shortage of 12u players?

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Is it me or do we seem to have a shortage of 12u players? I was loking though the "Coach Need Players, Team Tryouts" section and noticed teams still looking for 12u players. Do we have a shortage of players or too many new teams starting up? What do you think?

 

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I feel it is a combination of both. There are several teams in our area that have split and reformed with other organizations.
The dreaded soccer is also killing the rec leagues. Also I feel economics is having something to do with it. JMHO

 

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I really don't think there is a shortage of 12 u players, I think there is a shortage of coaches willing to coach them. Some of them require a little extra help in becoming a great ball player but teams are looking for girls that are already coached and overlooking ones that have great potential but need to be coached. I am really discouraged. At all tryouts I have been to there were no shortage of players. Some of the teams my daughter tried out for are still looking. That tells me they are not willing to work with the players who have the heart and want to play.

 

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I do so as well feel that there are a shortage of players. But on the other hand some 12u girls get their hopes up to make a certain team and when that does not happen they get disscouraged and thinks its over or they were not good enough.

Tryouts are one of the hardest things for kids do. Its like an interview for an adult (were nervous). So are they!! I also have noticed in the Ohio area girls tend to wait longer to get on a team. Some of the best girls you find are late in the year. Well I wish the best for all of us 12u teams and hope to see all the young girls that want to play out on the field in 2007.


12u Vipers

 

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I have also been to several try outs where there were more than 20 girls trying out for 1 team. How is that a shortage of girls. The majority of them were good players who show potential-isn't that a good quality. What happens if no one replies to these posts-then do you go back and take one girl that was good with lots of heart and help her become the exceptional player that you looked for in the first place. Isn't that part of coaching?

 

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I agree. The teams she tried out for had from 15 to 30 12 u players trying out. Obviously they are not all the exceptional players you are looking for. If, as a coach, you still need to fill positions why not go back to your records from try outs call back girls that were on the cusp for a semi private tryout and pull from that. But instead these teams post for positions needed instead. And most will tell you if a girl has heart, and drive they have a chance. From what I've seen (which granted is very little) that is not true.

 

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And your are right Vipers! Try outs are very hard for a young girl. The fact that their nervous can distract totally from how they play at tryouts. All the more reason to call back some of the girls from earlier tryouts before you post for positions.

 

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I have a couple thoughts on this. First, there are alot of 11U teams out there also which would take girls who in the past would have been 12U. Next, how many people had to decide which tryouts to attend b/c several were at the same date/time? What if you chose one tryout and didn't make it, and b/c of that missed the opportunity to tryout for another. Finally, at 12U several girls/parents aren't aware of what opportunities are out there or are just getting into travel ball and don't understand the process. I don't think there is a shortage of 12U girls, I think it is getting everyone on the same page. JMHO

 

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I don't see a shortage of players. The Valley Storm had over 40 players tryout for the 12U Team. We are still looking for a Starting Catcher. Plenty of players showed up though.

 

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We saw no shortage of 12U players. Plenty of 11U players as well.

If a program does not have a good 10U program to help produce 12U players then it probably will struggle to get decent 12U players. This year we had 23 10U players try out. With 3 returning players from last years team that 20 new faces. Traditionally our final tryout produces as many or more player in the 12U and below age groups. Not sure what this year will bring but we will see.

 

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And your are right Vipers! ?Try outs are very hard for a young girl. ?The fact that their nervous can distract totally from how they play at tryouts. ?All the more reason to call back some of the girls from earlier tryouts before you post for positions.

Sad627-

At that level one thing I look for as a coach is if the girl is athletic. The rest can all be taught and if you spend time with the girl and truly help her develope hofefully they will be loyal in the future as she gets older. Myself and my coaches care about the kids first but it does upset you alittle when you spend alot of time to help a player develope and they leave you when they feel the grass is greener

 

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My dd has not yet made a team. But I have seen that at a tryout with coaches that I know well. The coach taught girls from coach pitch until just this past season and she went with a different travel team. I feel bad for the truly good coaches like this one (who also did not pick my dd) who worked hard for them and they pick "greener grass".

My dd pitching/batting coach took my dd out to a field and did some fielding with her. To be honest she really doesn't look graceful but she fielded really well for him. Decent but not as well at tryouts.

 

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We had 15 girls total tryout for our 12u, two of them could still play at 10u for a couple years. The problem we ran into was a group of girls trying to stay together. We had one girl go elsewhere and take 4 friends with her. We are more than willing to develop girls, but at a certain point you have to take into consideration their safety. With that said, if any of you with 12u DD's are still looking for a team, we have a few openings. IM me and we'll setup a tryout with the coach.

 

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I don't think there is a shortage of 12U players. I do think that there has been a hugh growth in the number of 12U teams (and many other ages also). I have seen teams this year that I have never heard of before - and I have been around a long time.

