10U Preseason poll

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I have stayed away from this topic but can't any longer. Are there talented rec players? Certainly! I have been coaching 10U travel now for a few years and with rec for a couple before that so I have seen the talent in both for sevearl years in mine, and neighboring communities. The fact is that like Rocket just said, you can't beat year-round practice. Can a rec All-Star team compete? Maybe? I just don't understand how you could think that a team that picks up their gear in April and puts it down in July could hang with the BEST teams that do it ALL YEAR ROUND? It is not arrogance that I say that, it is experience that I have seen it for years. In most cases, there are a few nice players on a rec team but remember that those teams also have the daydreaming, bugger-pickers in their line-up too. I just don't see it either.

 

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Why dont we get this topic back on track and talk about some of the teams we have all seen play through out the fall and winter.

Top two teams we saw during the fall were the Diamonds and Stingrays. Neither team will beat themself. Both teams have solid pitching, hitting, defense and both teams have very good coaching.

Other teams I have personally saw that will play deep into Sundays is Lasers and Buckeye Heat. Again both teams can play all aspects of the game and are well coached teams. Valley Extreme looked good in Cleveland St., They are well coached and they have a couple hard throwing pitchers

Other teams I know about. Im sure the Hawks will be tough. If im not mistaken they are returning a strong core of girls from last years team.

I have not seen the Ohio Ice play yet but I have heard great things about them and Im looking forward to seeing them play in Akron. They were a well coached team last year and Im sure they are well coached this year. Another team I have heard great things about is Grand Slam.

Silver Creek Stars are from western PA but they play alot in Ohio. They are another good team to watch for. We played them when it was 30 degrees out so it was extremly hard for the girls to focus. But again they wont beat themself, and they are another well coached team.

Hopefully this gets this back on topic and gets everyone talking about some of the teams out there!

Lastly, for those girls that are still in rec league I still have a spot open on my roster

 

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Lastly, for those girls that are still in rec league I still have a spot open on my roster

Hillarious!!!!! What a great segway!!!!!!! I love it!

 

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9U Explosive pink could make some noise, fear the Roo

 

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Why dont we get this topic back on track and talk about some of the teams we have all seen play through out the fall and winter.

Top two teams we saw during the fall were the Diamonds and Stingrays. Neither team will beat themself. Both teams have solid pitching, hitting, defense and both teams have very good coaching.

Other teams I have personally saw that will play deep into Sundays is Lasers and Buckeye Heat. Again both teams can play all aspects of the game and are well coached teams. Valley Extreme looked good in Cleveland St., They are well coached and they have a couple hard throwing pitchers

Other teams I know about. Im sure the Hawks will be tough. If im not mistaken they are returning a strong core of girls from last years team.

I have not seen the Ohio Ice play yet but I have heard great things about them and Im looking forward to seeing them play in Akron. They were a well coached team last year and Im sure they are well coached this year. Another team I have heard great things about is Grand Slam.

Silver Creek Stars are from western PA but they play alot in Ohio. They are another good team to watch for. We played them when it was 30 degrees out so it was extremly hard for the girls to focus. But again they wont beat themself, and they are another well coached team.

Hopefully this gets this back on topic and gets everyone talking about some of the teams out there!

Lastly, for those girls that are still in rec league I still have a spot open on my roster

After reading this post and comparing it to the Group at GPlex this weekend it sounds like winner of this tourney should sit high on the polls. Ice was suppose to be there but now have a injured player. The other tourney to watch is the Spano in early March. Teams we can't forget about are Wolfpack and North Coast. I also remember last year the Emeralds being pretty tough. Does anyone know what they look like this year?

Let's get this post back on track. Two questions to ask. When does the season officially start? How many times are we allowed to change our poll.

I'll take a stab at the top 8 teams that I have heard about and have seen play.
1 Lasers
2 OH Ice
3 Thunder Elite
4 Grand Slam
5 Wolfpack
6 Storm
7 Valley Extreme
8 Hawks

 

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I will agree with that list Diamond Fever.

