Multiple Benefits to Myrtle Beach Youth Sports Tourneys
The reaction I’ve encountered is all too familiar now. Whether it’s a friend with kids my oldest son’s age, or the overzealous car salesman trying desperately to connect by asking what keeps my children busy, their response is pretty much the same:
”Oh.” Followed by the facial expression they’d have if I’d just sneezed on their Corn Flakes.
That’s what happens when I tell people my soon-to-be 9-year-old boy plays baseball for a “travel team” based here in Myrtle Beach. Suddenly, I’ve gone from being a nice, reasonable chap to the demon seed of Richard Williams, Marv Marinovich and every other overbearing sports dad you can imagine.
People can think what they want; that really doesn’t faze me. Besides, I understand the gut reaction, and have been around youth sports as both a coach and volunteer long enough (25 years, actually) to have had the same feelings myself on several occasions.
But I bring this up to make a simple point that goes beyond the ethical or moral dilemmas we often face when it comes to our kids and their extracurricular activities, and when we then ask ourselves, “how much is too much?”
The fact is, if I didn’t live in the Myrtle Beach area, my son probably wouldn’t be on a travel team. But because this is our home, and Christian has a love for the game that needs no coaxing from yours truly, he plays. And the two biggest potential roadblocks – time and expense – have not been a problem at all.
No, we’re neither wealthy nor overburdened with too much time on our hands. We are, though, among the lucky beneficiaries of the fact that Myrtle Beach has become the “go-to” destination for nationwide participants in youth sports tournaments and activities.
Because of that, our “travel team” really doesn’t travel beyond Surfside Beach. Seven weekend tournaments from September through December not only have a number of regionally based teams coming this way, but the early fall tourneys at The Ripken Experience already have the commitments of teams from upstate South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia.
So for locals, having your kids involved in “travel team” activities may not be as far-fetched as you think. And for visitors, the Sun News article referenced before provides some great insight on how they’re effectively doubling their pleasures here on the Grand Strand by combining one child’s athletic endeavors with the whole family’s vacation needs.
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