What to look for in a 1st Year 14U Travel Ball team?

[vdubya]

Now, find out who has a team that will not go dark next year. Chances are, that team is not currently playing 14U because if they were, they will more than likely have girls going into 9th grade next Fall and need to be wiped off your list.

^^^^^Make sure that you understand this. RT, you also need to understand that your DD's birthdate/grade combo is such that SHE will be "one of THOSE players (lol)" who forces a team into a dark period early in her second year of 14u, b/c she will be a frosh. And so...some more considerations:

In your OP, you mention that DD wants to make varsity as a freshman. By that time if she has the tools to make V as a frosh, there is no reason to return to 14u AFTER that HS season. Even though she would be eligible by birthdate, it makes no sense to finish a Varsity (18u) season and then go play down at 14u. ***Generalizing of course. Not all programs are equal. School size, competition, etc vs TB scene yaddayadda. Weigh it all out. *** But, generally if she is a frosh/jv team type of player she may want to return to 14U TB after her frosh season, while if she is V material and can hang with a decent V schedule as a frosh then consider that her first year of 14u TB may be just a single year stepping stone to 16u TB.

Just a little more to chew on--may fuel more discussion and opinions.

Good Luck!

 

[Westwind]

In your OP, you mention that DD wants to make varsity as a freshman. By that time if she has the tools to make V as a frosh, there is no reason to return to 14u AFTER that HS season. Even though she would be eligible by birthdate, it makes no sense to finish a Varsity (18u) season and then go play down at 14u. ***Generalizing of course. Not all programs are equal. School size, competition, etc vs TB scene yaddayadda. Weigh it all out. *** But, generally if she is a frosh/jv team type of player she may want to return to 14U TB after her frosh season, while if she is V material and can hang with a decent V schedule as a frosh then consider that her first year of 14u TB may be just a single year stepping stone to 16u TB

Bang! Drop the mic and walk off the stage.

Seriously, that is some "right on" type info.

 

[InsidePitch]

DD's 14U org did not allow Freshmen on the 14U team. Their philosophy was, "you're playing 18U in HS, you might as well play 18U in the summer". It helped DD a lot.

 

[marriard]

But, generally if she is a frosh/jv team type of player she may want to return to 14U TB after her frosh season, while if she is V material and can hang with a decent V schedule as a frosh then consider that her first year of 14u TB may be just a single year stepping stone to 16u TB.

This is how we intend to do it with our current team. One year of 14U for final prep (and for many a chance to continue to physically develop) with players who are entering 8th grade and then into HS/showcase/etc. Thinking about it this way has opened us up to some players we were previously not considering. Once they are in HS playing they wont step back down.

 

[Rocketech1]

^^^^^Make sure that you understand this. RT, you also need to understand that your DD's birthdate/grade combo is such that SHE will be "one of THOSE players (lol)" who forces a team into a dark period early in her second year of 14u, b/c she will be a frosh. And so...some more considerations:

In your OP, you mention that DD wants to make varsity as a freshman. By that time if she has the tools to make V as a frosh, there is no reason to return to 14u AFTER that HS season. Even though she would be eligible by birthdate, it makes no sense to finish a Varsity (18u) season and then go play down at 14u. ***Generalizing of course. Not all programs are equal. School size, competition, etc vs TB scene yaddayadda. Weigh it all out. *** But, generally if she is a frosh/jv team type of player she may want to return to 14U TB after her frosh season, while if she is V material and can hang with a decent V schedule as a frosh then consider that her first year of 14u TB may be just a single year stepping stone to 16u TB.

Just a little more to chew on--may fuel more discussion and opinions.

Good Luck!

Good point about her playing up two years from now, I guess it depends on the quality of the travel ball team and the team's goals.

Historically, her HS team has not been a powerhouse (generally a losing record each season) and the JV team is even worse but this coming year a group of about 1/2 dozen quality players will enter high school and we are hoping that the JV and V teams will improve in the coming years.

 

[Rocketech1]

Your DD played TB this year, so you should have some knowledge of the landscape and teams moving up to 14U.

1) Well-coached team is always a top priority.

2) Strongest team where she can earn sufficient playing time and be challenged for it.

3) Seems like her team did a mix of A circuit (PGF qualifier) and B circuit (USSSA), so you should have a pretty good idea about the landscape here. Has she advanced past the B circuit and is ready for a team that is competitive on the A circuit full time? If not, find a team that is realistic about their abilities and schedules appropriately.

Think about all the teams she faced that made a good impression on you and then whether she would be an upgrade at her position(s).

Good luck!

