8U ; what do they do?

Thats exactly what I saying. 8U is too young to travel. If they can play locally then I am all for it but most teams outside of the major cities would have to travel to play at that age and thats what I oppose. Or at least money is one of the things I oppose, the other is pushing kids to compete at a level that they don't understand because of why? Sounds to me that with your many accomplishments you could have done just as well teaching them on a local ballfield and waiting on them to get just a little bit older before hitting the circuit....

 

Okay, agreed ------- Peace on this Subject------ You do your thing and I'll do mine.........I've got my opinion and you have yours !!! That's okay---Have A Great day !!!!--------- Guru

 

8U Travel Ball

8U travel ball is just like every other age group - it is a great experience for the girls as long as the parents and coaches approach it in the proper perspective.

I am just getting involved with an 8U travel team, as I am starting to transistion my daughter from baseball to softball. I am finding it to be a very valuable experience for my daughter, both athletically and socially. She has been an All Star player at rec baseball but is starting to yearn for more interaction with girls.

The 8U teams do not play a rigourous schedule, perhaps 4-5 tournaments a year. The practice sessions are not very frequent, as the coaches realize that the rec leagues are the backbone of experience at this age group. There is not a tremendous amount of travel, hotel and meal costs with this structure, especially for teams playing near a city that hosts a lot of tournaments, such as Charlotte, Raleigh, Concord, Rock Hill, etc...

The value I see in 8U travel ball:

1.) The socialization is awesome - my daughter has met other girls who love sports as much as her. This is hard to find in our neighborhood, public school and rec league.

2.) The talent level is better - my daughter wants to play with players that can catch the ball at first, second, third and home on a routine play and can catch a pop - up in the outfield. This cannot be achieved in rec league at the 8U level.

Let me expand on that - I think part of the life lessons learned by athletics include how to play, compete and interact with girls of all talent levels, including those that cannot play the game at all but love being part of a team. So - I am not admonishing players that participate at a minimum level of talent. I am just saying that the 8U travel team environment allows my daugheter the experience of playing with girls at her talent level.

The only other way to get that up to this point was to have her play baseball with the boys. The baseball has been a great experience for my daughter but it has also been enlightening for her to meet and participate with girls that have the same interests as her and and be in an environment where she is not the only player with a ponytail under her cap!

3.) The ability to be around the older teams at tournaments is awesome - and players and parents should keep this in mind. The 8U girls are watching and creating a dream and vision of their future. It is awesome for my daughter to participate in tournaments and have the ability to watch high school players from Butler, Central Cabarrus, etc... play in the same venue. They are watching work habits, committment and player interaction and developing their own dreams toward their future. My daughter can already tell you the travel team she wants to play on when she is 18 because of how the players, coaches and parents conduct themselves during their games. Also, she has an "idol" that she watches play, both at high school and travel tournaments.

4.) In the fall, my daughter is not participating in a rec league but still can get her fill for sports by participating in bi - weekly practices and one or two tournamentsin a 3 month period. This is allowing her to concentrate on 3rd grade during the week and her academic progress has been tremendous - much better that when she was playing rec league.

5.) Finally - like every other team - the important thing is what is learned away from tournament games. The 8U travel environment allows my daughter the opportunity to practice with great coaches, to practice with great players, to attend team swimming parties, to learn about fund raising and working for money instead of asking for a handout, and to understand a team environment.

I have always worked with my daughter in the driveway at home. But the experiences I detailed above cannot all be taught by dad in the driveway!
If you disagree, don't watch and don't participate. But, please do not tell me that it is not best for my daughter.

 

I wont tell you its not best for your daughter as long as you don't try to state that waiting is not a good option as well.

 

For those of you that think TRAVEL ball at birth makes or breaks a softball athlete, you are wrong. My daughter did play REC Baseball from the time she was 4 years old until her 7th grade year in middle school. Now, is she talented? yes, can she out hit and out run most of the girls I have seen on a "travel" ball team or a "showcase" team, yes and I would say it is because she has had fun during her Rec ball days, learning the fundamentals of fielding a ball, running to the bases and hitting the ball. If you can not teach your child those fundamentals in your back yard, then you do not need to coach a team and your child doesn't need to be on a travel/showcase team. You do not need travel ball to teach the basics of any sport. By the time a child is playing travel ball, it should mean that they have the fundamentals down and are a step above the average "rec" ball player in abilities and desire to play at the next level. You can fine tune a player at the travel ball/showcase level however you can't truly teach them the sport, they should know the sport pretty well to even think or have a desire to be committed to "travel/showcase" ball. I have read this board for a few years now and it amazes me those individuals that speak as if they are the know all for the sport and the kids, I would love for the kids to really speak out about how they feel about the travel ball experience without worrying about upsetting a parent. My daughter watched my son go through the travel ball arena for 6 years and had no desire until now and I only think that is because unlike baseball, she knows she needs showcase tournaments to be seen by the college coaches to play softball at the next level.

 

You put it into words, what I have been struggling to say all these many posts. Thanks

 

We love to have her,if she is that good....because there are a lot of great talent on the ballfield, and if she is better than they are I would love to give her our #..... Cardinals,Crushers, Curve, Blues, Etc...... would probably love to have her also....Guru

 

She currently plays on one of those teams, not sure how much love is there, we will see after fall season.

 

Okay we can wait !!!!!---- Thanks,Guru

 

You got there without the cost involved of playing travel ball at 8U....hmmmm