Travel Ball is Killing Rec Ball

[MNDad]

I’m going to assume this is a troll post, but here goes anyway.

How are travel sports ruining rec ball? Better coaching? Better training? Higher competition? Higher level of commitment?

Most travel programs have fundraising or scholarships to make it affordable for everyone. Travel teams ARE turning kids into college athletes. Some better than others, but you’ll be hard pressed to find any D1 softball players that didn’t come from travel programs. You won’t see many at D2 either. You’ll see several at D3 or JUCO, but they seldom see the field. The starters mostly come from travel teams. Sorry to burst your bubble, but those are facts.

Claiming size and speed are the two main thigs coaches look at is completely false. That myth comes from parents of kids that aren’t getting recruited. Look at any college roster and you’ll see girls who are close to 5’, close to 6’ and everywhere in between. I met a lot more families in rec ball that think their kid is the next sensation than I ever did in travel. Most travel parents just want to supply their kids opportunities. What they do with that is up to the kids. Most rec parents are clueless what it takes to get to the next level and that’s sad.

Both rec and travel parents agree multiple sports at a young age help create well rounded athletes. By the time they get in HS they can still play other sports, but they need to do some level of training year round in the sport they wish to pursue in college. All the basketball, volleyball or soccer in the world isn’t going to help them hit a rise ball and I can guarantee they aren’t going to see one in rec ball.

 

[Eric F]

You got it. The elite travel stuff has always been there. It’s all the lower level travel that is growing every year that is killing rec leagues. The talent pool is so watered down in the b and c levels.

This is a significantly different statement than the broad generalization about TB that you started with. While I would argue that there is a place for "development" TB, I would agree that there is a contingent of players that really aren't ready for the next step.

 

[chardrok]

Travel ball is taking a toll on rec ball. Yes.

Things have changed a lot. It is what it is. Travel softball might be hurting rec softball, but it's not hurting softball as a sport.

College recruiting changes the way they do things along with everything else. Check out AAU basketball.

It is different for sure. Is it broken? Probably not anymore that it always has been, just in different ways.

Most of the kids I saw on the court in rec basketball I see on either the travel or rec diamond. I still see a lot of multi-sport kids in our area.

What I see drive kids away from rec sports are over-zealous over-competitive rec coaches that don't bother to engage the bottom half of their team with the sport. Kids that don't develop early get looked over and left behind in rec leagues and lose interest, because some dad-coach didn't have the ability or the foresight to develop what the kid does have. After a year or two of changes, that same kid that now has the physical tools is sitting in front of a video game or has found some more accepting group as an outlet.

My DD stopped playing rec softball this spring, because her select team is more fun to play on, the games are more fun, the coaching is better, and she doesn't have time for both plus ballet. It's not a program that's at the top of the food chain. The kids fund raise a lot, and they can basically pay for a lot of their expenses without much assistance. I've seen nice bats and used equipment getting handed down to younger players that need it. For the most part, it's a better environment than most of the rec teams that I've been around. These are the same kids from rec that get more coaching and development from the top to the bottom of the roster, and I'm not paying much more out of pocket than our local rec season costs.

There is no doubt that there will be players advance that came up through the rec systems, but don't discount how many college athletes are getting there through travel ball.

We don't have any college expectations on my daughter's softball career. She's not in softball to pursue college. If she wants to go to college and pursue softball, then that's up to her.

 

[whack]

I'm not sure who's fault it is that rec ball is in the state it's in, but-

It is what it is.

Listen, my DD isn't a 10 year old prodigy by any stretch. She's above average but that's about it. Unfortunately, there isn't a single rec league in the OKC metro area that I've found, that is fielding a single team that she wouldn't likely be the best player on (or very nearly the best player). It's bad softball for the most part. She isn't trying to earn a scholarship tomorrow (and I'm not trying to get her recruited). She wants to have fun, and I enjoy watching her have fun. Rec, however, isn't any fun. There is no pitching to hit and there is no one who can hit the ball anyway, even when there is pitching. If you're even average, you stand around and kick dirt hoping something will happen. If you're a good pitcher, you get the momentary satisfaction of mowing a bunch of kids down but even that gets old.

I think we all agree with you regarding what has killed rec ball, but I'm not going to be the one carrying the banner on this deal. I want my kid to have fun, and for now, it's lower-level TB that does it for her.

I agree with you 100%. My daughter is 10 also and LOVES playing sports. All of them, but she can’t play travel softball, travel basketball, and travel volleyball. The seasons over lap and playing three travel sports the money would become an issue. You shouldn’t have to be paying $800-1000 plus travel per sport just to see competition at 10 years old. That’s my opinion though.


