Move up with team?
DD is a 98' (1st yr 14U) and her team is moving up this fall. She is a starter and slots in well with this team batting
5th, carrying a solid .350 BA over 7 tourneys.
She is somewhat sheltered but I'm sure not as much as Daddy thinks. Do you move up or find another team?
Moving up is fine if you're sure she's going to get playing time. You didn't mention her defensive position. She'll be playing HS ball next year anyway, which means playing against 15-18 year olds, same as if she was playing 16u.
16u is mostly 15 year olds anyway, the good 16 year olds are playing 18 gold.
-W
Lots to factor and consider.
Around here when DD was 14u the age group was much stronger than the 16u age group, but not as strong as the 18u. So we chose to stay in the stronger 14u, and then moved to 18u when "that" age group all went up.
If she is on a good team and is happy I'd consider moving with them. You really take a gamble moving to a new team, you either love it or hate it.
Arrive, raise hell, leave. - Steve Austin
I think there is a reason you play your age...Play it as long as you can to ensure playing time and reps for when it matters most.
M2C
Adversity causes some men to break; Others to break records.
William Arthur Ward
If she is a starter and getting regular playing time I do not see any downside to moving up unless there is a local '98 team that may be a better fit. What level TB does your DD play?
DD's team plays 14U A Pony, or B 16U. They carry 12 and they bat as many as they can. A typical 3 game Saturday she will catch, sit and bat and play OF. We carry 3 catchers. Sunday, she and another girl will get the catching duty. If she were to move up and the team stayed the same I don't see her playing time being cut unless there are vast improvements from some other girls.
The local HS coach watched her play and said she would be his starting catcher when she is a Freshman. She is going into 8th grade this fall.
Last edited by InsidePitch; 07-04-2012 at 09:25 AM.
If she's going into the 8th grade I would find another team, but this depends on your states laws.
Here in California, a kid can not play travel/club ball while they are playing a high school sport, thus you have a clear divide between the older 14u (15 year old 9th graders) and the younger 14u (14 year old 8th graders). The younger teams get to play in the winter/spring, whereas the older girls cannot play until their schools are out of championship play, usually around the end of May. That means if you have a younger kid on an older team, she sits on her butt not playing softball while her teammates are playing high school ball, and she misses out on a lot of experience.
An alternative is to work a deal with another team that she can play with in the spring and then move to her original team when her teammates are out of school.
Again, this depends on the region and local laws so it may not even be applicable for you. California and many other states have these laws to protect the kids from overuse and to prevent school coaches for using travel/club teams to groom their players outside of school. The high schools practice 5-6 days a week. The only day club/travel teams can legally practice is sundays during high school season.
-W
Love Watching Softball! (07-08-2012)
Starsnuffer, this was the issue she had this year. All of her teammates where playing school ball and she sat. Extra practice with Dad and a desire to be better kept her in the running for a starting spot.
Part of me wants to let her stay with the team but I know she'd probably enjoy being an real impact player in 14U next season.
This is the old "playing time" vs. "competitive team" problem.
If she is going to get substantial playing time on the 16U team, then she should play on the 16U team. If she will not get the playing time, then should stay on the 14U team.
If she likes the team and is getting good coaching, she should stay with the team. The odds are she will not find a team with a decent coach.If she were to move up and the team stayed the same I don't see her playing time being cut unless there are vast improvements from some other girls.
The reality: 14U is much, much less competitive than 16U ball. She might struggle at 16U and she is going to have to work very hard to stay competitive. But, that is what sports is all about--achieving at the highest level possible.
Ray
Every softball parent keeps a hockey mask and a butcher knife in their car...
This statement is the most complete answer you can ask for. For those out there that haven'tThe reality: 14U is much, much less competitive than 16U ball. She might struggle at 16U and she is going to have to work very hard to stay competitive. But, that is what sports is all about--achieving at the highest level possible.
experienced this age jump before, heed the advice. A 16U team can and does compete with
the majority of 18U teams out there. My DD 16U team played in a weekend friendly that involved
14-16-18U teams. The 14U were completely out of their league and you could barely tell the difference
in play between the 16s and 18s.
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