Dusty cleat diaries: not going to Nationals

[Momo'sDad]

....and of course did you guys end up qualifying?

Although the team worked very hard to earn its qualification, the majority of parents voted to decline the bid to Nationals. I'm not sure why there was no group discussion (just asking the question out loud here, don't get mad at me anyone), but the secret email vote went against the trip, so our meeting ended up being about making plans for Westerns instead.

Once our parents passed, the 3rd-place team immediately jumped on and accepted the bid.

One of the sentiments expressed was that the team wouldn't be competitive enough to get deep in bracket play and might very well be 4-and-done. The other major concern was the travel cost. Both are very valid, rational reasons to opt for the smaller event.

What I didn't agree with, though, was a statement by a parent that it was 'easy' to qualify, so the team should have no trouble repeating their feat in the future. Nothing could be further from the truth. ASA Nationals had not been on the radar for this team at the start of the season, which was why there was no ongoing fundraising with that huge expense looming on the horizon. What's done is done, but I think it's a mistake to take for granted that they'll be able to qualify again in 2 years from now.

I know the girls will have fun in Oregon and some of the teams expected to make the trip are teams they've beaten, assuming those teams are totally intact. Many teams are in the process of upgrading with pickup players, of course, so it'll be interesting to see how our girls fare against them now as our team has no personnel changes planned.

As a semi-crazy softball dad, though, I confess it's hard seeing them miss out on what I perceive to be a bigger opportunity. Some of the teams going to Kentucky are also teams they've beaten or competed well against. But, by opting for Westerns, they'll be playing against other teams that are closer to their level overall and if that gives them the opportunity to get more games and make a deep run, then I'm fully onboard with the decision. Plus, it goes without saying that a 6-hour road trip is a lot less expensive than a cross-country flight, so it's tough to argue with the economics of playing closer to home.

We'll see how it goes.

 

[shockcoach]

Good luck in Medford. It should be fun. My friend's team qualified for nationals yesterday evening and he asked me to make the trip to help him out coaching. So it looks like I will be going to San Jose in July. I'm looking forward to it.

It should definitely be the end game and the parents need to know in advance. This same team I'm going to help with passed on their bid last year. This year he made it VERY clear that was what they were shooting for, so the parents have planned accordingly.

 

[GOINGDEEP]

We didn't get to take the trip to Nats either for 3 reasons. 1) ASA was horribly run around here for many years, good teams avoided those tourneys like the plague. So if you wanted to play good comp, you had to play in other orgs. 2) Financial reasons. The recession kicked a lot of my parents butts. 3) We did do Florida WS a couple of years young, a Texas WS one year, and Crown in OK one year so the girls could watch the WCWS. Most of our girls had younger siblings, and the families used those trips as their "only" vacation to share amongst the different ages and activities. ( they weren't softball only trips )

I wish we had better timing, now that I look back. I wish we could have rode that Nats mule with a our ( normal ) team healthy and financially sound. I would have liked to see how far we could have made it.

Your team is young, and as I follow you they seem to be talented. Maybe next year will be your year. Best of luck and let us know how you do at Westerns.

 

[29dad]

Plus i'm pretty sure that if you win Westerns, you get an automatic bid for ASA/USA the following year, which would give you a lot of time to plan, raise funds, etc. Good luck.

 

[starsnuffer]

The Medford facilities are absolutely gorgeous and their tournament staff are top notch, your team will have a great time there. Make it to the finals and you'll have video of the game to keep.

-W

 

[Coach-n-Dad]

Momo's Dad, Your team is in CA and Nat's are in KY. Also, if I remember correctly the team is 10 or 12U? The only reason to go to KY would be for the experience, better competition and a chance to win the big big show, there will be no coaches looking seriously at such young girls. If the team has little to no chance at taking the tourney then I would agree with the other parents.

My DD's team has qualified for ASA 18U Nat's in VA. We are also in CA and the parents are already stating that they can't afford a trip that big. We are trying to qualify for PGA this weekend and if that doesn't happen I'm sure we will attend Western Nationals this year as well.

 

[Ajaywill]

Plus i'm pretty sure that if you win Westerns, you get an automatic bid for ASA/USA the following year, which would give you a lot of time to plan, raise funds, etc. Good luck.

I also believe that the runner up earns a berth for the following year as well, in the same age category and as long as at least five player remain on the roster the following year. Please do not take this as gospel truth...verify with your local ASA commissioner.

 

[guero_gordo]

Plus i'm pretty sure that if you win Westerns, you get an automatic bid for ASA/USA the following year, which would give you a lot of time to plan, raise funds, etc. Good luck.

That is true, provided you keep 5 players(so it's still considered the same team). Runner-up also got a bid.

 

[CPSBDad]

Hey Momo'sDad, what's the name of your DD's team? I ask because a second year 12U A team from my area is going to Medford and they are very good. I'm sure shockcoach knows the NW Xplosion team and their coaches. I'd like to follow both teams and see if you guys meet in a game.

 

[Momo'sDad]

Foothill Gold '02, so they won't meet this time around. Good luck to your local team!

Right now, we're trying to estimate how many teams will be there, because some of the girls want to trade pins with EVERYONE.