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[Eric F]

I agree with you 100%. My daughter is 10 also and LOVES playing sports. All of them, but she can’t play travel softball, travel basketball, and travel volleyball. The seasons over lap and playing three travel sports the money would become an issue. You shouldn’t have to be paying $800-1000 plus travel per sport just to see competition at 10 years old. That’s my opinion though.


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Do you have older kids who played travel sports, too?

 

[whack]

I’m going to assume this is a troll post, but here goes anyway.

How are travel sports ruining rec ball? Better coaching? Better training? Higher competition? Higher level of commitment?

Most travel programs have fundraising or scholarships to make it affordable for everyone. Travel teams ARE turning kids into college athletes. Some better than others, but you’ll be hard pressed to find any D1 softball players that didn’t come from travel programs. You won’t see many at D2 either. You’ll see several at D3 or JUCO, but they seldom see the field. The starters mostly come from travel teams. Sorry to burst your bubble, but those are facts.

Claiming size and speed are the two main thigs coaches look at is completely false. That myth comes from parents of kids that aren’t getting recruited. Look at any college roster and you’ll see girls who are close to 5’, close to 6’ and everywhere in between. I met a lot more families in rec ball that think their kid is the next sensation than I ever did in travel. Most travel parents just want to supply their kids opportunities. What they do with that is up to the kids. Most rec parents are clueless what it takes to get to the next level and that’s sad.

Both rec and travel parents agree multiple sports at a young age help create well rounded athletes. By the time they get in HS they can still play other sports, but they need to do some level of training year round in the sport they wish to pursue in college. All the basketball, volleyball or soccer in the world isn’t going to help them hit a rise ball and I can guarantee they aren’t going to see one in rec ball.

Size and speed don’t matter? Find me a 5 flat 40 WR or a 5’10 240lb offensive lineman. In college. Go on I’ll wait. I was recruited by the school I ended up signing with solely on size and speed. They (HC and DC) didn’t even know I played football they happened to be at the state hs basketball tourney I was playing in and saw me. Found me after the game asked if I was interested in playing football in college. I asked if they wanted to see film they said nope at 6’6” and your size with quick feet we’ll make an all conference lineman outta you. It matters in all sports my personal experience in college recruiting was in football and basketball but if you think it don’t matter you are fooling yourself.


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[Eric F]

Size and speed don’t matter? Find me a 5 flat 40 WR or a 5’10 240lb offensive lineman. In college. Go on I’ll wait. I was recruited by the school I ended up signing with solely on size and speed. They (HC and DC) didn’t even know I played football they happened to be at the state hs basketball tourney I was playing in and saw me. Found me after the game asked if I was interested in playing football in college. I asked if they wanted to see film they said nope at 6’6” and your size with quick feet we’ll make an all conference lineman outta you. It matters in all sports my personal experience in college recruiting was in football and basketball but if you think it don’t matter you are fooling yourself.


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In a sport like football and basketball where size and speed are more critical factors due to the physical demands of the game, those are much more important factors than in softball or baseball. You can't draw a direct parallel between them.

 

[OsDad]

Eric is right. Not to mention that the bottleneck in softball isn't nearly what it is in men's sports, where there are millions of dollars at the end of the rainbow. I'd venture to guess that there are a lot more girls who are going to college based on their academic desires and just want to play ball where they go to school, as opposed to trying to compete with a percent of a percent to go somewhere that can land them in professional sports, where those measurables are the only thing that separates a lot of players. There is also a lot more money tied up in coaching men's sports (I don't have any numbers to back this up, however), even at lower levels, and likely more pressure to bring in kids who pass the eye test.

 

[Softballmom2008]

The problem with our travel team is that it is actually tied to the rec league. Now that the girls have 6-9 travel seasons under their belts, they are above and beyond the level of their rec league counterparts.
I think this particular team should be in a mentoring situation with younger or less experienced players and not forced to play on a team with girls who only play a couple months per year.

In our situation, my dds rec team has her and one other travel player with the rest casual players. None of the girls can catch their pitches so they are forced to catch each other during rec games mainly because the parent see how hard they throw and don’t want their kids risking an injury.

 

[whack]

In a sport like football and basketball where size and speed are more critical factors due to the physical demands of the game, those are much more important factors than in softball or baseball. You can't draw a direct parallel between them.

Same thing. Two kids with same skill set in softball the bigger stronger athlete is getting the offer. Same as basketball, same as football same as volleyball same as soccer


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