We asked area league officials and athletic directors for guidance in this busy signup month. We adopted a lighthearted tone because, above all else, sports should be fun.

Neither the questions nor the accompanying list is comprehensive -- we'd have to level a rain forest to provide all the information available. You can learn more by consulting neighborhood libraries and parks, or searching the Internet by your neighborhood's name and a sport or activity.

For example: New Tampa and curling. Or, Westchase and snowboarding.

So without further ado, on to the questions:

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Q: Youth sports cost money, my kid could get hurt and I'm still emotionally scarred from being picked last for kick ball in third grade. So why should I let my kid play sports?

A: Children learn many lessons by playing sports, says Scott Burkett, athletic director for the Hillsborough County Parks and Recreation Department.

"Motor skill development and muscle development, learning teamwork and cooperation, all of those are a positive of playing youth sports. For a lot of kids, it's a big socialization opportunity for them. It's where kids meet and become friends."

With schools continuing to place less emphasis on physical education, Burkett says, youth leagues provide a necessary and safe forum for children to attain physical goals.

Costs vary widely between private and public leagues and from sport to sport, depending on equipment needs, insurance requirements, and -- in some cases -- travel expenses.

But some organizations allow for wiggle room. For example, all leagues that play on county property allow players to participate free or at a reduced rate if there is clear economic hardship, Burkett says. "And a lot of leagues are willing to work with parents that can't afford it if they volunteer with the program."

"At our club, no player is denied the opportunity to play," says Adrian Bush, director of coaching for the Hillsborough County United soccer club. "It doesn't matter if your parent is a millionaire or your parent doesn't have a job."

And parents can make it easier on themselves by shopping wisely for equipment. "Some parents make such a big deal about it," says Al Bowman, Citrus Park Little League's vice president for softball. "An $80 bat is a lot for a 9 to 10-year-old girl, but every team (has at least one player with) a $200 bat."

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Q: My kids want to play baseball and softball. My son is a little undersized -- his peers call him "Mini-Me." His sister is overly tall and broad-shouldered -- her peers call her "Mike Alstott." Can they play outside their age divisions to compete against kids their own sizes?

A: Rules for "playing up" or "playing down" vary widely. Generally, moving a child up is more allowable than moving down.

Most leagues allow an accommodation for kids who are large for their size, or far more skilled than their peers, to move up into a higher age division.

For example, the HC United soccer program alows its competitive-league players to move up if they "rank in the top half of the (new) team's players and are expected to start most games," according to the Web site. Parents and league officials make the final decision, with input allowed from the coaches.

In county football leagues, Burkett says, underweight players may be designated "lightweights" and can "play down" an age bracket. Moving up also is appropriate based upon weight, he said. Such moves are necessary because football is a contact sport.

Best to inquire about a league's policies before registration if you need to move your kids into a different age division.

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Q: We want to sign our kids up for soccer, but apparently there are 35 types to choose from. What's the difference between recreational, club, competitive and traveling teams? Will little Billy need a passport to play for Tony's Lawn Care and Cosmetic Dentistry's Fighting Vegans?

A: Basically, there are just two types of youth league soccer: recreational and competitive. The latter is also called "club" soccer or "traveling team" soccer.

Recreational is the type of youth-league play familiar to most parents: Your child plays at one location every Saturday, against another team that plays there every Saturday. Everyone gets to play. Costs are low. The season lasts less than six months, allowing for other activities the rest of the year.

In competitive play -- which generally becomes an option around ages 8 to 9 -- prospective players attend tryouts and are selected to teams. Costs can be much higher, as teams sometimes travel. Participation is nearly yearround.

According to Bush, the HC United coaching director, the decision to go recreational or competitive should be based on what is best for the child.

If little Judy simply loves soccer, has shown great skill for it, and you're up for the financial commitment, consider the competitive route. (As noted in the next item, she might just score a scholarship.)

If little Eddie just likes to have fun playing soccer on the weekends, and has other time-consuming interests, recreational might be the way to go.

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Q: We hear that every girl who plays high school girls soccer is offered a college scholarship. Our Violet, a senior, is fourth-string fullback for the Central High Opossums' junior varsity (motto: We're Still Twitching). Knowing her educational future is assured, can we cash in her college fund for a three-month trip to Vegas?

A: Not so fast. Your kid has to be fairly good to rate a college scholarship. But it is relatively easy for female soccer players to get scholarships, Bush says.

The key word there is relatively, as in relative to male players, because women don't have nearly as many competitors seeking soccer scholarships as do men.

