when do you know its time to go to travel ball?

DD just started playing TB this spring but is also still playing rec. She's been undecided about whether to fully transition and leave rec for good.
At a few games this season in rec, we've played teams where the pitchers rarely throw strikes. We've won games where we got 15 runs on only a few hits. But she's starting to see that the people on her team are equally as bad at fielding. She is also a P/C in rec. She pitched one inning in a game recently against a pretty bad team because she can throw strikes very consistently and our HC wanted the team to hit off her. She struck out 2 but if a ball got hit, our defense could NOT do anything. So many missed pop-ups, grounders between the legs, poor throws. They scored 5 runs off 2 hits because the rest were errors. She also struggles catching because she makes good throws to 2B and 3B but the fielders can't catch! That doesn't happen in TB.
She finally said this past weekend that - yes, she doesn't want to do rec again!

Play summer All-Stars and then find a team to start with in the fall when all the teams do tryouts. Do some homework on the teams that she will be trying out for. The team needs to be a good fit for family, skill level and commitment level.

When you are asking the question, that typically means it's time. So much depends on geography and what sorts of opportunities are available in your area, but in places where softball is popular, there is a generally a team for everyone.

DD has her first workout with a TB team on Friday. The coach of that team has offered her to play in a couple tournaments and the local wed night friendlies at no charge to see if she likes it and if its a fit for her. She is excited and really nervous ... as am I. we will see how this chapter in her softball life goes...

rebeldesign said:

DD has her first workout with a TB team on Friday. The coach of that team has offered her to play in a couple tournaments and the local wed night friendlies at no charge to see if she likes it and if its a fit for her. She is excited and really nervous ... as am I. we will see how this chapter in her softball life goes...

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That's great! Good luck.

Look at this as a two-way tryout. The team is looking at your DD to see if she is a fit for the team, but you and your DD need to be looking at the team to see if it's a fit for you guys. Try to get a vibe of the parents, and look for any signs that there might be issues. Ask your DD how she likes the other players. Are they interacting with her and including her? I've seen a range of things in this regard. I've seen good players try out with a team, and were clearly good enough to contribute, but the group of players weren't welcoming. I've also seen teams where the players have been very welcoming and inclusive, but the new player wasn't meshing with the vibe of the group. Generally speaking, if your DD feels like she's part of the team very quickly, and is excited to be there, that's a good sign.

rebeldesign said:

DD has her first workout with a TB team on Friday. The coach of that team has offered her to play in a couple tournaments and the local wed night friendlies at no charge to see if she likes it and if its a fit for her. She is excited and really nervous ... as am I. we will see how this chapter in her softball life goes...

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Just follow Rule #1 - love your kid.

It’s ok to be nervous. It’s ok to push her the right way. But at the end of the day, make sure she 100% knows you have her back.

I lost track of that rule for a bit and it almost cost me my relationship with my daughter. If you just love your kid, enjoy watching her play every inning, and rise above the drama that will definitely ensue, you and your daughter will have some great memories.


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after the workout on Friday , she was offered a spot on the team! we are still gonna do the offer of a couple friendlies and a tournament to see how she likes it, but DD really likes the girls on the team and they invited her over for a team sleepover/ bbq next weekend and DD wants to go... so I guess we are a TB family now!

rebeldesign said:

DD admits to holding back at practice because she knows some of the girls on the rec team are new and she doesn't want to hurt or scare them...

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Then get her out of rec ball immediately.

ksusouthpaw said:

Just follow Rule #1 - love your kid.

It’s ok to be nervous. It’s ok to push her the right way. But at the end of the day, make sure she 100% knows you have her back.

I lost track of that rule for a bit and it almost cost me my relationship with my daughter. If you just love your kid, enjoy watching her play every inning, and rise above the drama that will definitely ensue, you and your daughter will have some great memories.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

Truly great words of advice.

I am at the same place with my dd. She currently plays on an 8u rec league "travel team" and is required to play rec ball. She has been telling me for a couple of weeks now that she hates rec ball, the other girls can't catch so she's afraid to throw to them and she gets confused as to wether or not she should just chase people for outs. She will be moving up to 10u after all stars and as of now she says she wants to try out for dedicated travel teams and see what happens. Part of me wants to do that but I also hate to leave our local league. I played on the same fields 30 plus years ago and it stinks to walk away from it. She has made some really good friends on our "travel team" and that has to be a hard thing for her to decide to walk away from. We have talked and I told her my thoughts but that it is entirely up to her. We already know for sure that 3 other girls are leaving and they are wanting us to all try and land somewhere else together so that would be good if it works out that way.