I was recently Contemplating to start travel ball from my son recently and for some reason Ive been holding back . You all make very good points to consider. I played college baseball and never once played Travel Ball in the summer until I was 17. Maybe take up your buddys offer to go play golf or go fishing. That the glory of the Lord might cover the dry land as the waters cover the sea. I could be wrong. Bottom line: give your kids a childhood theyll want to replicate with their own children not one theyll react against. #momof3boys. But if you don't make it into your dream team, the loss is much heavier on people's pockets as well as their minds. You have to grab a quick breakfast to eat on the way. Her work has been published in medical journals in the field of surgery, and she has received numerous awards for publication in education. God bless. It's really helpful to talk with other parents a few years ahead of you on the paththose who have experience with the same club or league you're looking at. What will travel ball mean for your other kids? She needs to spend more than 2 days working on drills. There is another very sad thing that often happens as a result of a familys involvement in travel ball. Not criticizing anyone not on same path, but if they want it, you wont stop them. Of course, we dont love those miserable weather days where its cold and wet. They learn to be a part of a team effort and that there are sacrifices that need to be made for the team (for instance being pulled during a game). We love them by showing them that God is infinitely more valuable than all else. (This, too, however, isnt a litmus test. I do offer the opportunity to advertise your league and ask that you share it here and anywhere possible. 6. Growing up I loved baseball. First up, travel softball is a lot more intense than traditional one. Kids come out of high school where it seems that every game mattered, to a travel ball season where if you go 5-0 or 0-5 it doesn't matter. The main ones are USSSA (United States Specialty Sports Association pronounced U-Triple-S-A), PGF (Premier Girlss Fastpitch, USA (Formerly ASA), Triple Crown, and NSA (National Softball Association). What are you waiting for? Be a parent. Having said that, below are the top reasons your daughter should not play travel softball. Talk through the process and help her see the pros and cons of each option. A travel team is a youth sports team that plays at an elite level. And teams may invite players from anywhere in the region. This amount includes equipment, training, fees, and travel expenses. She needs to be developing the leg and core muscles daily to give her the power to play that position to the best of her ability. This is how travel sofball is. For the summer travel season, once teams are chosen, practices and games will start in May and go through to the end of July. If you forego travel for these right reasons then you should challenge yourself and those in the league to make it the utopia described here (I believe it should be). It was good for us a s a family although the wallet didnt think so. 2023 Dotdash Media, Inc. All rights reserved, Verywell Family uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. As a follower of Jesus, this consideration is the most important one for me. How do I know which is best for my daughter? I think this causes too many parents to look at travel ball as rec league 2.0. Set the example for the kids. He pulls down honor roll at school and is in band. Its wonderful that your child wants to play at a higher level, but you need to be sure they understand what all youre signing up for if they make the team. If this sounds like your daughters work ethic, then maybe travel ball isnt for her. Joining a team where youre not among the absolute best players can motivate you and build your work ethic, but joining a team where you get virtually no playing time or attention can hinder your development. 1. There may be instances in which its the right thing, and when a kid gets to be 15 to 16 years old, its understandable that commitment levels and demands are going to rise and choices are going to have to be made. Travel Ball Format Not Good For The Sport - Coaches Insider Our children assume that Sunday morning is time to worship with our church. We dont have Sunday games and Id venture that shes in the lower end of competitive teams. This mentally effects the kids also with so much pressure to do well. That's not to say you shouldn't do it -- just be ready to work Several thoughts on that: Their chances are greater for continuing their sporting lives, whether at college or recreationally as adults, if they arent burnt out on competition by the time they turn 18or 13, as Ive seen occur far too often. Competitive travel softball players come to the field every day with the intent to compete, push past their limits, and get themselves to the next level. As a pastor, I require my daughter to be in church every Sunday, which means that she misses all Sunday games that interfere with worship. I coach my son (U10 Rec soccer) and was considering travel but was hesitant because of playing on sundays. Our daughter played travel softball for 9 years. The nature of sport is that participants will learn in the course of their play, practice, games or meets, all about discipline, perseverance, punctuality, teamwork, goal-setting, how to handle disagreements, disappointment and failure, as well as success and recognition. She doesnt have ANY of the skills that the other girls have and the coach clearly has their own reasons for letting her ride the bench more than getting play time. They had to draft 8th graders to play for the high school JV team so the others could step up and play the Varsity. What will travel ball mean for your marriage? If youre a non-Christian reading this post, dont you want to live for something more than baseball? There are many benefits of pursuing sports excellence, travel like any other passion filled event children can participate can be an extremely beneficial. Travel with extended families and make bonds with good people. 