Need help with decision of moving to different team..

[LadyRangers2k11]

LONG READ, but please bare with me....


Well I'm looking for some good advice to steer my daughter(10yr) and I in the right direction to make the best decision.
Quick summary.......in July 2021 We agreed to commit to a team that was trying to form, After a month of searching for players and no luck, The HC decided to took a full time position coaching and cancel the team, So it never made.

A week later a 1st year 10U team (C-Class) full of (8-9yr olds) asked her to join, We knew the coach and some girls, and it's 25 mins from home so for the sake of staying busy and active we did,My ultimate goal for my DD was to get her on a 2nd 10u team that would be moving up in July 2022 so she could find a new home to stick with, Because she will age up.
Well we are still on Team A, But recently a 2nd year 10U (A-Class) team reached out to me asking to have my DD join, I entertained the idea to my DD because at the end of the day, It's all about her & enjoying what she does.My DD really loves the idea of joining but is torn between the 2.Her good friend plays for this other potential NEW team as well and that's a bit of her reasoning for joining but here is the pros and cons of the teams.

CURRENT TEAM..pros - 1.Guaranteed mound time, 2.Close to home,3.HC is very soft spoken, but gets his point across, 4.ZERO drama & all parents really care about the team, Not just their kid. CONS 1.Its a young team, So they have another 1.5 seasons left in 10U.

POTENTIAL NEW TEAM..... PROS 1.Girls are all studs, Surrounded by some amazing talent. Defense is absolutely nasty. 2. This team has had 10 of it's current players together for a Solid straight 3yrs! 3. A Class team! CONS 1. No Guaranteed mound time, the best players will start, other will be rotated in. 2. Team is 1.5hrs away
Thats about the major factors I can think of, I have spoke with DD and explained to her all of them, and she says she feels the new team will push her even HARDER to be a better player.

Is there any advice y'all could shoot my way on how to make a better decision?

 

[Rolling Hard]

10u Have fun! Go swimming. Eat pizza. Go Bowling! Eat more pizza! Water balloon fights! Bike rides! Movie night! Beach day!

 

[Wildfire]

Full time current team. Part time new team.

Next year, full time new team.

 

[MattM]

The second team fits her age group so to me it is a better fit and she will face better batting and hopefully have a better catcher and defense behind her. Setting up a pitcher for success breeds confidence and further improvement. However you need to evaluate the pitchers on this second team. If your DD is not 1 or 2 on the rotation or at least in the mix then maybe its not a good fit. Your goal should be for her to get close to 1 game per day at tournaments. In the end its only 10U and the deck gets shuffled multiple times in the coming years so if she will have fun on either team then both are the right choice.

 

[YOCOACH]

10U and 12U is all about learning new skills, developing those skills, learning game situational awareness and overall, developing as a player. That means a knowledgeable coach that knows what to teach both in fundamentals and skills. However, just as important is the amount of playing time. I'm assuming that your DD is a pitcher since you mentioned circle time. The quickest and best way to develop her as a pitcher is to get her as much game circle time as possible. The other thing is she made a commitment to her current team and they are counting/depending on her for the current season. Just to pick up and leave would be classless.

Long and short, she can develop better as both a pitcher and a player while playing a majority of the innings. There's always next year after her commitment to the current team is completed to join another team that's better.

 

[KrisHur]

, 4.ZERO drama & all parents really care about the team, Not just their kid.

Ha, just wait..... But seriously, it is all about *your* kid, do what's best for her and her development. Not saying you should ever sabotage anyone else but you should 100% do what's best for your DD. 10U is super young but it's when skills should start to be instilled or she will find herself trying to make the jump to a better team at 12U only to find the better teams have a lot of skills in place and your DD is behind. I know, we kept DD in rec for probably 1 year longer than we should have and when she made the jump to travel she was really behind and needed a lot of make-up work.

