Anyone else sick of kids excelling at sport?

[LaMaG]

My DS15 is quite talented at a particular sport and much as I support him I am sick to death at the extent it has taken over our lives. He plays locally but also for a county team so almost every weekend is spent travelling hours away, they never provide team buses. Dh goes to all the matches and no one ever car pools. DS was young when this kicked off and I had babies at home so DH got very involved and I stepped back. But I bring him to training twice a week for this and then he still has club level training and another sport too. He does gym work every day he doesn't have training so I'm constantly working my life around it, I can't even do an evening class. It affects meal times too. I feel guilty for complaining as some people are so passionate about this, I have a colleague who is quite in awe of it and many others tell us how proud we must be. DH says I just don't get it as I don't follow sport but I am proud I just resent how it becomes our whole lives. Its also dealing with the constant drama of losing and anger if he is left on the bench etc. Dh is worse than DS! There is a constant risk he will get dropped and every thing is analysed and obsessed about. Everyone was shouting this morning cos a training top went missing, it's always drama drama drama. Any other frustrated sports mums out there who understand?

Stay and train. He’ll hopefully get funding. Can he keep the scholarship for a year in case it doesn’t work out for the funding?

but what if he still doesn’t get funding? He has deferred the scholarship, but he will need to sign a contract in jan, British champs aren’t until June, so funding decisions won’t be made now until sept 2024 at the earliest when funding is announced for the new Olympic cycle.

add in to the equation GB are now looking for 2028/2032 cohort, so they’re already funding younger athletes over him based on “potential”. He’s been top GB junior since he was 14, so he’s also thinking if they haven’t funded him by now…

I hope that someone here will have their experience to share with you. Wishing you all the best as it’s a tricky situation.

I'm out the other end of it all, but I don't regret all the effort, expense and running around. None of mine have continued their activities to a professional level, but nevertheless they use their skills in public speaking at work and have social lives based on their hobbies. Two out of three had significant financial boosts at Uni from scholarships and middle child goes all over UK and Europe playing her instruments at weekends and evenings, she regularly plays at big venues eg Albert Hall, the Sage etc. I made a second career by developing a childhood hobby. So while I don't think it's healthy to bend the entire family around competitive sport etc, there is nevertheless a lot to be gained from proper commitment to excellence in a chosen interest.

No it wasn't tdci it was a National finals for a dance competition. The regionals were in the South of England so it was a hell of a trek to Blackpool!!
Luckily our dance school hasn't looked at international dance competitions yet....though there have been definite whispering about Dance World Cup and IFDPA Disneyland Paris over the past few months so I don't think it will be long!!

Dd came home yesterday from her training camp overseas. She spent 3 hours at the gym today. Tomorrow night, I need to drive her to the location for training for her other sport, after her day's work coaching in her original sport. And the same on Wednesday (both as DH is away for work).

Tuesday she has a driving lesson. Thursday will probably be the gym again.

Friday - she wants to cross the country (I presume after work - she has 40 hours this week) for good waves this weekend for surfing. DDog can't go as it's my DPs house and they are NOT pet people, but DH is uncomfortable with going without me (as it's my DPs' house)...so dd will likely have to weigh up if she can tolerate me, or else DH will put me under pressure to bring DDog regardless.

We are away for 3 days next week as our summer holiday while dd works. And today she got the notice that team training for the sport she was overseas for starts again ahead of the winter season. And she may need to do indoor training for the same spirt in the next week/10 days. So we need to sort lifts before we go.

I am already drained from it again, as the laundry mountain piles high and the demands ramp up again 30 hours after she got home. I have no idea how she expects to do any study for her leaving very next year...

It's a mix

Sorry, I presumed TDCI! Champion of Champions was Jan I think. Miss Dance and Master Dance was more recent (how archaic those sound!). Our school doesn't care for the TDCI in part as most of the ballet is section is more 'show biz' than classical, and that was true of what I saw, but we do know of one very talented person who sometimes takes part in the ballet, though they don't like the atmosphere apparently.

I think the World Cup is fairly new? I think our school might consider entering some solos, but it's also only an idea at the moment. We've had a couple of students do YAGP but it's difficult to compete with the international students and their intensive training.

I know this is an old thread but it very much resonates with me!

Ds1 is 17 & his passion has grown over time & is now extremely intense. He got good GCSES & was asked to stay at his (Ofsted outstanding) sixth form for A Levels. He declined in favour of a coaching course at the local, very poor college.

He now does college but also coaches 2 teams of his sport, one at semi pro level. Plus he has paid work 2 afternoons per week & school holidays at after school clubs. Weekends are entirely consumed with training & matches, any spare time he spends with his girlfriend. He has told me he won't come on any more family holidays due to the sport schedule.

I feel that we have lost DS all of a sudden to this sport. Not only that, family time of any sort is fast slipping away as one of us has to drive him to all his commitments every day. His brothers have lost their big brother too. He has no spare time to learn to drive with & we can't afford lessons.

I am & want to be proud of how driven he is, but I miss my boy, my family, my free time & my money!