Desire to play college ball

[alexander58]

Unfortunately the fact that they played D1 does not in any way equate to a high level of athletic quality. Many D1 programs are awful. The stat you provided is often misconstrued. Playing multiple sports is a common trait found within the pool of good athletes. Playing multiple sports does not make you a good athlete. Just as being tall does not make you a basketball player.

With respect to injuries and specialization: Are you asserting that specialization in and of itself makes kids more prone to injury over their multi-sport counterparts?

Ive seen my share of D1 games and never saw a girl that was not athletic (except for the occasional over sized pitcher). To say there are alot of " awful " D1 programs would be subjective I guess. Most mid majors would get run ruled by SEC teams. Does that make them "awful"?

 

[riseball]

Great feedback. I'll ask the coach about down time and stuff like that. I don't want softball to be her life. I want it to be apart of her life. Hopefully, it works out. She likes her current team. But, the coaches aren't the best. Very nice people but they have daughters on the team who didn't make other teams. So, I want her to learn more.

Her pitching coach played for Nebraska a few years ago and she teaches her a lot (fundamentals, strategy, etc)

That is not good.

 

[riseball]

Ive seen my share of D1 games and never saw a girl that was not athletic (except for the occasional over sized pitcher). To say there are alot of " awful " D1 programs would be subjective I guess. Most mid majors would get run ruled by SEC teams. Does that make them "awful"?

My team is based out of Clermont, FL where Dot Richarson has her "D1 Spring Games" for several weeks when it is cold and nasty up North. While there are some decent teams, most are low end D1 and much of the softball is mediocre at best.

 

[dbronstein]

With respect to injuries and specialization: Are you asserting that specialization in and of itself makes kids more prone to injury over their multi-sport counterparts?

Yes, that's what the research shows. Playing only one sport makes an athlete much more prone to repetitive overuse injuries.

 

[cbullard]

Riseball, I know it's not the best. This is her 1st year of select. She has a few friends on the team, so we wanted her to be comfortable and we didn't know much about the process. We're relatively new to softball.

 

[undergroundga]

My dd started playing travel ball at 7 on an awful team, and played rec(about 40 games). Her first year 10u she started playing on and pitching(#2pitcher) for a C team and played rec( about 55 games). Her second year she played on the same team, and rec. Plus we started an allstar rec continuation team(about 100 games). Third year she played on a B team(#3 pitcher), rec, and by now rec continuation team(#1 pitcher) was a full blown travel team(C level with half 10u girls half 12u girls so we played up)(about 120 games).
A couple months before the end of last year she asked to no longer play for B team. Said she had more fun on our C team, most likely because there were still some local girls left on team and she was the centerpiece of team(not because of me being the general manager but because of her own ability). We will most likely play about 70 games and because of her playing exclusively for us we have climbed from a low C team to a mid C team and I fully expect us to be a high C team by end of summer, IF we continue to improve like we are. She is our primary pitcher and even catches a few innings here and there.
Between all the teams, practices, games, pitching lessons, hitting lessons, occasional catching lessons, camps she has had time to be a kid. How? Because we made a conscious decision to make sure she had plenty of opportunity to be a kid. We have made sure that in between all the training regiments she has been thru, she has gotten breaks from softball. Atleast, twice a year she gets atleast 2-3 weeks with no softball activities. (Thank you DFP for teaching me that she needs breaks and balance in life. Some people do listen to the advice given here).
Until this fall, she has always played school basketball and upwards basketball. She decided not to play school basketball this fall at school but does want to play upwards. It's not very competitive and she just has fun with it.
I would like to say she has dreams of playing college ball(every one tells me she has the ability, attitude, and work ethic to be really good) but any time I have asked her about her goals or dreams in this sport she just tells me she loves playing and that is all she wants right now.
Sry to be so long winded and I hope it wasn't to confusing with all the parenthesis, but my point is this, all our dds are different and on different paths. To some extent we choose that path, but mostly we need to let them choose it. All we can do is share our experiences, good and bad,and offer suggestions. No one knows your dd and her dreams and goals like you. Just always try to keep balance and listen to her. She'll let you know what's too much and maybe what's too little.

 

[cbullard]

Undergroundga, thanks for the great response. I'll explain what goes into each team and let her tell me her opinion. As long as she's having fun, I don't care what level she's playing. A great quote I read in a forum is "there's no pot of gold at the end of softball."

 

[marriard]

Wow... Ok....

