They understand the intangibles of the game, and can teach a higher level of mechanics that go beyond the fundamentals. If your player doesnt have the drive to get better by putting in the extra work, then travel softball most likely isnt for her. He was so upset. I have been wanting to put my son on a travel team. College Recruiting: This is for those a little older (freshmen and up). We all need to be careful that identifying with just one sport and spending most of our time with it can deter a child from gaining skills, interests and appreciation for other activities and knowledge. Now, teams just showcase players instead of playing team softball. You, as the parent, are going to be doing the driving. Have a frank family conversation about these sacrifices and whether you are willing to make them. Travel softball is expensive! For them, it was a matter of priorities. The physical and mental challenges of pursuing more than one sport is healthy in every respect. Michael Hortons Christless Christianity A job is not a game. vs. travel. We always had food on the table, but the effort put in by my parents to facilitate my amateur softball career was exorbitant. These coaches have years of experience, and often played many years themselves. There are many benefits of pursuing sports excellence, travel like any other passion filled event children can participate can be an extremely beneficial. He pulls down honor roll at school and is in band. Id bet if you polled the MLB players the vast majority of them would agree. These girls can always work harder to be better. There is a big time commitment: practices; games; travel; and parent volunteer hours all add up. If team dues seem ridiculously high, make sure youre getting your moneys worth in terms of equipment, facility use, uniforms, etc. Again, its an interesting post but when it comes down to it is the field that you or other high achieving people are in really all that much different? I talked to a dad who was committed to having his family in church even when they were on the roadand he said they traveled as a family as often as they couldfor tournaments. I never felt that way until I got to college, but looking at the demands of travel ball, I totally understand how the kid feels. If your children think you are most concerned about their being the best baseball pitcher, back-stroker, or whatever, they can become guilt-ridden for wanting to even think about spending time in other pursuits because they naturally want to please you (or the constant stress of knowing how vital it is to you, may act to make them hate it). We practiced a lot, doing as much as the NCAA allowed, all year long, in season and out. Its a vicious cycle. If you plan on being on a travel ball team, you need to be prepared to dish out some money. This post may step on some toes, but thats ok. As a PastorI certainly appreciate the sentiments expressed in this article. Maybe my son will get a chance to play as long as he continues to love the game. He was athletic and had the potential to play college baseball, so we finally enrolled him in travel ball after his freshman year in high school. Marty Clark, Umpire in Chief (UIC) and Tournament . My thoughts will be mainly applied to baseball, but I think they are valid for basketball, volleyball, soccer, lacrosse, swimming, and whatever else. Turn your focus and see a different view. Costs by region (travel mom is from California so these prices maybe a bit higher or lower than what you might spend), but here is her breakdown: FAST, FREE SHIPPING ON ALL ORDERS | WIN FREE DIAMOND CLEATS OR SPIKES FOR YOUR TEAM - LEARN MORE, Original Defense Pro Softball Fielder's Mask, Women's Period Protection Volleyball Shorts (3"). Youre going to be paying team dues of course. Maybe take up your buddys offer to go play golf or go fishing. These are presented in the order in which I suspect most dads think about them, not in the order of importance I would rank them (#6 would be #1, and #4 would be #2). I give you a big Amen! Very few will walk in my church doors on Sunday. Catherine Holecko is an experienced freelance writer and editor who specializes in pregnancy, parenting, health and fitness. Another common problem is not having the right equipment. Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | FUTURESLASH CORP. Get two articles delivered to your inbox each week. We have the pressure of middle school tryouts being in 2 years, and we wanted to make sure that he did well at those tryouts. After establishing a manageable budget for your softball team, you need to start promoting your program and recruiting players. . The true reality of life is that we arent going to be successful at everything. Thanks for sharing them. There may be instances in which its the right thing, and when a kid gets to be 15 to 16 years old, its understandable that commitment levels and demands are going to rise and choices are going to have to be made. Travel expenses also can become considerable. Little League, which is the most common rec ball organization, is open to girls ages four through sixteen, and everybody makes a team regardless of their skill level. Too many surgeries, other arm problems, leg issues and other health issues that kids at that age shouldnt have to endure. Required fields are marked *. For those not going into coaching/training or the extremely few that will play professionally the focus needs to not get away from marketable skills once your done with college; which is a challenge in itself as athletes are often steered towards meaningless degrees to accommodate athletics. Its only my observation of course but many areas in life are dog eat dog competitive, as it were. I know because I was her coach for years. Is the travel ball opportunity your 714 year old kid has more important than Friday nights and Saturday mornings at home with the family? Kids are exposed to new cities and sometimes get a chance to play tourist. If your daughter wanted to be a catcher at a higher level of play like travel ball, then shes going to be putting in some work. Now I know the reasons. Too many times parents want what they want, not whats best for their kids. They will actually improve more at each sport because a variety of new skills enhances old ones in ways that cant be quantified. I was sent the letter about "What if you can't . . How many travel baseball games are played in a season? Ive alluded to this somewhat above. Teach her other ways to stay involved throughout the game if she is not playing. You will have to have tournament entry fees and food for the day, whether you bring it or buy it from concessions. Be a parent. If you can not recover or a fix an error as quickly as another player then you will be replaced. 