I am not knocking anyone, just stating facts. If anyone can `t handle the truth, that is their problem.
My kid was considered one of Ohio`s best coming out of high school. When she was at Ohio St. we saw just how good the west coast kids are, because she played WITH several. Coming in they were better prepared to face college pitching. Why? Because they had faced better pitching their entire summer careers. They may have had better training and they played more games because of the weather out west. Lots of things made them better as freshmen. However I could site many cases where our Ohio kids eneded up being as good or better by their Jr/Sr years in college.
Yeah, ... Anyone who wants to be the best, or at least in the same conversation would want to examine why the best is the best ... and honestly assess, and reassess. Playing softball for fun, school pride, etc is just fine also!!! ... No need to get hung up on it, right?!?
Also, it is not like anyone here is saying that Ohio softball is "bad" either, right? It is a discuassion about assessment, personal goals, what it would take (and why) to get into the conversation with the individuals (and states) that have a few advantages and are at the VERY top of the sport.
If "YOU" were recruiting, where would you spend your time, considering quality, and depth? Where would you rank Ohio softball at the pre-college level, at this point? Definitely behind CA & AZ. Who else is "clearly" ahead of us ... FL? TX? AL? TN? GA?
IN, IL, PA also seems to produce strong teams and players. Ohio seems to me to be "Top 10", maybe as high as 5th or 6th from time to time? Opinions?
We have taken some teams to Indiana, the East Coast, the South ... and POUNDED some State Champs who did not know what hit them, or even where Ohio was on a map, exactly.
One year at 12u (we were 11u) we destroyed some older 12u team from New Hampshire that was the ASA State Champs, banners, bumper stickers, tee shirts, flags waving everywhere ..... it was at 12u, they were older all 12's ... one of the moms was very nice and told me that they NEVER play that bad, she wasn't sure what happened?? ... I didn't have the heart to tell her we were younger than them and all 11's, just simply MUCH more talented, and NOT the best team in Ohio that year either. The following year as older 12u at ASA in CA, I felt just like that N.Hampshire mom as we watched the 2 best teams in CA (Lakewood Ladies & Victory USA went on the play in the Final) beat us handily on our way to a top 10 ASA finish. Proud as heck that year, but we knew the difference between the very very best, and us. That year the Slammers were the talk of the tournemnt, beating the L.Ladies (defending ASA Nat'l Champs) 1-0, before running out of gas, finishing 5th. Slammers actually could have won it that year, with 11-12 players that mostly all lived within 20 minutes of each other.
Moral of the story, it's just understanding where you stand, deciding on what you want, and working and getting it ... Whatever that is for you. Secondarily, Ohio is VERY good, but there is better out there at the moment, and we can handle that reality without sticking our heads in the sand.