Rec ball and Travel team too??

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My DD is a first year 12u travel player.I am a 3rd year rec coach.
She has decided that she would have to put her travel team first and it would not be fair to the rec team if she could not be at all team practice and games.She is not a premadona bUt we have always taught her to give 100 % for the team.And our rec team maintains a very high standard of instuction and opportunities for the players
We have decided that we would practice what we preach.We are going to volunteer our time to help the 10u rec team.We think this is a good way to give back to the program that gave us so many great memories and a quality start

NO SUPPER UNTIL YOU FINISH YOUR SOFTBALL

 

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OK, here comes acan of worms...

JD, what state tourney are you refering to? You should not be facing travel ball players playing against your rec team as I would think that they are already on a roster of that particular sanction?

We participate in OGSO, which is a rec league. It is referred to as a "state" tournament but it is really just the organization's end of year tournament. If you win your local league/district then you go to the state tournament. I don't understand what you mean by a "sanction", but I don't think anyone is doing anything wrong by playing in both?

 

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And I can say for a fact: Clinton County's 4 high school haven't done much in HOW MANY YEARS ? Blanchester was the last one to do anything because of Felisca being a no-hitter type of pitcher. Is being a 13-1 and 14-0 rec team two straight years and keeping the girls in rec done any good ? I guess that is my question. Why not give them the opportunity to go forward with travel teams where they get the competition they need to grow. You've done your job to give them the instruction and direction... now pass them off individually to travel teams in the area and let those coches and organizations show them what elite softball is all about... instead of holding onto them for another year after year of rec and go 13-1 or 14-0 again and again and playing communities that have ALREADY let their girls move on to the next level.

 

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THEN, let them come together as high school players in the Spring... with the needed experience they received over the travel elite summer and fall.. along with their instruction over the winter... a finally make a Clinton County High School at least a competitor for once.

Instead of giving them nothing more than a summer of beating up on rec teams from other communities that have let their best go with the travel and elite teams.

I agree... that no more than four person from one high school (which understand you can do this from June 1st to July 31st..as you can have as many as you want from the same high school on one team)... so why not take your girls and play June 1st through July 31st as say a local community team in the upper travel ball levels instead of rec.. where they face no competition.... and after July 31st... give them up individually to elite travel teams that play in the fall...?

I guess that is my question... why not take that team and play elite ball from June 1st to July 31st.. if that is what you want to do.. and hang on to the idea of "the girls playing together as a community based team".

I guess it is that picture in the newspaper of being a 14-0 rec team that is important.

 

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please take this comment in the correct context (agreeing with quakerman)...that 14-0 team may have a rude awakening at the travel level, which is good long term. Of course someone will tell me that their 14-0 team whooped up on travel teams. Great, that's part of the game. I've seen several local teams in my area refuse to take their undefeated community team to the next level and that's unfortunate. Especially since those girls have a good chance at winning and learning, again this would be good for them!

 

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The other rec teams they are playing already passed off their girls to another level of ball (travel/elite) so 13-1 and 14-0 is nice.. but it doesn't feed the high schools in our county with top notch girls that gain experience with travel ball teams. My suggestion is if he wants to keep the girls together... then play June 1st through July 31st when he CAN keep them together and go test the waters.. so to say.... and play some lower level tournaments as a new "B" team... and go from there. If they take second or third.. then go to an "A" level event and REALLY test the waters.

 

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Quaker

Again I'm going to defend that Clinton County team and give you a few more facts. That team that played the 14u tournament last year in the B tourny with 7 players was a 12u team not one player was 13 or older. That team has been together for years and I have tried to lure his players away to a travel team but there is several things that keep them there. First they are all friends and want to stay together, and second they live in the middle of nowhere it is an hour to anyplace (and a travel team) and their families are not prepared to make a travel commitment for softball you know the 2-4 practices each week and the double header league on top of the weekend tournaments. They will more than likely play 14a this year, because none of his players is traveling.

Put this in your book of things to remember Quaker even though Clinton County hasn't had very much success at the High School level in the past and they may struggle again this year but starting next year they will have a couple of teams at the top of the pecking order in 2010 and beyond.

On the other hand Lester I do agree that if they wanted to be even better than what they are now they should get out of the corn and get to a select team and see what a seasoned coach who's team plays 50 plus games a year can teach them, but I don't see them doing that.

 

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Are you talking about a Clinton Massie team here playing in SOGFSA?

 

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Nope he is refering to another Clinton County team that is cut from the same cloth. Both teams have a great deal of talent.