Correct, I generally have a good idea of the landscape but my primary questions/concerns are what to look for when your DD may or may not have the desire to play past high school? The questions I ask myself are a) Do I put her in a travel ball environment that will challenge her in case she wants to play in college; or B) does she play for a more local, less competitive travel ball team since it's a greater than 50% probability that she will be done with softball after HS?

I do agree that:

- playing time
- good coaching
- scheduling
- competitiveness
- playing with girls her same age at 13 are all important.

 

[SoCal_Dad]

The questions I ask myself are a) Do I put her in a travel ball environment that will challenge her in case she wants to play in college; or B) does she play for a more local, less competitive travel ball team since it's a greater than 50% probability that she will be done with softball after HS?

What kind of team interests her? There are well-run competitive teams that don't travel much outside SoCal. However, she still needs to put in a lot of time and effort training to compete at that high level - does she want to do that or is she wanting more time for other interests?

From a financial standpoint, I recommend NOT justifying money spent on softball as an investment towards an athletic scholarship because it can lead to problems and/or strained relationships in your family. Budget it strictly as an expense on what the experience is worth without anticipating a financial ROI.

It's good that you're concerned about keeping her options open. I hope you have the same concerns and show the same level of interest in her academics. She's at a very important age for that too.

 

[Rocketech1]

What kind of team interests her? There are well-run competitive teams that don't travel much outside SoCal. However, she still needs to put in a lot of time and effort training to compete at that high level - does she want to do that or is she wanting more time for other interests?

From a financial standpoint, I recommend NOT justifying money spent on softball as an investment towards an athletic scholarship because it can lead to problems and/or strained relationships in your family. Budget it strictly as an expense on what the experience is worth without anticipating a financial ROI.

It's good that you're concerned about keeping her options open. I hope you have the same concerns and show the same level of interest in her academics. She's at a very important age for that too.

Agree, we are not necessarily looking at TB softball for a scholarship and academics are priority #1. I have always told her that if and when her grades suffer because of her extracurricular activities, like softball, then we will have to cut off that activity. With that said, she and I agree that she should be on a competitive TB softball team so she can keep up with her peers if she wants to play at a high-level such as Varsity HS ball.

 

[PA SB Dad]

At 14U, is it very important to be on a team with girls the same year (i.e. 2002 birthdays)? My thought here is that the team will be made up of 8th graders still in middle school and the team won't go "dark" in spring like it would if several HS freshman are on the team?.

Get on the best team you can and don't worry about the age mix of the team. Ultimately it does not matter because the girls won't stay together as they get older. Even when teams go dark, the younger players should still have guest play opportunities to stay sharp. Many parent coaches want their girls the same age to keep a team together, but that only works through 12U and maybe first year 14U.

I am a 14U coach - only. I have no family members that play for me, and I do not plan to move up with the players as they age up. Parent coaches will always want to try to keep their team together "through 18 Gold". That never happens, mainly because any good players on your team will be picked off by other well-established teams with better college connections. I've seen many many try and ultimately fail because the parents of the best players (usually lights out pitchers) will move their kid to a better team when given the chance).

I tell my players up front I am not the guy that will get you recruited to college. I don't have the connections, and you don't have enough money for me to give up my day job to make recruiting a full-time endeavor. However, I do have the ability and connections to get you on to the best Gold teams in the area if you work hard and develop the skills and qualities they look for. At 14U, it is about finding those coaches that provide the pathway to the next level. Parent coaches will tell you it's all about the girls, but it's really about "their" girl and keeping the team intact for them. Good 14U coaches provide the means to get to the next level of TB so that you can get recruited.

 

[bucket pinata]

To me playing your kid up when she is still 14 u eligible is more about the parents ego than the players development. If there are no quality REAL 14a teams in your area than maybe but the reality is no top level 16u and especially 18 gold team is going take a 14u eligible player in 99% of the cases. I've seen over and over the puffed out chest of parents saying my 14u kid is playing 16-18u and turns out she is riding the pine playing on some scrub team where most of the players are hoping to play community college ball one day, Maybe. Not to mention the sub par coaching that goes along with it. Then they spend big money flying to exposure tournaments getting crushed on the field and being told well XXX is a junior and YYY is a senior and they have not been approached by a school so they will play and your 14u sits.
14 U is the last year a girl gets to play the game for the fun of it, They play in the hotel pools, be complete goofballs and generally enjoy being a kid. Most of these kids have worked very hard for years to be able to be on the team to beat. And guess what ,being asa,nsa state champ, being able to be top ten in the T/C world series, PGF nationals is and should be part of the reward for all the labor. As we found out with my younger DD they are all one play away from being sidelined for a year or god forbid never playing again.
I could get into the mental development difference but I feel like I'm channeling OLIF so Ill stop. But I will finish with Comparing HS ball to 18 gold TB is quite a stretch.