Whats the number one thing as a parent you would have done differently in your daughter softball car

[b lesh]

Guilty but still we are glad we did it!

So are we with a lot of work and still working at it she caught the eyes of many college coaches and recently committed with 2 more years to keep working on slapping.

 

[Run26]

Found the CF seating much much sooner.

 

[cobb_of_fury]

Found the CF seating much much sooner.

The game is SO MUCH BETTER from out there -

 

[Utility21]

Don't limit them. If they have the passion to compete in multiple sports. Let them. If they have a class trip. Let them go. If they have an opportunity to get a far better education at another school even if their softball program is not as good. Do it. These were all mistakes we made with our son. He had so much talent but lost his love for the game. Missed out on so many things his classmates got to do because he didn't want to get benched. Should have switched schools take what he wanted to major in in college but didn't because he would have lost 1/2 season eligibility.
We have open enrolled our daughter to a D1 school from a D4. She loves it. She thrives on competition both in class and sports. In 7th she is taking courses not offered in her old school until high school. She has earned her way into advanced classes and getting all A's. She tried volleyball for the first time this year. Wow...That is one LOUD sport! Playing AAU Basketball and travel softball. Going to DC with class this summer and raising the money herself by selling candy at school. Some wonder if it is too much. For some maybe...but she's happy!

 

[24GahannaLadyLions7]

Found the CF seating much much sooner.

Best seat in the house....

 

[mike_dyer]

Point is no one got in this dance because it was financially sound!

Nope.

I got in it because it was "going to make her a better player."

It doesn't.

 

[coachtomv]

Nope.

I got in it because it was "going to make her a better player."

It doesn't.

I hear you, but it should. It should make her a better player from the competition pushing her on the team and who/where you play. It should make her a better player by fueling her love of the game from all the experiences that come with travel ball. It should make her better by meeting like minded players and peers to push her.

Notice I did not add coaching....that should also, but is sometimes the opposite of making her better or at least adding stress by not understanding how to develop players, the mental game, and let them just play. Too much over coaching, especially in games, even more so at bat. Once you hit the game, coaches should be seen and not heard....as much, your always going to coach, but don't let it get in the way of the players playing relaxed, loose and instinctive. Too many players are looking to the coach in games instead of each other.

Hopefully your kid had some fun life experiences. Sounds like she did well and your proud of where she ended up in it all, even if a few more dollars on your 401k meet look good about now, lol.

 

[mike_dyer]

Sounds like she did well and your proud of where she ended up in it all,

Right.

She's the only Ohio recruit at her college in her recruiting class. That's not so bad.

But I feel like she would have pulled it off without playing where she played.

All you really need to do is hit a camp. The school she is going to was at all of the tournaments that she went to for a lot of years. She went to a camp that I paid about $100.00 or so for and it put the hook in 'em.

 

[cobb_of_fury]

All you really need to do is hit a camp. The school she is going to was at all of the tournaments that she went to for a lot of years. She went to a camp that I paid about $100.00 or so for and it put the hook in 'em.

That, hard work and God given talent - and then some more hard work -

 

[longball00]

I honestly wouldn't change a thing! We have been fortunate to not have any drama along her time so far. It is a huge commitment financially, but we are a Softball/Baseball family, and love the time together all over the country. We get to see places that we normally wouldn't think of going.

 

[tankerlab]

Not one single thing!
Going into her Senior year this year at Milford
it could not have been any better of a ride or outcome!!!
ok now I have had time to think about it and read some on here...
Would have DEFINITELY bought a camper at 10U !!!!
and other than that? Some how tried to make it last longer...

 

[tankerlab]

Really??? Seriously???
Wow! Ok, if you say so. To each their own...
We spent about $15,000.00 on "Travel " ball.
That investment, experience and most importantly exposure
paid off in a 100% Athletic D-1 college scholarship
paid $120,000.00 tuition, Room & Board and Books paid
for 4 years of college to pitch a softball!
Does that happen frequently? No. Actually about 1/2 of 1% of
High School girls playing softball get a complete D-1 full ride athletic
Scholarship.... BUT travel ball still pays off! Each girl on her travel team
is getting scholarships to play softball and between getting academic money,
athletic money, the parents pay $8,000.00 to $4,000.00 per year for college????
id day that makes playing travel ball a smart investment!!!
She absolutely improved each year playing travel ball!
How could she not benefit by playing better competition?
By being seen by college coaches every weekend?
By playing on a team where every other girl is going to college
somewhere to play softball and more importantly further their
education?

