I think there is a shortage of players that fit coaches' expectations of a travel player.
?Player's need to have
1. ?The finances required to play on a travel team - some teams cost up to $600 just in team fees . ?Add on expenses such as indoor practice facilities, private lessons, fall & winter ball, summer leagues, ?softball camps, travel expenses, bats, gloves, cleats, uniforms, and you're probably looking at well over $1500. ?Compare this to rec ball which costs just over $100, requires a cheap bat & glove, and very little travel expenses.
2. ?Have necessary skills developed to compete at the travel level. ?Many coaches expect players to already possess significant fielding, batting, & baserunning skills.
3. ?Player needs to be coachable and the team needs to be a good fit for players, coaches, and parents.
4. ?Fearlessness. ?Softball isn't a sport for wimps. ? Getting hit by a soccer ball thrown from 40 feet isn't going to hurt; getting hit by a softball thrown at 50 mph hurts so much you wanna cry.
The one other thought I hadn't seen mentioned in this thread is the number of duplicate players at tryouts. ?Some teams may have 20 or 30 girls at tryouts. ?How many of these girls attend other tryouts as well? ?My friend's daughter attended 5 tryouts and saw many of the same girls at these tryouts. ?Also, as mentioned by others, players attend tryouts for a variety of reasons, so just because you have 30 girls at your tryout doesn't necessarily mean you have 30 girls from which to choose. Ten of those girls may not be up to travel softball caliber, 15 may be attending other tryouts or are already committed to another team, and 5 may not have any clue what travel softball is all about. ?
I would like to know if there has been an overall drop or increase in the number of girls playing travel softball? ?Personally, I know many girls that once played travel softball, but have now decided to focus on soccer or basketball, or dropped out because they could no longer afford to play.