How far do you Drive?

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How far do you drive to take your DD to practices or how far WOULD you drive? Is it worth it for the perfect team? And at what age group does it matter?

Is it worth it to drive an hour for a 10u or just the older girls? What if the best match for your DD is far and an "okay" team is close? Which one would you chose?

Just wondering how some of you weigh in on this. :cap:

 

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Last year my dd was 11U and we drove 3.5 hours one way to practice. This year is now 2.

 

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Currently 40 minutes to practice, 55 Minutes for winter ball. The way I see it, with my daughter who just turned 14, it's time alone to talk one on one. Getting harder to do nowadays competing with her iPod, homework, friends, etc. I'll take what I can get, although I am getting tired of hearing the same songs over and over on 96.5 or 104.1 FM.

 

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Last 2 yrs @ 1 hour. This year 16u @ 1.5 hrs. Private lessons are 20min. to 35 min. away. For the right team and coach I would say it really doesn't matter.

 

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You have to weigh all the pro's & con's. More importantly what is your daughter's goals as it pertains to softball - that answer should be a pretty good give away. Also this decision is not only a player decision but a family one as well. Currently the girls on my team are sepaarted by about 7 hrs & we have player & coach that drive 4.5 hrs one way for practice - that some severe dedication.

 

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We drive 100 miles (little under 2 hours) to practice. It has been totally worth it. My DD is a 12u player.

 

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You have to weigh all the pro's & con's. More importantly what is your daughter's goals as it pertains to softball - that answer should be a pretty good give away. Also this decision is not only a player decision but a family one as well. Currently the girls on my team are sepaarted by about 7 hrs & we have player & coach that drive 4.5 hrs one way for practice - that some severe dedication.

I agree. It would be determined on your DD's goals and parental commitment to help her meet those goals. I would seriously have to think about it if it required a plane ticket to get to practice on time. But I could see a 4-6 hour drive a possibility to be on the right team.

SO with that said, I will take our 2 1/2 hour drive one way and hope that gas doesn't go to $5.00 / gal. or a plane ticket might be cheaper. :lmao:

 

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DD is a 96, we have driven between 40-50 miles one way for the past 2.5 years for year round softball in Arizona. We truly love the break of HS ball, only got to go 5 miles, lol! We as a family, to assist the dd in her aspirations to play D1 on a top 50 program that has what she wants to majon in, would drive to California if that's what it takes to assist getting her there! So like someone else said, depends on dd's committment, grades, love and passion for the game. If she is willing to give it all, so are we as a family, with grades being #1, softball #2.

 

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Wow! What an eye opener. I've been spoiled!

 

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Typically 90 minutes one way to practice. Sometimes 3 hours or more to get in a full team practice but there are times when the chosen location is closer. I have seen my dd's coach travel 4 hours to give a local practice as well.

 

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DD is 16U....drive to practice is 2 hours....well worth it.

 

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We drive 5 1/2 hours each way for practice in Chicago. If it wasn't worth it we wouldn't do it. She is playing 18u gold.

 

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Wow! What an eye opener. I've been spoiled!

As you can see, priorities change as they get older. At 10u - 12u its all about being on a good team. Then as they get older, if they want to continue to the next level, its all about being on the "right" team which will align with their goals as far as exposure. Which sometimes means you will have the 4-6 hour drive.

 

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Only 15 minutes but i'm the coach lol but have 4 players that range from 1 to 2 hours one way with that said i thank them all for there commitment.

 

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I'm about 20 minutes to indoor and outdoor location. Most families come from 30 minutes to just about an hour or so. Not too bad.

If I had to guess, an avg commute is going to be 30-90 minutes for a competitive or right fit team.

 

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We are right there with Randco. (Our dd's are on the same team). It is anywhere from 90 minutes to 4 hours each way for practice.

 

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wow- i cant beleive there aren't any worthy teams closer than a 3-4 hour drive one way??? holy smokes! I guess thats why they call it TRAVEL ball..... i drive 45- 50 minutes oneway and prob wouldn't drive much farther than that.
FYI: my dd's are 10u and 12u.

 

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wow- i cant beleive there aren't any worthy teams closer than a 3-4 hour drive one way??? holy smokes! I guess thats why they call it TRAVEL ball..... i drive 45- 50 minutes oneway and prob wouldn't drive much farther than that.
FYI: my dd's are 10u and 12u.

It's not that teams aren't "worthy" as you stated, there are a large number of competitive teams and tournaments around most areas. But as they get older you have to look at the tournaments they are playing based on exposure to colleges of interest. If your DD is interested in colleges in the south, you don't see many of those showing up at showcases in central Ohio. Sometimes you have to take the horse to the water. ( Just a phrase, not intended to degrade anyones DD by calling them a horse. :lmao: )

 

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We drive 1.5 hours one way and we absolutely love DD's team. Honestly, we would drive 3 hours for this same team. A long drive means nothing when you have great coaching and great parents. Plus, coach is thinking long-term and about getting the girls recruited when they are of that age.

Sure, there are a lot of good teams in the area, but you can't discount personality differences, bad experiences, things like that.

 

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We used to drive an hour 1 way for practices but now it is only 15-20 minutes....I love it!!! I'd drive where ever necessary for the right team but am glad I don't have to.