How to find teams? 8U-10U East of Columbus

[gtrthang]

My daughter just completed her first year of 8U ball and are looking for teams to tryout with. With a January birthday, she is just eligible for 8U again, but would prefer 10U. So, I've been trying to find the teams we want to her try out for, but am having a hard time finding what teams are out there that are close to us. For some of the larger organizations, it is unclear where practices are and we aren't willing to drive an hour to practice at this early point in her travel softball career. For organizations that have 8U teams she played, we know of a couple we want her to try out with (and others we want to stay away from). Most organizations seem to start at 10U, so it feels like we are starting from scratch.

Any suggestions on how to find teams within a reasonable drive of my location (Pickerington/Canal Winchester)? Then, once we find a team, how to determine the personality of the team (everything from travel the whole country and win at all cost to just play to have fun, doesn't matter if we ever win)? Also, how does the i270 league experience differ from the "pure" travel team experience?

Any suggestions are welcome. I'm open to PMs if there is information you don't want to post in the public forums.

 

[FastBat]

Such a good subject and near and dear to my heart! First off, lucky you, your dd has a perfect softball birthday! That being said, is it really?
IMHO, I would suggest trying to find a 10u team to play on. Why? Well, the September though December birthdays in your dd's grade are playing 10u, this year. If your dd doesn't, she will be a year behind them. I know they are young and all hope isn't lost, if you can't. I was at a game last week and a 10u team and 12u team were playing side-by-side. My dd was on the 12u field playing with girls who just finished 7th grade, while my dd just finished 5th grade. I looked over at the 10u field watching all her 5th grade classmates and was very surprised by the skill level, thinking my dd would be there if she was a few weeks younger. I think her birthday has actually benefited her because she has always been forced to "play up", but she also never gets to be the older girl, which can be beneficial.

Don't worry about a "true" travel ball experience, just getting your dd reps is important. If you can't find a 10u team to play on, at such a young age, search for a competitive 10u fall league to play in. The competition will be fine. If worse comes to worse, your dd could also play 10u rec in the fall/spring and 8u during the summer and try to sub 10u all summer.

Since you are new to TB, players play up all the time, no big deal. My dd is 11 years old and has played in 2, 14u leagues. They aren't overly competitive but she works harder playing up, the pitching distances change, the girls are bigger and stronger, so it is harder. IMHO, kids will increase their level of play doing this.

Also, don't worry so much about drive times, some teams will work with you, if you work with your dd. Even then some teams don't start until January, or take a break after fall. So, it's not as much as you think. The tournaments are the majority of the travel, but they are fun! Good luck!