16u vs 14u - travel distance expectations

[Kring]

My daughter plays for a local 14u team where everyone is from within 50 miles. She will turn 15 this December and will need to move up to 16u in January but her team can still play 14u. She has ambitions of playing in college. After talking with some parents it seems 16u it is more common for girls to play on teams based in different cities. I wanted to see if this is truly the case - that we should cast a wider net in our next team search?

 

[ang2bmd]

Depends on what is in your immediate area and what she means by wanting to play in college. If she means play for a p5 school then multi state big name teams are helpful. If she means play at any level then there are many smaller more local organizations that place kids at all levels. You need to research the organizations in your area and look at their websites. They will typically list their committed kids. Choose one that places kids at the level she wants to play. She needs to be going to camps, sending out emails and doing the work.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[Top_Notch]

Be on the best team possible to compete with the best competition available at an appropriate level. We have an option to play 5 minutes away in our backyard but chose a team over an hour away because it's a more competitive team. There are girls on the team from different states, but also some girls who live 5 minutes away.

 

[Orange Socks]

50 miles in certain parts of the country could mean 40 minute drive vs 1.5 hr drive. DD practiced 13.4 miles away from home, but the drive could be 27 minutes or 50 minutes depending on traffic. Some families lived 97 miles away (1 hr 45-2 hr 15 min) and at the time we practiced 2-4 days a week. Do your research on the teams that are local to you. Make sure they are a legit program that recruits to the schools that are a good fit for the family.

 

[joe720]

While playing for a good org will help a bit to get your DD a spot on a team in college, her communication with coaches as well as going to their camps really is what gets you there. Most college coaches are going to games to see someone specific who has contacted them. I don't think they spend time casting a wide net and watching everyone at the park.

The effort your DD puts in to the recruiting process will pay 10 fold whatever jersey she may wear.

 

[Rick M]

She will turn 15 this December and will need to move up to 16u in January but her team can still play 14u.

Don’t stay with the 14U team just because of a late birthday. The time to find your spot is this summer, there’s nothing to be gained by playing the fall season at 14U and then trying to find a new team in January. Better to attend open tryouts in August than to be limited to teams looking to fill one or two spots during the winter break.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Strike2]

Much of it depends on where you live and the goals. If in or near a metropolitan area with a large number of good teams, going to a team in another city probably is not necessary. If you live in a smaller rural town and want to play at OU, get ready to drive and fly. If you live in that smaller town and play effectively on half-way decent local tournament & school ball teams, playing JUCO or NAIA ball is realistically within reach.

 

[sluggers]

After talking with some parents it seems 16u it is more common for girls to play on teams based in different cities. I wanted to see if this is truly the case - that we should cast a wider net in our next team search?

If you live in a large metro area (like Chicagoland, DFW, LA), then you can play for a good team in that area. There will be several. You still could end up driving an hour or two for practice and games.

If you live in a rural area, then your DD will have to find a team in a larger city.

 

[uncdrew]

Much of it depends on where you live and the goals. If in or near a metropolitan area with a large number of good teams, going to a team in another city probably is not necessary. If you live in a smaller rural town and want to play at OU, get ready to drive and fly. If you live in that smaller town and play effectively on half-way decent local tournament & school ball teams, playing JUCO or NAIA ball is realistically within reach.

Yes, around Atlanta there are many very good teams we can tryout for and any/all would be great.

But we here in Atlanta do have girls driving several hours to get to us, because there just aren't qualities teams in their smaller towns/counties.