What to do

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I was lookin for a little input about my dd wanting to play travel ball. If I'm in the wrong forum sorry. I'm new.I told her we would go and watch a couple of games at a tourney this year. We'll we took a ride up to rotary park yesterday morning to watch a few teams play. I don't think we'll need to go watch anymore. She loved it. Now she wants to tryout for a 12u team this fall. Here are a few q's I have: What can we expect at tryouys? Is it ok to tryout for several teams? Financialy about what should we expect to spend for club fees etc.., not travel expenses? Do some clubs expect you to keep your grades at a certain level? She's been on the honor roll 2 yrs. straight. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

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Why wait until the fall? Take a look at the "teams looking to fill rosters" forum on here and im sure you could find somewhere this summer.

 

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There seem to be quite a few teams still looking for players for this year. Is there a specific reason you are waiting? I am not with any 12U team, just asking.

To answer some of you questions.
What to expect at tryouts- varies greatly based on the team. A well run tryout usually translates to a well run team.

Tryout for several teams definitely. Try to find the best fit for you daughter. Once you commit to a team you should count on sticking out the entire year.

I have seen fees from $250-$600 - with tournament costs going up these could rise. Depending on the team the additional travel expenses will greatly excede the team fees.

As far as grades go it does not seem that will be a problem for her. If she has any interest in pursuing college ball later on. Grades are a huge factor according to the coaches I have heard speak.

Best of luck as you start this journey. I am in my 7th year of enjoying the time spent with my daughter and her travel teams and I would not trade it for anything

 

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Welcome to the Madness......... as Hitter23 stated look at the recruitment posts, she could probably find a home this spring. As far as Dues you can expect a price from 300 on up, dont be surprised to see 5 to 6 or even 700 dollars come past. 12u,s tend to play more tournaments due to the fact they dont play school ball so it dosent conflict, the cost of tournaments being what they are and the price of unifiorms, I would be real surprised to see anything below 500 dollars.....good luck and enjoy the ride,

 

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I was lookin for a little input about my dd wanting to play travel ball. If I'm in the wrong forum sorry. I'm new.I told her we would go and watch a couple of games at a tourney this year. We'll we took a ride up to rotary park yesterday morning to watch a few teams play. I don't think we'll need to go watch anymore. She loved it. Now she wants to tryout for a 12u team this fall. Here are a few q's I have: What can we expect at tryouys? Is it ok to tryout for several teams? Financialy about what should we expect to spend for club fees etc.., not travel expenses? Do some clubs expect you to keep your grades at a certain level? She's been on the honor roll 2 yrs. straight. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Last year my daughter made a very introductory travel team but they disbanded quickly due to lack of players. I didn't look for another team because I thought it was too late. This year I started to seek out good organizations to potentially get involved with (meaning tryout for) during fall tryouts. I had a few organizations reply with what HITTER23 said.... to get going NOW. My daughter went and tried out with a team that needed an extra player with the understanding that she is still in rec ball. Some organizations needed a full time player but another understood and was willing to deal with that.

Fast forward a bit and my daughter is with that team (Go Hawks!) while still playing for rec. It is a pain doing both but it was the 100% correct decision for her and for going forward this fall for tryouts. I'm hoping she can make a team in the same organization as they are among the organizations that I feel do a quality job.

To sum up: Get going NOW.

 

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Why wait until the fall? Take a look at the "teams looking to fill rosters" forum on here and im sure you could find somewhere this summer.

She's playin for our local rec team which I'm coaching. She wants to try and get with a team but she also wants to finish what we started. But its not out of the question. Besides most teams seem to be lookin for pitchers & catchers. She's a 1st baseman, can play 3rd and we're now starting to work on outfielding. After watching yesterday we went to the field last night and she started working on outfielding. She wants to be a little more all around in the field. Hitting, she's the best on our team by far. I think with a little more work she can be an elite hitter.

 

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I agree with everyone above - look now - send some PM's to team's looking for a player - most teams I have seen, at this time of year, will just ask you to come to a practice or scrimmage with them to see if she has what they are looking for and how she gets along with the girls. I would definately contact a couple different teams if you have some within your reasonable driving distance - look at their tournament schedule - alot of girls will play travel and rec (usually playing up in age in rec). some teams are constantly looking for a pitcher or catcher. It never hurts to go practice/try out with a couple teams and see what you think. If you decide it is not for her this year and want to wait until next - so what - she got a little extra practice in with some very good ball players.

 

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Throw out your location and info and I'm sure you will get many offers.

 

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She's playin for our local rec team which I'm coaching. She wants to try and get with a team but she also wants to finish what we started. But its not out of the question. Besides most teams seem to be lookin for pitchers & catchers. She's a 1st baseman, can play 3rd and we're now starting to work on outfielding. After watching yesterday we went to the field last night and she started working on outfielding. She wants to be a little more all around in the field. Hitting, she's the best on our team by far. I think with a little more work she can be an elite hitter.