 

[tankerlab]

I would have never signed her up for a "travel" or a "select" team or whatever you choose to call it. It's a total waste of time and money.

Tens of thousands of dollars later she's 0.00% better at it than she would have been not playing all summer long and all over the place.

Really??? Seriously???Wow! Ok, if you say so. To each their own...
We spent about $15,000.00 on "Travel " ball.
That investment, experience and most importantly exposure
paid off in a 100% Athletic D-1 college scholarship
paid $120,000.00 tuition, Room & Board and Books paid
for 4 years of college to pitch a softball!
Does that happen frequently? No. Actually about 1/2 of 1% of
High School girls playing softball get a complete D-1 full ride athletic
Scholarship.... BUT travel ball still pays off! Each girl on her travel team
is getting scholarships to play softball and between getting academic money,
athletic money, the parents pay $8,000.00 to $4,000.00 per year for college????
id day that makes playing travel ball a smart investment!!!
She absolutely improved each year playing travel ball!
How could she not benefit by playing better competition?
By being seen by college coaches every weekend?
By playing on a team where every other girl is going to college
somewhere to play softball and more importantly further their
education?
with this being her Senior year coming up at Milford the only thing I would do different is some how make it last longer!!!!

 

[mike_dyer]

Really??? Seriously??? Wow!

Yes !!!!!! Seriously!!!!!!!!!!

If anyone read the rest of it could you give me the cliff notes version?

Do they want me to say they pee a lot further than I do or that they are smarter than me or that their kid could beat mine up or what?

 

[tankerlab]

You play for the experience first and foremost. No one has EVER claimed this travel thing a "good investment" If we all looked at it from a dollar and cents POV you are correct its a losing proposition. If money is a driving factor of club level ball you should walk away now. Unless there is a true " Full Ride" I don't think any family comes out ahead in a $ standpoint. If the average travel season is $5000-$10,000 depending on schedule, you could put that money in a mattress and after 5 years have $20,000 on the end and upwards of $50,000 on the high end. Invest at 3% compounded over that same time, more like $30-$60K. Do it during the last 3 months in say stocker symbol FAS, or BAC or JPM and you're up double that! Or you can roll to the JACK and pick red or black and double right up! Point is no one got in this dance because it was financially sound! You play at the highest level you can afford and expect nothing but a great experience, which someday yr DD thanks you for!

Please tell me how a travel team that has 13 girls with offers from all college levels from D-1, 2, 3, NAIA and from complete full rides to partial scholarships are NOT a dollar & Cents POV? Losing proposition???
They all are getting "most" of their college paid for to play softball!!! I'll cancel your "EVER" at the top of the page...
Im saying it now! Investing $15,000.00 over 3-4 years was definitely worth 4 years of college completely 100% paid for!
I will say $15,000.00 was "a good investment" in getting $120,000.00 plus Room, Board and books for 4 years of college!
$15,000.00 is about half tuition or less than half for a year at a lot of colleges.... Most parents on our travel team paid that in 3-4 years of travel ball and now only have to pay $4,000.00 to $8,000.00 a year for college. ( not D-3 schools) How is that NOT a good investment???

 

[tankerlab]

Right.

She's the only Ohio recruit at her college in her recruiting class. That's not so bad.

But I feel like she would have pulled it off without playing where she played.

All you really need to do is hit a camp. The school she is going to was at all of the tournaments that she went to for a lot of years. She went to a camp that I paid about $100.00 or so for and it put the hook in 'em.

that is a good point! Camps and e mails from the girls are a BIG part of them being noticed!

 

[mike_dyer]

We clearly disagree here and I don't see that changing, but I gotta ask where are you getting these numbers from?

I probably paid real close to $10,000 last year and we only left Ohio 1 time.

Also, my son is going to a fairly expensive d2 school that wouldn't cost $120,000 after room and board. Tuition there is about double the amount that my daughter would pay if we had to pay for it.

$120,000 sounds like Yale...

 

[tjsmize3]

Please tell me how a travel team that has 13 girls with offers from all college levels from D-1, 2, 3, NAIA and from complete full rides to partial scholarships are NOT a dollar & Cents POV? Losing proposition???
They all are getting "most" of their college paid for to play softball!!! I'll cancel your "EVER" at the top of the page...
Im saying it now! Investing $15,000.00 over 3-4 years was definitely worth 4 years of college completely 100% paid for!

