Choosing a travel team

We have been involved in travel ball for almost a year now and are searching for a team again. I don't know which direction to go and wanted to know what others experiences have been. My DD has a good swing and when she makes contact, she usually drives it pretty well. She is not as consistent as others though, mostly due to her mental approach. We have been through the not swinging stage and the constant swing and miss stage. She is starting to make contact now, but her confidence is not always there. In any 4 at bats, she will usually get a hit, walk, and a couple of strikeouts. She is an average fielder for her age (moving into 12u). My delimma is which direction to go when choosing a team. She could get on a lower level team in the area fairly easily, but I don't think she would be pushed. I can see her settling for being the best on a bad team. There are a few B level teams in the area, but spots on these teams are limited and I don't know that she could make these teams because of how inconsistent her bat is at this time. We don't mind her sitting and having to work towards more playing time, but we also don't want to join a team 2 hours away, just to have her play a few games here and there in tournaments. Thoughts?

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Our ideal is a team where DD is top 7 but not top 3. That way she gets the at bats when they bat 9, but she's not complacent because there are several girls above her skill level for her to "chase."

Tough choice. We decided to leave a very good team this year for another organization. Mainly, it came down to two criteria. One is coaching. Two is better org. I was afraid at first that DD may sit some, but it appears as though she will not. Even if she had, we believed she would still be a better player due to the coaching. We hope the org name attracts better talent to push DD. We loved our old team and they were very good, but DD wanted more. She wants to be the best.

^^^This sounds exactly like our situation. We haven't played with them yet, but I imagine DD will get a chance to play and even if not I know the coaching she will receive will make her a better player. DD left her team of 4 years to play for her "dream team". The one she has always admired and who her old team always went head to head with.

To the OP...I also agree with grcsftbll - being in the top 3 is not the best spot to be. DD has been in the top one or 2 on her team for 4 years. She has kind of stagnated. She needs a push. I think it is very common for girls to go thru spurts (especially around the 10U/12U transition) where they are inconsistent with their batting. DD struggled greatly her 1st year at 12U. She could not get the ball out of the infield. Ever. She has worked hard and now one year later had the best OBP and batting average on her team (a team with good hitters). She still has a long way to go and will continue to work, but having girls who are better than her pushes her. I would definitely take her to some of the B level tryouts. You never know until she's there...

This was posted on local forum. I would avoid this team unless you are into the shadyness! I really can't believe this happens, but I guess I am naive.

Anybody playing against (name removed) a 16u tournament better ask to see birth certificates. His daughter is 18 and plays regularly and there are a couple other girls over 18 that he plays on a regular basis. He lies to the girls on his team regularly, sits the girls that are actually members of his team in order to play pick up players. When i called him out on it, he threatened to beat my a** so i told him to bring it to the parking lot and then he threatened to call the cops...lol. Then had the nerve to call ME a punk. Just a warning to everyone else out there to keep an eye on him cause he's shady.

Where would your DD get the best coaching?
Where would she have the most fun?

This is not a 16u showcase team. This is an age where good coaches make a big difference

Orange Socks said:

This was posted on local forum. I would avoid this team unless you are into the shadyness! I really can't believe this happens, but I guess I am naive.

Anybody playing against (name removed) a 16u tournament better ask to see birth certificates. His daughter is 18 and plays regularly and there are a couple other girls over 18 that he plays on a regular basis. He lies to the girls on his team regularly, sits the girls that are actually members of his team in order to play pick up players. When i called him out on it, he threatened to beat my a** so i told him to bring it to the parking lot and then he threatened to call the cops...lol. Then had the nerve to call ME a punk. Just a warning to everyone else out there to keep an eye on him cause he's shady.

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I saw that posted multiple times on different local forums. I don't know if the posts keep getting deleted or what. The poster certainly seems to have a bee in his bonnet about the situation.


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CoachChristine said:

I saw that posted multiple times on different local forums. I don't know if the posts keep getting deleted or what. The poster certainly seems to have a bee in his bonnet about the situation.

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Yeah, I saw that. Everyone is piling on too. You have to wonder what motivates a coach to try to keep this team together if he has so much turnover every week. I am so thankful for my DD's team!