LIFESTYLE• RAISING GIRLS• Sports Mom Life

Clipping: The Tournament Trend

“Clipping” at Tournaments

If you’ve ever spent a full weekend at a youth tournament—whether it’s soccer, volleyball, softball, or any other sport—you know there’s a whole world beyond the game itself. From team bonding to hotel lobby hangouts to sideline chants, it’s all part of the culture. Recently, I shared something my kids started doing at tournaments that turned out to be a lot of fun for them… and sparked some unexpected controversy: clipping.

Let me explain.

What Is “Clipping”?

In one of my recent Instagram reels, I captioned it:

“Helping the clip trend get started at the soccer field 📎⚽️💙
Clipping is such a fun uplifting trend. According to my niece, it started at volleyball tournaments. 🏐😎
All you have to do is decorate some clothes pins with markers, paint pens, beads, anything really. Add a message like:
— Goal
— U got this
— Amazing
— Super ⭐️
— Score
— Slay (Kenzie’s favorite 😋)
Take your clips to a tournament and clip people’s backpacks when they aren’t looking.
Try not to get caught and have fun!”

That’s exactly what my kids did.

It’s fun, silly, and the kids absolutely love it. It turns downtime into a game, encourages interaction among teammates, and gives them something to giggle about between matches. It’s also low-effort and screen-free, which is a win for everyone.

Why Clipping is Fun for Kids

Tournaments can be intense. There’s pressure, high expectations, and a lot of emotional highs and lows. Clipping adds levity. It gives kids a way to stay engaged and connected that isn’t just about performance.

Once the clipping started, kids who don’t talk to each other as much were suddenly plotting together, whispering, laughing, and running around like secret agents. They weren’t just teammates—they were co-conspirators in fun. You can even decorate the clips as a team beforehand, adding another layer of creativity and ownership.

The Backlash from mostly CHEERLEADERS

But then came the comments.

While many people loved the idea and even said they were going to bring clips to their next tournament, others had strong opinions—and they weren’t all positive:

“that’s a cheerleading thing, NOT FOOTBALL!!!”
“stop copying volleyball”
“Yall just copy cheer”
Not trying to be rude but like that IS a CHEER thing so can u like not copy”

Seriously, go read the comments; the cheerleaders aren’t being so cheery.

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A post shared by Alia Sullivan (@aliajanel)

But here’s the thing: joy doesn’t belong to one sport. Fun doesn’t need to be “on brand.” Clipping might have started at volleyball tournaments (shoutout to my niece for the origin story), but why can’t it thrive at the soccer field too?

Kids don’t care about gatekeeping traditions. They care about connection.

What Clipping is Really About

At the end of the day, clipping isn’t about cheer vs. soccer or who did it first. It’s about kids having fun together. It’s about turning long days at the field into meaningful memories. If a decorated clothespin can spark laughter, break the ice between teammates, and turn a hotel lobby into a playground, I’m here for it.

So whether your team is passing balls, flipping stunts, or serving aces—if your kids want to clip, let them clip.

Let them laugh, bond, and have a memory that lives beyond the scoreboard.