Why are the same teams always looking for players?

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Re: Why are the same teams always looking for play

: It is funny that posters on this very thread have done some of the things mentioned. i.e. commit to a team and then call saying they are going somewhere else before the first practice.
It is not always parents and players looking for greener pastures.
Coaches have to do their part also, i.e. being honest to the players. Don't tell the team that you are happy with who you have on the team and within 4 hours be posting on here looking for players. That was the reason we left the team we were with last year. People are finding out and they are still looking for players. In our case we actually did find a better team, that is developing players. I saw last year early that where we were was a dead end with very little communication.

Good luck the the teams that truly need the players and not just fishing for the next stud.

 

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This thread will have a much longer life if we keep the team names out of it...

 

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Re: Why are the same teams always looking for play

Evil Dad
Exactly! My dd was moved up a level to be the lead off slapper. First year ever slapping and then later see the organization advertising for lead off slapper. This really hurt her feelings. Made her think they didn't think she could do it and wanted to replace her.

 

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Re: Why are the same teams always looking for play

IMO, club (travel) ball began as an alternative to rec. ball, intending to provide a much higher level of competitive ball. These were kids who had a desire to play at least college ball, if not strive for the Olympic team. The kids (and parents) who chose this route were more than willing to work as hard as they could, and do whatever it takes to achieve an elite level of play.

What we're seeing now is everyone (and their brother) just throws together a team, enters a few local tournaments, and BINGO! We're a "travel" team! The whole concept of club ball has become so diluted over the last few years that you really can't tell where the dividing line between rec. and club is. You can look at this as a good thing or a bad thing. The good thing is that more girls than ever are playing the sport, albeit at a somewhat lower level. The bad thing is the talent pool is spread so thin that it's very hard to put a new team together from scratch that can truly compete with the established benchmark teams. Add in the "play with your friends" rec. mentality, and your back is against a wall.

Very few will agree with me on this one, but there is a certain coach (who no longer frequents this board) who started a very successful 10u team. That coach, in my opinion, is doing it right. That flavor of ball is not for everybody, but IT IS TRAVEL BALL. Too many teams are basically glorified rec. teams, and that is the root of the problem. Either you are a rec. team, or you are a club team. Trying to be a blend of both may be what is driving players away. You can't compete without the studs, but the studs won't stay with your team if you continue to play a lower caliber of ball, with lower caliber talent. You have to go one way or the other - either sell your team as a no holds barred travel team who's intention is to garner the best players possible (Yankees), or take the lighter approach, and develop some home grown talent for a community based rec. team. Pretty much a "s*** or get off the pot" approach. A lot fewer girls will become disillusioned with the sport that way, because they will know what to expect.

Hard core approach? You bet... but it is TRAVEL BALL!

 

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Sammy,....I completely understand the point your making, however, should a player just hang it up if they don't make one of the elite 10 or so teams in the state. There's more than a fair amount of players, given the opportunity to play and be coached, who can excel and easily play on a better travel team and in college. I think even the so called elite teams have benefited from the explosion of teams and tournaments. They obviously provide competition, or maybe just practice, for the elite teams before they go play the "Big Girl Tournaments" and "Nationals". I know you don't mean it to sound this way, but it's like you want "TRAVEL BALL" to be your own little exclusive club. I don't think travel ball is for everybody and their parents but the opportunity for anyone who wants to try should be there.
A few years ago, a friend of mine took his local Rec Ball team, ( Not mentioning team names Bear), to about 6 or 7 tournaments two tears in a row to expose them. They took their share of beatings, but some of the girls have moved on to quality travel teams and their high school has won the city championship the last 2 years.
Nobody gets better by not playing, and the truly elite wiil prosper at the higher level tournaments and Nationals.
Congrats to the NWO Lady Irish on winning the USSSA 18u Nationals and the SGS Magic for winning the USSSA 18 & Over Nationals the last 2 years !!

 

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I understand the concept of "travel" ball, but what happens if we only take the "elite" players and put them on the "elite teams" ????? ... and let the rest go on....I got into coaching because there were 5 or 6 girls that tried out for an org. and they had no coach. I picked up a few more girls and put together a 16u team. only one girl on this team had any "travel" experiance at all. We took are lumps early and often but by the end of the summer we were playing with all the teams down to the wire and even beat one of the best 16u teams in our own org. I know most of these girls coming back and are excited about playing fastpitch, this may have not happend if we do not put this team out there, I also think there are some good "coaches" that have been found in this game because of this oppurtunity I know one girl that was put on a pick up "travel" team a couple years ago and become one of the BEST TCL pitchers in the area. She may not be where she is at today without the oppurtunity. Like thuder said the elite teams will find a way to get it done but for the rest there may be a "diamond in the rough" just waiting to shine. It all about the GIRLS

 

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Uhh, What is an "elite team"? ;D

 

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answer: one that is written in all caps or deleted by BearMay
*runs away hiding* :-X

 

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Re: Why are the same teams always looking for play

Evil Dad,
Not sure if that was directed at me but we did leave a team before 1st practice. For many reasons one being that I pushed my daughter towards that team for my own reasons. Another being we played on a team last year that was a bad situation and made her stay all year because of commitment, but the problem is that the coaches are not always commited to all the kids just there own. So in the long run I let her make the choice.
And I will stand by it 110 percent.
This is travel ball and you see coaches break commitments to players all the time. Pick up pitcher for Nationals and sit kids that helped get them there, the catcher with the great arm, the good bat on and on, but when a kid or parent does it there is a big stink. WHY ?????????????

