Do/Dont~ Coach is moving team...

[radness]

Do/Dont
Help define Coaches moving teams up in age bracket...a year early!

This is the scenario that prompted this post~
Team that just finished first year 14u.
Half of those was their first travel year.
Very average team & pitching.
Played sparkler.
No pgf qualifier.
Coach is moving up to 16's.
(skipping 2nd yr. In 14's)

Sooo i do like when talent is there to play up to stay in an competitive arena...
However...not...to be way over their head.
Including injury from hitters pummeling weak pitching.
My response was
The entire infield shoulder wear fielding masks.

Brings this question
~ WHAT IS A GOOD BEMCHMARK FOR A COACH TO DETERMINE IF A TEAM CAN PLAY UP -skipping their 2nd year in 14's???

 

[radness]

Mmmm thinking mayyybeee
something along the lines of
Earned a birth to atleast pgf platinum and stayed in the tourny til sunday?
AT a minimum benchmark...

Just sayin ,
Even to look at the past seasons team batting average, hitting against very average pitching all season...
Say .300
How in the heck can that compete, i mean compair,
to jumping those players to 16's. Yikes

Ey' caramba Batman coach needs to think this thru...

 

[whiporee]

I know it's counter to what a lot of people think, but I think you should always play against your age bracket. Those are the girls they'll be competing for spots in high school and college with. There's nothing that stops you from entering tournaments at a higher bracket if you choose, but a team that has mostly 14s should play other 14s.

I think players should stay in their own brackets as well -- if you're a star, then you get a season of being a star. Thera re worse things. And because I know how important the social aspects of the experience are, I'd just prefer girls stay within their own lanes, so to speak.

 

[marriard]

You don't 'skip' your age group - you register as a 14U team and play up in 16U/18U/HS tournaments where you think it is appropriate.

We have lot of strong 14U-A teams that do that - play HS-age tournaments and use that as prep to play the best/strongest 14U tournaments/nationals/etc. Often a great way to get the competition but not have to travel to every tournament.

The only reason I could see to actually register as a 16U team would be to try and get some older girls on to the roster because it sounds like they are not happy with the current roster.

 

[radness]

This is why teams who host friendlies and tourny stuff do invites more so now here in so cal.
To avoid lousy competition.

Sounds harsh, But quality teams generally want to have competitive games.
Not sloppy run fests.

 

[_MIA_]

You don't 'skip' your age group - you register as a 14U team and play up in 16U/18U/HS tournaments where you think it is appropriate.

Right..there is literally zero advantage to registering "up". I don't think there are any tournaments which are going to turn away a team that plays up in an age group...

 

[Strike2]

Totally agree with not registering higher than your team's actual playing age requires. It becomes very limiting in terms of what events you can enter. You can always play up.

That also extends to classification. I see lots of teams registering higher than their actual playing ability, and that is also limiting and ultimately self-defeating. If you register as a "B" and find yourself beating up every other "B" team you encounter, you can always focus on "Open" or "A" divisions. If you register as "A" and regularly get your rear handed to you, you're over-extended, and wasting the time of actual "A" teams who have to play you. You've also greatly limited your tournament options until you petition your state director for a downgrade.

 

[Eric F]

A good 14U team playing an occasional 16U event as a challenge to improve is reasonable. A young and mediocre 14U team moving up to play 16U full time is a mistake.

 

[Orange Socks]

Is it possible that 1 player is 16U eligible which forces the entire team to move up?

 

[radness]

Is it possible that 1 player is 16U eligible which forces the entire team to move up?

That could be possible for a team out there.
Does it force them all to move up? No

Whats the sign/benchmark that a coach can look at that says
'We can move up'

The example i gave is a no/shouldnt. imo