New to travel, not sure it's any better than Rec league. Is the grass always greener?

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Oct 29, 2018
28
3
I have a 10U player new to travel this fall. The time and travel side for the fall has been a lot and we are not sure the particular team we are on is worth it for us or that she is developing much as a player to justify the time and money. She's having fun but her level of play is way above the other girls on the team and her hitting is like she is in a different league. Many, many games she gets the only hits on the team. Good for her confidence I guess.

While she has a lot to learn the coaches are focusing more on half the team getting very basic fundamentals. We were told it would be a more competitive/experienced team. There are several really young 9 year olds who haven't played much before. Big sales pitch to us as parents during tryouts. Now it's clear to me they didn't get enough 10 year olds to try out and backfilled half the team with inexperienced 9 year olds willing to pay and commit.

This looks just like a rec team to us. Is this common?

Do we just let her have fun, finish out the winter, spring, summer, and do what next year? Look around in the summer of next year for 12u? Hope the team improves because she likes the girls? Do we try to have her guest around a bit too and see what's out there? Keep up lessons on the side? Or go back to rec? Is this a case of grass is always greener?
 
Dec 2, 2013
3,410
113
Texas
Yes, this is common. DD stayed in Rec until 7 grade(we had a solid league), but played All Stars for 5 summers. Even at 18U there are teams that resemble a rec ball team. I am so glad that we didn't hit full on TB until 8th grade. Saved a bunch of money and did our best to avoid burnout.

Do your homework on teams and coaches. It is best to watch the team play before you make the jump. Been there, done that! Your commitment to the team is season to season. How is the coaching? Is she getting better? Are the other parents grumbling in the stands? You need to find a team where your DD is not the best or the worst on the team. She needs to be pushed by better players otherwise she will get bored and will stagnate as player.

Good luck.
 
Jun 8, 2016
16,118
113
I have a 10U player new to travel this fall. The time and travel side for the fall has been a lot and we are not sure the particular team we are on is worth it for us or that she is developing much as a player to justify the time and money. She's having fun but her level of play is way above the other girls on the team and her hitting is like she is in a different league. Many, many games she gets the only hits on the team. Good for her confidence I guess.

While she has a lot to learn the coaches are focusing more on half the team getting very basic fundamentals. We were told it would be a more competitive/experienced team. There are several really young 9 year olds who haven't played much before. Big sales pitch to us as parents during tryouts. Now it's clear to me they didn't get enough 10 year olds to try out and backfilled half the team with inexperienced 9 year olds willing to pay and commit.

This looks just like a rec team to us. Is this common?

Do we just let her have fun, finish out the winter, spring, summer, and do what next year? Look around in the summer of next year for 12u? Hope the team improves because she likes the girls? Do we try to have her guest around a bit too and see what's out there? Keep up lessons on the side? Or go back to rec? Is this a case of grass is always greener?

I would look for an 08' team unless you think the 09's are going to be able to progress enough by the end of next summer to successfully move up to 12U. If not then you will either a) have to find a new team anyway since a majority of the team will
stick with 10U or b) be playing 12U with a bunch of 10 year olds who are not ready.



My DD's 10U team is predominantly 08's but there are 3 09's, including my DD. However the 09's are 1) the main pitcher (who hasn't even turned 9 yet) 2)the third baseman and leadoff batter who just turned 9 last week and 3) shortstop (my DD, turned 9 in early Sept.) who bats 4th. So the team, which has gotten a lot better as the year has gone on, should stick together for the most part.

Edit: With regards to lessons, IMO if your DD wants to continue to improve at the rate that it sounds like she has, she will more than likely need to continue to work outside of organized practice time. That would be the
case regardless of how good both the team and coaches are.
 
Last edited:
Oct 11, 2010
8,337
113
Chicago, IL
Around here we do not need to travel very far to have a game, I do not know your situation but I am not paying a lot of expenses at 10U.

Again around here 12U was a big jump, DD got out of 10U as soon as possible.

As orange socks mentioned watch the other Teams, see if you can find a fit.
 
Oct 29, 2018
28
3
Yes, this is common. DD stayed in Rec until 7 grade(we had a solid league), but played All Stars for 5 summers. Even at 18U there are teams that resemble a rec ball team. I am so glad that we didn't hit full on TB until 8th grade. Saved a bunch of money and did our best to avoid burnout.

