Travel Ball is Killing Rec Ball

[_MIA_]

Ah BS, "it's only for the rich kids". I personally know many, many coaches that will fund players that can't afford to play otherwise, many times out of their own pocket. Stop your moaning about TB.

That is great, not sure how common it is in particular as they get older and the per year costs can get upwards of 4 or 5 grand including travel. My DD's org does have a scholarship program but I am not sure if that only covers org. fees.

 

[GunnerShotgun]

Anyone wanna refute the statement or tell me I’m wrong? Shame seeing all these sports for kids being ruined by travel teams. It’s not about how good the kids are for the majority of the teams it’s about who’s mommy and daddy can pay. Football is even being ruined at the rec level now since travel football is becoming a thing. It’s stupid. These travel teams aren’t turning kids into college athletes, sorry that’s just the facts. Travel ball can’t put two of the biggest factors on a kid that colleges look at in virtually every sport, size and speed. You can’t coach em or wish em into fruition. Sure there’s some footwork drills to enhance speed or reaction times but you ain’t ever gonna turn a slow kid into a burner. So instead of letting these kids have fun and play rec league every mommy and daddy have these ideas their kid is the next college sensation and has to play travel ball. It’s killing rec league and destroying having kids be multi sport athletes. There’s another big factor for college recruiters. These travel kids are gonna find out come recruiting time the cream rises to the top and there’s nothing mommy and daddy can pay that puts you on a college team. They gonna watch multi sport athletes who only played rec and school ball get recruited and wonder what went wrong. It’s all sports that’s being effected but it’s for sure killing rec softball. There’s more travel teams than rec teams in our town. Can barely get enough girls to make rec teams.


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You are missing the point on travel ball. It's the journey and not the destination.

 

[Eric F]

I say - with 100% certainty - that my DD would not be at the level she is now without her experience playing travel ball. The quality of coaching has made a huge difference. Playing with and against a much higher level of competition has made a huge difference. Getting a TON more reps - practice and game - has made a huge difference. The difference in skill level between the girls who made the move to travel ball, and the girls who stayed in rec ball is vivid - even among girls that were at a comparable level previously. Not just in physical skills, but also in game smarts and processing (read-react) speed. I've seen it every year in school ball as the rec and TB girls get mixed back together.

You can argue that if the good players just stayed in rec ball, then they would get the same experience as they do in travel. I can't agree with that. Rec ball will always have a component of new and mid-level players that are learning the fundamentals of the game. You don't teach the same things the same way to a newbie that you do a talented and experienced player. For a player just learning how to catch and throw, small details about footwork and arm slot while turning a double-play aren't part of the lesson plan. Also, travel ball gives you the freedom to find coaching that fits best for your DD's development. In the rec league, you're stuck with whichever parents get talked into volunteering that year.

I agree that travel ball won't make a slow runner fast, but playing against top level competition has a much higher chance of developing that slow girl into a beast hitter. I agree that the best players are also the best athletes, but I've seen good athletes stagnate - or even get worse - when their skills aren't being challenged.

At the end of it all, however, the most important thing is that my kid is having an awesome time playing the sport she loves at a high level. If she quits tomorrow, it will have been worth every bit of it.

 

[whack]

Unless you are traveling to national tourneys week in and week out you ain’t seeing the best either. All these lil local travel teams that go a few hours from home every weekend are doing nothing for the kids on the national level. The ages get me most of all. This is all the way down to 3rd grade. Lil Johnny or Jane may not even play the sport by the time they get to recruitment age. I have zero issues with traveling once in hs. It’s not affecting your school ball and there’s no rec league but 1st through 8th graders is a bit much. Let the kids play all the sports not be told by Jimmy travel coach pick one. No ain’t happening at 10 they’ll see more benefit from playing em all at that age.


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[whack]

Ah BS, "it's only for the rich kids". I personally know many, many coaches that will fund players that can't afford to play otherwise, many times out of their own pocket. Stop your moaning about TB.

