. I look at another coach who is seeded number one in the league and am very glad my kid isnt with him as I can only imagine the sort of character theyd be building. This is a case where a player made a poor decision on team selection. These reflections grow out of my own experience playing and coaching and watching other families. but could it be said that youre in the big leagues of your profession? Other important considerations are coaching style, character and overall attitude. Evaluate at the end of the season is the team you are on is fitting your needs as a family. And does she understand that playing this sport at this level most likely requires trade-offs when it comes to things like friends, clothes, phones, and many of the other things that teens often spend time and money on in high school? softball, a variant of baseball and a popular participant sport, particularly in the United States. The gods of baseball punished me for my lack of devotion. Levels are separated by age and skill level. No formula exists, but here are a few ideas to think about: Variety: Encourage your children to play a different sport each season until their upper teens. "The cost for parents is steep. Let kids be kids, they and their bodies will decide what they can and cant do. These are just a few of the reasons why travel ball may not be a good fit for you. Identity: Think about how your child views his or her identity. Postal code Distance Teams Age Group State Facilities Coaches 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Plus, thats in addition to fees and travel for camps, which many top-tier players also participate in. What is the financial commitment? Travel softball can become quite expensive. Softball Leagues + Travel Softball Teams - Lakeland Mom I have also read some of your other works and have learned much from them and enjoyed reading them. I enjoyed your article and the discussion following it. Reduces boredom Cons Expensive Increased risk for injury Potential for burnout Time-consuming Pros Young athletes can reach a point where they are bored with rec league play. This mentally effects the kids also with so much pressure to do well. We love them by showing them that God is infinitely more valuable than all else. 10 Things Wrong with Youth Baseball and Softball (And How We Can Fix If she cant get enough of softball, wants to travel around for more games, and is excited to play throughout the summer, then travel ball is the way to go. You often hear coaches do this and that. It's almost the only way your player can get exposure to college scouts for scholarship opportunities. Im betting you would be better off saving your money to help him with college expenses. I think this causes too many parents to look at travel ball as rec league 2.0. I pray that God keeps me humble and rightly focused. From a father of 3 boys I can confirm this to be absolute truth. During my travel softball career, I played for some amazing coaches that pushed me to be a better person and athlete, as well as some that didnt believe in me. But if you need to travel far to get to competitive or college exposure tournaments (nearly every weekend during the summer plus multiple tournaments in the fall), its not unheard of to spend $5,000 per season. Train your coaches and prepare them for every level they will be involved. But I say be wise. They will actually improve more at each sport because a variety of new skills enhances old ones in ways that cant be quantified. Using our tools you can find travel or club Softball teams in spring, summer, winter, or fall near you or across the country in just a few minutes' time! Fridays and Saturdays are pool play games, meaning you play a small number of the teams in the tournament, and then get seeded. On Sunday, you participate in double-elimination bracket play, with winners always taking home something cool like a trophy, medal, plaque or ring. Ive heard of travel ball teams that play 60 games in a summerfor kids under 10!and then they practice at least once a week through the winter. However, I am concerned about the amount of time spent in preparation, travel, and practice that can rob a family of what is truly important from a Scriptural perspective. For every 10 players that are forced to play at the highest level for their age, 6-8 will quit by the time they get into high school. I also appreciated this article: After establishing a manageable budget for your softball team, you need to start promoting your program and recruiting players. Creating a logo and brand is a big step for your new program. Encourage her to work even harder to earn playing time. Its also important that you dont make your child feel guilty if she tries a competitive team for a year and decides its not what she wants. As a long-term pastor Ive watched parents who were convinced their sons would benefit by travel ball deeply regret their decisions a decade later. He was so upset. I simply have to go find the people that need Jesus. Travel ball is good for those who are not afraid of being challenged and want to play at a higher level. If money is a concern, ask about this ahead of time. Its not easy to admit that you or someone you love is not good enough for something. Hopefully, this helped you decide whether its the step that you should be taking or not. Well, this certainly diverged off the main topic of traveling versus rec sports, but I hope it provides a little more to talk about, especially among family members. Does she want to be on a team that beats everyone 10-0? Now, this doesnt mean that her coach and teammates like it, but we have found that our commitment has opened the door for