What Does an Offer Really Mean?

Just because a person coaches an elite or A team does not make that person the best coach. Where I live some of the best coaches are the ones that do not necessarily win every game. It is easy to manage a team of talented players it is hard to coach a team of kids wanting to get better. The last time I checked: C=Rec, B= All the girls are from the same qualifing district in, A=have girls from differnt districts. That is ASA. Been a long time since I looked so do not beat me up to bad. Again as remebered I did not see any thing that says anything about ability of individual players.

EP Dad said:

Oh, and I don't have a "B-Level" Mentality. However, I do believe if you make the team you deserve to play a the 14U level. The kids are still developing. There's plenty of time for 18U level ball where only the top 9 get a spot. I saw too many times over the years at 10's and 12's where kids didn't even get to play and that's just wrong.

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For the record, there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with having a "B-level" mentality! IMHO B-level teams are more concerned with player development then they are about winning. I would HIGHLY encourage players to get on a team with B-level mentality at 10U and 12U, or if they are just starting.

JAD said:

For the record, there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with having a "B-level" mentality! IMHO B-level teams are more concerned with player development then they are about winning. I would HIGHLY encourage players to get on a team with B-level mentality at 10U and 12U, or if they are just starting.

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Last year DD was on a team that wanted to go A and I believe they decided she wasn't good enough to play for them. Maybe older kids are ready to sit the bench the majority of the time on an A-level team, but it was terribly discouraging for a 12-year old. For anyone with a young daughter who's in that low A/high B gray area, I'd strongly advise you not to automatically choose an A team over B.

DD's now on a B-level team which seems truly focussed on player development. They try to get all the players lots and lots of reps at practice and they're giving her loads of playing time, tons behind the plate and some pool games at 3rd, which she's trying to learn as her secondary position. I can't see that happening on an A-level team, well perhaps in a complete blow-out, but it's the nail-biters that are the best teachers! JMO.

The best way for a player to improve is to play, so I am always astonished at parents who put their kids on a marquee A-team with 14-15 other players when they KNOW their DD will see limited playing time.....I will never forget a conversations I had with a dad while I was sitting in the bleachers watching two marquee A-teams play. His DD was sitting on the bench and the only time she saw the field was to pinch run for the pitcher or catcher. Yet he paid the same dues as everyone else, and went to 15+ tournaments during the season (most with overnight stays), just so he could tell everyone that he DD played for "XXXXX" organization......WOW!

Jenny Finch was once told by a coach that she was not good enough to be a pitcher in a championship game. She changed teams and we all know how she turned out.

As far as A teams vs B teams my DD plays on a high level B team that beats a lot of A teams. When she was going to tryouts a few coaches flat out said they were going to regester as a B team cause there were more tournaments to play in close to home. If you regester as an A team you have to wait for an open or A level tournament or travel a little farther from home when there is a town not far from here that seems to have a B tournament almost every weekend. You can always play up in level.