I’m not rich and can afford for her to play it. There’s a lot that can’t and that’s a simple fact. Coaches or org only gonna do that for a kid that’s a stud too. Not for their back up fielder and 9th in the order.


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[OsDad]

Ah BS, "it's only for the rich kids". I personally know many, many coaches that will fund players that can't afford to play otherwise, many times out of their own pocket. Stop your moaning about TB.

To be fair, this is pretty anecdotal. Just because you know many coaches who would do that, doesn't mean the players who can't afford to play also have access to those coaches. Also, TB =/= TB, especially in my area. Playing on a TB team that hits USSSA tournaments within a 3-9 hour drive isn't in the same universe as one that is catching a flight every weekend to play in tournaments that cost 3-5x as much just to enter. I'm not sure that anyone can argue that club and travel level sports aren't pricing some kids out of being able to play good competition.

 

[OsDad]

I'm not sure who's fault it is that rec ball is in the state it's in, but-

It is what it is.

Listen, my DD isn't a 10 year old prodigy by any stretch. She's above average but that's about it. Unfortunately, there isn't a single rec league in the OKC metro area that I've found, that is fielding a single team that she wouldn't likely be the best player on (or very nearly the best player). It's bad softball for the most part. She isn't trying to earn a scholarship tomorrow (and I'm not trying to get her recruited). She wants to have fun, and I enjoy watching her have fun. Rec, however, isn't any fun. There is no pitching to hit and there is no one who can hit the ball anyway, even when there is pitching. If you're even average, you stand around and kick dirt hoping something will happen. If you're a good pitcher, you get the momentary satisfaction of mowing a bunch of kids down but even that gets old.

I think we all agree with you regarding what has killed rec ball, but I'm not going to be the one carrying the banner on this deal. I want my kid to have fun, and for now, it's lower-level TB that does it for her.

 

[CoachKevin]

To be fair, this is pretty anecdotal. Just because you know many coaches who would do that, doesn't mean the players who can't afford to play also have access to those coaches. Also, TB =/= TB, especially in my area. Playing on a TB team that hits USSSA tournaments within a 3-9 hour drive isn't in the same universe as one that is catching a flight every weekend to play in tournaments that cost 3-5x as much just to enter. I'm not sure that anyone can argue that club and travel level sports aren't pricing some kids out of being able to play good competition.

Those teams that travel like that typically have D1 bound athletes on them.... Most Softball players don't fit into that category anyway. I'm talking the typical TB team. I have seen the kids during HS tryouts that didn't venture the TB route, and those that did. The skill level is night and day, not to mention what Eric F said about just knowing the game.

 

[whack]

To be fair, this is pretty anecdotal. Just because you know many coaches who would do that, doesn't mean the players who can't afford to play also have access to those coaches. Also, TB =/= TB, especially in my area. Playing on a TB team that hits USSSA tournaments within a 3-9 hour drive isn't in the same universe as one that is catching a flight every weekend to play in tournaments that cost 3-5x as much just to enter. I'm not sure that anyone can argue that club and travel level sports aren't pricing some kids out of being able to play good competition.

You got it. The elite travel stuff has always been there. It’s all the lower level travel that is growing every year that is killing rec leagues. The talent pool is so watered down in the b and c levels.


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[Eric F]

Near the end of our time with the local rec league, I was bothered by the departure of a large chunk of talented players around my DD's age (10U). I tried hard to get the league to make some adjustments to their standard way of operating in an effort to keep the better players from moving to travel ball. I was pretty irritated that it got nowhere. At the time, an older guy who had been on the league board for a long time told me...

"This league is a place for new players to learn the game, and casual players to have fun playing with their friends. We do a great job with that. For the talented players who outgrow what the league can offer, the best thing we can do is wish them well, and take pride in knowing we helped develop a good ball player."

At the time, I thought he had no idea what he was talking about. I wasn't until we were well into our own TB journey that I realized how exactly right on he was.