Don't knock it until you try it. There is a certain freedom for a kid to just go play ball and have fun when they don't have to worry about seeing those same girls at school on Monday. All of the cliques and drama that go along with the typical junior high/high school experience have their way of making it into the dugout as well when several (or all) of the players go to school together. It has been such a blessing for my daughter to have an entirely different set of friends on her select teams and it has really broadened her worldview since we are from a small school district where she would normally only see the same handful of friends year after year. I've heard very similar things from many of our players and parents over the years.I want my daughter to play so she gets to play with girls she knows, girl she’ll hopefully play in high school with one day and build relationships. I’ve never understood being on these regional teams where are you don’t even know your teammates. But I guess to each their own.
I see teams where they have some girls from the area where I live when they pull in a pitcher from three states away and two other players from a different region. That’s not a team, that’s mercenaries - i don’t see the point of it. Kind of make me sad when I think about the girls on those teams.