Rec ball over travel ball?

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What do you chose if a kid is playing both when there is a conflict?

 

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You must be new to this travel stufff. :lmao:

 

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Not even a second thought to which one.

 

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DD's travel team schedule takes precedent over the rec team. Sometimes this means missing rec games for travel practices. I do try to make sure the rec coach knows as far in advance as possible about any conflicts.

 

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well the one that costs the most money

 

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other than a few situations that are worse, nothing demoralizes a travel team like Suzie choosing LL over travel ball. You really should honestly evaluate whether you are committed to the travel team if you have a kid missing for LL . Parents are shelling out some serious dollars for such things as team fees, private instruction , hotels, gas money , on and on . Last thing they want is some kid leaving them for LL ball. whoever is doing that should drop the travel ball team and just go rec league. I've been there--it's demoralizing to the dedicated kids on the travel team. MD

 

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If you choose rec ball over travel, and it is YOUR decision what is best for your dd, than you will not be on the travel team too long. When you go to the travel team try-out and make the team, pay your fees, and sign your paperwork, you have committed to the team and the demands that go along with it. The travel team has to come 1st and formost or I guarantee you will eventually be released. Before you commit to the team, it is what is best for you and your family. After you commit to the team, it is all about what is best for the team. All the players and parents who commit to these teams know that they are there to play a more serious, demanding, and rewarding game of softball. The demands are high to play on one of these teams, but that is what you are asking for when you sign up. If you can't commit to practices, scrimmages, games, or tournaments, then don't sign up for a travel team. It takes EVERY player and parent willing to do what is necessary for the girls to become better. For a team to get to the travel level, they MUST play together consistently for a long time. If a few people don't show up for practices or games, how are they going to know the plays the team is running? How are they going to mesh with the girls? How are her teammates going to be able to depend on her or anticipate what she can do if they don't practice together? What if it is bunting practice and she can't bunt and misses it? What if she is an outfielder and misses the practice on cut-offs and outfield plays? Then she doesn't get as much playing time, the grumbling starts, and everyone is miserable. I say make your decision as to which team will benefit your dd most and go with it. If you jump between 2 teams, you will end up screwing 1 team or the other and probably yourself.

 

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There are no conflicts with travel ball and rec ball. I had a rec coach talk one of my players into playing on his summer rec team this year. Her dad said OK but keep in mind that travel comes first period. Her dad said if they are in the league championship game and her travel team has sliding practice, she is with her travel team.

 

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REALLY ??

 

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Our teams opinion is for travel tournament games there is no question. When there is a travel tournament game, my dd, and an all on our team, attend the travel game over everything else. And we let the rec ball coach now that up front. And if he/she chooses to not play my dd as much as other players on the rec ball team, then thats fine and we totally understand. Now, when there is a travel team practice, while we'd like for all players to be there all the time, we do understand if the player has a game in rec ball, or another sport, and its not a problem if they miss a practice here and there for that reason. Can't imagine why anybody, especially the player, would want to miss a travel game for a any rec ball game, even the championship. That would bother us, on our team, as coaches. But we're all different.

 

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Travel Ball is definately more important! Rec ball coaches seem to let the girls get away with bad habits ( laying back on the ball not using 2 hands etc...) Travel coaches have to undo those bad habits every week.

 

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It's what it is Wreck Ball. Nothing you can do in a rec ball game will improve your skills like a good practice PERIOD.

I kinda have to agree with you on this one. Rec ball in our city is definately wreckball. My DD plays on a local travel team and a tournament team. The travel team has tryouts but still doesn't come close to her tournament team. So she plays with the local travel when she can but priority is always on the tournament team schedule.

 

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Why let your professional travel girls even play rec ball??

This elitist attitude is a joke. If the environmen is so bad, why are your girls even playing it?

 

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fastpitchrox: Not new to travel ball; been coaching/spectating since 1998 DD finished her career two yrs ago; just curious on everyone's opinion; I know mine: travel ball first (luckily my DD made the choice not to play rec ball once she began travel ball). :yahoo:

 

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Our rec. league no longer allows travel players. It started with pitchers and progressed to all players. That is, if they know who plays travel ball. They knew our travel players on sight because we are from a small school district and only had one team, but there are still a lot who do both from the bigger districts in our league. I don't think it helps the travel players to face poor pitching, but defense is defense.

 

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When my oldest played rec ball I was the coach, she also played travel. Travel came first, but to be honest I think in 3 years there was 1 conflict.

