What's the main reason your DD plays travel softball?

coachjwb

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There are probably a lot of reasons why our daughters play travel softball ...

* They love the game
* It's just fun
* They like being part of a team
* Their friend(s) play
* They are good at it (and/or have been told they are good at it)
* It's a great way to spend quality time with their parent(s)
* They want to become the best high school player they can be
* Their parents want them to play
* They want to play some day in college
* They want (or need) to get an athletic scholarship to play in college

I'm probably missing a bunch more. And most of our DD's probably play for quite a few of those reasons. The questions I'd like to ask everyone are ...

1) What's the #1 reason they play?
2) Is it the same reason why you think they play?
3) Is it the same reason you want them to play and, most importantly ...
4) Could the main reason you want them to play be getting in the way of or even eventually destroy the main reason they want to play?

I would submit that most of our DD's who play and really enjoy playing (there are definitely some out there playing who don't enjoy it) is because it's fun and/or they just really love the game ... and that the reason many parents want them to play is so they can get an athletic scholarship because they either really need it or want to be able to brag about it. I would suggest that most of these girls say under the age of 14 really have no idea of what college softball is all about, and/or really understand how much college costs, etc. They might answer the question that they play so they can play in college or get a scholarship, but that's often because their parents have talked about it so much.

I would suggest that a lot of girls who end up quitting do so because it wasn't fun to them any more, and that a lot of the reason it wasn't fun any more was because their parents put so much emphasis and/or pressure on them getting an athletic scholarship. I would also suggest that it's these same often "over-invested" parents who put so much emphasis on this that they literally destroy teams, cause good coaches to quit, and are the ones whose daughters jump to a new organization every year, if not more often.

I just want to offer one suggestion to all of parents who currently have a DD playing ... sit down with your DD some time and ask them why they play, and then compare it to your reason and think about if the way you're approaching this with your daughter is really going to make her happy in the long run. I would submit that if you let your DD really enjoy the game and get out of it what she wants, that it actually will probably increase the likelihood that some day she will be playing on a college team, and may be even one of the few who actually receives some athletic aid.
 

Admin

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* They want to play some day in college

Not sure what happen, Good Looking Guy Comes along and move my DD to California. When she return she bring back a Little Softball Player with her. And since then has given me a Wildman Grandson.
 

Westler33

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Not looking forward to the boys but I got the shotgun ready for when it comes. lol
 

Kerdink13

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Agreed

agree with all that you said...
My daughter has rediscovered that she loves the game. I like that it was her choice. She played travel ball for 1.5 years (4th and 5th grade), then quit when she got hit by a pitch that crushed her knuckle and was unable to play for several months. She did not play in 6th grade and regretted it. She took baby steps back to the game by playing rec in 7th and 8th grade (this summer). She is a decent player (Catcher/middile IF) and now would like to play at a higher level. We have been out of the the loop for 3 or 4 years, (she is going to be a freshman) so not sure how or where to get her on a team as there are a limited number of teams in Cincinnati area. While I am happy she wants to play again, I am concerned that she won't get the opportunity to play at a higher level since she missed out on a few good development years.

Bottom line, I want it to be her choice to play. I would like to find some playing opportunities for her to improve and become a better ball player since she is now engaged into the sport. She is determined to play HS ball, but also wants to play travel ball.



Thee are probably a lot of reasons why our daughters play travel softball ...

* They love the game
* It's just fun
* They like being part of a team
* Their friend(s) play
* They are good at it (and/or have been told they are good at it)
* It's a great way to spend quality time with their parent(s)
* They want to become the best high school player they can be
* Their parents want them to play
* They want to play some day in college
* They want (or need) to get an athletic scholarship to play in college

I'm probably missing a bunch more. And most of our DD's probably play for quite a few of those reasons. The questions I'd like to ask everyone are ...

1) What's the #1 reason they play?
2) Is it the same reason why you think they play?
3) Is it the same reason you want them to play and, most importantly ...
4) Could the main reason you want them to play be getting in the way of or even eventually destroy the main reason they want to play?

I would submit that most of our DD's who play and really enjoy playing (there are definitely some out there playing who don't enjoy it) is because it's fun and/or they just really love the game ... and that the reason many parents want them to play is so they can get an athletic scholarship because they either really need it or want to be able to brag about it. I would suggest that most of these girls say under the age of 14 really have no idea of what college softball is all about, and/or really understand how much college costs, etc. They might answer the question that they play so they can play in college or get a scholarship, but that's often because their parents have talked about it so much.

I would suggest that a lot of girls who end up quitting do so because it wasn't fun to them any more, and that a lot of the reason it wasn't fun any more was because their parents put so much emphasis and/or pressure on them getting an athletic scholarship. I would also suggest that it's these same often "over-invested" parents who put so much emphasis on this that they literally destroy teams, cause good coaches to quit, and are the ones whose daughters jump to a new organization every year, if not more often.

