'd like to hear from parents of other multi sport kids for how you've handled this. Also I would like to hear from coaches. Would you be interested in a kid who can help your team but won't be there all the time?

DD is first year 14U.

Thanks ahead of time.

[coolstuff]

DD is both a softball player and a volleyball player. She wants to play both at a high level. Problem is how do we deal with scheduling conflicts?

Depends on what you mean by "a high level." If you mean she wants to play both travel softball and club volleyball, I think you will drive yourself, your DD and both coaches crazy. I don't know anyone who has even tried to do that. In the end, something has to give, you're going to disappoint someone, possibly everyone.

If you mean she plays travel in one sport and play only HS in the other, that's definitely do-able. My DD is also a dual sport athlete, playing HS softball and volleyball, and travel softball. The travel coaches make allowances for HS sports of any kind. DD can miss a practice or a game for a HS practice or game. It doesn't happen as often as you might think, and your DD won't be the only girl on the team playing more than one HS sport.

Bottom line is you have to set priorities. Both sports can't be the #1.

[carolinafan]

This is a question I have been meaning to post, as well, so thank you!

My DD is going into 8th grade: 1st year 14U. She plays 4 sports: field hockey, basketball, track, and softball. The field hockey and track are just middle school sports, right now. Basketball (school too) and softball are travel. She never stops going but her grades are decent.....could be all As but gets one to two Bs each marking period.....I think ok with her schedule. Anyway, this is how she has handled this question: DD always goes to in season sport first. Her school teams always play right after school, so they rarely conflict with travel practices and never conflict with weekend tournies. The biggest problem is travel basketball being year round and softball being year round. She has decided to be up front with all coaches about her schedules. This past spring, she went to most of her spring aau basketball practices, but only made one tournament game when a Sunday softball tournament got rained out. We flew up to where the basketball tournament was being played (always keeps basketball stuff in car, for just this situation) and she played in final game. Of course, she did not start the final game, but she played most of it and helped the team win.

When your DD loves more than one sport, how can you deny her the opportunity/pleasure of playing them!? I can't and I let her make her decisions. She will have a big one come this fall when her basketball travel coach switches from doing a week night league to all weekend touraments. This will directly interfere with travel softball when coach schedules fall tournaments or friendlies. She is 13 and will have to figure out where her priority lays and suck up the consequences, good or bad, of her decision. I was able to play 3 sports in HS - but then again, times have changed. I just loved the fact that when I was getting a little sick of one sport, I was getting geared up for the next.

Always be up front with the coaches involved. The worst that can happen is you need to make an adjustment or find a team that accomodates. Not easy, but doable. Good luck....I know my dd is going to need it this year!

[SnocatzDad]

If you want to play two sports at a competitive level then I suggest you find opportunities that don't involve 12 month 5 day a week training for both. It should be out there. If your kid has the skills to compete at that level someone should want her and be willing to work around the following.

Volleyball Season = Mid August thru mid February
Softball Season = Mid February thru Mid August

Given that Volleyball is a fall sport and that Softball is a spring sport at the High School level this should be workable.

Your not cheating anyone if you lay out the above and guarantee that you will not miss the sport in season to attend events for the sport that is out of season. If you work in a little hitting/pitching/fielding lessons once a week during vollleyball season, and work a little private volleyball training once a week during softball you should be able to find some balance and not cheat the sport that is in season while still continuing to skill develop both sports year round.

[hit4power]

When your DD loves more than one sport, how can you deny her the opportunity/pleasure of playing them!? I can't and I let her make her decisions

I'm with carolinafan. DD is now a rising sophomore and has settled on playing softball year round between TB and HS, and HS volleyball in the fall. Four years ago she was playing basketball, soccer, volleyball, and softball. One by one she has whittled it down as the time demands became unmanageable. The first choice was between club volleyball and club soccer and volleyball won that one. Two years later basketball went as did club volleyball when she decided she wanted at least a few weekends without travel or tournaments. She's now happy with the two sports plus conditioning. On her TB team at least 3 other girls are also HS volleyball players and one still plays some basketball in the fall. Good coaches will work around your schedule issues if you are up front about it and as long as your DD shows up happy and ready to play as opposed to exhausted and sore from her other activities. We keep a constant eye on grades and "schedule stress" but we dont intervene unless we see a problem in one of those areas.

