Large Organization versus Mom & Pop teams

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Any organization that fields multiple age group teams must have a leadership team with one or two people out in front that puts forth certain ethical and philosophical standards. However, coaches should have freedom to run their teams but must be accountable to someone.

That accountability and those standards are what will determine the credibilty of an organization. My soapbox and I'm stickin' to it!

 

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I have to agree with most who have posted a comment......big vs small. Depends on what you and your DD are looking for. I have had my oldest play for smaller organizations and do quite well. She has been to the Indoor World Cup in the Netherlands, and the team she played for came in 2nd place against professional and olympic players. The people who run this have found out from past experience that it takes girls who want to play the game to go over there and do well. You can have a organization that has the best ball player for every position, and yet they never play well as a team.
Coaching is a big part of each and every organization. I will take a coach who teaches and helps each and every individual player grow as a player. Over a coach who just has a winning team. Been there, and the Head Coach never did any of the teaching. It was always the assistants doing the teaching.
Make sure you find a team that fits your DD needs and will help her to grow as a player. Because in the long run, this is about all of our DD's not about what we want. Do they want to go to college etc........or is this just they love the game!!
I am on my 3rd DD playing select ball now. Had one who it was just loved the game (until we got coaches who no longer made the game fun, then she quit playing for good) one who is wanting to go to Europe after college and play Pro Ball. And the youngest, not sure yet. But will do as she wants and give her all the help I possibly can until in all areas.
Just my opinions........been around for seems like forever!!

 

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Many go for the reputation and size of the program, follow the leader. Many good smaller teams loose many players due to this and may not stand any chance of the recruitment pool. If anything it will be harder for the smaller teams and programs to stand as tall in this case and they need credit when a job well done is there. Maybe the research as to how much a players statisfaction is will make the point as to which is better? 18u is mostly about the future opportunity for the players school option and is. The younger brackets I feel is all about developement and the opportunity to work on their skills and have the team where they can use those skills and advance. making a championship team and sitting the bench is no ones idea of developement. I agree with softballmomrl22 about the exposure or the love of the game as well.
In the past two weeks we lost a few players trying out due to their idea bigger is better even tho their daughters were having a good time and may have learned something as well. As a coach of a team going up against the bigger programs I would say most always choose the bigger programs and go to 5 to 6 tryouts and sometimes sit the bench or do not make a season due to turning down the smaller name teams. It happens more than people say.
Something to remember....The bigger programs started small and worked hard to become the size they are!!!!

 

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The Ohio Classics started with Pickerington Girls 11 and 12 years old back in 1996. we won our first tournament game and didn't win another tournament game until the last tournament of the year in Whitehall. We finished 3rd and you woul dhave thought we won the World Series. We had no idea what ASA Nationals was or even what a rise ball was.

We added a second team the following year and as we grew our best players were leaving for the teams that beat us.

We didn't get consistantly good until we STOPPED being a town based orgaization and started holding open tryouts. The coaches were all hand picked by me and although we made some mistakes we grew at the right pace and focussed on teaching fundamentals, class, and having fun. We picked tournies that were over our head and we picked tournies we could win and grow stronger (winning small tournaments is great for pulling solid athletes off of mom and pop teams)

Now we are established, with quality teams in all age groups, lots of college contacts and scholarships. This happened by staying focussed on fundamentals, class, and fun. Maintianing this level takes dedicated parents, comitted players and program focus...

 

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The HH Roadwarriors were started about the same as the classics took local all-stars and started playing a couple tournament and was pleased at the outcome and rest is history we have been together for 5 year with the departure of only one player that thought the big orgization would be better.this year we will add a 14u and a limited schedule for the beginning of a 10u(3 tourney).by next year we will feild 10,12,14,16,18but no matter what we will always be mom and pop and thats the way we like it.whole lot hype about the big names doesnt win ball games.

 

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Alot of the choices have to do with the age of your dd and what she wants.... If shes looking for somethnig post high school with softball, the larger org name certainly dosent hurt on her profile, alot of colleges that travel the circuits like sparkler, firecracker, music city hits, compuware, stingrays,Rising stars, for recruiting draw from the big orgs.... and im not saying smaller orgs do not have talent, but theres a reason kids play with the smaller orgs, less travel, lower fees, and so on,,,,, the larger orgs have an easier time getting accepted and showcasing thier kids in those type tournies because of their name.... plain and simple. So like anything else.its a personal choice to what you want and need

Tim

 

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Hey Tim, nice post and i liked the prepchamps profile. hope you and britt have a good off season if there is one. were are u guys playing fall ball this year.

john

 

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My take from a "mom and pop" perspective is that there is as much talent in the field in organizations like ours, but the pitching is better and deeper for the most part in the bigger organizations.

Last year we had one pitcher. She has since left for a bigger organization. We are now searching for another pitcher to take her place.

Why would she leave? I have no idea. She had a tremendous opportunity with our team. She pitched 95% of the innings we played last year. She got much better as the year progressed, but must have felt the grass was greener in a bigger fast pitch organization.

We have been around for 5 years, and this was our first year in fast pitch. The thing I see is the bigger organizations are like the Yankees. They can go after all the big guns and leave teams like us, like the Reds, having to make due with what is left. If we get a player that is pretty good, someone from the bigger organization may want them and may be in their ear about it. Not all bigger organizations are that way, but some of the ones we have played this year seemed to take that approach. Many kids see this and feel like they can get so much more from a bigger name.

Just my take. It is the way it is and there isn't much you can do about it as a small time team. You just hope you can develop some of your girls in to a good ball player, someone learns to pitch and no one comes along and takes what you have developed.;&

By the way, if you're a really good pitcher and need a place to shine, give my team a chance. We are a pretty good mom and pop team.

 

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Hey Tim, nice post and i liked the prepchamps profile. hope you and britt have a good off season if there is one. were are u guys playing fall ball this year.

john

Thanks,,,,,,,,, sent you a pm

Tim