Just Curious, Two Teams in Same age Groups Question

[TheSoftballZone]

Just Curious about your opinions.

If you have 2 teams in the same age level, is it better to put together and A and a B team or is it better to have 2 B+ teams?

 

[Ri-domination]

Hmmm, no brainer. First choice.

 

[wvanalmsick]

You want to group your skill levels so that they push each other.

 

[Ri-domination]

I would disagree, you put your best together as the A-team and the rest as the B-team. Then you let those teams play at the proper respective level of tournaments that will push them. I have experience with them being grouped together and I watched the kids with the most ability/talent not push themselves because of playing with the kids that had a lesser skill set. Now playin with the better kids may help those who have the lesser skill set but it will hold back the ones with the more advanced skill set. My take is separate them and play them in the proper tournaments to push them to play hard and advance. Thats why they play travel ball right?

 

[chixdad]

One good team and don't play in the same tourneys.

 

[FastBat]

Obviously, 2 A's would be great. I see alot that say this team is all 11's and that team is all 12's, but what I say hmm about is, the 11 team having 12's. I guess at that point it becomes an A team and the B team. Which isn't a bad thing, especially at younger ages, see how players develop and who drops out or who stays.

 

[go4fpsb]

Hopefully you have enough quality pitching to support two teams. Nothing worse than putting all the pitching on one team and have the other team endure walkathons, passed balls and in game BP. But a quality pitcher won't like being put on the B team either. Good luck.

 

[coachjwb]

Agree with Ri ... but my question is why would organizations have 2 team at the same age level? I'm not talking about a 14-U team and a 13-U team ... but about say 2 14-U teams and 2 13-U teams.

 

[SMc4SMc]

Having had that dilemma I've used both strategies of A/B and B/B. I based my decisions on obvious factors- talent, drive, attrition, and a few others. B/B won out when I had more variables to consider but when the decision became simplified to the Best 9, A/B, no doubt. Then I played them in the appropriate circuit to kick butt.

 

[cobb_of_fury]

Agree with Ri ... but my question is why would organizations have 2 team at the same age level? I'm not talking about a 14-U team and a 13-U team ... but about say 2 14-U teams and 2 13-U teams.

Because your turn out is high enough to support more than one good team in each age group.

 

[coachjwb]

Cobb ... understood ... but why not just put together the best (A) team you can, and let the remaining players go to one of the many other organizations out there?

 

[cobb_of_fury]

Cobb ... understood ... but why not just put together the best (A) team you can, and let the remaining players go to one of the many other organizations out there?

My first off the cuff response was Revenue Generation...
But realistically the best reason to do it is you want to keep the best girls you can close at hand so you have a feeder system for your 16's and 18's and you don't have to go find them later.

 

[SMc4SMc]

"See a need, fill a need." If we're doing this the right way for the girls then an organization won't get labeled a franchise or for-profit b.s.. Agree with cobb_of_fury...great feeder system

 

[coachjwb]

Cobb ... didn't think about that before, but it does make some sense. I do think there are some organizations that do it for the revenue generation side of it, and/or to better leverage their costs. If you're doing it to build a feeder into the older age levels, do you do an A/B or two B+'s? If you do an A/B, will the better players on the B team stick around and wait to make the A team?

 

[cobb_of_fury]

I would go A/B -
That way the Best girls will more likely stick with you. You hope the other girls will all develop under your system - And then you hope for the best.
If you have a good organization you have a good chance of retention.

The other thing that may help - Don't couch it as an A and B team, to the girls it should just be two different teams.
They will know one is better than the other but as an organization you should treat them equally

 

[FastBat]

I'm going to talk about the past again, big surprise. But, there have been successful orgs that draw so much talent they can have several aged teams in one age group. In the early to mid-90's, I played for an org. that had many teams, based on what you planned to do with your future softball career. If you just played HS, and didn't intend to play in college, you knew that by about your sophomore year.

Team A: all the "serious" players, higher dues, bigger commitment, more travel.

Team B: equally talented girls, that knew they wanted to end their careers after HS, but had HS coaches that made them play TB, less travel, less dues, kids could work during the summer but fulfill their obligation to their HS coaches.

There was a "serious" and not so "serious" team at 18u and 16u. Just b/c you didn't play in college didn't make you a bad player. Some kids don't play in college b/c their parents don't want them to, they are choosing a tough major, they can afford to pay for college so why bother. I think in the end it gives kids that like to play fastpitch the opportunity to continue, especially if they are used to playing pretty seriously up until that point. The kids have the reasoning of, "that's what I do in summer...play softball".

At younger ages, same thing, could be based on seriousness. Do they have parents willing to work with them and take them to different coaches weekly or not.

 

[cobb_of_fury]

FB; That is a good way to differentiate, especially at the older ages - Late 14 and above -
Some girls have no plan on Collage ball they just love the game. That way they are not stuck paying those showcase fees when all they want is regular old tournaments.