Ensuring elite players play on elite teams

Pretty good value for 2 cents. I really like "They are teams that don't care about winning a trophy." If you have this attitude during the 12U to 14U crucial development phase, you've got a much better shot at winning meaningful tourneys later on, simply as a by-product of your commitment to playing against the best.

Well my daughter who will be starting high school this year is very interested in advancing her abilities and her game. In addition, yes she has been playing fast pitch since 5th grade.

I have watched her catching abilities get better and better with each passing years. I have also looked for private coaching for her because she truly enjoys the game. This is the sport of her choice and I will support her 100%. She want to move to a more advanced team because she knows that the coaching and the opportunities are going to be more opened than the community league she has been playing on since 5th grade.

Do not get me wrong community leagues are wonderful opportunity but one of the player?s parents coaches all the teams and we all know that a parent will normally play their child before someone else?s no matter how bad their child is at the game.

thetruth08 said:

The problem is how to keep most of the coaches' daughters in the rec leagues where they belong so the teams don't get watered down.

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I don't agree with the word "problem" here. Travel ball has evolved into what it is now and there is no going back. You will never have 1 or 2 travel teams in an area again. Now there are 6 to 10. With so many teams, good players, not just the elite ones, find their way on to teams.

More on the subject, there are a bunch of reasons why even an elite player isn't going to go play for an Elite team when she could. Proximity (why travel 60 miles for practice when you can go 10), knowing the other girls on the team, knowing the coach, cost, the tournament schedule, etc.

Great post Wolfpack, also the elite team has 12 dedicated athletes who work their butts off to be the best, not second best.

CGS
I agree that on the whole OFC and its moderators do a fine job a keeping the finger pointing to a minimum, and I congratulate them for that. For the most part these problems are being taken care of, yet there are still some that skim the surface of gossip. Much more of it occurs at the fields. It is always interesting to be at tournaments and sitting among parents when your child is not playing AND you have nothnig on that identifies your team.

If you don't think there are too many teams, just take a look at the Tryout Map. And I know of a few others that are not even posted.

"Watered down"? Do you mean too many "elite" teams, or too many "players" making it onto "elite" teams? Or both so that it causes soooo many players making soooo many teams that it clogs up tournaments?

HITTER23 said:

I think this goes hand in hand with the recruiting threads on here. Just because you are on a so called "elite" team doesnt ensure you a scholarship or being seen.
As was stated on those threads, college coaches dont just show up at a tournament where some "elite " team is playing with a shopping list with 1. eggs, 2. milk, 3. no.1 pitcher who throws 65, etc. They are there to see a particular player who has corresponded with them about playing for them, it almost never random. Playing on a "elite" team doesnt gaurantee you anything, except the entrance into the invitation only tournies.

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good point, the coaches dont popcorn around as much as the public probably thinks...i know the coaches that came to see us in particular were looking at a particular player...i'm sure if they are there and another player catches their eye, sure, so being on an "elite" team has those advantages, but u have to allow urself the opportunity to be lucky (not my phrase) and to play well at all times....normally, those teams that jamie speaks of do these types of things...plus, these team KNOW the colleges and have contacts that brings them in to watch...it was satisfying to see my DD's coach shaking so many hands and talking to college coaches during our down times for the benefit of the girls (or getting a job, i guess, haha)...

and jamie, let me add that the OTHER team always plays "up" to their competition at times just to have a chance on beating the top dog...

The elite teams are elite because there are enough parents with enough money to afford the travel and hotels that go along with travel ball. To play for those teams you get to spend most weekends 100+ miles from home and not necessarily even in their own state.
There are very few if any teams that will actually help your DD's game get to the next level...if any...if they did, it wouldn't matter who was on their team cause they'd take the girls to the next level and wouldn't need to recruit only the best.

THANK YOU! SoftBallLover, I totally agree with you! I couldn't have said it better myself! Just because the parents can afford elite travel, doesn't necessarily mean all the players are "elite". Sometimes the roster must be filled.