 

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Just from what I've seen....Your way off on some of those.

 

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After reading this post and comparing it to the Group at GPlex this weekend it sounds like winner of this tourney should sit high on the polls. Ice was suppose to be there but now have a injured player. The other tourney to watch is the Spano in early March. Teams we can't forget about are Wolfpack and North Coast. I also remember last year the Emeralds being pretty tough. Does anyone know what they look like this year?

Let's get this post back on track. Two questions to ask. When does the season officially start? How many times are we allowed to change our poll.

I'll take a stab at the top 8 teams that I have heard about and have seen play.
1 Lasers
2 OH Ice
3 Thunder Elite
4 Grand Slam
5 Wolfpack
6 Storm
7 Valley Extreme
8 Hawks

Not many of these teams are even playing at the G Plex this weekend. Storm '01 is not there, our 9U is there which goes by Ohio Storm Green. Of your top 8 only three of them are playing, Grandslam, Wolfpack, and Valley Extreme.

 

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Just from what I've seen....Your way off on some of those.

Agree

 

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OK, Here is how I plan on running the 10u Poll. I will be basically running things the same way "Ringer" did it back in the day. ( 2009-10 sounds so long ago huh?) Below are the basic rules and regulations on the 10U Poll. I took these FAQ's from Ringers original Poll Thread. (If its not broke then why fix it, right??)

I will run 2 preseason Polls. The first will be next week and the 2nd will be 2 weeks after the Spano Dome 10u Tourney (March 12th). After that I will start the weekly polls the week of April 23rd.

For those of you who dont know me. I coached in 10U the past 3 seasons and had some pretty successful teams. I have sinced moved up to 12U and coach the Thunder Elite '00

How to vote

PM me(Oiler Pride)your top 10 teams ranked in order 1 thru 10 on by Tues night 11pm

Example:
1. Swamp rats
2. Big City Cowboys
3. MyTeam
.
.
.
10 The Whoevers

Include who you coach for.

Votes must be in by Tuesday night. Feel free to add comments to your vote. I like to hear some insight on the tournaments and top teams.


FAQ

Q. Who is eligible to vote?
A. Coaches and assistant coaches of travel ball teams. However, only one ballot per team is counted. There is also certain number of special exception voters that cast ballots. These are addicted status OFC members who have coached and voted in the past but do not necessarily coach a team this year.

Q. What if I want a special exception to vote?
A. PM me why you think you should be included in the voting. You must have addicted status. Those that do vote with an exception are "pillars" in the OFC community and know Ohio softball. The comments I receive with their votes indicate they take it serious.

Q. How are the points calculated?
A. First place votes get 10 points, 2nd place gets 9 point, so on and so forth with 10th place getting one point. Point are totaled and ordered.

Q. Can I vote for my own team?
A. Yes, if you feel you deserve the ranking then by all means.

Q. Do you modify the results?
A. No, I tally the votes and let the chips fall where they may.

Q. How much politics are involved in the voting?
A. From the votes I get, I would say very little. Most voters are honest with their ballots. I'm sure there is some politicking going on here and there but nothing that is overly blatant or even noticeable.

Q. My team is very good but we are not even noticed. The same teams always seem to be on top. How do we get noticed?
A. If your team is very good, then you will be noticed before long. However, your team must play a decent schedule with some visibility and signature wins. Early season polls reflect history and "street cred" built up from their past history. Once the season swings into full force, if you are truly the cream, you will rise to the top. (see 10U Ohio Emeralds last year.)

Q. What are these polls for? What do they mean? Why should I care?
A. The polls are strictly for fun and a way to raise awareness of the teams around the state. They are conversation starters plain and simple. There are no awards and no big crystal softball trophy at the end of the season. Even if your team is not in the poll but knocks off a top 10 team, I guarantee your team will get some pub.

Q. Can we see who votes and how?
A. No. In order to maintain an honest poll, all votes are private. I will not discuss who voted for who with anyone!!

 

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Just from what I've seen....Your way off on some of those.

