#1 ·
I was talking to some parents at a local meet last weekend, and the conversation kept drifting toward how crowded the amateur sports calendar is getting. It feels like every year, there’s a new push to add another tournament, another trophy to chase, or another weekend spent in a humid gym.
Don't get me wrong, I love the competitive spirit, but I worry we're hitting a breaking point. I see these kids training year-round, grinding through multiple seasons, and by the time the "big" events roll around, they look absolutely spent. There's a fine line between giving athletes more opportunities to prove themselves and just adding more noise to an already exhausting schedule.
If we keep adding more sanctioned events and separate brackets, do we actually improve the level of play, or are we just making it harder for the kids to actually enjoy the sport?
Don't get me wrong, I love the competitive spirit, but I worry we're hitting a breaking point. I see these kids training year-round, grinding through multiple seasons, and by the time the "big" events roll around, they look absolutely spent. There's a fine line between giving athletes more opportunities to prove themselves and just adding more noise to an already exhausting schedule.
If we keep adding more sanctioned events and separate brackets, do we actually improve the level of play, or are we just making it harder for the kids to actually enjoy the sport?