8u team tired of playing same place!

A couple of thoughts on this:

Cheri Kempf says NO MATTER who you are, you should step away from the game for 2 months a year. Now that can be broken up by days or weeks, but step away for 2 months.

As far as 8U ball, i don't think there is a place for it. Rumor is GA has some 6U teams (not many but a few).

I think there is a natural progression to how you play ball.
I think this is where rec ball comes in to play. From T-Ball - about 10 or 11 you should play rec ball at your local rec league. I know that rec ball has a bad reputation now but if everyone went back to it and all the travel coaches went back then you would have a higher level of rec ball. Our local little league plays other locals so you have a little of the "away" type ball.

Now as you turn 10 or 11 go play some local "travel" ball. After you are done playing "rec" ball. Play within an hour or so of your home. TB has become so much of a money thing there are tournaments close to just about everyone in NC. This also plays into the "rec" ball getting better & you can make good runs w/ decent travel teams. Our crew here was 1 game away from the Little League World Series (now shown on TV) in Oregon, and let me tell you that is one of my DD's favorite memories of softball. Now we didn't have it at the time, but here is also where middle school ball also benefits. Not only have you strengthened your local ball base, you are also strengthening your school ball base.

Now once you hit 12-13, you can leave "rec" ball and start traveling a little more. Remember not everyone has the ability or want to play travel ball.Take some kids from this "rec" league and that one and go play somewhere different.But remember, while practice makes perfect 100 games a year will take a toll on any child. Missing birthday parties, pool parties, holidays, etc. takes a toll on everyone.

Now from there to 14-15 play some big time travel. Push yourself play up when you can, strive to push yourself and get better. Better competition and better practices make better teams. Then it's on to the big time. Get out, get seen, get YOURSELF recruited.

IMO, the push to travel ball at earlier and earlier ages has not helped softball but hurt it. Not everyone can afford to nor want to play and travel all over NC & the nation to play ball for 10 yrs. Thus, you have more and more playing local soccer or other sports. This has hurt the overall abilities of ALL our softball teams. We all see the dwindling #'s and the concern is across the board. Rec ball is down, jv teams are down. The "secondary" kid is being driven away.

The repair starts at the local level, play rec ball, play local travel, play middle school, go to pitching and hitting lessons, make your local teams stronger and you'll see an increase in kids and ability. But by all means don't burn them out. I like seeing the trophies on my office wall too, but i would trade them all for a happy kid.

 

Well said Sam.

 

Absolutely Correct

I've seen rec ball depleted here in Pitt County as TB grew. Fortunately, my DD came along before this trend occurred. The problem now is that these 8U & 10U TB ball teams are made up of kids that may or may not have a great deal of athletic potential. One of the outcomes of lots of kids playing in a competitive rec ball league was that it was training ground for lots of kids, not just the one's who could afford TB. Of course, the "all-stars" rose to the top and eventually went on to TB @ 12U and 14U. The bottom line is there is no need for TB before 12U. Heck, my kid played rec baseball until age 10. She was a pitcher. It was a fun experience watching the expression on the boys faces (and their Dad's) when she blew that 40 mph fast ball them! Of course that skill set didn't translate very well

 

I agree with all of you that 8U is too early to be playing true travel ball and spending a lot of money on it. My thought has always been, wheter it is baseball or softball, that if you cannot pitch to each other it is too early to play competitive ball. I cringe at coach pitch, machine pitch..etc!!!

 

as a former successful D1 athlete, I have to respectfully comment on this...If your child didn't play travel ball until 16, and then got a D1 offer, then she must be an athletic phenom (speed or size). Its certainly possible but nearly impossible. Most kids need to see the highest competition in order to function on a high level. You can't play rec ball until your 16 then go face the elite competition, doesn't fly. Again, I am happy for you and her but that formula will not work for 99% of kids. Just my .02

every kid is different though, I agree with you there

 

agree

I agree with Parklandsoftballdad on this.... We started at rec at age 6 and then went to TB at about age 9-10 and are now in the "local" TB at age 12.... but we know that for our girl to move on up, we will need to to move on to the higher level's on TB and that will come at the 13-15 level....

Think about taking 10-12 or so 8yr olds to Myrtle Beach or FLA for a 3 day tourney. To me it is only a vacation for mom and dad. Yes, the girls will play ball and may win. But most of the girls will likely like the water slide better than playing ball. I was talking to a D1 player and she said they went to Orlando to play this yr. The coach said you will have free time but after the ball is over, so focus on ball now and fun later. They played ball for 3 days and had fun for 2 more.
So keep the young kids local..... JMO...

 

If your kids play to go to waterparks, you are on it. If your DD is a competitor, I believe you are putting her way behind the curve. By 12u you better be playing other teams in the South US at 2 tournys a year via Atlanta or NSA worlds. You wait until they are teenage "13-15" and they will never make the leap to legit A ball or compete for a scholly. But your angle is cool if B ball is your aim.

 

I would respectfully have to disagree. I can name at least 2 dozen kids who now play college ball (at varying "levels") that my kids have played w/ or against that never played a "world" series or out of the state of NC until they were 13 or 14. I have however seen several young ladies who have left softball due to being tired of the game. Main reason for burnout??? 100 games a year for 5 or more years.
And as far as A & B ball go, what are the definitions?
Is D1 A ball and everything else B?
Is the fact kid A plays on a B level team mean she is also a B player?
To my perspective if a kid picks THE SCHOOL she wants to go to it doesn't matter if it's A or B, after all it's the education not the ball right?
Or maybe i just don't "C" it your way

 

Wrong; dead wrong

You must be a tournament director. I know at least two D1 pitchers who graduated from their respective universities as the all-time strikeout and win leaders who never played more than 80 miles from Greenville, NC until they were 13. Have times changed? Maybe, but if they have it's not been for the better as every college coach I speak to (and a talk to a lot) tells me pitching has gone backwards. Perhaps, those 10U girls throwing six different pitches all weekend should stay closer to home and work on the fundamentals in the backyard.

 

where did I say 10 yr olds should throw 6 pitches? And I know something about pitching records.

and I'm not a tourny director, but do take a 12u travel team 2-3 states away on occasion so they can see the best 12 year old teams in the southeast US.

again, in any athletic scenario you cannot get better unless you compete vs the best. I suppose if there is legit competition 50 miles down the road then you're OK in your example. But you won't get better seeing the same teams every week.