I dont think if rec ball and travel were going to conflict that much I would let her do both.

I dont think its as cut and dry as Travel comes first, you have actually made a commitment to both teams. Most times we do this because it is totally unacceptable in travel ball to miss anything for a rec team, while rec teams are a bit more forgiving. But in the concept of team, I dont think one team is more important then the other.

 

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Why let your professional travel girls even play rec ball??

This elitist attitude is a joke. If the environmen is so bad, why are your girls even playing it?

Jim, you are dead on!

found this previous thread...hits on many of the issues and lots of opinion and facts
http://www.game-ex.com/vb3/showthread.php?t=13254

 

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Is it elist to insist that when two events are scheduled for the same time that the travel team come 1st ? (it's a yes or no question) the kid can't be in 2 places at once. difficult decision when 2 teams are counting on 1 kid.

 

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But in the concept of team, I dont think one team is more important then the other.

I was actually going to post a discussion topic on this very thing today. This sentence pretty much says it all. What the rec team is doing is just as important to those coaches, players and parents as what the travel ball team is doing to their coaches, players and parents.

So my question is: If you can't give 100% to one or both teams, why play both?

It's not being elitist at all. I love rec ball and there are some things about it that travel will never touch. But Klump pretty much hit the nail on the head about what it takes for a travel team to compete. But beyond all that, how can you have a true team with part-time players?

Reasons I've been given or read on here for doing both:

1. Any game time is more beneficial than a practice. NO WAY. The price of winning is paid in practice and the benefits of playing in a rec ball game will never outweigh the benefits of participating in a PROPERLY run travel ball practice. There is nothing elitist about it.

2. These are the kids they will play in high school with. Not really. Numbers alone make it impossible - 12 kids from 1 grade will not be playing high school varsity together. Beyond that, a kid playing travel ball will play 3-4 times the games as a rec only player and all other things being equal, the travel ball kids SHOULD be better. That said, travel ball is not a magic ticket to varsity and a rec player certainly can beat out a travel ball player for a varsity spot, earning it on merit not high school politics.

3. They want to play with their friends. If they want to play softball with their friends, they should stay in rec ball and do that. Otherwise, realize that the rest of the year is spent doing activities with their friends and don't worry about missing softball.

4. They want to represent their school and community. They will in middle school and high school sports and they will find it very rewarding. We played travel ball to make our high school team better, not for college scholarships.

5. We play against travel ball players in our rec league. Yes, but you are not playing against solid travel ball teams and that makes a big difference.

6. More reps for pitchers who are not getting as much time on the weekend. I can't argue with the idea of getting more pitching time. However, I believe you will have a better chance to earn more weekend pitching time if you are practicing during the week instead of pitching in a game. The rec ball coach wants to win just like anybody else and he/she will not be wanting a pitcher to show up and work on their other pitches if they are capable of blowing the fastball by their opponents and winning the game.

That's my opinion and of course, other than in my house, it doesn't mean much!

However, I am interested in the reasons people are playing both if they cannot give 100% to one or both teams. I think we would all have to agree that kids missing practice does have an effect on the team.

 

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my dd plays rec ball also because some of her friends play, ones not playing travel ball. I wouldn't call it wreckball though, especially at 14u and above. Her rec team is decent, though not near the level her travel teams have been. But thats ok and expected. More importantly, every once in awhile her team will run into another rec team who has a couple of travel players, and especially if one of those travel players is a pitcher, playing against them has some benefits for her. As far as being elitist, most people surely don't walk around bragging about how good they think their dd is, or any other travel player she plays with, but are they not, for the most part "elite"? Its not a joke. Most travel level players are the better players from their area. Isn't that part of the reason parents, and their kids, get involved in travel ball? So their kid can play with and against the more skilled players and in the process through those games, and the practices leading up to them, become better players because of it?

I agree, if you or your kid doesn't like rec ball and its so bad then don't sign her up. Rec ball is not all that bad sometimes, depending on what your kid, and you, want to get out of it. But on the flip side, most girls I've seen on travel teams are elite. Meaning they are some of the better players from their area. And there is nothing wrong with them being so as most of them have worked their tail off to get and stay on that level. Rec ball has its benefits, but there is no doubt that travel ball almost always has more to offer, overall. The time, money, and effort on the part of the players and/or coaches and/or parents to be a part of a travel team makes it elite when compared to rec leagues. Thus the travel team has to have priority.