Do your homework on teams and coaches. It is best to watch the team play before you make the jump. Been there, done that! Your commitment to the team is season to season. How is the coaching? Is she getting better? Are the other parents grumbling in the stands? You need to find a team where your DD is not the best or the worst on the team. She needs to be pushed by better players otherwise she will get bored and will stagnate as player.

Good luck.


Thanks for all these replies.
She is definitely the best on the team hitting. Maybe not the best fieldling but top 3 and yes, getting better.

Not getting much circle time - aspiring pitcher but not sure how much she really wants it. Or me.

Coaches are good. Not the best, not the worst. Bad thing is Head Coach dd has now become a pitcher. Head coach is a salesperson and oversold everything. Live and learn I guess.

What do you mean committment is season to season? Like could we leave now with no bad feelings?

I don't think she's bored. She's having fun and getting playing time, disappointed about pitching time but not sure I see her as a pitcher long term.

I wonder about next year and how to transition to another team. There are half 09 so this team will either split or need to find a bunch more 08 to move up.
 
May 24, 2013
12,461
113
So Cal
Is this common? I guess it depends. In our area, the quality of TB teams range significantly, and there are lots of options. Based on the description, it sounds a lot like this is the wrong team for her.

EDIT: My DD moved from TB at 10yo when it was clear that she had out-grown the rec league. She was hungry to play with better competition and push herself to be a better player. Her first TB team was coached by someone with a ton of experience in the game (largely coaching at the 18U Gold level), and was a college player herself. When my DD joined, I was pretty stunned by how much new stuff she was learning - little details of the game, and high-level fundamentals. Joining the team, she was mid-pack for skill level, but her development exploded under the HC, and she quickly became a significant contributor to the team. What she learned from her first TB coach has continued to serve her as she has moved through the game (now a second-year 14U player). My point...seek out good coaching from the start.
 
Last edited:
Oct 29, 2018
28
3
Thanks for the advice. The coaches are good. Not great but not bad, maybe a bit too inexperienced. Most of the teams around here maybe all close to us that I have seen at 10u are parent coaches. Hard to find an experienced coach at 10u. I'm looking around now and will watch more teams more closely.
 
May 24, 2013
12,461
113
So Cal
Thanks for the advice. The coaches are good. Not great but not bad, maybe a bit too inexperienced. Most of the teams around here maybe all close to us that I have seen at 10u are parent coaches. Hard to find an experienced coach at 10u. I'm looking around now and will watch more teams more closely.

Coaches being parents isn't always a bad thing.

My DD's 14U TB coach is a parent of a player on the team. He played college baseball, and coached HS baseball for 15 years. He is also constantly educating himself to improve his knowledge. Both my DD and I are very happy with what he brings to the team.

My DD's first TB coach (mentioned in my previous post) was a parent of a player on the team, too. She stopped coaching the org's 18U Gold team to coach her own DD.
 
Jun 12, 2015
3,848
83
Our experience in 10U, the talent is spread way out. There are some girls who just develop their skills a lot faster than others. In 10U my DD stood out; we're 2nd year 12U now and she's still good but you see a lot of other girls who took a little longer to get there but have caught up now. Here at least, there are a billion travel teams and usually it's the big 3 orgs that have the stacked teams with the best talent throughout the whole lineup. That was even more the case in 10U. Find a team with a coach who can help her develop and with girls she enjoys playing with and let her have fun. Taking 10U way too seriously is a common mistake or so I hear ;)

The sales guy coaches tend to be really good at recruiting and less good at coaching, IME. That's why they have to focus so hard on recruiting even to the point of being dishonest. They don't know how to take a talented but raw player and teach them the game and refine their skills. Parent coaches aren't all bad. My DH keeps ending up one through no fault of his own, and he's kind of the anti-daddy ball. I've also found that sometimes, coaches without a child on the team are less invested. We had one of those one year too. Good coach with a good head for the game but had a hard time relating to the kids (who were 9 and 10) and it just wasn't fun for anyone. The team fell apart and I had to wonder if the coach was relieved. It's an awful lot of drama for someone who doesn't have a personal investment.
 

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