 

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My daughter is 18 & has played travel ball since she was 9. Her second year she played both recreation ball along with travel ball. It was a big mistake. Her travel coach thought that it would give the girls more experience in the field both seeing pitches & fielding the ball. We found that most of the girls, not all, who play rec ball do so to have something to do during the summer & are not interested in learning the skills needed to be a really good softball player especially if they plan on playing at the college level. All rec ball taught her was exactly the opposite of what her travel coach was teaching. Believe me I know what I'm talking about seeing how now my daughter has not 1 but 2 Div. I State softball titles & is currently talking with college coaches.

 

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:d:d:d

 

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The team I was talking about that had 7 players and run ruled two teams in a "B" tournament with such IS NOT the same county team as the 13-1 and 14-0 team I was speaking about, Jim.

I come from the county in mention and the school that is producing 13-1 and 14-0 rec teams. My question is: Why waste the money and play rec ball? You talk about practices (well they practice for rec ball don't they).. there would not be any double headers at all as they wouldn't be playing rec... is Middletown (SDS runs a couple of fine events), Beavercreek( Bob, goes without saying), Milford (Expressway has a class), Goshen( me) too far away for them to play?

Last Fall, I asked the coach to take that team and play travel. I had them free tournaments in Columbus, Indiana (director is a friend), Wilmington (one of mine), Harrison (when it was owned by another family - since sold) and I was going to personally pay for them to play in Milford at Expressway Park on the 4th of July in their best tournament..... and still the coach didn't want to get out of rec ball. So what am I to think ?

Now, as for the "other" team who played with seven players in a "B" tournament and run-ruled two teams....they come from another high school area in the county.... they stepped up in July after going early in the summer playing rec ball tournaments. I could only imagine what they would have done if they had 10 players show up....lol.. those girls could swing the bat. I umpired the game. They could hit and hit the ball hard.....lol.. obviously. Coach has them on the right track indeed.

My point is: Get the girls out of rec. They are beating up on teams that have already let their girls go on to elite ball.

 

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Consider yourselves Lucky to be able to agree to disagree over Rec. -vs- Travel. In the rural community in which I live, we play in the local Rec. Association which is only a step or two above Barnyard Ball. They've removed the Cow Piles and replaced them with actual Bases. ("I'm not Joking!") Well! Yeah alittle!

But nevertheless it wasn't until this summer 2008 that I managed to get enough girls together to play 12-U in what I would call a Semi-Travel Team. Sure we got our Butts handed to us, and that wasn't a "Bad Thing", the girls learned that if they were to play at this level that they would have to up their standards of play to even compete.

They placed 2nd in two Tourneys' in Kentucky (1) 12-U and (1) 14-U We played up! and Placed 3rd in a couple Tourney's in Ohio, The Shawnee State Showcase, and at Goshen where I got to meet the OhioQuakerman for the first time, Thanks Tim!

For this up and coming 2009 Season we hope to expand our Travel games, at the same time we will continue to play Rec. as we are still learning the ropes as a "New Travel Team" We feel we should learn to crawl into Travel before we stand up and RUN!

Good Luck! To every Team in 2009 regardless of Rec. or Travel!

 

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Don't let him kid you...lol... he has an up and coming team... but I do think the girls saw what it was going to be all about... and liked it.... as they sure are not shy about facing good competition.

 

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All it take sis a "taste" of the travel life for most and they get hooked. nothing wrong with baby steps to get where they want to be...

 

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thanks for everyone's input. I knew this would get a mixed bag of input and glad to see so much passion for this issue. We didn't come to making decisions on this subject without some serious debate. We'll try it this year and regroup for 2010.

I know that a particular coach's experience with players and parents as well as all other issues aforementioned (good/bad) will influence their team policies. Again, thanks.

 

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my daughter enjoys playing rec ball she usually moves up at least one age group.but i think it can be good there are some girls who may desire to pitch but not good enough yet to pitch travel ball are u saying she should not pitch in games given the oppurtunity.who knows what she will be when she gets to high school.i grew up playing football with this chunky kid from westerville who was pretty good not great when he was in high school developed alot and in college was known as the big cat at the ohio state university

 

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My dd played rech. her second year of travel with about 5 other girls who played travel and the rest of the team where only rech. ball players. The competition was not very stiff, they won both tournaments they entered and only lost one game the whole season to a team that also had a hand full of travel players. I would have liked to see them play up an age bracket. It seemed like they started to play a little sloppy and a few started to pick up some bad habits. They started to get a little full of themselves by the end of the season. Not sure if it was a good idea or not????

 

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I think there are instances were it makes sense. Pitcher, getting game innings that might not be able to get innings on travel team. Also, a girl that may want to catch or play 3rd base can get reps where she is an outfielder or 2nd base on travel team.
Or with younger ages, they may just want to have fun and hang out with school friends. They tend to appreciate a well run practice a lot more after playing rec ball and they will grow out of wanting to play on their own.

 

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Our stance has always been and always will be that we can't tell you not to due it, but we must come 1st period. Our practices and games must come before any rec ball game or practice.