Some teams will be needing part-time players also. If she can get on as a part-timer, it also acts like a try-out for the next season. Vacancies vary from weekend to weekend. Just ask the teams if they need any fill-ins.

 

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She's playin for our local rec team which I'm coaching. She wants to try and get with a team but she also wants to finish what we started. But its not out of the question. Besides most teams seem to be lookin for pitchers & catchers. She's a 1st baseman, can play 3rd and we're now starting to work on outfielding. After watching yesterday we went to the field last night and she started working on outfielding. She wants to be a little more all around in the field. Hitting, she's the best on our team by far. I think with a little more work she can be an elite hitter.

Same situation. My daughter plays rec as well which I am coaching. She will have rec as her priority but I may allow her to miss one game for traveling since it is pretty far away and we may need to stay in a hotel.

My daughter plays 1B, 3B and is our co-#1 pitcher for rec. On her traveling team she gets some time at those positions (except pitch) but she needs some time to get used to the speed of the game and game situations. Having her play travel this year will give her an incredible boost over what she would have learned/improved upon in just rec.

 

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Keep going to the tournaments and watch the coaches and parents not just the players, see how they act winning and/or losing. See how the coaches coach when things aren't going well, talk to parents in the stands. Listen to the conversations going on in the stands. You will learn alot about the character of some teams.

 

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Keep going to the tournaments and watch the coaches and parents not just the players, see how they act winning and/or losing. See how the coaches coach when things aren't going well, talk to parents in the stands. Listen to the conversations going on in the stands. You will learn alot about the character of some teams.

Thats what i plan to do. I don't want to jump into anything without some research. Last year I coached her CYO team (slow pitch) and her rec area team (fast-pitch). We both got burned out at the end. Don't want that to happen to her this year so we decided to stick with the local team versus the cyo which was a good move since their level of play was not that competitive. Thank you all for the great info.:cap:

 

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Keep going to the tournaments and watch the coaches and parents not just the players, see how they act winning and/or losing. See how the coaches coach when things aren't going well, talk to parents in the stands. Listen to the conversations going on in the stands. You will learn alot about the character of some teams.

Be the spectator!! Make small talk but tell no one you're scouting. They'll be like peacocks and be on their best behavior. Take it ALL in. I agree that how they all re-act is a huge indicator of the character of the team in general. Try to follow the same team to a couple of games. We all know that one specific thing may set off a reaction and it doesn't happen in any one game. Good-luck and make sure it's your DD's idea and she's comfortable with the final choice. It's the worst when you push and have to hear, "I told you I didn't want to do this..." all season.

 

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RUN LIKE HECK!!! It's a Vortex you can't escape!!!!

just kidding, it's the best thing you could ever do to spend quality time with your child and family, all along meeting new friends along the journey....

Good luck and listen to some of the above advice...

 

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if the kid can hit and play a corner pm me

 

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Since you have decided that your DD wants to play and that she can play, you now have to ask yourself if you are ready. The early morning get-ups, the long drives, the bad moods when they have a bad game. The committment out of a parent is insane. If you can figure that out then it will be the best experience you will ever have with your DD.

And Oh. Yeah say goodbye to normal family vacations. Different hotel every weekend...that is your new family vacation. I wouldn't take the past 5 years back for nothing. The bonds you make are awesome.

 

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I didn't realize how much travel ball could help a DD until I had mine try out 3 years ago. She was a freshman in high school and played JV that year and she seemed to fall in love with the sport that year. I looked around on different websites for teams looking for players and I called one for a tryout. I was totally clueless as to cost, committment, and FUN that we would have! Travel has matured my DD into a fine player. She has wanted it and worked at it. After her first year of travel ball, she came back to high school her sophmore year and started varsity every game since. I only wish I would have got her into travel earlier. Don't wait. JMHO.

 

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It has been the greatest experince in our life also.
Only drawback or blessing with dds on two different teams, we get separate vacations on every weekend this year except 2.

 

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It has been the greatest experince in our life also.
Only drawback or blessing with dds on two different teams, we get separate vacations on every weekend this year except 2.

that's my biggest concern and I'm by myself.

However, wouldn't trade it for the world. Last August during the exact same week, thanks to some great parents was able to see my oldest try and win a state championship with her All-Star rec team (finished runner-up) in Ironton, Oh and watch my youngest try and win district in Elyria and Tallmadge for her respective All-Star team. Only missed 1 game out of 13 games.

As inirfor51 along with many others, there's a sacrifice that just doesn't involve money. The bad games, the practices, losing to a sub-par team, etc. It's a mental drain, not just for you but your dd as well.

But watching girls from different towns bond the way they do bring some awesome moments. That doesn't go just for you, but for your dd as well. Plus you meet other great parents.

 

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i would not trade it has turned into a family event and now with little dd looking to be pretty good i might be in this a while