SoftBallLover said:

The elite teams are elite because there are enough parents with enough money to afford the travel and hotels that go along with travel ball. To play for those teams you get to spend most weekends 100+ miles from home and not necessarily even in their own state.
There are very few if any teams that will actually help your DD's game get to the next level...if any...if they did, it wouldn't matter who was on their team cause they'd take the girls to the next level and wouldn't need to recruit only the best.

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Softball Lover....

I am going to put my foot in my mouth by saying this and get hammered by people on here for saying this..... But, I believe that the Wolfpack is one of those "Elite Organizations"! My post... This post... is not about trying to sell the Wolfpack Organization to everyone that reads this post, but to just show you are very wrong in your veiw of "Elite" or "Good Teams".


With that being said, We had 13 girls on my team this year, 2 quit before high school ball was over and the other only played in the fall and winter and one summer tournament. So, I had to pick up 2 players, late in April or early May... You don't always get "Elite Players"! You don't always get "Elite Players" just because of your team name!!! But what I try to do is get GREAT people and GREAT families!!! That is what makes for "ELITE ORGANIZATIONS"......GREAT PEOPLE!!!

I have to say, your comment about "Elite Teams" being "Elite" because we can buy the players or find the rich parents is a pretty shallow minded idea.... I guess it sounds better the way you said it... "The elite teams are elite because there are enough parents with enough money to afford the travel and hotels that go along with travel ball."

Anyhow, MY team had plans to go to Vegas this year IF we qualified at 18U ASA. Well we pretty much choked in the tournaments where we had the chances to qualify. In spring we had a few families, like most on OFC, fell on some hardships with jobs & money. We had a team meeting and decided NOT to go to Vegas even if we qualified! Our summer schedule was NOT 100+ miles from home except maybe 2, Compuware and Stingrays. They were our only 2 true overnight trips.

What we did do was, set up a tournament schedule, that IF we played well, we MIGHT get some college coaches to take a look at our girls! The girls were lucky that the coaches saw them play and the girls performed at all the right times!

What I'm trying to say, is this, we had 7 girls get recruited off this team since we put it together last August.
1. Bowling Green D1
2. Toledo D1
3. Youngstown State D1
4. Two are going to Mount Union D3
5. Heidelberg D3
6. Walsh University NAIA

Really only 1 of those girls were getting looked at before she came to my team. I am about, and the Wolfpack Organization is about, getting girls to the next level. That MIGHT be the reason that the "Elite" girls go to the "Elite" teams! NOT because we can find enough parents with enough money to afford to send their kids all accross the country!


There are MANY parents out there with PLENTY of money.... ALL the money in the world won't make average teams ..... "ELITE"

YOU have to have players and parents with dedication, desire, hard work, that are also good and talented and yes, sometimes even "ELITE"

jamie, from what i get from being around the Classics organization is that money has very little to do with the desire, talent and commitment of those parents and players, just as u said...the players i have seen that have been Classics for several years, and the ones I met this year as new Classics all have one thing in common besides the purple and black we wear--we love our girls and want them to succeed at the highest level. We are all in the same boat when it comes to finances. I've been blessed to pay for instruction for 5 bucks, sometimes free or IOU...no one i know on the Classics are living it up at the Hilton, drinking expensive imported beer (um, minus the molson's and the corona from time to time) and flying Kobata in for instruction. Yes, i do see how money can be a factor in determining what teams to play for in the end, but even if a player isnt on an "elite" team, they themselves can play "elite"..it's all about attitude and presenting urself in the right manner. Many of our players do their homework on the schools they want, send emails and follow up on colleges to ensure that their goal is attainable. Even then, being on an elite team will not guarantee money or a scholarship. Grades, test scores, involvement plays a strong role. These girls wont go to a major D1 program without having the grades to handle it.

