Team Travel: as a group or individually?

[Indiana]

Typically, DD has been on teams with just one or maybe two out of state tournaments each summer. Her team for next year may ramp this up to three or four out of state tournaments, some which may be far enough away to pretty much require a plane ride - or suffer two or three long days in the car.

My question to parents/coaches of 16U (or older) teams: how do you handle your travel? As a group? Individually with their parents? This past year, DD's team stayed in "team rooms" in their hotel - 3 or 4 to a room, with good results. We caravan-ed to the tournament sites in parents' cars. The girls split off into small groups for meals - mostly at restaurants within walking distance of the hotel, sometimes going off site for lunch in between games.

I'd love to hear opinions and stories about how teams have handled travel, and how we can make travel costs as economically feasible as possible.

 

[KCPRK]

Players share rooms and caravan up. At that age and level they should be responsible enough to not need every parent there but rather a few trusted parents to keep an eye on them and help manage them.

 

[riseball]

Give them a taste of what it will be like in college. Travel together, 3 - 4 girls per room, eat together, no staying with mom or dad. There are curfews and the trusted team moms will have keys to each room and perform bed checks. Mom and Dad are welcome to come along and get their own room and eat with the team. The potential for team bonding during these events is huge.

 

[Indiana]

Thanks - that's probably how we'll continue to handle travel. Four to a room is very cost effective. I like the idea of the team mom having keys to the rooms.

Does anyone try for group rates on the airlines or team vans for local transportation?

For laundry - this last time I gathered up everyone's uniform tops (gross) and took them to the local laundromat. Does anyone have a good system for pants and socks which don't have numbers on them?

 

[riseball]

Thanks - that's probably how we'll continue to handle travel. Four to a room is very cost effective. I like the idea of the team mom having keys to the rooms.

Does anyone try for group rates on the airlines or team vans for local transportation?

For laundry - this last time I gathered up everyone's uniform tops (gross) and took them to the local laundromat. Does anyone have a good system for pants and socks which don't have numbers on them?

Team Moms (two people) should do bed checks so there is no confusion. Group rates for airlines - never saw it happen. Got hooked up with a car dealership that got us great rates on rental vans. Discounts with restaurants by ordering ahead of time so they could plan for it and eating during off hours. Also stayed in hotels that had outdoor grills, bought cryovac bulk meat and cut into outrageous steaks. Use a sharpie and write uniform number on inside tag of pants and on toes of socks. Black and navy socks can be a challenge, try a silver sharpie.

Best way to make this happen is to NOT ask for consensus or opinion. It is a benevolent dictatorship. We are a team and this is what we are doing, we are all doing it, a great time will be had by all.

 

[Greenmonsters]

Thanks - that's probably how we'll continue to handle travel. Four to a room is very cost effective. I like the idea of the team mom having keys to the rooms.

Does anyone try for group rates on the airlines or team vans for local transportation?

For laundry - this last time I gathered up everyone's uniform tops (gross) and took them to the local laundromat. Does anyone have a good system for pants and socks which don't have numbers on them?

Closable mesh bag for each player. Put a tag on it w/ player name/initials/uni # (or in a pinch, sharp ID info on a poker chip and throw one in each bag) or even simpler, put the #'d top in the bag too! Sort em when you fold em

 

[InsidePitch]

Our team did the rooms but no one seemed responsible so pretty much each kid had a parent in attendance. This drove the costs up a lot. Our beloved leader couldn't see he was pricing some families out by not organizing a team mom or two. Dropping an extra 2-3K for no responsible parent will drive families away.