how far/long would you drive DD?

DD currently is 14U and we drive one hour and 20 mind twice a week.

riseball said:

Did you fall on your head when you were pushed off the wall? However, next week I am flying 8 hours get to Orlando, then getting in a car and driving 6 hours one way to see my DD pitch against SC. But 10U??? Must have been a damn good team.

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A reasonable person would say....... Never mind!

PS Good luck

DD played 6 hrs south for a while and finished tb career playing 4 hours north. Granted she did not attend every practice, being a pitcher made the situation easier. But all the friendlies and most tournaments where scheduled around those areas and a tone of travel was required(mostly flights by herself). Could she have played the same caliber of teams with a local org? yes. But she loved the the coaches and the girls. And it is also about getting the girls out of their comfort zone, no mom and dad, meeting new people, being responsible for managing money, traveling alone, ..... These are some of the intangibles that coaches take into consideration when recruiting. All the talent in the world is useless if a kid decides that she misses mom and dad too much and heads home after the fall semester. Or has no idea how to take care of herself, laundry, money, and believe it or not being able to wake up on their own. 16-18 yrs old, I say not a problem. 10-12 yrs old, save your money and time, IMO.

Yeah it seems funny when anyone else is doing it but it's easy to rationalize when it's ourselves. Why not just fly into atlanta. Your gonna have 20 hrs to go see an 1.5hr game. Which she may not even pitch the whole game.

riseball said:

Did you fall on your head when you were pushed off the wall? However, next week I am flying 8 hours get to Orlando, then getting in a car and driving 6 hours one way to see my DD pitch against SC. But 10U??? Must have been a damn good team.

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Our city does not have a very competitive TB softball program (volleyball is the big girls sport here). In order to find competitive play one has to be willing to travel. Most tournaments as well as the competitive teams are in a neighboring state. Several players from our city have chosen to travel in order to be on a competitive team. Two of DD's HS teammates play for one of these teams. They have to travel 3.5 hours one way for practice two days a week and then back down for tournaments.

We were contacted by two teams that wanted DD to tryout for their teams. Both of these teams are 4 hours away. One said that she had to make practices, the other was willing to let her practice at home but practices had to be videotaped. Both teams were showcase teams and said that we had to budget at least $10K for travel to the showcases.

DH and I both work full time. Certainly not comfortable having DD (almost 16) driving 8 hours round trip for practices twice a week by herself. So the search for a TB team goes on...

humpty said:

That's the truth. My kid liked the team and they were the best team in the state.

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Having played against that team, I can attest that they were the best team in the state.

First game we played against them, they KILLED us. Second game we hung with them for most of a game, but then Humpty's daughter was sick that day and didn't play.

We drive one hour each way and I'm questioning that. However I was having trouble finding a team where the main focus was development, winning took a back seat so for now we drive.

In this day of technology, scouts, and a players ability to look up and directly contact EVERY coach and asst coach in the country the need for a high dollar showcase team is not as critical. Players can get themselves seen very easily using 30 minutes a week of work at home. Imagine what 4 hours can do for their skill level and coach contact/school research and communication.

You can get a scout who holds your hand through the process and helps verify you for coaches for $1500. I imagine some spend that in gas or hotels in less than a season.

humpty said:

Yeah it seems funny when anyone else is doing it but it's easy to rationalize when it's ourselves. Why not just fly into atlanta. Your gonna have 20 hrs to go see an 1.5hr game. Which she may not even pitch the whole game.

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Everybody seems nuts until I think about what I have/will do. I forgot about the 2 hour drives years ago when DD played 14U.

Wish I could just fly into ATL it would be easier. But I meet up with DW who is catching the redeye back from Honolulu where she has been working for 3 weeks. She sleeps and I drive. Good news is that DD actually has 5 games, with the last being the Gamecocks. Hopefully she has her A game.

riseball said:

everybody seems nuts until i think about what i have/will do. i forgot about the 2 hour drives years ago when dd played 14u.

Wish i could just fly into atl it would be easier. But i meet up with dw who is catching the redeye back from honolulu where she has been working for 3 weeks. She sleeps and i drive. Good news is that dd actually has 5 games, with the last being the gamecocks. Hopefully she has her a game.

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good luck to your dd!!!!!:d