Rec ball over travel ball?

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Our dd played both this year, and if my wife had her way, this is the last year of rec. She says there more prima donnas in Rec than travel, both on the field and in the stands.
 
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Our dd played both this year, and if my wife had her way, this is the last year of rec. She says there more prima donnas in Rec than travel, both on the field and in the stands.

Pretty fair assessment.:D
 
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Now, here's a question...

assuming my daughter makes a travel team next month...

how would it affect her desire to play CYO softball next year. For those outside of Cincinnati, CYO is a Catholic School league and, if I had to guess, fits somewhere between rec and travel as some of the schools have many travel ball players on their roster...Now, games should seldom be an issue because the CYO season is over before school lets out...but practices could be an issue...

thoughts/opinions?
 
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My two cents..5th year of the rec/travel dilemna. We have decided:
1. Travel comes first
2. coaches know that up front
3. Other parents know that up front
Why? My daughters have learned more playing travel, and my priority is THEM. Rec commissioner actually blackballed my middle daughter from pitching in the rec league, because other parents were complaining she was unhittable, and a quote--:..if she hit someone, it would really hurt." Really?
Also, we are known for having kids come out just to get the uniform, and not really worry about whether or not thier kids can play. That even carries over here to the high school and junior high teams--get kids coming out as 8th graders or juniors who have never played, but with the mandate of "equal playing time for all", and a no-cut policy, kids that have ability and want to play lose playing team on an "equal" basis. In my opinion, travel ball seperates the players from the cheerleaders. And I've never had a travel parent get in my grill because my daughter is good enough to beat thier {older} player out of a position, and they have never been denied a chance at a position because the coaches kid plays that position. Ideally, if you have an enlightened league with motivated girls, play rec, get a rec travel team, and then let girls play independent travel bal if they can make a team.. I am sick of hearing that "girls only want to play 6-10 games a year", :mad: while the boys play about 60-80, and the kids playing AAU basketball and travel ****** are gone all the time! As long as they are enjoying it, why not let the girls play the same number of games as the boys in the same rec league?
 
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The fact is that some girls want both. This 7 page thread proves that. They want the advanced competition and they want to play with their child hood friends in their community. So they do both. I happen to think that is how it should be. Why should a girl not play rec ball with her friends, who she will eventually play on her high school team with? And why shouldn?t she play advanced ball if she is capable?

The problem is both sides are telling the girl she should not do both. The travel team tells her she is not getting anything out of rec ball. The rec team is telling her that she has to sit at then next game because she missed practice to attend a travel ball practice. The poor girl gets caught in the middle of 2 things she enjoys, competition and friendship.
 
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Now, here's a question...

assuming my daughter makes a travel team next month...

how would it affect her desire to play CYO softball next year. For those outside of Cincinnati, CYO is a Catholic School league and, if I had to guess, fits somewhere between rec and travel as some of the schools have many travel ball players on their roster...Now, games should seldom be an issue because the CYO season is over before school lets out...but practices could be an issue...

thoughts/opinions?

Many middle school teams have travel players as well. As far as your dd's desire, well that is up to her. If she has friends on her CYO team, her desire will probably be to play CYO. My dd played middle school ball last year and the only conflicts we had were on weekends when both teams had practice as well as club volleyball practice or tournaments. Since volleyball was in season it took priority, then travel ball practice, then MS ball practice. Both the head coaches of travel and MS were aware of the conflicts in advance, and both were very receptive to the situation. Luckily, club volleyball tournaments were on weekends and MS ball games were during the week (except one game) so we were lucky there were no game conflicts. Good Luck!

Len
 
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Many middle school teams have travel players as well. As far as your dd's desire, well that is up to her. If she has friends on her CYO team, her desire will probably be to play CYO. My dd played middle school ball last year and the only conflicts we had were on weekends when both teams had practice as well as club volleyball practice or tournaments. Since volleyball was in season it took priority, then travel ball practice, then MS ball practice. Both the head coaches of travel and MS were aware of the conflicts in advance, and both were very receptive to the situation. Luckily, club volleyball tournaments were on weekends and MS ball games were during the week (except one game) so we were lucky there were no game conflicts. Good Luck!

