Exposure paths, the how and the why

[JAD]

GD - great story!!!! I have been an AC for my DD's team since 10U TB (currently 2nd year 14U), and while there has been some "turnover" over the years, the core 5 girls have been together for awhile. We never played rec together, but started out as a C-level TB team and have worked our way up to being a pretty competitive A-level team. A lot of people ask me why my DD has never tried out for any of the marquee teams in our area, and the truth of the matter is I know that her current team would implode if my DD were to leave (she is the #1 pitcher).

 

[GOINGDEEP]

GD,

Makes the most important point, HONEST ASSESMENT. Find out where your DD truly stands talent wise and work from there, trust me, you can chase the D1 dream for as long as your pocketbook will allow and still never catch the carrot. We all got into this game because we love our DD and we enjoy watching them do something they love. As a family we don't have a lot of disposable income but we've always managed to do what we needed to give our kids the best chance at whatever they decide to commit too, but you have to be honest about their talent.

Softball is a money pit and very few people ever get a return from it. My wife and I sat down with Brooke and laid out out our expectations and how the decision to make the move to a "bigtime" program would affect the family as a whole and we told her that we would make whatever sacrifices we needed too, but she had to really want this and work harder then she ever has. Luckily for us it has worked out nicely.

Academics are the most important tool to get your kid into college, focus on that first, don't hope for the genetic lottery. Brooke could've gotten a great ride to a local D2,D3/NAIA by staying with her local team but she wanted to play D1.

Yes, softball is a money pit, but well worth the family time together. Before DD was born and shortly after I raced cars ( drag racing ), that is another money pit. Always spending to go faster and faster. The down side is its not very family oriented, so I chose softball. Having 800hp under your foot is a rush, but I believe having 12 girls at your fingertips is even more.