One of the reasons sports fans watch the games is for the chance to see something cool and unique we’ve never seen before. But the thrill of seeing something new isn’t reserved for those of us in the bleachers or on the couch.
I’ve always liked how something as simple as youth football can take kids out of their hometown areas — Plant City, for example — and give them a taste of life in other parts of the country. The kids can’t always go on these trips for one reason or another, so many of them end up not leaving their city or state until they join a team that can move around like that. I think it’s important for kids to not only learn about what’s outside Florida, but also to experience it if possible.
The Plant City Dolphins recently sent their varsity players to Tennessee to compete in the 2017 Gatlinburg Thanksgiving Bowl over the holiday weekend. I wrote about the team’s fundraising efforts back in September and learned many of the players had never left Florida before. The Dolphins packed their schedule with off-the-field fun and activities to make the trip as fun as possible for those boys, no matter how well the team would do on the field, and I’m told everyone who went had an experience they won’t soon forget.
“We went out there and had a blast with the kids,” equipment manager Buck Chapman told me.
The Dolphins aren’t the only Plant City-area team that likes to travel. There are plenty of baseball teams around here that do, including a rotating cast of teams that travel to Cooperstown, New York, every year to play and to check out the Baseball Hall of Fame. Many of the martial arts schools in town take athletes to competitions around the country. Area club soccer teams often hit the road, but they’ve also been known to hop on planes and compete in Sweden and Denmark and other countries. There are plenty of nearby opportunities for young athletes with the travel bug.
Of course, there can be a caveat with travel-friendly sports. The price tags associated with team memberships aren’t always wallet-friendly. If you want to get your child or children involved with one of these teams, it’s always good to ask about the prices first. There are teams and leagues out there that offer payment plans or other ways to help make organized travel sports more affordable for families, and you’ve probably seen many of their kids on the streets holding up signs for car washes and other fundraisers to help ease these burdens. If one team’s still out of your price range, there’s probably another nearby that may be able to accommodate your budget.
I recommend anyone interested to do some research and find the team that works best for them.