Travel Ball Woes

Long time lurker but I need to vent. DD has played rec for 6 years and TB and MS for the last two.

Last year we started at TB in spring with an established team. They needed a pitcher and we knew a girl on the team. Anyway, the team was coach owned and was a time bomb. The coach was a good position coach and a lousy manager and even worse at business management and that team imploded at the end of the season.

Our first tryout season last August was up and down. DD was offered a spot with an org we wanted and a new coach with a core of 12s moving up. DD is also a 13U this season. Unfortunately, this team was canceled without notification as tryouts were winding down in our area and we wound up on the outside looking in - tryouts over and no team. Eventually we found a team that was not close to home but looked to be a decent match and we signed up.

Now that summer is here, it's finally apparent this is not the right team for us. Our fall season was pretty light (3 friendlies) and our winter practice schedule seemed light too, but our spring/summer practices have literally been almost non-existent as MS/HS ball led right into tournament season. It's June and we've had a total of 5 practices outdoors starting in April. We've never had more than 8 girls at a practice, usually 5 or 6. It seems like our coach (who I like a lot as a guy) and our team just aren't interested in TB at the level we are, for them it is more like a fancy rec team. We've not been very successful and in general the players don't seem to care about getting better. Errors are giggled at. Coaches are positive but inexperienced at this level and the bottom line is we are on the wrong team.

As we learn our way around the TB area, I have some ideas of teams we want to try to tryout for next year, but how do we hold it together for 5 more tournaments? I'd like to try guesting with some of these other coaches, but I also don't want to alienate our current coach as he's told us he's very happy with DD's play and hopes we are building a team for next year. We also only have two weekends off in the next 7 so not a lot of options for guesting. DD is beyond frustrated, she hates having to get 5 or 6 outs an inning while the error makers are literally laughing. Her play is clearly suffering as a result. We toughed it out through an intolerable time last year, which may have been a mistake. It's a different situation as to why but it looks like we are back in the same spot again this summer.

Advice? One of the teams we are interested in for next year suffered an injury and has been picking up players weekend to weekend. I'd like to have her try to guest for them if they need a player some weekend but I don't know how to go about approaching it. Maybe best to just ride it out, IDK.

not a lot of travel experience, but some , my take would be to go for it, guest if you can. but let your coach know, but frame it maybe that the schedule is a little light to what DD is used to / is looking for. this might prod him to have more on the schedule in future, and gives a reasonalbe explanation as to why other than shopping for new team.

RecCoach said:

One of the teams we are interested in for next year suffered an injury and has been picking up players weekend to weekend. I'd like to have her try to guest for them if they need a player some weekend but I don't know how to go about approaching it..

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No harm letting them know DD has some availability if they need someone, best way for both parties to find a team/ player. Since Team is in place she might be stuck in a position she is not comfortable but it is what it is. Hit the ball and she will be fine.

If it's the wrong fit you should get her out of there ASAP. That doesn't sound like a beneficial situation to any kid who wants to improve her game. Frame it however you want to the coach, IMO.

Honestly not sure what kind of playing time she would get besides guesting a couple games? Just be prepared this time during tryouts, I would go to at least 3 or 4 and see what is out there, also don't be afraid to ask around at tournaments for what other teams do, how much they practice, commitment level etc.

At 14U HS/JV/MS is just going to make Mar-May/early June a dead time for any team.

How much team practice are you expecting at 14u in the Spring and Summer? Why weren't team concepts sorted in the fall and winter?

I'd get ahold of the team you like and talk to them. They might have some other ideas.

So we spent some time soul searching this week. We're also a good bit further ahead than last year and we've made more contacts. I really think there was another, quality team that she'd have made had she been a known quantity - she tried out well but I got the feeling the coaches were afraid she was a tryout player and not a gamer. Can't say I blame them, I'd be cautious too if I was them. Anyway, I know she is better known in our area now and I think we can do OK for next year.

I think we will just play our way out of this year. I'll just keep putting out the feelers when appropriate, and we are already gearing up for tryouts. She also has a camp coming up that will maybe get her a little exposure locally. Another coach who wanted her did not wind up forming a team and played elsewhere. He sent us a feeler in Feb after they had some year ending injuries and needed a player if we were interested. I think we just let it happen.

Gunner, we have wound up not really doing what we were told was gonna happen, but it's been an erosion. We always seem to be ready to step it up, but we never do. We spent another week this week with no practice and no practice scheduled for the weekend.