5. He was selected and after spending money on uniforms, dues, tournaments, he was cut from the team because he had a slump in his batting. I agree 100% with your article. These coaches have years of experience, and often played many years themselves. There are gloves, bats, batting gloves, helmets, cleats, sunglasses, facemasks, and God forbid your daughter decides to be a pitcher or a catcher like ours. Fill your childrens team with morals and role models. It isnt even cheap! Travel softball tourneys are typically Friday through Sunday, with teams playing anywhere from 5-10 games each. Im not a coach, but I can only imagine that problem parents are one of the most annoying things to coaches. Chemistry: Consider the overall chemistry of the program, not just the chemistry among the players. I am confident that there are better ways to steward those thousands of dollars. In those cases, your club fees might include two or three uniforms, matching bat bags, visors and bats (some teams exclusively swing one brand). This includes the travel teams, specialized . Michael Hortons Christless Christianity If you're acting like your son has already made it, then you are killing his drive. Growing up, I was more on the lower end of the middle class. Having said that, below are the top reasons your daughter should not play travel softball. Enjoyment: Help your children enjoy a sport for the simple joy of the sport. It is other worldly, it is unlike anything the Non Christian can imagine, to deny ourselves something the world says is a must and do something the world sees as foolish. Even a child with exceptional innate talent still needs to be a good team player. After my first year of it in college, I found that what had been so fun because I had the opportunity to look forward to it in the off season, or even on days between practice or games, began to feel like a dreaded obligation that consumed a significant portion of every day. My son (now aged 26) was approached from age 10 on to play travel ball, but we declined year after year because it would pull us away from church plus cost us a small fortune. So we are playing upward thru our church. Cant keep my almost 13 yr old from it since 5, and 3 yr old hits a large bucket of real balls off the tee by himself at the indoor facility in a cage while his brother hits in another. Youre going to be purchasing a uniform (most likely more than one). My daughter loves the game more now than ever before. "The cost for parents is steep. Dont get me wrong, there is definitely room for improvement with all players. Having coached both my sons in travel an rec ball, and being on the board of our local rec league, serving as president for several years. We sure miss watching her play, but for the time being, we feel this was a good decision for the entire family. Some of the thoughts overlap what was already said. Your subtotal today is $-.--. Aspen Institute. The majority of players at this level hire an experienced outside hitting or pitching coach. Third, most days my family enjoys family travel ball, together. I could now study what I wanted to study, and my classes were no longer determined by baseball practice. You can argue all you want and say you go to church when you travel, but the first time you skip church because it interferes with game time, you have taught your child that a game is more important than worshipping God. More important than that, you and your family dont need a summer long break from the life and fellowship of your local church. There is a big time commitment: practices; games; travel; and parent volunteer hours all add up. Your email address will not be published. However, there are those few girls out there that just clearly have no business being in travel softball. This question reveals how far our cultural worldview has intermixed with a Christian one. The days and times of practice as well as tournaments and leagues are chosen by each individual team manager. Maybe you and your spouse may do some shopping and go get a nice meal. Sometimes travel teams also change players during the season, adding and moving around players based on performance. This is a case where a player made a poor decision on team selection. They also need to learn more about taking care of their body to keep it strong and healthy through conditioning, nutrition, and good sleep habits. With that, the cost to play increases. Your email address will not be published. Rec ball and travel ball can coexist, BUT, it has to be done with the kids as the foremost priority. The low-end travel teams can be local teams going to a few tournaments outside the region. Motivations: Just because you