I'm going to have to agree with WOW here. For starters, you have said that your team has girls committed to D3 schools. Those girls will receive $0 in athletic money... and before we start the "D3 schools will find a way to get you the money" discussion... they won't. Most D3 schools that are worth going to will tell you up front, "do not come here just to play softball, but rather come here because this is where you want to be." It is a huge NCAA violation to even appear to do otherwise so they aren't going to risk it by "finding" these girls "extra" money to play girl's softball at the D3 level, at least not in this day and age.
Secondly, your return of $120,000 on a $15,000 dollar travel team investment probably represents more like 1% of 1/2 of 1% of the kids that play travel ball. Many of these kids play 6+ years in orgs that travel frequently out of the state and 3-4 times/yr out of the Midwest. Many of those families have spent $15,000 before the kid ever reaches 8th grade, and for sure have spent it by the time they reach high school. Unless your daughter plays on one of 3-4 very select teams in the Midwest, there is no team that has 13 kids with SUBSTANTIAL athletic money, let alone 13 committed kids to athletic scholarship granting institutions getting "most" of their college paid for.
So, as WOW said, DO NOT think of this as an investment. The most likely scenario is that you will lose some of your money. Sometimes, you come out a little bit ahead, sometimes a little behind. But, if the primary reason you are doing this is for your daughter to have the experience you won't be disappointed either way.

... And yes, I do have to agree with Mike here. Maximizing the things that do not cost a lot of money (i.e. individual practice time/reps, going to a school's camp, writing schools) is just plain smart. I wouldn't go so far as to say don't play travel, but certainly I would be doing the things Mike's daughter did (based on his posts).

 

[tankerlab]

We clearly disagree here and I don't see that changing, but I gotta ask where are you getting these numbers from?

I probably paid real close to $10,000 last year and we only left Ohio 1 time.

Also, my son is going to a fairly expensive d2 school that wouldn't cost $120,000 after room and board. Tuition there is about double the amount that my daughter would pay if we had to pay for it.

$120,000 sounds like Yale...

$120,000.000 for 4 years. $30,000.00 per year... And, it depends where your travel team plays and your travel habits depends on how much you spend... We never chased "Nationals" and played primarily college showcases... Just saying it didn't seem too hard to make Travel ball work as an investment. Most parents on our team are paying $4,000.00 to $8,000.00 a year for collage after academic and ATHLETIC money awarded... A good "Average example" would be it cost $30,000.00 tutiton a year at college "X".
Say, 2 years of 14u and 2 years of 16u travel ball cost $20,000.00. The player ends up getting $10,000.00 academic money, and $12,000.00 ATHLETIC money leaving $ 8,000.00 per year to be paid.
$30,000.00 x 4 years = $120,000.00 let's subtract the acidemic money because they will get that regardless if they play softball or not... $120,000.00 Minus $48,000.00 and subtract the $20,000.00 not invested in travel ball... You have $68,000.00 so... $120,000.00 minus $68,000.00 you pay $13,000.00 a year for college and do not play college softball at the next level... Or pay $8,000.00 a year and play softball in college... And that $8,000.00 varies and can be less depending on athletic money given... And all the fun from traveling and seeing places you never would have along with the friendships and good times travel ball offers.

 

[wow]

Please tell me how a travel team that has 13 girls with offers from all college levels from D-1, 2, 3, NAIA and from complete full rides to partial scholarships are NOT a dollar & Cents POV? Losing proposition???
They all are getting "most" of their college paid for to play softball!!! I'll cancel your "EVER" at the top of the page...
Im saying it now! Investing $15,000.00 over 3-4 years was definitely worth 4 years of college completely 100% paid for!
I will say $15,000.00 was "a good investment" in getting $120,000.00 plus Room, Board and books for 4 years of college!
$15,000.00 is about half tuition or less than half for a year at a lot of colleges.... Most parents on our travel team paid that in 3-4 years of travel ball and now only have to pay $4,000.00 to $8,000.00 a year for college. ( not D-3 schools) How is that NOT a good investment???

I think you missed the point here. We totally agree from the perspective of best case senerio. I was only trying to state there is more to the game and to enjoy the experience first. Then if you are able to achieve your goals it is that much better. OF COURSE its a great investment IF you achieve the goal of receiving scholarships!

I'm going to have to agree with WOW here. For starters, you have said that your team has girls committed to D3 schools. Those girls will receive $0 in athletic money

Thanks coach for the support!