I can't say that travel ball has exploded at 12U. 10U is still hard to find. And pitching at 14U is dwindling. Heck, it is dwindling at 12U, too. Coaches want 50 mph and 5 pitches.
The State of Softball with Sue Enquist (Jan. 15, 2015)
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- Feb 3, 2011
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I'm going to send the interviewer a tripod.
A few years ago, I was the age group coordinator for a 16/18U rec division. No such animal exists now where I am, and the single remaining 14U rec division is on life support. Even 12U rec is fading away, where just a couple of years ago, finding such teams playing in the Spring AND Fall wasn't unusual.
What I didn't see much of a few years ago were "competitive" teams at age groups like 7U & 8U. Organizations have been popping up and establishing teams in these younger age groups. It's increasingly difficult for 12U and older tournament teams to compete if they're not part of a larger organization, and the organizations invariably carry a much larger time and financial commitment. That may explain the drastic reduction I've noted in state registered B/C 12U teams in just the last couple of years.
Sue Enquist is right in her evaluation; at the high end, the game is the best it's ever been. However, that drive towards competitive excellence is making fastpitch more of a business at the lower level, and leaving behind many who aren't up for the commitment required by organizations marketing themselves as the pathway to a college scholarship.
Coaching quality is a common and often deserving scapegoat, but I point the finger at local associations whose board members are typically parents focused on the college scholarship track of high-end competitive ball, and don't do anything to develop good coaching or player skills in their rec leagues. Parent volunteer coaches are handed a roster and a schedule, and little else is done to support them. Rec ball is seen as a cash cow and a garden to pluck promising competitive players from, but at least in my area, boards don't care much about maintaining the viability of those leagues for older kids who can and would play, but don't want to spend ALL their time and money at the ballpark.
What I didn't see much of a few years ago were "competitive" teams at age groups like 7U & 8U. Organizations have been popping up and establishing teams in these younger age groups. It's increasingly difficult for 12U and older tournament teams to compete if they're not part of a larger organization, and the organizations invariably carry a much larger time and financial commitment. That may explain the drastic reduction I've noted in state registered B/C 12U teams in just the last couple of years.
Sue Enquist is right in her evaluation; at the high end, the game is the best it's ever been. However, that drive towards competitive excellence is making fastpitch more of a business at the lower level, and leaving behind many who aren't up for the commitment required by organizations marketing themselves as the pathway to a college scholarship.
Coaching quality is a common and often deserving scapegoat, but I point the finger at local associations whose board members are typically parents focused on the college scholarship track of high-end competitive ball, and don't do anything to develop good coaching or player skills in their rec leagues. Parent volunteer coaches are handed a roster and a schedule, and little else is done to support them. Rec ball is seen as a cash cow and a garden to pluck promising competitive players from, but at least in my area, boards don't care much about maintaining the viability of those leagues for older kids who can and would play, but don't want to spend ALL their time and money at the ballpark.
- Nov 29, 2009
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Umm... That would be the camera operator who needs the tripod.
My DD played HS ball with the girl doing the interview. She was a stud in HS and travel ball. Hit some shots that took forever to come down. One of the best hitters I've ever seen handling changeups.
- Nov 29, 2009
- 2,975
- 83
One other thing that hasn't been mentioned. The "Good Ole Boys Club" mentality within rec leagues. For the most part the leagues have many, many more boys than girls playing ball. It's not unusual for there to be a boys first mentality when it comes to the running of the organization. The girls will often get the poorer fields to play on and are often well down on the priority list of the organization. That can be disheartening for both the players and the parents.
Interesting, but where I am, boys taking away resources from the girls isn't in any way a problem. There are excellent dedicated fastpitch ballfields...some of the best in the state, if not the country. It's the people who run the Girls-only associations who are strangling themselves.
While we have some decent girls fields, the boys fields are amazingly better. They even have fences for the smaller ages. Oh...and actual bullpens. The softball fields are the same ones used for the adult leagues and don't have a bullpen at all.
AND, the G.O.B. Club extends to the coaching. If a league is unfortunate to have one of those then good coaches don't stick around. Just imagine a coach trying to teach Wasserman drills while the "club" teaches L drills - just as one small example.
I like the theory. The law of unintended consequences. It's like travel ball has cut down the trees in the forest without doing anything to replenish it. Now the fields are becoming barren.
There is a parent-driven trend toward developing players ASAP. They enter travel ball more quickly. If they're not traveling by 10U, they're late. Some start at 8U. Any pitcher who can throw strikes quickly graduates into travel, leaving rec leagues scrambling to find and train replacements season to season. Quality of rec-league worsens.
Meanwhile, in the effort to make players better quicker and compete with rival leagues, some rec leagues are wanting to make 8U even more advanced by making it semi-kid pitch rather than the beginner-friendly, fast-paced coach pitch. They say don't underestimate 8-year-olds, they can do it. And sure enough, some can. That's all great for the more experienced, advanced players, who already like the game. It's their parents who push those agendas.
But what about those 8-year-olds who are trying out the game? Is it really fun to get in the batters box with an 8-year-old throwing a ball at you, not really knowing where it's going? Is it fun to get 1.5 at-bats per game vs. 4 at that age, where the purpose should be to learn that it's a whole lot of fun to hit, catch and throw a ball?
Are we making the game too tough, too early, which is great for some, but discourages many more that could've become good players if their initial experiences with rec ball had been more enjoyable?
Enquist mentioned two issues - quality of coaching, and the experience is not fun enough. Compared to the other options that kids have, both in sports and out, softball is not the most fun thing in the world, and the trend is toward it becoming less fun. Without some intervention to grow the game by the ASA or USA Softball or some umbrella organization, I don't see softball as a high-growth sport over the next several years.
- Jun 22, 2008
- 3,438
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Part of the reason recreational participation is dwindling because many parents are chasing the carrot and that is not attainable from rec ball. OTOH, the smaller rec programs lead to a smaller feeder field from which to draw players into travel ball.
It look me less than 5 minutes to find the following in Facts: Sports Activity and Children | Aspen Project Play.Most of our largest sports are seeing major drop-offs in participation, as organized opportunities consolidate around the most talented, committed or well-resourced players. Among children ages 6-12, participation rates have declined in basketball (down 3.9 percent since 2008), baseball (14.4 percent), soccer (10.7 percent), softball (31.3 percent), and football (29 percent). Some newer, smaller sports have seen increases; lacrosse, most notably. Hockey, due in part to major policy interventions, has reversed declines. But on balance, millions of kids and teens are fleeing sports.