Len

Hey Len -

Not to get off topic, but on the theme of playing on 2 teams: how did your dd play on a school team and travel at the same time? My dd played 7th grade ball this past year and the coaches were pretty clear that you couldn't even practice with another team during the season. Am I misunderstanding something? Or is there another thread that addresses this?

Rick
 
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The fact is that some girls want both. This 7 page thread proves that. They want the advanced competition and they want to play with their child hood friends in their community. So they do both. I happen to think that is how it should be. Why should a girl not play rec ball with her friends, who she will eventually play on her high school team with? And why shouldn?t she play advanced ball if she is capable?

The problem is both sides are telling the girl she should not do both. The travel team tells her she is not getting anything out of rec ball. The rec team is telling her that she has to sit at then next game because she missed practice to attend a travel ball practice. The poor girl gets caught in the middle of 2 things she enjoys, competition and friendship.

I've posted at length before but I want to try to be brief this time.

First of all, I love rec ball and have been very involved in it for years. There are benefits to it that can't be touched by travel. However, I think it is inappropriate to commit to a team that you cannot give 100% to. It is not fair to the other players and parents and quite frankly, is a little selfish. Overlapping other activities with travel ball is one thing, but to overlap more softball with travel ball is a completely different thing. I have never told a girl not to do both, just not to miss travel for rec ball. In high school, a girl wanting to play multiple sports in a season must choose a primary sport that ALWAYS wins out in case of conflicts. With more than a few of these girls who want to do both, rec wins out at times and that is completely unfair to the travel only players on her travel team.

Not to be argumentative but some of your points are not really how it is going to play out in my opinion. That rec team is not the girls she will play in high school with. Numbers alone make it an impossibility. There will not be 12 girls from the same grade on the high school varsity team. In addition to her own grade, a player must be better than the 3 grades in front of her and the 3 grades behind her to play varsity softball so it is very unlikely that more than 4-5 players from one grade will be on varsity. Of course, most communities have travel ball players who only play travel but will be trying out for the high school team. While not automatic, that player will be much more experienced than the rec only player and should, but not always, be better and those players will probably take spots on varsity. Also, doing things with her friends is a very valid point but there are and will be plenty of other things that they will be doing together so does it really matter if she doesn't play a 2-1/2 month, 14 game rec season with them?

Finally, the girl gets caught in the middle because she is trying to play on 2 softball teams simultaneously for her benefit and the logistics of that just doesn't work out. Assuming both teams are doing something at least 4 days a week, there are not enough days to give 100% to both teams. One team or the other, if not both, is guaranteed to suffer.
 
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Now, here's a question...

assuming my daughter makes a travel team next month...

how would it affect her desire to play CYO softball next year. For those outside of Cincinnati, CYO is a Catholic School league and, if I had to guess, fits somewhere between rec and travel as some of the schools have many travel ball players on their roster...Now, games should seldom be an issue because the CYO season is over before school lets out...but practices could be an issue...

thoughts/opinions?

her DESIRE to play for both will be there... for both teams. IMO the parents will need to scope the entire situation. Probe the coach clearly and get full understanding of his/her expectations (on the travel team). For my girls... they only need to face the best and "in general" (here I go calling out the rec ball defenders, and yes, I defend them too so have fun anyway) the best are in travel. Retooling after a weekend they faced rec pitching takes a lot of patience. Been there done that. Yes, I know all about repetitions, situations, experience gains by playing both. Just be honest with the situation, think openly, and understand the goal.
 
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Hey Len -

Not to get off topic, but on the theme of playing on 2 teams: how did your dd play on a school team and travel at the same time? My dd played 7th grade ball this past year and the coaches were pretty clear that you couldn't even practice with another team during the season. Am I misunderstanding something? Or is there another thread that addresses this?

Rick

My dd's MS team was not recognized nor funded in any way by the school so it did not have to conform to certain OHSAA rules. The MS team was essentially a club team made up of kids from the same middle school and played both other club middle school teams as well as school sponsored middle school teams. If your school team was indeed funded and recognized by your school, the coach may very well be in his right not to release your child until the school season is over, just like in high school.

Len
 
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Good points. I don?t agree that rec wins out though. My experience has been that it is the other way around.

Maybe what you say is true in your school system. But my school system is small. I can?t recall the last time we had a JV team. Girls won?t have to fend off the youngsters so much. Quitting altogether is the bigger issue. Not all the girls are there to win the conference title or get a scholarship. Some are just out there for something to do and to hang out with their friends. Nothing wrong with that in my opinion.

