We have a middle schooler who is a good soccer player and gas been offered a spot on a higher level team that is a lot more expensive and requires a lot more travel than their current team. Problem is, they aren’t a great student and not strong academically. They have a diagnosis of ADHD. Guessing high school might look like 2.3-2.7 range, based on their current trends. Thoughts on if we should even bother moving to a higher level team? They would welcome a more challenging environment than their current team offers, but we aren’t convinced the extra cost and inconvenience is worth it in the long run.
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Depends on what your goals are. I would be very careful with the decision. In general, moves to higher level teams don't pay off in the long run.Originally posted by Guest View Post -
Like with anything related to college outside of soccer, there are good schools and bad. There are schools were scraping by in the B- range is acceptable, and some where it's not. Soccer could give them a slight bump in some circumstances if a school really wants them.Originally posted by Guest View Post
But, truthfully, in my opinion working to get them into a better educational situation is time and money better spent. The added time and effort for a higher level soccer can be handled (lots of drive time doing homework to and from) is the norm, but it's a lot even for a good student with a well-established routine.
Good luck on your decision.Comment
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Does your kid have something else that they (a) really enjoy and (b) are good at? Don't underestimate the value of having one thing like that in their lives, in this phase of their life. Even if it doesn't clearly lead anywhere long term. There's a lot of wondering at this age about who am I, does anything make me special, etc. Maybe soccer is that thing, maybe something else can be.
How is the HS soccer program (for their gender - it can vary a lot for girls/boys even in the same HS)? Is succeeding at HS soccer enough of a goal to make high level club worthwhile? (For us, it is.) That brings some benefits in terms of friends, confidence, etc.
The real goals at this age are building confidence, building character, and finding friends. Does this help (for your kid), or is something else a better use of the time and money? There's a lot of goals to think about between here and college.
My daughter has had to work hard over a long period of time toward a goal. That's a great experience for a kid, if they are ready to sign up for that.
What year of middle school? Is next year 8th or 9th grade? 8th grade offers a lot of flexibility and time in exploring.
It's hard to give advice based on the generic "higher level" comment. And of course only you know the specifics for your kid.Comment
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Perhaps your child will choose not to go to college. Move to a higher team for the soccer only. It's too early to worry about college.Originally posted by Guest View PostComment
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It's a fair point. College isn't for everyone and that mandate only causes a lot of problems for some later on as they dig themselves out of unnecessary debt.Originally posted by Guest View PostComment
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The college landscape is very competitive from a grade perspective and your kid will compete with equally talented players with 4.0 etc. many overcoming academic challenges they can’t handle high school how will they handle traveling for college and not sitting in their classes and making up work.going to higher team also isn’t a permanent decision yet it for 8th grade when academic stakes are low no one counts 8th grade and maybe a convo with your kid on what help do they need to do both well.Comment
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This is a troll thread. Someone trying to tease out another discussion pitting the end game vs. the journey and academic first vs. soccer fit.Comment
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Having had a child with learning issues I will say HS can exacerbate those issues even more. Hopefully you're already working on learning plans with the HS to help aid in the transition. However I can also say there is a college for everyone. Mine found a great one forbid, did well and has a great job now.
As for the soccer, does your son want to play in college? If not then the decision is easy. Play more local for less cost. Is this higher team something he really wants? Does he realize HS is a ton more work a nd all that travel will eat into his homework and social time? Will he realistically play a lot? Of course if he's any good you could they it for a year and see how he does soccer and ans school wise because he can always drop down later.
Hopefully you ha e no expectations of athletic college scholarships. Boys get virtually nothingComment
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This isn't a student athlete that is going to ever leverage soccer into a vastly higher school and probably shouldn't. The last thing you want is a kid struggling in college. This is a student that maybe doesn't even plan or want to go to college. Also, they're in middle school. A lot happens in HS in terms of life path, interests, activities etc.Originally posted by Guest View PostComment
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I have a son with adhd and one without. The adhd one couldn't handle the demands of high level soccer along with school. The one without has phenomenal time management skills, due, I think to juggling club soccer along with everything else in high school. In the end both went on to play in college (the adhd one was incredibly lucky).
If your son can handle the demands, perhaps club soccer will help him with time management. But it may not. My adhd son needed executive function coaching in high school, starting more intensively in 9th grade, and tapering over the years. Just mentioning it in case it's helpful to your situation.Comment
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^ another parent with an adhd/other learning issue kid: transitioning into high school was a very steep learning curve. The work load was crazy. Mine ended up just playing 3 HS sports, was very happy with that. They tried keeping club soccer year 1 and could have, BUT it ate into social time on the weekends and they decided that mattered more. In the end it was the right move as they also had more time for other ECs and a good part time job the last 18 months.
If the op's kid is going into 8th grade I say give it a try. They can move back down if its too much no problem. If they're going into 9th grade, then transitioning into HS and a higher team/more travel might be too much?
Totally agree with the "there's a college for everyone " statement. At the time standardized testing was optional at some schools but definitely not all. Getting them through that was pretty hellish. Now it's practically eliminated which is great for kids with learning issues.Comment
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