OT: - Youth sports this summer? | The Boneyard

OT: Youth sports this summer?

It’s the little things I miss too. I don’t have a kid old enough to play, but what I would give just to drive by a baseball field watching kids toss around the rock and screaming when you hear the aluminum crack of the baseball bat.
 
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I coach my son's baseball team. Its stressful at times but I'm definitely missing going out there every Saturday and imparting my lack of fundamentals and seeing a bunch of 7 year olds hang onto every word of and politely laughing at my bad jokes.
 
For a long time now, my two boys finished Rec basketball in February, began indoor travel baseball practice in March while wrapping-up travel basketball, moved to outdoor travel baseball in April with Rec baseball starting, and May has been wall-to-wall Rec and travel baseball. I'm usually coaching at least 2 of their 4 baseball teams. By the end of May, they would be begging for a weekend off. This year, its the exact opposite. They are bored out of their minds. Just crazy.

My town's rec commissioner called me the other day. They are thinking about holding Rec baseball in the summer. I told him it's a bad idea. Assuming we're allowed onto the fields by June (parks are open for passive activities right now, no organized sports), I think most people will be hitting the road to see family and friends that they haven't seen in 3 or 4 months. Travel is possible as those families planned to be around through early August for those teams. But, the kids have had zero reps since indoor baseball practice was wiped-out in early March and the fields closed shortly after, which will make it hard on the kids like my older son who are moving-up to the adult-sized fields for 13U. Not to mention what new safety measures need to be put in place, such as face masks or banning grandparents, etc. Plus, a lot of the big tournaments, like 12U Cooperstown Field of Dreams have already been cancelled for 2020. Nevertheless, while it may not b the same, for everyone's sake, I hope we can get out there at some point.
 
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Parents are in full panic mode over summer camps for their kids right now. sports camps, whatever. It’s all up in the air but doesnt look good.
 
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Spring soccer season is canceled. Camps can start on 6/29. It looks like there's going to be a lot of out of shape kids with stale skills when Fall school seasons get here. Basketball should get a boost though from all the kids playing in their driveways this Spring and Summer.
 
UCTitleTown said:
Spring soccer season is canceled. Camps can start on 6/29. It looks like there's going to be a lot of out of shape kids with stale skills when Fall school seasons get here. Basketball should get a boost though from all the kids playing in their driveways this Spring and Summer.
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This isn't good for basketball at all either. Coaches I know are really concerned for the kids development. There's no summer camps or AAU. This time of year, my kids are normally playing 4 games every other weekend and practicing 2x a week. Some have personal trainers they aren't able to work with. Tough time for sports especially mid and low major recruiting.
 
For me, the cancelation of youth sports and activities has been much more painful than not being able to watch professional sports on tv. I have nothing profound to say. It just really sucks and it is a huge setback for kids, no matter if they have goals to play in college or just do it for fun or to stay in shape. My daughter is a gymnast. She’s been doing a lot of home workouts but it’s impossible to replicate what happens in a gym. She’s worried her whole sports career has been ruined by this.
 
Kenny11 said:
For me, the cancelation of youth sports and activities has been much more painful than not being able to watch professional sports on tv. I have nothing profound to say. It just really sucks and it is a huge setback for kids, no matter if they have goals to play in college or just do it for fun or to stay in shape. My daughter is a gymnast. She’s been doing a lot of home workouts but it’s impossible to replicate what happens in a gym. She’s worried her whole sports career has been ruined by this.
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Everyone else is in the same boat. She should stay focused and do what she can.
 
I've worked for parks & recreation most summers in a northeast town, doesn't look like anything is happening this summer. We run basketball, baseball, soccer, tennis etc etc for like 8 weeks. Definitely will miss being out in the sun and picking up an extra 2-3 grand just for being a functioning human from 9-12 during the week.
 
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Kenny11 said:
For me, the cancelation of youth sports and activities has been much more painful than not being able to watch professional sports on tv. I have nothing profound to say. It just really sucks and it is a huge setback for kids, no matter if they have goals to play in college or just do it for fun or to stay in shape. My daughter is a gymnast. She’s been doing a lot of home workouts but it’s impossible to replicate what happens in a gym. She’s worried her whole sports career has been ruined by this.
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I complained a lot about the number of kids games but I sure would take them now.
 
My son's senior season of high school baseball went up in smoke. He's more bummed about that than missing school. He's spent so much time on baseball in his life (training all winter, spring seasons, summer seasons, fall seasons, AAU seasons, etc.) that he didn't want his career to end like this. He's not playing in college. He's still holding out hope that he can play Legion this summer because that hasn't been canceled yet, but I don't see that happening.
 
husky429 said:
This isn't good for basketball at all either. Coaches I know are really concerned for the kids development. There's no summer camps or AAU. This time of year, my kids are normally playing 4 games every other weekend and practicing 2x a week. Some have personal trainers they aren't able to work with. Tough time for sports especially mid and low major recruiting.
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What are we going to do with the kids that missed Algebra or any of the other fundamentals they needed? I know this is about sports but a generation of freshmen will be playing catchup through High School. I don't envy HS teachers for the next 4 years.
 
husky429 said:
This isn't good for basketball at all either. Coaches I know are really concerned for the kids development. There's no summer camps or AAU. This time of year, my kids are normally playing 4 games every other weekend and practicing 2x a week. Some have personal trainers they aren't able to work with. Tough time for sports especially mid and low major recruiting.
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I should have been clearer. I meant basic skills like shooting, dribbling, free throws and passing. Things that my kids never wanted to practice. Now they're out in the driveway everyday doing those things.
 