I love it. This is how the thread lost its track. Posters like 25sdad and diamonddad316. They disagree but then provide no list or prediction of what they have seen.
And then you get a rule like Oiler prides that Other than coaches you have to be an Addicted Member to vote with exception. This is good stuff!

If your not a coach or an addicted member don't be scared to post your prediction publicly!

 

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Not many of these teams are even playing at the G Plex this weekend. Storm '01 is not there, our 9U is there which goes by Ohio Storm Green. Of your top 8 only three of them are playing, Grandslam, Wolfpack, and Valley Extreme.

Not sure I understand what you are arguing. If Valley Extreme beats Grand Slam or Wolfpack you don't think they should sit higher in the polls? What if Storm Green wins should they not be moved ahead of Storm 01?

I must be cranky this morning!

 

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Like I said way back on page ?? I wouldn't even speculate until after the G-Plex in February. I'm sad that Ice won't be there, playing them makes our team better. I am sure that the the team that wins at the Plex will deserve a vote.

 

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Like I said way back on page ?? I wouldn't even speculate until after the G-Plex in February. I'm sad that Ice won't be there, playing them makes our team better. I am sure that the the team that wins at the Plex will deserve a vote.

Terry had a injury to his catcher so he only had 8 players, and didn't want to play without his best team.

 

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I totally understand that, Warren. I am sorry that they can't play in the tourney is all.

 

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GPlex still has what people say 3 of the top 3 teams and should shed some more light on the 10U landscape. I thought this Ohio Storm was half 10u and half 9u?

 

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I love it. This is how the thread lost its track. Posters like 25sdad and diamonddad316. They disagree but then provide no list or prediction of what they have seen.
And then you get a rule like Oiler prides that Other than coaches you have to be an Addicted Member to vote with exception. This is good stuff!

If your not a coach or an addicted member don't be scared to post your prediction publicly!

A: Read Jeff's post, It's not his system, it's a system that has been in place, I.E. "If it aint broke, don't fix it".

B: To the above, I'm sure as Sally's mom or dad (Whoever you are) would love a vote, and why shouldn't you, you have all of like 17 posts, and I can only imagine that you have seen ALL the best 10U teams to make a propper judgement.

C: I have signed my posts before, I am the manager of the 10U Silver Creek Starz out of Western PA, and if your expecting me to bash 9 and 10 year old girls and their coaches online, KEEP WAITING. What I said was that I think some of your teams are way off and that's where I will leave it.

D: to date, I have SEEN 4, maybe 5 teams that could end up on this list. I have SEEN more teams than that, but I have not SEEN the ICE, LASERS, HAWK, MARION DIAMONDS and many others especially form central/southern Ohio. I have SEEN the STINGRAYS. They are the real deal and will be knocking around the top 5 ALL YEAR. I have heard a lot of good things about them, and many of the teams that we read about have great organizations and coaches behind them, but I am not about to put out a vote on hearsay.

E: To all the managers, coaches and players, good luck this season. I have met/played/spoken to many of you and look forward to another summer in the sun in the oposing dugout.

 

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Our Storm Green team is a mixture of 9's and 10's. They are all 1st year travel players. I will be pulling for them this weekend and if they win sure they should be in the mixture. I wasnt trying to create any drama, I was just trying to clarify. Sorry if I did create some.

Good luck to our young ladies this weekend as they are introduced to the TB world

 

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I guess an ongoing poll will be interesting, and I am sure there be some good "popcorn moments" before Bear eventually has to close the thread, but I just don't get it. 220+ posts for a preseason poll for 10-U's? I'm not sure a preseason pool on NCAA football could get as many posts. Interestingly, there have only been 18 posts re: 14-U, even though there are more girls playing at that age level.

On the one hand, it's great that there's so much interest, but on the other hand it seems like a lot of chest thumping by adults over 10 year olds. I am "addicted" and consider myself serious about Ohio softball, but I just can't get serious about these kinds of polls, especially in the preseason. Help me ... what am I missing?

 

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I think Yall crazy