The thing that has created this problem is that some teams have been created that no longer require 100% commitment. Travel ball is not what it once was. There used to only be a few teams and it had only elite players who were certain to get a college scholarship. This demanded commitment. Now it is watered down by too many teams. Some are still elite and demand and probably deserve 100% commitment. But others don?t demand it.
 
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My dd's MS team was not recognized nor funded in any way by the school so it did not have to conform to certain OHSAA rules. The MS team was essentially a club team made up of kids from the same middle school and played both other club middle school teams as well as school sponsored middle school teams. If your school team was indeed funded and recognized by your school, the coach may very well be in his right not to release your child until the school season is over, just like in high school.

Len

Thanks Len, that's the difference. Our program is recognized and funded by the school. I was hoping there was a workaround because the school program is similar to the rec level in many respects (as people here and elsewhere have commented). But she wants to play school ball too, especially to play with her friends, so we'll just have to deal with the school's form of resolving this commitment conflict!
 
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Thanks Len, that's the difference. Our program is recognized and funded by the school. I was hoping there was a workaround because the school program is similar to the rec level in many respects (as people here and elsewhere have commented). But she wants to play school ball too, especially to play with her friends, so we'll just have to deal with the school's form of resolving this commitment conflict!

Just about everyone is in the same boat if they want to play HS ball.


Len
 
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Been on BOTH Sides of this... The Travel Team considering Time and $$$ Should Rule... But Rec GAMES I think should Take Precedent over Travel PRACTICE. If not then do what I ended up doing and Go Travel only. Not Fair to the Rec Team to do Practice over a Game.
 
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Well honestly i would choose travel. Better Competition.
( in my opinion )
 
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WWolff talk about lorain and medina stacking a team.Hows it fell your daughters team beating up on rec ball kids.Must feel real proud.And you say we stack teams in our area.
 
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Been on BOTH Sides of this... The Travel Team considering Time and $$$ Should Rule... But Rec GAMES I think should Take Precedent over Travel PRACTICE. If not then do what I ended up doing and Go Travel only. Not Fair to the Rec Team to do Practice over a Game.

I would rather see my girls practice with our travel team than go to a rec game unless the rec team is of high caliber but this comment gets me talking out both sides of my mouth which I'll clarify next... We've had to back out of playing in a select league due to the fact the select teams were not helping us at all. Understanding the goal is to develop we want to push them in league play all the time. This topic is the very reason I tell my families at tryout time and even during the season when they get amnesia that it's our team or bust.... playing in a game where bad situations (talent, coaching, umpiring, etc) will truly detract from their learning IMO. That includes signing up for travel tournaments that end up in blow outs. Others will disagree with some or all of my position and but that's ok and love the fact that we can debate this forever. We all do our own thing and we all think "our personal" plans are correct. Not trying to stir the pot. Just putting my position on this out there.

Rec or community teams are so awesome. I love that kids get to play with little pressure or in a situation that allows them to be comfortable and excel and get some glory. Plus nothing better than playing with their buds or school friends. For some it's an outlet to get the kids away from the TV and get some exercise, other's it to be a team leader. Whatever the reason, all's good. I grew up in community ball and would only have changed that if my family could have afforded to play in travel ball. Didn't get the financial oppurtunity till later on... everyone has a situation or circumstance that "is what it is".

When a player comes to making a travel team, do themselves a favor and commit to one or the other. How many of us have committed to 2 things that have similar time demands, schedules, and include the "dredded" phone call of "hey coach, Sally can't make it because of.... a game with her buddies behind the local elementary school". Not fun and someone is going to be let down and the coach isn't the let down to be concerned with, it's the other team mates. Both teams rely on them to be fully committed to practice or the game... not practice for both teams and games for both teams. Physically impossible to play both games at 10am on Saturday morning.
 
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WWolff talk about lorain and medina stacking a team.Hows it fell your daughters team beating up on rec ball kids.Must feel real proud.And you say we stack teams in our area.

I have a lot of respect for the LM teams. They are always well coached and skilled. They seem to have dedication to both rec and travel. I think this might be because some of the coaches are doing both, so they don't schedule travel tournaments over district/state OGSO?
 

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