HooperScooper said:
My son's senior season of high school baseball went up in smoke. He's more bummed about that than missing school. He's spent so much time on baseball in his life (training all winter, spring seasons, summer seasons, fall seasons, AAU seasons, etc.) that he didn't want his career to end like this. He's not playing in college. He's still holding out hope that he can play Legion this summer because that hasn't been canceled yet, but I don't see that happening.
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Yeah, it's a tough lesson kids are learning about the eternity of youth or lack there of. We know it's a cliché of "play every game like it's your last" and as UConn fans we've seen tragically how this can play out.

Not knowing you were playing your last competitive game in a sport you love until after the game is over can be tough to deal with at any age. Oftentimes the players will tell you it's not just the game, it's the certainty of the time for practice, for comraderie with teammates, the pursuit that they remember most.
 
Safe to assume there will be an increase in injuries when the sports start coming back online?
 
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Chin Diesel said:
Safe to assume there will be an increase in injuries when the sports start coming back online?
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We keep hearing that many of the injuries come from repetitive stress, or too much practice, but anyone who's watched a high school soccer game would have to doubt that a little bit, since those games are more like rugby than soccer.
 
upstater said:
What are we going to do with the kids that missed Algebra or any of the other fundamentals they needed? I know this is about sports but a generation of freshmen will be playing catchup through High School. I don't envy HS teachers for the next 4 years.
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yup. It’s everything. School, sports, arts, etc. it really sucks and who knows if or when it will be “normal” again.
 
Sign of the times, I took my dog for a walk on Saturday, passed a closed gate and walked on the roads above the soccer and baseball fields. While I walked along reminiscing, a parks & rec police pulled up yelling at me b/c the fields were closed, 'was the sign unclear' etc.. I apologized, walked back, the fields more empty than before.
 
My daughter is a swimmer and there's no indication when that is coming back.

Most USA Swimming clubs rent pool space at schools....right now, it seems like the fall girls HS swimming season is not going to happen which likely means that the school pools will be closed to clubs as well.
 
Swimming seems super done, I'd have to imagine those kids & teams get sick in bunches more than any other sport.

We did get a message about scheduled summer AAU basketball (I have a 6th grader) with a list of about 20 protocols that will be in-place if current schedule of July-August tourneys are played.

But it seems preposterous, one of the protocols is no post-game handshakes!? Sure, sweat & push against each other for 32 minutes, but be careful not to touch fingertips after the game.
 
The fastest a vaccine has ever been developed is 4 years.

Keep that in mind when you think about how long the youth sports hiatus could be.
 
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Dogdeacon said:
But it seems preposterous, one of the protocols is no post-game handshakes!? Sure, sweat & push against each other for 32 minutes, but be careful not to touch fingertips after the game.
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Not to mention they all touch the same basketball multiple times throughout the game. We've always told our son the first thing he should do after every basketball game is to go to the restroom and wash his hands. I've always been kind of a germaphobe.
 
HooperScooper said:
Not to mention they all touch the same basketball multiple times throughout the game. We've always told our son the first thing he should do after every basketball game is to go to the restroom and wash his hands. I've always been kind of a germaphobe.
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For post-game trips to Buff's pub I've always gone straight to the bathroom to wash hands and face after adult basketball. Virtually no one else in the group does. For me it is as much about the smell/dirt as it is germs though.

I think kids lacrosse might be the most viable or least germ transferring team sport? Maybe hockey?
 
Just saw that American Legion cancelled its entire 2020 summer season in Jersey adn a handful of other States.

www.nj.com

Coronavirus does what even WWII couldn’t - cancel American Legion baseball in N.J.

American Legion baseball in New Jersey has been canceled for the first time since its inception in 1925
www.nj.com www.nj.com

While Ameicna Legion Baseball has lost the luster in recent years, its still a solid league, espeically in areas where families can't afford private club baseball.

Overall, it does not bode well for anyone as baseball has the least amount of body-to-body contact of the major sports.
 
Dogdeacon said:
Swimming seems super done, I'd have to imagine those kids & teams get sick in bunches more than any other sport.

We did get a message about scheduled summer AAU basketball (I have a 6th grader) with a list of about 20 protocols that will be in-place if current schedule of July-August tourneys are played.

But it seems preposterous, one of the protocols is no post-game handshakes!? Sure, sweat & push against each other for 32 minutes, but be careful not to touch fingertips after the game.
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In-game physical contact is unavoidable, pre-game and post-game hand shakes are avoidable. Any unnecessary contact should be reduced. Larger benches so the kids aren't shoulder to shoulder, fans spread out instead of bunched up etc. If that's what's needed to have youth sports again, I'm all in.
 
nelsonmuntz said:
The fastest a vaccine has ever been developed is 4 years.

Keep that in mind when you think about how long the youth sports hiatus could be.
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Kids are obviously going to be back in school and playing sports again, there's a decent chance there is never a vaccine.
 
Mr. Conehead said:
Just saw that American Legion cancelled its entire 2020 summer season in Jersey adn a handful of other States.

www.nj.com

Coronavirus does what even WWII couldn’t - cancel American Legion baseball in N.J.

American Legion baseball in New Jersey has been canceled for the first time since its inception in 1925
www.nj.com www.nj.com

While Ameicna Legion Baseball has lost the luster in recent years, its still a solid league, espeically in areas where families can't afford private club baseball.

Overall, it does not bode well for anyone as baseball has the least amount of body-to-body contact of the major sports.
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Got that word earlier today and after my post above. Some of the local teams are already talking about playing anyway, with specific precautions, if the state opens everything else back up.

Let's be honest, if an effective vaccine is developed it's probably a year away. The risks aren't completely going away until that happens. Are we supposed to continue to stop our entire lives for another year? If they play, with some precautions, and my son wants to, I will let him.
 
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