Why do you played travel softball? Open the thread it's not what you think.

[TheSoftballZone]

Question, why do teams play travel softball?

Whats the main reason you choose to travel 100's of mile to play in a tournament when you can play solid teams within hours and some cases a very short drive with out all the expenses?

 

[DanMaz]

i think its nice to see what your team is compared to others across the country. Plus traveling is fun to see other states and stuff like that. its kind of like vacation and softball all in one.

 

[HITTER23]

At any level you play, youre likely to see the same teams every weekend if you stayed close and didnt branch out. And whether you want to hear it or not, if youre at the recruiting level, colleges usually attend only a select few tournies in the state. Youll need to schedule the rest of your tournies with exposure in mind and that means traveling where the coaches are.

 

[lewam3]

At any level you play, youre likely to see the same teams every weekend if you stayed close and didnt branch out. And whether you want to hear it or not, if youre at the recruiting level, colleges usually attend only a select few tournies in the state. Youll need to schedule the rest of your tournies with exposure in mind and that means traveling where the coaches are.

Hitter 23, Brownsfan, and many other dad's have had this discussion with me and all agree that we got to travel with our DD's during a time when DD's typically hate their dads or parents, and it was a blessing to have that time together as a family. I got to know my daughter so well, not only as an athlete, but as a person. The long talks in the car, driving to DC, TN, flying to Georgia, Colorado. I know Brownsfan drove straight to Orlando with his DD and straight back- wait... He also drove to California for PGF with his DD too. I had the privilege to watch DD pitch in college, grow into a mature adult. So why does one play travel ball? It's a bit insanity and love for the game and your DD.

 

[lewam3]

But...
That didn't really answer the first question... My take is that when one's kid shows a potential, and she wants more, and you can offer more by having her play travel ball, then tourney ball, why not shoot for the best opportunities and experiences. It's the one great thing about this great, free country is that we can choose to pursue these challenges at any time.

 

[brownsfan]

Lewam3, drove to CA twice, the other being ASA/USA. Could not resist. As some have said, you get tired of potentially playing the same teams over and over again. You can see different styles of play. One team we faced had a line up of first 3 batters were slapped, next 3 conventional power hitters, next 3 slippers again. To make matters worse 3-5 could bunt just as good as the other 6.

It also the experience of seeing different parts of the country. Told my daughters one year, most families take the one big vacation. We take a lot of small vacations as previously mentioned.