My DD is one of the best 12U players I have seen. This includes most of the elite teams out there....I think a BIG problem with the elite teams that you speak of is the fact that while my daughter could make any travel team out there....we (as parents) just don't have the money or resources to allow her to play ELITE BALL!!! Thank goodness there are the rec. teams out there for her to play on. My DD was hoping to get a scholarship to Tennesse...but from what I have read on this website...I guess she had better get that acedemic scholarship instead of depending on a softball scholarship....how many girls do you think are in the same boat as my DD?

Hurricanemom said:

My DD is one of the best 12U players I have seen. how many girls do you think are in the same boat as my DD?

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Most parents think their dd is the best player they have ever seen. There are ways to raise the money to play elite travel ball if your dd is that good. Put a game plan together and take to your areas best team's tryouts. Then you'll know how good she is. One thing is for certain, she'll never play at Tennessee by playing rec only.

SoftBallLover,

Most teams that I have been associated with and know from our experience in softball, will help the girls that truly need it raise the money to be on the team. They will also find ways to help cut with the travel expenses. Go to the tryouts. You may be surprised at how helpful the softball community can be.

Hurricanemom said:

My DD is one of the best 12U players I have seen. This includes most of the elite teams out there....I think a BIG problem with the elite teams that you speak of is the fact that while my daughter could make any travel team out there....?

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IMHO This is what the problem is. When my dd first started in travel ball she made a pretty elite team. They disbanded, moved their girls up to 14u and said that my dd could tryout for the older team if we wanted. I told that coach that he and I both knew she wasn't ready for that. I knew then that she needed good coaching in a good organization and a lot of hard work and dedication to get to that "elite" level. I do believe that she is there, but so are a lot of other girls. Is she the best of the best? Not yet, but certainly has that potential. Most of the problem is all the parents who think their dd's ARE the best of the best and are not looking at them objectively because they are their parents. I've never done that and hopefully never ever will!

Jamie, in no way was i bashing any team or organization...so sorry if it was interperted that way...most elite teams travel way to much for alot of parents pocketbooks. and yes most teams have ways to help with fees, which is a blessing. they rarely have ways to help with travel expenses though and that's the real cost in travel ball.

I still stand by the thought that a team will take someone who's better than a girl who wants to return to the team because it helps their chances at winning and after all isn't winning what's so attractive about the elite teams. some teams will make everyone try out for spots which is good cause it keeps the girls improving. some on the other hand will add players and make others sit who have been with the team and carry way to many girls hoping the lesser ones will just drop out, which is not good. yet the worst, recruit all year long and add and drop players through out the season.....in no way am i saying that anyone posting here is doing that...

The elites change from year to year cause the grass always looks greener on the other field...you do tend to respect those that beat you regularly and would like to play for the best...so the percieved elites will always have people wanting to play for them.

if the elites change from year to year, they arent elite..

coachjwb said:

mycatcher ... sounds like you are on the right track ... OFC helped me a lot too, but you can be sure that for every parent of a talented player using OFC, that are probably 5-10 who aren't ...

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....and this is true in every travel sport. You do what you can to get the word out. Even if you post a classified in the paper, post on websites such as OFC, and advertise through word of mouth, potential stars miss the boat. It's really up to the parents of these potential stars to do some digging and if they can afford to, get their child to a tryout for a select program. Of course, there are other parents who do not wish to deal with it and ultimately their potential star fades away......

Len

I'm not saying my dd is "the best of the best", but people know what she can do before she trys out, and are happy she showed up. What does that mean? Is she an "elite" player? How about this...she's a commited player. We are NOT a wealthy family, and our dd plays more than one sport. Softball comes first. The H.S. coaches already know this. They are already telling us that she is wanted for varsity, (she's a freshman this year). Can we afford to go so far away to try out let alone commit to the travel expenses of practicing twice a week, (more or less), and tournaments in other states? No. I have heard this though, college coaches also look at girls at their camps. Those are expensive too, but a lot cheaper than "elite" teams. (I don't see a lot of those teams showing up at tournaments in t-shirts and towing different types of bat bags for each player). We put our dd on local travel teams to boost her abilities and show her what she has to strive to beat to win a place on a college team. Are they "elite" teams? My girl's gonna try to make it one, if it isn't already.