We hosted a friendly tournament yesterday for 10u teams. One team had five girls who were noticeably bigger and stronger than any other 10u players we have faced. These girls all had different jerseys from the same travel organization. One of the girls admitted to being 12u to our 1b coach, but then acted like she messed up telling us. It may not have been a huge issue and we may have played them anyways, but they chose to use their 12u pitcher for the last half of the game. The girl didn't shut us down and they still got beat by our 10u rec All-Star team. I was wondering if this is a common thing? And if so, should be common courtesy for the coaches to at least let us know? I was thinking there would probably be some liability on their part if one of their 12 year olds smashed one of our 9 year old pitchers with a line drive.
12u playing in 10u friendly tournament?
- Thread starter Red504
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Just because they play 12U doesn’t mean that they are not 10U eligible. I am not sure what difference it would have made but I would have wanted to know if they were not eligible for 10U and playing. Our league, as I am sure most do, does not allow a player to guest play down regardless if she is eligible for the younger group or not. In a friendly this rule would not be enforced or exist.
Unless they were desperate for pitching IDK why they would have pitched her though. They might have done you a favor, their other pitcher might have walked every batter.
Unless they were desperate for pitching IDK why they would have pitched her though. They might have done you a favor, their other pitcher might have walked every batter.
No they were actual 12u players and not eligible. If they would have told us before I probably would have still played, but wouldn't have let them pitch one of their older girls. Either way, I think they should have let us know. There is a big size and strength difference between those ages. One of those girls hit a hard liner up the middle with a 35ft pitching distance and 11 inch ball could be a recipe for disaster.
Mixing the age groups too much at that age can be a disaster, that is true.
DD #2's BFF was a talented player, and always played up. She got a broken left hand playing with older girls, and her hand never completely recovered. She can't catch the ball anymore. So, she plays a nice, safe, sport: hockey.
DD #2's BFF was a talented player, and always played up. She got a broken left hand playing with older girls, and her hand never completely recovered. She can't catch the ball anymore. So, she plays a nice, safe, sport: hockey.
So, she pitched from 35 feet and an 11 inch ball, and still lost? Yes, they should have told you, but it sounds like she is a beginner.
Were these first-year 12u players (ie '02) or 2nd-year (ie '01)?
The 2-year age groups in softball are arbitrary. The '03 teams played against '02 teams when both were 10U last year, so there really isn't any difference this year. In fact, it is common for the better 2nd-year teams to play up for better competition. The end result is a blurring of the age groups because the better teams in the next age group are doing the same thing.
The team should have notified the friendly host in advance to make sure it wouldn't be an issue and so they could schedule them properly. If it wasn't a round robin event where everyone played each other, the older players could be taken into consideration so they didn't play against a first-year 10U team (ie '04).
The 2-year age groups in softball are arbitrary. The '03 teams played against '02 teams when both were 10U last year, so there really isn't any difference this year. In fact, it is common for the better 2nd-year teams to play up for better competition. The end result is a blurring of the age groups because the better teams in the next age group are doing the same thing.
The team should have notified the friendly host in advance to make sure it wouldn't be an issue and so they could schedule them properly. If it wasn't a round robin event where everyone played each other, the older players could be taken into consideration so they didn't play against a first-year 10U team (ie '04).