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. We pick and choose how much we want to play, spend, etc and have been very successful in several states. 2013;4:151-60. doi:10.2147/OAJSM.S33556. When we read books about how it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert on anything, it may wrongly motivate us to try to create little experts out of our kids by the time they graduate from high school. Tha KS alot for all your insight!!! Families who thought the Sunday game was no big deal slowly dropped out of church because sports came first. Allows them to play against better competition. This post seems a departure from your normal posting and writing. I played college baseball and never once played Travel Ball in the summer until I was 17. Jesus is God not baseball. My Kids Dont Play Sports And at best a professional athlete might play into his late 30s or early 40s, then what? If I was in the big leagues, my summers (and falls, and springs) would be dominated by an unrelenting schedule leaving no opportunity to coach my kids teams. This is how travel sofball is. Levels are separated by age and skill level. 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. I understand that now I may be bringing up an exception to the norm. My daughter loves the game more now than ever before. My name is Alexa Peterson. Team fees may cover tournament entry costs, batting cage rental, practice field rental, uniforms, equipment and organizational costs. We still put prior commitments first and the coach understands that we cant make all games/practices as a result. Plus, thats in addition to fees and travel for camps, which many top-tier players also participate in. However, as parents now of three young adult children we handled sports for them in a much different way than the current culture dictates. I had my schedule back. However, they are much more severe. Travel softball teams will also sometimes have two different dates options for tryouts, so that athletes can attend the one that best fits their schedule. Its also increasingly common for elite travel softball organizations to have two 18U teams, with the highest level designated as 18 Gold. There are no tournaments for which classification as an 18 Gold team is mandatory for entry these teams participate in the same high-level tournaments as A-level teams. How does a big leaguer have a family? Its wonderful that your child wants to play at a higher level, but you need to be sure they understand what all youre signing up for if they make the team. Marley Hall is a writer and fact-checker who is certified in clinical and translational research. What is Daddy Ball? Thats commendable, but I suspect that those tournaments dont always start the Sunday games at times that make finding a worship service possible. Those conflicts are becoming more common with the increasing secularization of our country. Thus the rec league dries up. You as a parent cannot choose the level your daughter wants to play at. He told us last week that he is glad that we have taught him to focus on his eternal future. It was good for us a s a family although the wallet didnt think so. Which is Better for My Daughter: Rec Ball or Travel Ball? Fifth, a child can play travel ball while a family is still committed to church. In travel ball, your teammates and coaches become part of your family. Recreational softball and competitive travel softball teach many of the same life skills, like teamwork and sportsmanship. By the age of thirteen, I knew I wanted to play NCAA softball, and playing against the best competition was crucial in helping me achieve that dream. I, personally, never even knew travel softball existed until high school. Rec ball. Focusing on winning games is short-sighted and ignorant. Applaud effort and celebrate results for both dugouts. Its important to be committed to making games, meets, tournaments, and practices a priority, but not at the expense of church, or important family gatherings. For us, travel has been amazing. 3. My son loves basketball but I have noticed the small number of high school players that are playing in high school now especially in our town. Thanks, To Him Be the Gory (in travel ball and everywhere else in His Creation). I was recently Contemplating to start travel ball from my son recently and for some reason Ive been holding back . I think the key is finding the right team and families. Generally speaking, these parents dont do the Sunday sports to evangelize. My weekend routine typically looked something like this for travel ball: In other words, its a lot of time on the road. Competitiveness: Make sure you understand what level of competition you daughter wants. However, the main reason weve stuck with travel is the consistency that it offers. For the summer travel season, once teams are chosen, practices and games will start in May and go through to the end of July. Many of the assertions in this article are quite true. Some teams charge a small fee for this tryout. The true reality of life is that we aren't going to be successful at everything. I am coaching a 5-6 yr old team and can already feel the pull of private instructors, out of season ball, travel squads, etc. huntington beach police activity, warframe uranus caches locations,
problems with travel softball
