If a prized red rubber ball appeared, we played kickball or four square, but an open wall often made handball our afternoon choice. A few kids with a creek or lake nearby had enviable afternoon practices skipping stones to leaf and twig targets across the water. Some of the great stone skippers became pitchers. Some of the top swingers and climbers became gymnasts. First, someone has to find out about it and sign the kid up in advance.
Parents are lucky if they live within walking distance of practice and game sites.
Someone needs to drive the kid back and forth-five minutes or as much as three hours each way. Games themselves are another chauffeuring event, with game watching a major workout for some parents. With parents' busy work schedules and driving requirements, it comes as no surprise that many parents recoil and quit after only a season or two.