Converting to travel ball

[mudbug]

You didnt say what age group you would be playing, 12U, 14U, 16U etc.

Does local newspaper have a section once/week that has tryout info for all sports? Thats common.

Is there a local web forum that teams advertise on, announce tournaments, etc? Thats common too.

SoCal has the highest conc. of teams around, and the highest conc. of very elite teams too, some of the best in the country. But theres still all kinds of teams for all kinds of players.

Ask around, call coaches and ask them for more info. They might not need players, but they might be able to give you some contact info for someone who does.

Look up california teams in eteamz, try and contact some near you and ask.

Look up 2009 ASA/USA Girls Fastpitch national tournament results on the ASA website for the age group you are interested in. There will be 30 or more california teams in the results, most from so cal. Search internet for their websites, get contact info and start asking.

Many teams will be pretty good teams, maybe not suitable for someone coming out of rec ball, but Id bet the coaches would be willing to help out and give you leads and point you toward teams that might be suitable.

 

[Peace Love and Softball]

You didnt say what age group you would be playing, 12U, 14U, 16U etc.

Does local newspaper have a section once/week that has tryout info for all sports? Thats common.

Is there a local web forum that teams advertise on, announce tournaments, etc? Thats common too.

SoCal has the highest conc. of teams around, and the highest conc. of very elite teams too, some of the best in the country. But theres still all kinds of teams for all kinds of players.

Ask around, call coaches and ask them for more info. They might not need players, but they might be able to give you some contact info for someone who does.

Look up california teams in eteamz, try and contact some near you and ask.

Look up 2009 ASA/USA Girls Fastpitch national tournament results on the ASA website for the age group you are interested in. There will be 30 or more california teams in the results, most from so cal. Search internet for their websites, get contact info and start asking.

Many teams will be pretty good teams, maybe not suitable for someone coming out of rec ball, but Id bet the coaches would be willing to help out and give you leads and point you toward teams that might be suitable.

I am in 14u and I might have found a team. I contacted a coach and he said to come out to their next practice to work out with them. I'm excited but I know it's not a for sure thing that I'll automatically be on the team. I know what to expect though. I've played all-stars and I've been to a high school clinic so I pretty much have an intake on what drills and conditioning the team will do. Wish me luck!

 

[Coach-n-Dad]

good luck and more importantly - HAVE FUN!

 

[absdad]

Look for some tryouts in the paper, websites, etc. Don't be afraid to ask questions about teams; LOTS of questions. Don't forget.. you are evaluating them also. Don't settle for a team just because they've extended an offer to you. If you can, watch the team practice, are the other players skilled? Make sure that if the coach's daughter is playing on the team, it's because she has the skills to be there. Many times a coach creates a team for his "star" daughter to be able to play because she can't elsewhere. Seen that happen. Good luck to you.

 

[mudbug]

Look to tryout for several teams, dont depend on any of them coming thru.

When a team is almost full, many times they are really only looking for something specific. A true power hitter that can put the ball over the fence, another pitcher, catcher, a strong SS, etc. They are looking to make their team complete, and if you dont fit, it wont matter.

You might be a good X, but if they have two girls that already play X well already, you wont be needed for that.


Good luck .

 

[Dusty]

I am in 14u and I might have found a team. I contacted a coach and he said to come out to their next practice to work out with them. I'm excited but I know it's not a for sure thing that I'll automatically be on the team. I know what to expect though. I've played all-stars and I've been to a high school clinic so I pretty much have an intake on what drills and conditioning the team will do. Wish me luck!

Practicing with a travel team is a great way to get into travel ball, that's what my oldest dd (12yo) did when she joined her first travel team last fall.

Just relax and go into with the attitude that you'll get a good workout and if you get invited back you'll get another good workout. My dd went to about six practices and actually missed their tryouts because she was out of town when they held them. Fortunately, they saw enough of her in the practices she attended and she got a good feel for how she'd fit in with the girls on the team. My younger dd (10yo) ended up joining a travel team in the same org that I help coach and we've had a couple of kids from rec league's join us for practices.

If you don't get asked back to another practice take the same approach with another team. I would suggest googling the various softball associations (ASA, NSA, USSSA) to find any 14u teams you haven't identified yet.

Good Luck

 

[fastpitch]

Here's a USSSA listing of some 14u teams in Socal for 2010

USSSA Baseball / ISTS Sports Statistics

Try and google the ones near you.

You can also look at the announcement page for

Fastpitch Tips & Drills, Coaching, Rules | Team Websites | eteamz

Pick your state and looking for players.

Good luck.

 

[Peace Love and Softball]

Ok. Thanks for all the info and encouragement everyone! Hopefully good news will come in the future.

 

[Peace Love and Softball]

So, I went to the practice and I'm on the team! I'll play my first toruament on Sunday

 

[mudbug]

Well congrats.