Growing up, I dabbled in gymnastics and ice skating but never joined a team or had formal training. When I had children, I wasn't opposed to any of the four of them playing sports if they wanted to, but it wasn't a priority.
My oldest three showed a fleeting interest in athletics, but nothing ever stuck. We tried soccer for tots, tennis in early elementary school, a rec basketball team that anyone could walk on to, and Girls on the Run, a non-competitive program for young girls. However, none of my younger kids showed much interest in playing at a higher level in a club.
I briefly looked into club sports, but lost all interest once I discovered they cost thousands of dollars and require an extensive time commitment from the entire family on weeknights and weekends. That's particularly true for travel teams, which involve more serious coaching and play than rec teams.
I never regretted not signing my kids up for tryouts until my youngest son developed a passion for soccer and dove headlong into the sport. Now I see what my older kids were missing, and I regret not encouraging them to try club sports, too.
I reluctantly signed my son up for a club team
My son started playing soccer d...