Partly due to the federal Title IX, a 30-year-old equal-opportunity law, collegiate scholarships for men's teams have diminished while those for women's teams have risen.

"There are a lot more full rides for women," Bush says. "The players on the men's side, if you're not All-American, you're not getting a full ride."

Bush, who was an All-American at the University of Tampa, should know. How many of the 18 players on his under-18 girls team will earn scholarships? "All of 'em," he says.

Those are top-quality players with considerable competitive soccer experience. But if you have a young daughter who really enjoys soccer and is skilled, she could have a good shot at a scholarship down the line.

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Q: My kids want to play football, but I think it's too dangerous. Is the Madden NFL 2003 video game a good substitute? Then again, won't that invite a nasty case of callused thumbs?

A: Football has received somewhat of a bad rap. Plenty of young kids play the sport without ever enduring a serious injury, and there is a degree of risk in all sports.

But even Mike Willie of Town 'N Country, a longtime youth football coach, acknowledgeds that bumps, bruises, sprains and strains are more pervasive in football than in most other sports.

"It's a contact sport, so going in, you know you'll get banged up," Willie says. "But when the coaches are well trained, and the players are well trained . . . you'll about never see a kid get hurt too bad."

Proper training of coaches is key, says Burkett, of the county parks department.

"We run a certification program for all coaches in the county, and part is training to identify injuries," he says. "The better educated the coach is, and when the players know the proper techniques, the better."

"If you're kid wants to play football, don't dismiss it out of hand," Willie says. "But before you sign up, go find out about the program. . . . Make sure they're experienced and they know safety and first-aid. If it all checks out, you'll find it's not so dangerous."

Willie says his nephew played youth football for seven years "and barely got a scratch." The boy joined a soccer team the next year and tore a knee ligament in the second game. "So you just never know."

For information on youth sports injuries, check out publications available for order from the National Youth Sports Safety Foundation at http://www.nyssf.org/.

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Q: Our kid's a bit antisocial. On his last soccer club, he beat up half his own team plus the coach. Investigators are still looking for the rest of the mascot. Might he be a candidate for an individual sport, perhaps swimming or tennis?

A: Opportunities abound for individual sports, from free-use county tennis and racquetball courts at Northdale's Northlakes Park to swimming at the New Tampa YMCA to gymnastics lessons at LaFleur's in Carrollwood.

Those are just a few entirely random examples. Chances are you can find a sport that will keep Junior occupied inside or near your neighborhood. A quick Internet search will do, or check your local business phone listings for possibilities.

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Q: Won't afterschool practices and games keep my kids from important duties such as homework, studying, and stuffing envelopes for my home-based business?

A: It's rare to find examples where sports league participation hindered academic success. Junior probably loses out on more studying time watching Cartoon Network. And many parents make good grades a requirement for after-school activities.

But sports can get in the way if parents are not diligent about managing their children's time.

"It can have a detrimental effect if parents allow it to," Burkett says. "In some leagues, coaches put too much on their kids. They need to understand that kids have family and school responsibilities, and those should come first."

Perhaps the most time-consuming team sport offered by the county is football, and it's not too bad, Burkett says. During the school year, players practice three times a week, for no more than two hours per day. "That leaves time for kids (to do schoolwork) on practice and non-practice days."

Little League participation takes up little time -- one practice during the week and a game on Saturday, says Bowman of Citrus Park softball. But kids playing too many sports might be squeezed. "If Johnny's swimming and doing soccer plus playing baseball, it can be a problem," he says. "Mom and Dad have to keep a structure and say, 'You can't do everything you want to do. ' "

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Q: I've been shepherding my son's bowling career since he was 18 months old. Now he's 7 and he wants to play basketball and tennis. That's going to cut into his bowling time. How is he going to be the Tiger Woods of bowling if I let him play other sports?

A: "I would encourage your children to make their own decisions," Burkett says. "If little Billy says he wants to play football or soccer, let him play."

Burkett believes parents are making a mistake when they push children to specialize in a single sport, hoping for college scholarships or professional success in the future.

"Kids are specializing in a sport at too young an age, and they're not getting the full muscle and motor development" they can get from a variety of sports.

"I've got a daughter in middle school, and I'd love for her to take up golf," he says. "She could go on the (womens' pro tour) and I could retire and be her caddie. But she basically does tae kwon do. I didn't force her to play golf just because I like it. She's made her own choices. Let kids be kids and do what they want to do."

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