liked something as a kid, or were good at it, it doesnt mean your child will or should be. Team fees may cover tournament entry costs, batting cage rental, practice field rental, uniforms, equipment and organizational costs. RelatedReading: Alexa Petersons College Softball Recruiting Journey. For those not going into coaching/training or the extremely few that will play professionally the focus needs to not get away from marketable skills once your done with college; which is a challenge in itself as athletes are often steered towards meaningless degrees to accommodate athletics. Thus the rec league dries up. Rec ball allows them to have fun, play sports, and still be their age without all the stress and competitiveness of travel ball. There are TONs of small but critically important things young players learn over the course of YEARS playing travel softball that you'll have to catch up on, especially if you want to play catcher, the toughest of all positions. God makes it pretty clear when Paul says, Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus We represent Him, so we will want to do our best and want our kids to understand why. Age brackets are 8U (8-years-old and under), 10U, 12U, 14U, 16U and 18U. . But the fact of the matter is, if you think you may be a problem parent, then its very likely that travel softball should not be in your cards until you can control your actions so that you are not a detriment to the team or organization. I do not feel we will ever look back on our decision to say no to travel ball. If money is a potential concern, you need to consider both your priorities and your daughters. Softball. This causes an influx of these types of players. We enjoyed Upward for what it was and knew that it wasnt hugely competitive (for the most part). Often this will vary from league to league and from coach to coach. No one should expect to make the show. Thank you for this well thought out post. Jesus is God not baseball. While thats not very common, driving three hours one way for a practice is totally commonplace. Just like you, he burned out after two years and transferred so he could pursue his other passions and, more importantly, gain much-needed work experience which benefited him tremendously when he graduated from college and was looking for a job. Softball teaches you how to communicate with those who are in authoritative positions about something you really want. However, the main reason weve stuck with travel is the consistency that it offers. coming down the pike. They open/close each practice and game with prayer and are not overwhelming us with lots of games. Girls that don't attend the If you dont put in this extra work, you will quickly fall behind your teammates and ride the pine (plus risk being cut at the end of season). Likewise, I appreciate the voices of parents who have been there on both sides. He told us last week that he is glad that we have taught him to focus on his eternal future. A travel team may be the best way for them to learn new skills, meet expert coaches, progress in their sport, and have fun in the process. 23 I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it. But my friend who suggested that I do this also told me what was going to happen: he said I needed to understand that the other travel ball teams werent going to be low-key, so we would get pummeled at tournaments and probably lose every game. And you should. For some may not even be an issue. 15 to 20 tournaments per year (with tournament fees), Knows the rules surrounding college recruiting, Will help educate players and parents about those rules, Will be advocates for them during the recruiting process. Travel Baseball Teams Near You | NCSA Well always innovate to do whats best. By Catherine Holecko We should be able to admit that to ourselves, but I think sometimes our pride gets in the way. If you think the coach is doing a good job, then shut your mouth and watch the game. My older brother played sports from t-ball to college, probably would have went pro if he hadnt hurt his shoulder (yes, he was THAT good, Im not just saying it, he had an unhittab,e curve ball), but the decision was made when he first started that God and His church would always come first, and he would not play if there was a conflict between his first priority and the game. Open Access J Sports Med. I made the switch from Little League/rec ball to travel ball when I was ten years old, and from then on I consistently played at the highest levels possible. We have the pressure of middle school tryouts being in 2 years, and we wanted to make sure that he did well at those tryouts. Consider D1 baseball: each team is allowed a maximum of 11.7 scholarships, and those scholarships can be divided up between players. Do you know the coach or coaches? A travel team may be the best way for them to learn new skills, meet expert coaches, progress in their sport, and have fun in the process. Additionally, they will probably have fewer injuries and enjoy the competition more. What is the true cost of travel softball? Tell him he's great and anything is possible if you put your mind to it, but don't let him be an entitled little asshole out there on the field, because that's your fault! While rec ball was enjoyable, the ever changing pool of players, coaches and parents made for inconsistent experiences for my daughter, some good and some bad.