Also from Florida... seeing so many going out before the (USSSA Central & SFL)state tournaments are completed. Last year it was mid july postings. seen alot of 10u/12u split before the World Series maybe thats why
Already? Travel Trout notices going out...
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Also from Florida... seeing so many going out before the (USSSA Central & SFL)state tournaments are completed. Last year it was mid july postings. seen alot of 10u/12u split before the World Series maybe thats why
Sounds cliché, but just you wait...
As your DD gets older, the pool gets smaller and the talent gets better. The coveted spots on elite teams become a free-for-all, and There. Will. Be. Blood.
Hard sell from coaches, private tryouts from elite players. Heck, around here, by the time tryouts roll around for the bigger orgs, those teams are already full and it's mostly for show. Deals will be made, promises will be given. People will be disillusioned again come June-July, and the whole vicious process will begin with new energy.
Oh and you'll have an emotional teenager on your hands, too. So, you know, it's awesome.
Yeah... there is a group of 10-14 girls in our area who are on the lower end of the 'A' players... they always seem to be somewhere between 8-14 on the batting depth chart of the A teams. They all change teams EVERY season, sometimes multiple times as they get shuffled in and out by coaches as new 'better' players come into the teams. When the new 'elite' player joins, they get pushed out. They are also the girls who go with the team to nationals, only to sit all week because the organization brought in a couple of national level players to play that week. It is tough for them - they would be playing every pitch for a high level B team, but their parents don't want that for them (or maybe it is the players - I doubt it)
It is somewhat easier for pitchers - they are in massive demand as the pool gets smaller. If we are not playing on a weekend - the moment the schedules come out and people see that, I get 10 texts or phone calls asking if my DD wants to play this weekend.
WARRIORMIKE
Pro-Staff Everything
That is a sucky place to be. Knowing that your DD is good enough for an A team and to pay A-level $$, but to sit the bench. On the other hand, you know that, even though they'd play a ton at the B level, there would be little to no interest from colleges. Or at least that's the way it's portrayed here and on other boards I've seen. If it IS possible to get college exposure as a top player on a good B-level team, that would be an awesome thing for parents to know.
My kid just turned 12 and is playing for a very good org, A level. All of a sudden in the last 2 weeks, I am getting contacted by coaches for other org's telling me about themselves, what they can offer my kid and blah, blah, blah. These coaches are tracking me down, sending me IM's on facebook and asking about my kid. It is really starting to freak me out because I haven't seen this before. She is a pitcher so maybe this is normal for A ball?
WARRIORMIKE
Pro-Staff Everything
I take it you post proud moments of your dd's pitching abilities? Not saying there is anything wrong with it. Once word get around town that there's a successful pitcher, doors will open up. It is normal with pitchers. Every team wants that "lights out" pitcher.
Me_and_my_big_mouth
witty softball quote
I am still amazed at how often a situaton on DFP just sums up my DD's experience, and it reinforces that we are not unique and not reinventing the wheel.
We are going to PGF Nationals, and during our last PGF tournament, DD played 7 innings in 6 bracket games. She was bitterly disappointed and quite certain that "she sucks." She does not suck. She is, in fact, quite the athlete. She's ok now and realizes "the deal" but it doesn't make the situation much easier when it's happening.
She was a pitcher - but she stopped because coaches said they really saw her on the field, "at any position" more than pitching. I guess that's code for, "You're done pitching on this team, so take a hint." So she threw herself into fielding lessons, and womaned-up and told coach she didn't want to pitch anymore. Coaches actually seemed relieved, because never including her in pitching practices and not pitching her during important games was getting kind of awkward. I wish coaches would just tell it like it is. DD is tough and can handle it - but man some direct communication would sure be appreciated. Being awkwardly iced out feels pretty terrible.
Now, she sits for reasons that are also not unique to our situation (thank you again, DFP, for helping me learn to not take politics personally). She is not sitting because she isn't as good as the "starters," which she knows (now) and we know. She just isn't better. So they throw her at 1b sometimes (where she's never played) and they tell her to be a leader and a team player. She scheduled a meeting with her coach to talk about what she needed to do to earn some coveted 3b or 2b time and he told her, "arm strength." Then AC says, "You're strong as an ox. It isn't about strength, it's mechanics." Then other AC says at the last tournament, "Whoever said you need to work on your strength is crazy. Your throws looks great!" At this point, her shoulder is taped up from throwing every day on top of practice, then adding pushups and bicep work because she thought she was weak. I applaud her efforts but strongly believe that she could come in hot, with biceps like Mr. Clean, and she'd still be on the bench because of other stuff that is entirely too cliché to give attention to.
She is still in the hitting lineup, though, and doing solid work - so, we have told her to just contribute everything she can, when she can. It doesn't mean we aren't salty over here - it just means that we recognize 1) She chose this team and kinda had already been warned 2) It ain't the first time life hasn't been fair, and it won't be the last and 3) She'll have an opportunity to offer her skillset up for grabs when the season is over and see if there is a team out there that might find her more useful. That might be a lower level team, which would be crushing to her because the team she's currently on earned berths at TCS, ASA, and PGF. She's tasted that and wants nothing less.
Until then, we are stuck because Nationals are the traditional "tryout" week. I feel super creepy reaching out to other coaches at the moment because I want to stay focused on this team and finishing the job she started. I sure wish we had more early stuff going on that was above-board and out there.
So sorry that this turned into a rant, but seemed like you guys were reading my mind. Didn't mean to hijack the thread, but maybe this sheds some light on how the early tryouts might help girls who are kind of stuck.
I think I should just go fishing! Early trout sounds good.
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- Oct 16, 2014
- 332
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Sounds cliché, but just you wait...
As your DD gets older, the pool gets smaller and the talent gets better. The coveted spots on elite teams become a free-for-all, and There. Will. Be. Blood.
Hard sell from coaches, private tryouts from elite players. Heck, around here, by the time tryouts roll around for the bigger orgs, those teams are already full and it's mostly for show. Deals will be made, promises will be given. People will be disillusioned again come June-July, and the whole vicious process will begin with new energy.
Oh and you'll have an emotional teenager on your hands, too. So, you know, it's awesome.
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this is so so true. We call them "drug deals". All the back room deals are made well before any try outs and rosters are pretty much set before July. Open try outs are either for show or to snag an additional player or 2 to fill out a roster. All the "good" or well known or connected players know where they are going or staying pretty much by mid June
- Jun 12, 2015
- 3,843
- 83
I figure if you're on the line between A and B, play high B to get the playing time to improve then move to A when ready. And if you're not skilled enough to be a starter on an A team by about 16 you're probably not playing in college anyway, right, so why not play where you get to actually play? Or am I wrong?
Me_and_my_big_mouth
witty softball quote
You aren't wrong in theory. The problem comes when you have a kid who IS A level, but so are the other 12 girls on the team (coach's dream, right? Not really). And when all the girls are talented (I'm talking specifically 14u here) and all the girls want to showcase, then it comes down to intangibles. Just a few for example, not saying they are specific to my DD situation but been around a while now:
* Is your kid a long time player with the org?
* Is your kid an extrovert or is she kinda shy or reserved?
* Is your kid a "favorite" -and yeah, coaches, we all know you have them.
* Is your kid in a slump?
* Is your kid stressing or showing anxiety?
* Is your kid related to a coach, AC, or The Mom who volunteers more than you work your day job?
So that's just some observational insight that can affect play time, imo. Coaches always want to say, "Every position is earned." Well, if you believe that to be true - I have some new training equipment I'd like to sell you that will turn your DD into Jennie Finch overnight.
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