Travel Team in Rec League Tournaments, why?

This might end up being pretty long, but I'll try to shorten it up.

Just finished up playing in an 8U "B" level rec league all star tournament with 10 teams in it. 9 of the 10 teams were made up of the best girls from the local rec organization, practiced together for a couple weeks, then went to this tournament.

Our girls did amazingly well, winning 15-14 and tying 7-7 in pool play. Won our first game 15-4 on Sunday. Then we ran into a team that signed up for the tournament under the name of a local organization but turns out they were a travel team made up of the best girls from an entire county. They pasted us 16-5 in the semifinals. After the game when I had our girls in the post game huddle, their assistant coach comes over to us and congratulates the girls, because we were the first team all season to score 5 runs against them.

Here's my question: what are the coaches of that team teaching their girls exactly? I mean, I don't mind playing teams that are clearly better because it shows my girls what's possible if they practice. But, outside of trophy hunting, what are the girls on the other team learning?

Finally, we are hosting a "C" level tournament in two weeks. We are a small community not real close to too many other organizations, so drawing teams was tough. We have exactly 4 teams signed up, just enough to host a tournament. This travel team is one of those teams. I am honestly concerned for the safety of one of the other teams that signed up. Do I boot this travel team and risk having no tournament at all? Any veterans out there with experience in this area? Or just somebody with an opinion? Thanks!

Trophy hunters are losers. There, I said it. Everyone knows which coaches/teams are trophy hunters and nobody respects them. I suppose they don't care as long as they get their plastic. They're hurting their players, but for these kinds of coaches it's all about them and their egos. I'm sure everyone on this board could name at least 2 in their area.

You beat a team 15-4 and that is OK but you lost 16-5 and that is not OK?

Not being snarky, just trying to understand the issue?

Was it a local tournament for the TB team? TB teams spend a lot of time on the road playing a long way away from home. It is nice sometimes to play at home so that you can sleep in your own bed and so that your local friends and family can see your DD play. So it might not be malicious or trophy hunting, just a nice way to play local. I mean, they are 8U so I don't think that safety is really a factor...

People spend too much time worrying about what everybody else is doing..

I'm a little more sympathetic to the "powerhouse" team because (a) it is 8U and (b) you are in a remote location so it is difficult to play other teams.

He is probably playing in the tournament just to get some more experience for his kids.

My suggestion is to call the coach up and have a chat about how the coach plans on playing the weaker teams. Something like, "I know you got a really great team. We want to do something like this every year, and if you go out and pummel everyone, no one will want to play next year. So, could you take it easy on Team A? Of course, play your best against my team."

Unless the guy is a total idiot, he will cooperate.

We have play in tourneys that we had no business being in because it was close. And we have been on the other end were we got run out of the building. But exposure to good teams is good for younger girls especially. Gives them a view of how things are supposed to be done.

Hi-Tech said:

You beat a team 15-4 and that is OK but you lost 16-5 and that is not OK?

Not being snarky, just trying to understand the issue?

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Fair question. My "tournament" team is an All Star team made up of the best out of 33 girls ages 5-8 that signed up and played in our rec league this year. Same situation for 8 of the other teams in the tournament. The idea of these tournaments is just to provide a reward to the girls that played well during their rec ball season.

The argument I have against this travel team is that they don't follow the basic rules of the advertisement for the tournament, knowingly deceived the tournament organizers by claiming they were a rec league all star team, and they're signing up for not just B, but C level tournaments.

chevy706 said:

made up of the best girls from an entire county.

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To me this is what a "B" (or "C") team is. Players comprised of county or city that go play in tournaments. Just because they are "travel" doesn't mean anything. They could be a bad travel team.

Now if they beat every team by 10 runs in the Rec League Tournament then they should go play some better competition (and I would tell the coach as much).

At 8U it can be difficult to find competition. DD started a travel team at 8U. There were two other teams that we played endlessly because there weren't any others around. We played in 9U-B/C and 10U-C tournaments. One coach happened to find an 8U tournament in a neighboring state. So, being a travel team, we hiked over to play this tournament thinking there would be good competition. Let me tell you, the parents we played against were not happy. One parent actually came up to me and said he was thankful his team didn't have to face ours.

So, I guess it depends on how the tournament was advertised, rec league all stars or an 8U tournament. There really is no 'A' level at 8U. If it's rec league, well then the team had better be in that league. If it's an 8U tournament, then it's really open to anyone. .02