spiritual conversations. Well-roundedness: Despite the cultural drive for pursuing one sport, well-roundedness as a child makes for happy, well-adjusted adults. Players invest a lot of money and energy into it. Depending on where you live, you could be spending a ton of time in the car, or even on a plane. Generally speaking, these parents dont do the Sunday sports to evangelize. One of the most common problems is not having enough players to field a team. Alexa Petersons College Softball Recruiting Journey. I think the key is finding the right team and families. If you plan on being on a travel ball team, you need to be prepared to dish out some money. No one slept that well because you were up late packing everything into the vehicle. But players should walk away from their travel ball experience not only prepared for college athletics, but also for life in general. PAY FOR QUALITY UMPIRES, make sure you have enough umpires for all games and have them supported by all involved. Dont get me wrong there are alot of rec leagues that are great but if you live in the middle of no where lile wr do that was out only option to make her the best that she could be and to teach her to challenge herself and not settle for just good enough. Regardless, there is gas money that you will be spending. I dont normally respond to blog posts, but I wanted to respond to this one because I respect you. Very few will walk in my church doors on Sunday. Are you prepared and willing to skip regular family vacations because your weekends and your travel budget are going into softball? The nature of sport is that participants will learn in the course of their play, practice, games or meets, all about discipline, perseverance, punctuality, teamwork, goal-setting, how to handle disagreements, disappointment and failure, as well as success and recognition. She also coached collegiately for 3 years at the University of Montevallo (D2). With our current circumstances, it would be extremely hard with our job schedule to juggle two girls practices and tournaments with everything else. This is great information, but unfortunately rec ballaka little leagueis a political nightmare where I am from and for many others. As more and more kids get involved in travel ball, the best players are taken out of the rec league. For us, it boils down to priorities. Its Saturday and its 10 am. Christians need to be gathering with the same group of people every week to worship the risen Lord Jesus, to hear his word, and to fellowship with each other. They use evangelism as a spiritual reason for not being in church. It's really helpful to talk with other parents a few years ahead of you on the paththose who have experience with the same club or league you're looking at. Then of course you have everything for your player to use at home to practice like hitting nets, tees, practice balls, medicine balls, balance boards, etc. 14,539. Here are a few of the factors you should consider when evaluating your options and picking a team. While rec ball was enjoyable, the ever changing pool of players, coaches and parents made for inconsistent experiences for my daughter, some good and some bad. 2. Crazy Baseball Parents #2 The Helicopter parent Listed below are six of the pitching injuries that athletes tend to experience. Loneliness. Here in our area not so much. This guide will help you understand what to look for in a traveling softball team, and will answer some of the most common questions parents have about the process, including: Joining a traveling softball team can be a great experience, both in terms of enjoyment and player development. Josh McDowells The Last Christian Generation We played Upward for quite some time and my wife was amazed at how many parents going to the practices are unchurched. This is how travel sofball is. If your daughter is thinking about playing softball or she has been playing for a couple of years now I'm sure as an involved parent, you have heard chatter of other parents strongly siding with one. My recommendation to any family looking for a single event that can put their daughter in front of hundreds of college coaches, Scout Softball is the answer. This makes for an unhappy family in my opinion and makes a good case for keeping a player out of travel ball. My 5 year old has peers that are playing baseball year round already! Get access to discounts and the latest news. Additionally, they will probably have fewer injuries and enjoy the competition more. Your subtotal today is $-.--. First up, travel softball is a lot more intense than traditional one. These parents are the ones that complain when things dont fit their idea of how the team should be run. So we are playing upward thru our church. Top Six Most Common Softball Pitching Injuries - Rothman Ortho My sons high school teammate played in the minors for several years before being cut and at age 26, he is just now finishing college and trying to figure out what to do with his life. Also, since most teams only have one practice per week, theres an expectation that additional work is being done outside of practice. My 10 year old tried out for a travel team for over 2 months. Breakers Labs, located in North San Diego County, is an elite, competitive Fastpitch Softball Organization dedicated to developing the student athlete. It seems to me that time comes in the mid to late teens, but thats going to be a judgment call . I played college baseball and never once played Travel Ball in the summer until I was 17. Since day one, weve been here for our players, with our players, and because of our players. Educate them.
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