A new experience

[mosftballdad]

My DD is on a new 14u team with a great organization. I have absolutely no complaints about the girls, coaches or organization. My DD is really enjoying being on a team with girls that want to play at the highest level. The team is listed as an "A" team and the ultimate goal is to play ASA/USA nationals in San Diego next year. I received our tournament schedule for next year. We have 7 tournaments and all 7 are out of state (4+ hours away) and 4 of them are back to back. We will play no local tournaments and they are all ASA qualifiers.

I do not object to traveling to play better teams in different areas, in fact I think it would be great learning experience for my DD. Since we are new to the "A" level non-daddy ball scene, is this typical with teams that want to play at this level?

I am interested in hearing your situations with "A" level ball with traveling and how it helped/hurt your DD.

 

[starsnuffer]

It really depends on where you live and the quality of what you consider to be quality tournaments.

The two reasons for a schedule like yours is that there are either no local competitions of a high enough quality, or the organization has already burned all their local bridges and have to go out of state.

-W

 

[marriard]

Totally depends on where you are and really how good you are compared to the best of the other local competition.

If you are going to run rule absolutely everyone locally (or almost everyone locally), then yes, extensive travel to the best competition is absolutely the norm. Entering a local tournament of 10 teams with only 1 team that might on a good day get within 5 runs of you does nothing for anyone.

Alternate reason - last year there was a team that had to travel because they were being refused entry at the local tournaments due to trophy hunting in lower divisions/bad behavior/other teams dropped when they entered. Doesn't sound like your situation though.

 

[mosftballdad]

This organization has the highest reputation in the area so no issues with being refused entry. Most teams in this area are either highly diluted talent wise or daddy ball and haven't really progressed much over the years. There are only a handful of teams that would give these girls a good challenge and playing them all the time will get old.

 

[marriard]

This organization has the highest reputation in the area so no issues with being refused entry. Most teams in this area are either highly diluted talent wise or daddy ball and haven't really progressed much over the years. There are only a handful of teams that would give these girls a good challenge and playing them all the time will get old.

Then you answered your own question - you are going to have to travel to get competition to make your team better. And wherever you are - for your DD's team that means they need to go out of state.

 

[humpty]

Why are there no asa qualifiers in your state. You can always play up.for better competition.

 

[SoCal_Dad]

This organization has the highest reputation in the area so no issues with being refused entry. Most teams in this area are either highly diluted talent wise or daddy ball and haven't really progressed much over the years. There are only a handful of teams that would give these girls a good challenge and playing them all the time will get old.

- If any of that handful of teams are similar to yours, what do their schedules look like?
- Is your coach experienced at putting together a schedule for your team's level?
- Did he/she get advice from more experienced coaches in your org (e.g. the coach of previous year's 14U team)?
- What do the schedules of similar teams in your org look like?

Your team's schedule could be anything from optimal to a well-intentioned mess. Hopefully it is the former.

 

[mosftballdad]

SoCal_Dad - good questions. The handful of teams around here will play mostly NSA and USSSA tourneys with a couple of ASA. I am not sure of her history for putting schedules together but she works closely with the head of our organization and I would assume that they have talked. I think we are traveling a little more than the 16U teams but then again we have different agendas than they do. The previous coach was below par so no help there.

 

[mosftballdad]

I'm trying to gauge if this much travel is normal for this level even with local teams being mostly weaker or if she is trying to really stretch the girls. Either way I'm happy just trying to get others opinions.

 

[Coachmom]

All 7 tournaments are 4 plus hours away? Yes, that is highly unusual and it's a very heavy travel schedule for a 14U team.
I would not be doing it.