Look, the kid is fine at soccer.
At 11, he’s competitive, and he loves the game. But if his mother, Elizabeth, had it her way, he would still be on one of the town’s low-cost teams, where he started at age 6, rather than the $5,000-a-year club program that now dominates their schedule. She looks back on those earlier years fondly: carpooling to games with other families from their suburban public school, cheering on the neighborhood kids from the sidelines. That version of youth soccer resembled her own days on the field in the ’90s, when it was the norm for children — even the most athletically inclined — to play on community-based teams through eighth grade. She had wanted that for her son too. Saturday mornings at the park with friends. Orange slices from the cooler during halftime. Parents clapping for everyone, win or lose, because really, what’s the difference?
Read Full Article »