The Hunger Games Blood Bath

My children will never be pro-sport anything.  I know that.  They know that.  We are ok with that.  But if they are interested in a sport, I will let them try it out or pursue it.  Except, living in the Washington DC area is a freakin' nightmare when it comes to sports.
Most children in the area start at age three.  Then they are privately trained at summer camps for winter sports and winter camps for summer sports.  By the time you are eight, you are on a select team that only plays on Sundays and you have to travel every week.  I won't do it and I can't afford it!  I have so many families whose grandparents pay for all these special trainings, all these special uniforms, and extra classes.
When Xander was ten, he decided he wanted to play baseball.  So, I looked into it.  I was told it was too late.  He needed to attend a special camp to get his skills up.  He really wanted to play, and it was his first interest, so I signed him up for a several week camp.  He was miserable.  The boys were already players and the coach basically wrote him off.  I was told by the commissioner that he could join, but there was no guarantee what team he would be placed on, since ten year olds now are put into skill levels.  I was furious.  Can't he just play baseball?  Some friends of his encouraged him not to sign up because they said the other teammates might be rude and belittle him because he wasn't very good.  It was a heartbreaking situation. He never asked to play again. I swore I would never sign my children up for a special skills class either!
So, back to the insane schedules of sports around here.....
 I like family dinners at home. I am in the car enough that I don't need to give up more time to watch a game.  And Sunday is out.
So, this year they decide to do swim team.  They are all excited.  We all pass the swim test, which is the first round of competition.  Then we find out it is so competitive to get on the team, that there are special sign up times!  Yes, I became one of those crazy moms trying to sign my children up for swim team tonight.  The system kicked us off a minimum of three times and we ended up on a waiting list.
Seriously!?!?!  If they want to swim, can they just join?  My mom made my brother and I ride our bikes a mile into the community pool to join swim team.  We didn't have to have any special skills, we just swam.  And learned to swim better.  I personally did well in the butterfly and the backstroke.
So, tonight, I have disappointed children.  They did what they were supposed to do.  And now they can't even follow their interests.
It's like the opening ceremonies of the Hunger Games where there is basically a blood bath!
I'm just a little bit irritated, can you tell!?!?