First Travel Ball Tryout

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Apr 30, 2018
349
43
I missed that it was an indoor practice space. That can definitely be affected by schedules.
It might be shorter due to season being over and approaching Christmas too. I'll have to ask if practices will be longer after the holidays and the spring season starts up.

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Apr 30, 2018
349
43
My DD was bouncing off the walls with joy tonight and I was stuck on an airplane. My wife spilled the beans so I have to act surprised in the morning when my DD tells me the news. She got an offer to join a travel ball team at the end of her 2nd practice! The team is still having open practices thru Jan. 6, so as much as I want to jump on the offer, reading some of the comments on here makes me want to still have her tryout with one other team (3rd team) that has an open practice tomorrow. I'm not sure if they are making the offers early as they are afraid they may not get enough girls to make a second team, or they were impressed enough they didn't want to risk her getting an offer from another team. Plenty of girls there threw harder and hit harder, but it did seem like DD received the least amount of corrections. They had to run a bunch of laps at the end and DD did lap the entire field of girls that were there. Some girls were so tired at the end they started walking and the coaches had to get onto them.

She really likes the coaches on the team that made an offer. They were firm, but not screamers. The kept practice moving at a fast pace, but would stop a drill when necessary to present a correction. There is also a girl on this team that was on my DD rec ball team so they are friends. Is it bad to accept the first offer even of it feels right or should we delay and keep our options open for this third team. We have ruled out the first team even if they gave us an offer. Heard the coach is a screamer from a few people. DD doesn't do well with screamers.

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Oct 4, 2018
4,611
113
When we coaches see someone we like, we make an offer. While we sometimes worry that someone might get away, we really just trust things to work out. If they like us and we like them, they almost always accept an offer.

Trying out for a third team is wise, of course, but it kinda sounds to me like your daughter found her place. :) Congrats to you both.
 
May 24, 2013
12,461
113
So Cal
My DD was bouncing off the walls with joy tonight and I was stuck on an airplane. My wife spilled the beans so I have to act surprised in the morning when my DD tells me the news. She got an offer to join a travel ball team at the end of her 2nd practice! The team is still having open practices thru Jan. 6, so as much as I want to jump on the offer, reading some of the comments on here makes me want to still have her tryout with one other team (3rd team) that has an open practice tomorrow. I'm not sure if they are making the offers early as they are afraid they may not get enough girls to make a second team, or they were impressed enough they didn't want to risk her getting an offer from another team. Plenty of girls there threw harder and hit harder, but it did seem like DD received the least amount of corrections. They had to run a bunch of laps at the end and DD did lap the entire field of girls that were there. Some girls were so tired at the end they started walking and the coaches had to get onto them.

She really likes the coaches on the team that made an offer. They were firm, but not screamers. The kept practice moving at a fast pace, but would stop a drill when necessary to present a correction. There is also a girl on this team that was on my DD rec ball team so they are friends. Is it bad to accept the first offer even of it feels right or should we delay and keep our options open for this third team. We have ruled out the first team even if they gave us an offer. Heard the coach is a screamer from a few people. DD doesn't do well with screamers.

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As uncdrew said, it's typical for coaches to make offers to players that they like right away. Coaches have a pretty good idea of the overall skill level they are looking for, but they are looking at a lot more than just throwing speed and hitting power. If I see a player that I think will be able to help my team, I want to bring them on board ASAP. I can get a read on a player's general athleticism very quickly. Watching how they move to a ground/fly ball, their throwing footwork, etc. will tell me a lot more about where they are and their near-future potential. A GIANT factor is their attitude.

If your DD was "bouncing off the walls" with joy. That's a very good sign. If she was luke-warm about it, it's worth taking a look elsewhere.

When we first made the move to TB (second year 10U), my DD attended 2 tryouts. The first was a team where the talent level was terrible. It was a mixed 10U/12U group, and my DD was one of the top couple of players on the field. At the end, one of the coaches said to me, "She's good. She could play with our 14U team." I understand it was a compliment, but it said a lot about the skill level of the org. That org didn't last the year, and never got a 10U team off the ground. At my DD's second tryout, it was instantly obvious that it was a good fit. Coaching was clearly very good, she had never worked harder on a softball field, and my DD was very happy with the coaches and group of players. After the tryout, when I asked her if she wanted to join the team, the immediate answer was "YES!!!!" My DD played with that team for 2-1/2 years. My point is that sometimes the right fit finds you very quickly, and that's okay.
 
Oct 21, 2016
189
28
My DD was bouncing off the walls with joy tonight and I was stuck on an airplane. My wife spilled the beans so I have to act surprised in the morning when my DD tells me the news. She got an offer to join a travel ball team at the end of her 2nd practice! The team is still having open practices thru Jan. 6, so as much as I want to jump on the offer, reading some of the comments on here makes me want to still have her tryout with one other team (3rd team) that has an open practice tomorrow. I'm not sure if they are making the offers early as they are afraid they may not get enough girls to make a second team, or they were impressed enough they didn't want to risk her getting an offer from another team. Plenty of girls there threw harder and hit harder, but it did seem like DD received the least amount of corrections. They had to run a bunch of laps at the end and DD did lap the entire field of girls that were there. Some girls were so tired at the end they started walking and the coaches had to get onto them.

She really likes the coaches on the team that made an offer. They were firm, but not screamers. The kept practice moving at a fast pace, but would stop a drill when necessary to present a correction. There is also a girl on this team that was on my DD rec ball team so they are friends. Is it bad to accept the first offer even of it feels right or should we delay and keep our options open for this third team. We have ruled out the first team even if they gave us an offer. Heard the coach is a screamer from a few people. DD doesn't do well with screamers.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

Your daughter sounds like she is athletic and coachable. As a coach at 10U that's all your looking at a try out. There are not of 10 year olds who already have high level softball skills. A good coach with a team full of athletic, coachable girls can accomplish a lot. Congrats on the offer and positive experience your DD had. As others have said, strap on the seat belt and enjoy the ride that is travel ball.
 
Jul 15, 2019
8
1
To the OP, as the season is ending, how did it end up with the team? We are starting our first year of 10u TB and had some of the same concerns as you did.
 

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