As she walks into the foreign soccer complex, she looks at her opposing team. She has never played them before, or even seen them before, but she knows that they will be a force to be reckoned with. Their big figures tower over the ball, but Nikki still knows that if she plays her best and gives her all that her team can pull forward and win in this place that she hasn’t known until today. The pressure is what is fueling her and as the beginning whistle blows, Nikki lurches at the ball and the game is in full swing. She can’t doubt herself now. She can’t ever doubt herself, especially in unfamiliar situations, which she has learned over experience.

Nikki Lynch is a senior at Blue Valley Southwest. She has signed to play soccer for UMKC for her freshman year and loves to travel for her club team, Sporting Blue Valley Supersport, because she gets a different kind of experience than she would if she just stayed local all the time for her tournaments.

She travels about one to two times each month between August and October.

“The furthest I have ever gone has been Arizona, which we flew to,” Lynch said. “It was amazing playing next to the mountains.”

There are many pros to traveling for a sport. About 85% of the SW students that were surveyed said that traveling for a sport was mostly about getting experience. The other 25% didn’t think traveling was necessary at all. But coaches, like Coach Nate Winslow, agree with the majority.

“I think it would be beneficial in getting [athletes] better experiences and possibly competing against better competition,” Winslow said.

Winslow likes seeing athletes with traveling experience, but it isn’t a deal breaker for him to put the kids who don’t travel on the team. He likes traveling when it isn’t during the school season, but doesn’t discourage it any other time.

But, traveling comes with risks. A risk of falling behind in school; a risk of using up a lot of cash; a risk of not fully enjoying high school life.

“I don’t always like traveling because you have to miss school and sometimes fun events, like dances or football games,” Lynch said. “But, I still wouldn’t change it for the world.”

A SW parent (who wishes to stay anonymous due to a personal financial factor) went over the costly effects on a family for just one trip to somewhere for a sporting tournament- and it was truly shocking to hear the numbers. The average cost JUST to get to the destination ranges from $1,000 to $1,200. Next, the average cost for the particular tournament is about $200, give or take a couple hundred. Don’t forget about food, which can cost about $120 a day for two people. Also, the athlete needs somewhere to stay, like a hotel, which can average to $120 a night.

“It is worth the cost if my child wants to do it,” the parent said. “I just want to see my child happy. I do this to see that smile on my kid’s face after a trip, which is worth it.”