 

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My take on youth sports through 8th grade: Every kid who wants to play ANY sport, regardless of their current ability or talent, should be provided an opportunity to play. Much to my dismay, there are some middle schools that actually make cuts in their sports programs! Does yours? IMO, that is an absolute travesty. Are there coaches out there who are THAT talented to know which kid will develop into the next Michael Jordan, or Michelle Smith?

Furthermore, every girl that has the desire, for whatever reason - just playing with friends, rec. ball on weekends only, hard core travel ball, "elite" (however you personally want to define that) exposure level ball - should be afforded the opportunity to achieve the level of success that they are willing to work for. In other words, we are doing a disservice to our youth if there is a kid out there that has a truly honest desire to play sports, but isn't given the opportunity.

So, that's my take on youth sports, which has nothing to do with my definition of club, or travel softball. The underdog is king in America, so I'm not surprised at all that the "elite" teams are up on a pedestal with a big target on their backs. Call it what you want, but true travel ball is definitely NOT a private, exclusive club. It's open to every team who feels they have the ability (and talent) to join the ranks - the way it should be. Right or wrong, good or bad, I still stand by my un-politically correct OPINION that the quality of travel ball has degraded from what it started out as, mainly because of the influx of "all-star" rec. teams. And mixing players and teams with different goals and philosophies will always bring dissention.

 

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Re: Why are the same teams always looking for play

Sammy
In theory I agree with your take on athletics through Middle School. In practice it is not that easy. My kids go to a school that has in the past cut players from the Middle School softball program. There are limitations on available facilities, though I think there are ways to overcome this. The biggest limitation has been lack of coaches. We have consistently struggled to find coaches willing to take on the responsibility. Personally, it is something I might do at a future date, but, until I am done watching my high school age daughter play I am not willing to miss the couple of years she has left. Selfish, probably, but I will still stick with my position.

 

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Re: Why are the same teams always looking for play

answer: one that is written in all caps or deleted by BearMay
*runs away hiding* :-X

Oooo, a moving target...

 

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I'm with you 100% Sammy --- your description of travel ball and all it's warts is dead on. You perfectly , dead on , described what is going on in Scioto co . Rec teams playing a few tournies , winning enough to brag about being a tough bunch. But never playing more than 1 A level tourney a year, sometimes none. The rest being local stuff. thank you for calling it what is --glorified rec ball with most of the roster being your LL all star team .


What I don't get is the animosity and attacks for calling it just what it is . NO WHERE did Sammy say that these kids should not be playing , or they should go back to LL , Or they don't have the ability to develop into fine players. Or that only "elite " kids should be playing travel . Thats not what he said . He never said , or even implyed, that girls should not be playing . True travel ball is'nt for everyone. I've found that out the hard way. I think I've hacked off 3/4 of the softball community down here for stating just what Sammy said. I found out most are not going to S&^% , they just got off the pot. and they went away mad. So the best girls down here will continue to be the Indians , while the Yankees reap the reward. We are nothing but a farm league for the best organizations in Ohio. Very articulate, accurate, description of what fastpitch is like in my neck of the woods. MD

 

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Thanks, MD - And since I subscribe to the "Don't complain unless you are willing to put forth a possible solution" theory, I will make a (however utopian it may seem) suggestion.

The middle school my kids attended recruits volunteer coaches for all athletics, almost always parents. The obvious flaw in this system is that some are qualified, and some are nothing more than glorified babysitters. BUT - at least they were the ones willing to sacrifice their time for other's kids, and I will praise them for that. The good thing about this system is that we would always recruit another "coach" if needed in order to avoid turning kids away. But you get what you pay for.

Bear with me - I'm eventually going to tie this together and try to show how it relates to the "Why are the same teams always looking for players" topic.

My (Utopian) solution, or a start, is to develop a network of qualified coaches who are willing to spend the time needed to train the next generation of coaches. There are a LOT of coaches who give hitting lessons, pitching lessons, etc. to the players, but this is short lived. I think a better method would be to focus efforts on training the coaches of our kids - kind of like the way we train the teachers for our schools, although on a lesser level. There are coaches clinics, etc., but how do you get these volunteers to attend, and who pays?

To tie this in - I think fewer kids would find a reason to leave a team if they felt they were being taught sound fundamentals and progressing into a better ball player. My kid's coaches were never "specialists" per say, but just good game coaches. I never depended on them to teach my kids how to throw, hit or pitch. I just depended on their team coaches to be more like a team manager. We took care of the rest.

The problem is, not many parents do this, either because they don't have the resources, or maybe they just don't have the desire. So maybe training a larger group of coaches to be specialists would help? I'm all for keeping kids interested in the game, and growing it into a very visible sport.

 

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Some times organizations get a bad rap that takes awhile to shake off. Even if this negative attention is well deserved or not.
Like they say, the tongue is mightier than the sword!

 

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Re: Why are the same teams always looking for play

?
When I was in my early 20's and was griping to my dad about all my bad luck, he gave me some great advice. Go down the hall to the bathroom, close the door, stand in front of the sink, and look into the mirror. That's where you'll find out where all your troubles started and your the only person who can solve them.
Edit: Removed Team Names - TheBearMay

This is the greatest advice I have seen or heard on this forum or anywhere!! I am going to use if for both of my kids and their flaring attitudes sometimes. Your dad was a smart man, Thunder Road!