[Missinit]

DD is both a softball player and a volleyball player. She wants to play both at a high level. Problem is how do we deal with scheduling conflicts?

I want to be up front with people as to when there will be conflicts. I'll know the volleyball schedule before the spring/summer SB tournaments go up.

For SB she is a decent pitcher. Frankly she's helps a team more with the bat. She can play 1B/3B/OF.

I'd like to hear from parents of other multi sport kids for how you've handled this. Also I would like to hear from coaches. Would you be interested in a kid who can help your team but won't be there all the time?

DD is first year 14U.

Thanks ahead of time.

A coach is going to have to decide if they want to deal with the possible drama that could be caused from playing someone who isn't there all the time and taking playing time away from the ones that are there all the time.
One of the most common complaints from a parent who's kid is sitting is about the kid that's playing after missing a practice.

A player that is not there all the time would have to decide if they can accept the fact that she has to do her time on the bench for not being there, and do it with a good attitude.

It all depends on the how bad the coach needs her and her attitude when she is there.

[Sam]

You can let her play both sports if:

a) you have enough money.
b) you are OK with her getting minimal playing time for both teams.
c) you explain to both coaches which team gets her if a scheduling conflict occurs.

As a parent I'm all for the kid playing both sports...cuts down on overuse injuries. As a coach, I try to avoid multi-sport athletes...too much drama caused with the players who are there all the time.

It can be done successfully on a relatively non-competitive travel team.

[MavFan]

What Sam said!

[NuNu's Dad]

It can be done. At least as long as she is still playing 14U or 16U. Probably not with 18Gold.


My DD did HS Volleyball and Softball as well as travel SB and Club Volleyball for her Freshman and Sophomore years. Club Volleyball conflicted with HS softball and travel Softball conflicted with HS Volleyball. The conflicts were minimal for the most part.

We were upfront with the club volleyball coaches that she wouldn't be able to go to the JO Qualifier or Reno tourneys. For the money you pay they don't complain, but she was on the #2 team instead of the #1 team.

Hish school volleyball coaches know she is a very serious softball player so they didn't complain about missing one fall tourney. I guess they figured some was better than none of her. Since she was only 5'9" and played MB, they realized her volleyball opportunities would be limited.

We basically prioritized them: Travel SB, HS SB, HS VB and club VB.

It worked great until she told me she was stressing about getting a broken finger blocking or spraining an ankle landing on a teammates foot in one of the Sunday club Volleyball tourneys. She was worried that I would be disappointed if she just focused on Softball and gave up VB. Instead I said Hallelulla!!!


She would have had to give up VB that fall anyway to play 18gold because of all the practices. It was nice she was the one to make the decision.

[sftballjnkie]

My DD is playing Travel softball and club VB for now( 1st yr 12). We were up front from the begining that SB was the priority and she would not miss tournaments in SB for VB. Coach was OK with that. SB coach has been awesome in that he tries to work around the VB schedule as it is set early on. Only had one conflict this spring so no real issues with either team. She only missed 1 practice I think for SB while at an out of town tournament for VB. I know she will have to make a decision eventually (SB will win hands down) but she is very happy now and the conditioning that VB gives her has improved her SB game alot this last year so no complaints with SB coach.
Key to us has been finding a VB program that was flexible and still competetive. If you are up front about what can and can't be done, it can work out. It's also very much up to my DD that she does this. We still find time for hanging with friends and non SB/VB things so that she does not feel she is missing out.