First - Original Poster: 130 games is a lot at 12U. We did that one year between rec, travel, guesting, etc when my DD was 10/11 and it was brutal. We are closer to 80 max now with around 10 extra scrimmage games. Lucky to be in Florida so we don't need to travel far, but we make 4-5 trips per year within state (west and north) just to see some different teams and see where we stack up.

I am a big fan of bringing the kids along slowly and playing at an appropriate level for their age, their physical maturity and their mental maturity - some of which has nothing to do with their actual age. There was a team in 12U-A that was basically all women last year and they are playing more 16U this year already - but then so they should be - they were all taller than the 16U/18U team I saw them play last week in a local travel league.

Everything evens out in 14U/16U eventually. The early maturers get caught up eventually even though it might be hard to see right now when you are in the younger divisions. The girls who are enjoying the game stay with the game longer and eventually have more success then those being forced through it. The attrition rate in 14U/16U is massive. Even in college - having been at this awhile and being around a lot of players who have gone on to play college ball I am stunned by how many don't make it through more than a season on college. Some don't even make it through their freshman fall season. Looking back on it, the ones that made it (or are still making it) are mostly the ones that enjoyed the game - most of the ones that didn't are the ones where the parents enjoyed the game more than the player.

Once you get past the 1% or less true elite athletes, academics will get you further faster.


On to some myth busting:

1. Anyone can play college ball if they are decent and make it through 18U travel. Reasonable college ball for a reasonable team isn't a stretch especially if you have the grades and the desire... Great softball for top 25 team - now that is for the elite athlete which you really wont know if you have on your hands until she is fully matured. Some teams in college struggle for players - I saw a DII school last year that would struggle to win in 14U here locally - but then I also saw a DII school last year that would have been a contender if they were in a mid-high D1 conference. Every one of the players on those teams are 'playing college ball'. If you just want to play there is a team for you.

2. This BS that you have to verbal at age 13/14 for the top 25 programs is just that. If you end up being THAT good, they will find a spot for you if you want to come when you a senior. Verbal commitments are worth exactly nothing to the player and benefit no one but the college who get to keep/dump you on their terms. Example from a high D1 program THIS season where I know both players involved: "Oh graduated senior pitcher X - you throw 67mph, move the ball well and are just great and you want to come here? Here is most of a full ride. I know Pitcher Y did verbal to us when she was in 9th grade but we'll just offer her 10% or tell her to find somewhere else. Maybe she can go to the school you used to be committed to".

3. Uncommitted Seniors and JUCO players who can play are in MASSIVE demand. Between players quitting/getting injured/attrition/graduation, coaching changes and other related events, that hole you have in your lineup THIS YEAR isn't going to fill itself with a verbal commitment from some 9th grader. And as a coach if you don't fill it, you might not be around when your 9th grade commit is a HS senior anyway.

4. You want to see bad D1 college softball. Start with the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Oh boy. There are teams there you would just cry watching. Take Alcorn State who I saw in person last season - their BEST pitcher had a 8.88 ERA. And they are not even the worst team in conference. I also saw Jackson State - they went 16-1 IN conference but overall had a losing record (28-29) and those out-of-conference wins - some of them were not against D1 competition. I think the ENTIRE conference was ranked in the bottom 30 of D1 softball programs.

5. You can't worry about everyone else. It is what is right for your DD and then what is right for the team she is playing on. it is tempting to look over and see someone who seems to be doing better or worse for whatever reason but in the long run it doesn't matter. The #1 question should always be is your DD truly enjoying herself. If the answer is yes, then it is probably good.

6. Being a D1 coach doesn't necessarily mean your word is gospel. There are as many idiots in this line of work as any other. Of course there is always the cream of the crop as well who absolutely are the best - but don't just take any coaches word that what they say is true on the basis that they said it. 'Tradition' and 'How we have always done it' is alive and well in softball. Having the best talent in the world can cover for bad coaching a lot of the time.

 

[SoGASoftball]

OP, you've heard several different views, but the one you'll want to key in on is your daughter's. Support her if she wants to do it. Continue to teach her integrity by honoring her current commitment. And, keep in mind that for every one girl who went through the 130 game travel year at 12u and younger, there are probably 10 that hang it up due to getting tired of the push.

 

[riseball]

Yes, that's what the research shows. Playing only one sport makes an athlete much more prone to repetitive overuse injuries.

Playing only one sport I can see. However, specializing in one sport is an entirely different matter and I have to assume the study had controls for that.

But I can't get past that an Overuse Injury is not an objective diagnosis, it is a subjective medical opinion. Unfortunately the term "Overuse Injury" is largely undefined in the medical community in the respect that there is no consensus. It is used interchangeably as both a mechanism of injury and an injury diagnosis.