Playing up (School Ball) ???????

[samrai309]

In my neck of the woods, best players play varsity which typically consists of older players but if a 7th or 8th grader is one of the best she plays varsity. JV is majority 8th-9th graders and we have middle school of 7th-8th graders only

Our school seems similar. We have a middle school team of 7th and 8th and 8th graders can be asked to try out for varsity. I'm in NY. There is no JV team. My daughter was asked and made the varsity squad this past week. We will see how much playing time she gets. She plays travel ball too, though so I am curious to see how this plays out. They don't have her practicing at her usual positions either so this might get very interesting.

 

[Northball]

7-12 can play varsity here. Recent changes to rules allow 6th graders to participate in track. This pulls girls away from softball (including summer and fall) a year sooner, and they miss out on a year where the softball play is getting better.

 

[Chilixa]

Is it only me? I find it odd that middle schoolers can play on a HS team? Are these schools under one roof? K-12? Private School?

In Florida middle schoolers can play. I believe the schools have to be on the same campus. That includes some small rural public schools and most private schools that are k-12. I think many of them would struggle to field a team if they didn’t have the ability to use middle schoolers. My DD played on varsity last year as a 7th grader. It went much better than I expected. The majority of the high school teams we play are worse competition than a normal travel ball weekend.


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[Coach LM]

I'm sure some of you have had to help your DD make this decision. Suppose your DD is asked to play for the Varsity School team but she's JV age eligible. It seems like the offer to play up is mainly as a backup and she's probably not in the starting lineup.

Is play time more important than quality of play?

The quality of coaching at both V & JV levels is mediocre.

As a Varsity and travel coach, doing both school in spring and travel in summer and fall, for many years, it is my observation that JV in many schools is as bad as rec ball and has a very short schedule.
The level of the players on Varsity will probably raise the level of your DD;s play. In some schools the coach is usually a teacher in the building that is not a coach that is involved in the game 12 months a year.

 

[dogpatch]

I'm sure some of you have had to help your DD make this decision. Suppose your DD is asked to play for the Varsity School team but she's JV age eligible. It seems like the offer to play up is mainly as a backup and she's probably not in the starting lineup.

Is play time more important than quality of play?

The quality of coaching at both V & JV levels is mediocre.

School ball is all over the spectrum. The exact circumstances dictate what the best choice would be. Keep in mind that in a good high school program, coaches will make decisions according to what they think will be best for the entire program. They will also chart a course for the future of the program based on the players they have and the eligibility that remains. In our state, schools are free to move players up and down as their situation dictates with the only restriction being season game limits for players. In our case, we would never move a JV permanently to the varsity bench just to be a back-up. If circumstances cause us to employ JV's as back-ups the duty is rotated. A younger player who is placed permanently on our varsity will be one who earns a role as a starter. Parents should keep in mind that in a good HS program, practice is at a high level and intensity. Practice is where players learn their skills, games are where players use their skills. Just playing games, as Travel Ball often promotes, is not enough for players to hone their skills to the highest levels of the older age groups.

 

[Orange Socks]

School ball is all over the spectrum. The exact circumstances dictate what the best choice would be. Keep in mind that in a good high school program, coaches will make decisions according to what they think will be best for the entire program. They will also chart a course for the future of the program based on the players they have and the eligibility that remains. In our state, schools are free to move players up and down as their situation dictates with the only restriction being season game limits for players. In our case, we would never move a JV permanently to the varsity bench just to be a back-up. If circumstances cause us to employ JV's as back-ups the duty is rotated. A younger player who is placed permanently on our varsity will be one who earns a role as a starter. Parents should keep in mind that in a good HS program, practice is at a high level and intensity. Practice is where players learn their skills, games are where players use their skills. Just playing games, as Travel Ball often promotes, is not enough for players to hone their skills to the highest levels of the older age groups.

@dogpatch your name brings me back to my summers in northern Arkansas at my grandparents. We used to go to Dogpatch USA. Loved that place.

 

[Battleaxe]

I'm sure some of you have had to help your DD make this decision. Suppose your DD is asked to play for the Varsity School team but she's JV age eligible. It seems like the offer to play up is mainly as a backup and she's probably not in the starting lineup.

Is play time more important than quality of play?

The quality of coaching at both V & JV levels is mediocre.

I'd move her up depending on the position. Especially as a pitcher she would have better talent around her and benefit from the practices. In the end I'd leave it up to her.