What to do about Hgh School rules restricting students from travel ball during season

[softballdad97]

I have an interesting dilema that I am sure many of you have encountered. My daughter is a 13yo 8th grader that will be moving to 14U this coming season. Her team that just finished their season on a team comprised of seven 8th graders and five freshmen. Six of our 8th graders are probably our best players and two of the freshman are on par with those six. Three of the six are our three best pitchers. Our dilema is do we wait for the freshmen to return from their respective high school teams and start our season late while our 8th graders fall behind by not playing in the spring? Or do we form a new team with the core six 8th graders and hope we have a large enough turnout at tryouts to fill out that roster?
A couple of the coaches/dad's have approached me about this and would I be on board to bringing my daughter (starting catcher) and myself to coach as I have this past season. I do have some loyalties to the Head Coach who has helped me out through difficult financial problems getting my daughter's tuition paid over time. However the other coaches and I have also had disagreements over coaching philosophy at times with him. His daughter is one of the two freshmen we would like to keep if possible along with another standout versital player. The Head Coach is for the most part a good guy that is not sure he can even coach the team next year because of a career change and said he would not even consider coaching next year if his core 8th grade players were not to return. I don't want to have him feel like I jumped ship and/or betrayed him either.
What would you do? Any suggestions on a solution to what is undoubtedly a common dilema?

 

[chinamigarden]

There are lots of kids in the same boat. You could always keep your original team and pick up half a dozen other 8th graders who are also waiting for their teamates to be done with HS ball. You might even find another close by team with a similar issue where you could join together just for those early tourneys

 

[starsnuffer]

Spring 14-18u ball is pretty much a joke for the reasons you mentioned in states that have restrictions on HS play. My suggestion is that the organization continues to practice (ahem, I meant hold workshops) throughout the spring, let the younger players play and move some 12u players up for the experience, and then start playing in earnest when HS ball is over.

Contact some local high caliber teams to see what they do in your area.

-W

 

[softballdad97]

I failed to mention that we are predominately USSSA organizatioin because ASA, NSA, NFA, do not have enough tourney's in our area to do much more than that. Our concern is if we qualify and our rosters are frozen that could be an issue, or am I reading too much into that. Is there a work around if we bring younger players up can they go back down, how would the younger team coaches feel about that? Those are all concerns. Some of our organizations also have strict policies against playing with another organization, especially competeing organizations.

 

[Coachmom]

When my DD was in the 14U division the coaches of 2 local travel teams combined their available players and formed a team. They called it Team STC (for the local training facility that both teams practiced at) and played friendlies and tournaments until their high school players returned.

 

[Sparky Guy]

What Coachmom said happens around here all the time. Most organizations have at least two 14U teams because of this exact problem. Play some of the younger ones together till the HS kids get back. For most that is in late May.

 

[absdad]

I failed to mention that we are predominately USSSA organizatioin because ASA, NSA, NFA, do not have enough tourney's in our area to do much more than that. Our concern is if we qualify and our rosters are frozen that could be an issue, or am I reading too much into that. Is there a work around if we bring younger players up can they go back down, how would the younger team coaches feel about that? Those are all concerns. Some of our organizations also have strict policies against playing with another organization, especially competeing organizations.

Honestly, USSSA doesn't care about ASA and vice versa; with regards to players. Not sure about the others... just pick up players and play a normal fall schedule. It's pretty much a given in 14's, that it's like that. Are you in MO? Just curious since you said fall.

 

[softballdad97]

Honestly, USSSA doesn't care about ASA and vice versa; with regards to players. Not sure about the others... just pick up players and play a normal fall schedule. It's pretty much a given in 14's, that it's like that. Are you in MO? Just curious since you said fall.

Absdad, my concern is if we were to qualify by winning a USSSA tourney with borrowed or girls brought up, that it would lock in our roster. We are in IL.

 

[softballdad97]

We are a 13U moving to 14U, and our 12U's will be moving up to 13U. So it's not like we can pull some of their players up either. I did find out that once the freshman teams are done which is generally mid-May that those girls are eligible unless they are playing Varsity and their team is making a deep run in the playoffs.