Is this the "norm" for 18U?

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Gotta a question for everyone. My dd is getting ready to move up to 18U. I have heard "stories" about how 18U teams have problems getting girls to show up for games due to jobs, boyfriends, classes, etc. IS this really true?
What about the girls on the team that haven't yet graduated from high school and need to still be seen by colleges? Or the girls who are continuing onto college but the majority of the team will be the final year?
What about the second year of 18U? Does it get worse?
Is it even worth attempting to find a team that SAYS the girls will be commited in the fall, but come summer are scrambling to find players and have to pull out of tournaments because they do not have enough?
I'm not saying this is EVERY team. I just know what I've heard and would like opinions, please.

 

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Assuming your daughter is class of 2008, find an 18U team with mostly 2008 players who also want to play at the college level.

 

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Not for the Elite teams, teams with lots of college players have more problems.

 

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That is a great question. My daughter plays for a first-year 18U team, and they played mostly ASA & college exposure tournaments. By next summer most/all of them will have made their college commitments. They have chosen as a group to play a few less tournaments and to attend tournaments not geared toward college exposure.

They have been short a player or two but have always had enough players for all of their tournaments. I know of other teams that have cancelled out of tournaments due to lack of players.

 

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The older 18U teams are a different animal. It's not that the girls are not committed, they have just moved on to the next level. Do your homework. Most important is to be sure all your teammates are "on the same page". If you will be between your junior and senior year next summer, go for a young 18U team or a second year 16U team. This particular team should be committed to playing in lots of top level college showase tournaments with every girl (ideally) being recruitable.

Some 18U teams are comprised of high school seniors (just graduated) who have already signed, possibly mixed with some college freshmen. They are playing primarily to just stay in shape. They don't need to spend the travel $$$ to do that. If you're on the recruiting trail, you won't get it on this type of team.

On the other hand, if you have already signed, or have played your freshman year in college, avoid the younger 18U teams. You'll wind up spending a lot of bucks on unnecessary travel.

Mix these two age groups on one team and someone will likely be understandably unhappy.

 

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What they all said.