 

[_MIA_]

I don't care how "studly" (side note: I have yet to see "nasty" defense from a 10U team..above average for a 10U team would be a better description) these 10U players are on the second team , if a coach cannot guarantee pitching time for a 10YO pitcher I would not join for three reasons:

1) Not sure I would want to play for the type of coach who doesn't guarantee pitching time to a 10YO..it is 10U softball...
2) A kid needs some game circle time to improve
3) You have no idea what the (possible) lack of regular pitching time will do to your DD's confidence/motivation , regardless of what she says now. Adversity is a good thing for sure, but there are different levels. At 10YO being the 3rd pitcher on a team (but still getting regular pitching time), is about as "adverse" as I would go.

 

[radness]

LONG READ, but please bare with me....


Well I'm looking for some good advice to steer my daughter(10yr) and I in the right direction to make the best decision.
Quick summary.......in July 2021 We agreed to commit to a team that was trying to form, After a month of searching for players and no luck, The HC decided to took a full time position coaching and cancel the team, So it never made.

A week later a 1st year 10U team (C-Class) full of (8-9yr olds) asked her to join, We knew the coach and some girls, and it's 25 mins from home so for the sake of staying busy and active we did,My ultimate goal for my DD was to get her on a 2nd 10u team that would be moving up in July 2022 so she could find a new home to stick with, Because she will age up.
Well we are still on Team A, But recently a 2nd year 10U (A-Class) team reached out to me asking to have my DD join, I entertained the idea to my DD because at the end of the day, It's all about her & enjoying what she does.My DD really loves the idea of joining but is torn between the 2.Her good friend plays for this other potential NEW team as well and that's a bit of her reasoning for joining but here is the pros and cons of the teams.

CURRENT TEAM..pros - 1.Guaranteed mound time, 2.Close to home,3.HC is very soft spoken, but gets his point across, 4.ZERO drama & all parents really care about the team, Not just their kid. CONS 1.Its a young team, So they have another 1.5 seasons left in 10U.

POTENTIAL NEW TEAM..... PROS 1.Girls are all studs, Surrounded by some amazing talent. Defense is absolutely nasty. 2. This team has had 10 of it's current players together for a Solid straight 3yrs! 3. A Class team! CONS 1. No Guaranteed mound time, the best players will start, other will be rotated in. 2. Team is 1.5hrs away
Thats about the major factors I can think of, I have spoke with DD and explained to her all of them, and she says she feels the new team will push her even HARDER to be a better player.

Is there any advice y'all could shoot my way on how to make a better decision?

Simply, 50% to 70% should be a minimum playing time on teams.

As to the 2nd team.
No guaranteed pitching time and the best players will start. (10u) Yet the coach has approached you with an opportunity to come play on their team.
The coach is not looking for a player to utilize and develop, that coach is looking for fill-in bodies.

If the coach of 'any team you encounter possibly wanting to play for' cannot describe the role they see your daughter on their squad and how she can be utilized. Avoid it.

 

[Strike2]

Not sure where the friend is...on the current 1st year 10C or the 2nd year 10A. Having 10 established players could make that 10A a very tough nut to crack for both playing time and socially. Girls are very cliquish and coaches can be creatures of habit...a new kid often has to really make a quick impression with their play to gain acceptance. Having a friend on the 10A could make the social part a bit easier. Going into that long-established "A" team while knowing no one is likely to be a problem.

Challenge is good, but biting off more than your DD can chew can be a painful and demoralizing. 10U should be about development and fun. Getting on the field is vital for both. I'm not saying that 10U is unimportant, but parents sometimes put too much softball pressure on their young kid's shoulders. I know of some good 10U "A" players who quit before HS, and current Div 1 players who weren't even in the sport at that age.

 

[Traps71]

As long as your DD is developing (for which circle time is a must) and having fun, I would stay with your current team through the rest of the season and then reevaluate as the summer season is wrapping up. What happens before 14U (when things physically begin to level out and you start playing “real” softball) probably doesn’t matter very much…again, as long as your daughter is developing and learning the game.