I just want to offer one suggestion to all of parents who currently have a DD playing ... sit down with your DD some time and ask them why they play, and then compare it to your reason and think about if the way you're approaching this with your daughter is really going to make her happy in the long run. I would submit that if you let your DD really enjoy the game and get out of it what she wants, that it actually will probably increase the likelihood that some day she will be playing on a college team, and may be even one of the few who actually receives some athletic aid.
 

Fairman

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The main reason that I like my dd's play this game is that it teaches them about loosing (and winning) about getting back up, working hard to accomplish a goal, about pushing themselves beyond their known limits, about being a good team-mate, about taking risk, about sportsmanship and about friendship.

These are the lessons that they will take into their adult lives. Knowing how to hit a drop or throw a rise has limited use once they are past college....but taking chances, risking failure in a very public way are lessons that they will rely on throughout their lives. We protect our girls from this risk of failure in most of what they do. They get double helpings of it in softball. When they encounter a risk of failure in their life it doesn't hold the terror that facing the number four batter with two on in the bottom of the 7th does...been there-done that.

I wonder why they play.....I know why I make it easy for them to play.
 

Westler33

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I think some kids see it as a challenge and they must be the best at everything they do like school sports etc. So it drives them to work hard and improve at whatever they are weak at. This would only include my dd not my son. lol
 

drwalker887

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My DD's play because they like too. All 3 love it. I play hell getting them everywhere and thank goodness for team mates parents helping.
I like it because it really makes them happy. And the interaction with team mates from the travel and school teams at tourneys is good for them. Builds good social skills.
I would like to see them get a scholarship, but that is my dream for them and would never tell them about it.
Kerdink13: there are more teams in cincy than you think. From Lebanon south the nky I can think probably a dozen or more
 
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Creekboy

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My dd was a girly girl when she was little. Always played with dolls and dressed them up and would have nothing to do with daddy and a ball of any sort. So we did swimming and soccer at the YMCA and a lil gymnastics to get her involved and make friends. One day when she was 7 she comes home and says to me and my wife that she wanted to try softball because her friends were playing. She played one year of coach pitch Rec ball . She through like a girl and always hit but never hard. Next year she made her first travel team at coach pitch 8u. She really loved it but was told at end of season her and like 4of her friends wouldn't make the team next year cause the coach was gonna coach both his daughters at 10u and they had to get pitchers and catchers and stuff. That kinda lit a fire in her and she worked really hard and made a really good 10u team. She was the baby. The other girls were huge compared to her. The girls took her in immediately and made her at home. Their 10u team was really good and I think finished 6th in the state. We'll the organization was disbanded at the end of the year. This was the 2nd heartbreak of softball. So it lit another little flame and she tried out for several teams and had offers from all of them. So we left it up to her on which team to choose. We let her think about it and she made her decision and has nothing but fun since. To answer the question I think her friends got her started but the love of the game has kept her in it. She went through two hard times not being asked back to the one team and the other disbanded. I think softball made her tough enough to handle the situations and still keep on playing.
 

Ratchet

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Simply put she just likes to play for no other reason than that. whether she’s playing infield or outfield, or cheering her team from the bench.
 

Fes

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For us its a higher level of competition, and she loves it,
 

travelinmom

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DD first played travel because she wanted to become a better player. She stayed with it because it made her a better player and to prep for college. Now she is playing in college because she loves the game, the schedule forces her to be a better organized student, and she wants to coach some day.
Dad wanted her in travel for the skill development. I wasn't a fan of the commitment until 1/2 way through our first summer.
This is her last summer unless she finds a 23U team next year.
 

AndrewGeorge

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Both of my girls play because they love the game, I have asked them this question repeatedly to make sure they understand it is 100% their choice. They have both played rec type ball for years and enjoyed playing with friends and playing for me as their coach. My 14U decided last year that while she enjoys playing the game, she wants to play on a team where all of the girls give their maximum effort. That just does not happen in rec ball and she made this decision on her own. Once my older daughter saw a few of the tryouts she decided to try out for some 16U team and made one as well. This will be the first summer of travel ball for both of them and I look forward to hearing from them over the course of the season and see if it is what they really wanted and if they both plan on doing it again next year.
 

Bob_Himmelein

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My oldest daughter played for fun and the companionship. We were coming into this from the old HS Slowpitch format. We did a lot of traveling, won some, but probably lost more. My daughter was the 10th player and #1 cheer leader on the bench. My youngest daughter, who was the better athlete, quit when she was seven years old and never gave it another thought.
 
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