There seems to be a large number of teams that are holding numerous tryouts (and late tryouts) to try to complete their roster. I have also seen a considerable number of posts in the tyout board looking for multiple 12U players to complete their roster. I have seen this every year and invariably some of these teams that are not complete by this time will fold before next season starts leaving many players looking for teams in the spring. This is not limited to just the 12U age bracket, but it does seem more common with this group.

Last spring, I recieved dozens of IM and emails from people wanting help finding their DD a team due to their team folding over the winter. I expect the same this coming spring. It is sad, but it does happen.

 

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It is sad when there are a lot of girls, my dd included, who would love to play, learn and develop. She is not afraid of the ball and is in no danger playing any position, she just needs coached! There are plenty to fill rosters, coaches just don't want them.

 

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Johnnies I think that one of the reasons that you see this often at 12U is because many parents who are new to travel ball may have been in a situation where they think their DD did not get a fair shake so they decided to give it a go on thier own. I think that 12U is perhaps the easiest age group to do that with.

Of course once it is discovered that it is more difficult then they expected they come back and join another 14U team a year later.

Just my observation.

 

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It is sad when there are a lot of girls, my dd included, who would love to play, learn and develop. ?She is not afraid of the ball and is in no danger playing any position, she just needs coached! ?There are plenty to fill rosters, coaches just don't want them.

I understand your frustrations. However, there are things you need to understand about travel softball.

I coach a 12U team and in the past I have coached at every age level with the exception of 10U. I had to turn away many players over the years. It is not something that is easy to do and it is not fun to make the phone calls to tell a player and their parents that their DD did not make the team. What a coach tries to do is to select a team where the players are of comparable skill levels. This will allow a coach to develop a practice plan that will apply to the whole team. If I were to take a player that was not up to the skill levels of the rest of the players ? everyone loses and I am not talking about games. I will then have to divide my time in practice between the 11 skilled players and the 1 player needing work to even begin to catch up to the others. Both will not get the full work that they deserve. I will have to neglect others to work with the 1 player on parts of the game that the others already know. This leads frustrations for everyone. The best analogy that I can come up with is, would want to put a 8th grader in a class of HS seniors?

Let me also ask you, would you be willing to pay $500 for your daughter to just practice with this team and not play or play much in the tournament games? If you are, then you are a very rare person. I am betting that you expect your DD to play in the game. If she does not yet have the skills to play in elite tournaments, it would be very difficult on the entire team.

I am guessing that your daughter is relatively new in softball. There are other alternatives that you should explore. There are leagues for teams where the players are not quite ready for full tournament softball. In the Columbus area, there is a GCGC league where they play other teams during the week. This is a great developmental league. Some of these teams will play in an occasional tournament where the competition is comparable. The owner of this forum puts on a tournament for non-travel teams to help so the girls can experience and enjoy the fun of playing in a weekend tournament.

The last thing I would advise you to do is to contact some of the coaches of the tryouts you attended. Ask they what you daughter needs to work on to help her chances of making the team in the future. Use this knowledge in working with your daughter at home. You might also want to consider taking her to lessons or a private coach to help her improve her skills. If you follow this path, I am betting that one day, your DD will attend tryouts and be successful.

Good Luck!

 

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I guess I understand all of that. I do realize that she is not at the level of a 12 year old. However she has been playing softball since she was 7. She has not turned 11 yet but will in about a week. I would want my dd to have some playing time, but understand that at this level she isn't ready to be a starter. I would pay $500 to have her practice with a team a play on rare occasions this year. Maybe not next if of course she improves. She has been going to a pitching and batting coach since the end of her first season of coach pitch. Her biggest problem is that the last 2 years in rec she was the ONLY fastpitch pitcher (10 u)on her team. She pitched every game every inning and improved greatly there, however she never got to field at all. I can't fault the coach. She was the only pitcher on the team. I honestly don't have rose colored glasses about her, I know she needs work. I will be looking into some workshops over the fall and winter. Hopefully, next year she get tons of offers and we'll have to make hard decisions about where she plays and who for. LOL

 

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I wish the best for you and your DD. You have the right plan and along with some hard work... I have no doubt that next year things will be very different.

 

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My team, the Summit Rage 12U, is looking for additional girls. In my softball coaching career, I have twice taken a whole group of girls from a slow-pitch/coach-pitch league to fastpitch. I went into that endeavor knowing my girls were at a huge disadvantage, but I knew my girls had the potential and basic skills to succeed in the other league. I was willing to commit to improving each player's skills. By the end of the second season, these girls placed third in our tri-county league. What I am trying to say is that I am definitely willing to accept girls who may need to improve their skills, as long as they possess the same desire and motivation to learn that I do toward the game.

Coach Brady