Gosh, I hope they don't start one! The 12U one got so ridiculous by the end of the year last season that it was pretty much meaningless.
back in the day the 14u poll was pretty accurate. Yeah a lot of chest beating ( mainly me) but it was pretty close to reality . LOL
I asked that same question this time last year . The short answer was no. But when my DD played 12u , I though they were helpful. Part of me would still like to see a 14u list , but I understand why its not done
Well going back 2 years ago, DD played on 12u team having never played in Ohio before. It was more of a curiosity thing from this parent to have a understanding of who you were playing in pool play. I will tell you that going back 2 years ago, from my perspective anyone in the top 5 was going to very tough game . Really anyone in the top 10. I will give you a great example: Last year Lasers Red finished in the top 5 of the final 12u rankings. A couple weeks ago my dd team had the opportunity to play them. Going in to pool play , I thought it would the Hardest game and I was right . That was a very sound defensive team. I was really impressed with , 2nd base, short, and catcher and others . But hands down the girl playing 1st base was just awesome with bat , she could hit the ball ...and boy did she that game .
14u coaches would not participate. They have learned how silly the polls were and would rather concentrate on coaching.
Hmm...maybe? But, if that's true(/\/\), we should just have a 14u parents ranking poll! OFC + 14u parents ranking poll...what could go wrong?
I have been running the Coaches Polls since 2010. I will be doing 10u and 12u again next season. BUT if someone wants to do a 14U poll, have at it.
I don't mind the 10/12u polls. It lets me see who's competing well at the younger ages. The problem with 14/16/18u polls is teams traveling more out of state to places like Pennsbury, Legacy, Colorado, Midwest Firecracker, Etc Just let us argue about the OHSAA coaches poll
Oh, boy........never planned on commenting in this thread until Kyle mentioned the biggest crock of crap polls there are! There are idiots who show how clueless they are to following the game or are so egotistical that their votes are so screwy it is sad! OHSAA needs to stop patting the same people on the back & come up with a system that awrds what is happening in this decade!
Thank you so much for running those 10/12u polls. I've really enjoyed them and benefitted from them the last 4 years!
The HS poll is one of my biggest gripes , esp in D4 where the number of coaches participating skews the results so badly . Lot of " you vote me I'll vote you" and fairness and accuracy doesnt matter . Same for Individual voting.
I would like to run a coaches poll for 14u. I understand there is a lot of negativity towards coaches polls, and especially a 14u poll. I've seen the posts and replies over the years and know that there are many people that find them silly, inaccurate and a waste of time. But I think there are just as many people that appreciate them. I think we just need to understand the main purpose of them. I have enjoyed them over the years for many reasons. I think they are useful for parents and coaches who are new to travel softball. They can be used by a coach to put your team in the appropriate tournaments. If u have what u believe to be a top team, u can use the coaches poll to make sure those teams are in the tournaments u are entering. As a parent or coach it's nice to be able to look each week at the competition for the upcoming tournament and know the caliber of teams and what to expect. I think another great thing about the poll is parents can use it as a gauge for taking their Daughter to tryouts. Its nice to have an idea of where teams stack up. When teams post their results every week it's a great way to promote and get out what your team is doing. But honestly I think the best part about the polls is they are just fun. We just have to remember, they are not 100% an accurate poll, just something to give u an idea of the top teams and just a way to have some fun! So if I can get enough interest I would be glad to run a 14u poll. Starting with A preseason poll to be posted April 23. That gives time to get the word out and hopefully get some interest. Please PM me your top 10 with team name, coaches name and either 03 or 04. Also which team u are representing. Same rules as 10u and 12u poll. Only Ohio teams and 1 representative per team. Start sending rankings now. If I get enough interest I will post pre season poll on April 23rd.
I agree that the polls are fun, and they do give an idea of the "who's who" in the lower age groups. It will be difficult to get an accurate representation of the 14U's because the '03s are going to be idle until June since these girls will be playing High School ball. I say Go For It though!
