Have you ever picked the team for your DD?

[Sparky Guy]

This is the first time that joining a team with friends isn't a top priority on her list.

Smart girl. I've seen too many girls do Irreparable harm to the softball career over friends. At 16U it has to be about what she needs to do as a player to be in the right spot at the right time to be evaluated by the right coach. All it takes is one good offer that fits her desires.

 

[FP26]

Smart girl. I've seen too many girls do Irreparable harm to the softball career over friends. At 16U it has to be about what she needs to do as a player to be in the right spot at the right time to be evaluated by the right coach. All it takes is one good offer that fits her desires.

All depends on the player's goals. In Maddie's case it is clear that she wants to play college softball and is making very mature decisions to put herself in position. She has a bright future. But some others have no interest in playing college ball. And there is nothing wrong with that.

I learned recently that a player I am close to will not play her sophomore year. She worked hard for years, achieved her goal of playing in college, had a solid freshman year, and is now walking away. She said it wasnt fun anymore. It was becoming a job. She wants to focus more on academics.

 

[My3Girls]

This is our first year for TB, 10U and we picked the team, but let her help. The team she wanted was a 9/ 10 mix, and the coaching staff was all parents of the 9 year olds. We steered her to an organization with all 10 year olds, so hopefully this will be a home for a while! It didn't hurt the team we chose was closer, and had nicer facilities, but it was a good incentive!!

 

[uncdrew]

My DD's teams (10U and 14U) were ones that I picked for her to try out with after looking at location, schedule, cost, and talking to the coaches. On both teams she was invited to join - and she accepted - without going to look at another team. Both were great fits for her. Now (going into 16U) is the first time she is trying out for multiple teams. We have talked her needs and wants in her development and enjoyment, on her path towards her goal of playing college ball. From there, I narrowed the field to teams that check off the boxes that we discussed, based on team history, discussion with the coaches, and information from parents I know on both teams. The final decision on which team she goes with will be hers. This is the first time that joining a team with friends isn't a top priority on her list.

My DD chose the team that won't have as much development but has her friends. I'm cool with that.

Kinda.

 

[_MIA_]

My DD has only been on 1 team so far. We practiced and played 1 tournament with 2 other teams before settling with the team she is on (started as a 1st year 10U team). She was only 7 when the decision was made and she was just happy to be on a team. The org she is with is one of the better ones in the State at the older ages so we will see how things progress as she gets older. Once she hits recruiting age, if she is still playing and wants to play in college, the decision will be made by her (with our input) regarding how she wants to proceed and will be guided by whether she makes this orgs Premier team (which typically plays PGF), what types of schools she thinks she wants to go to (this Org typically only places kids on teams in the Southwest), etc..

As she is only 9 we have a ways to go before we have to worry about any of that though.

 

[Softballmom2008]

I’ve always let my dd decide what team she wants to play in as long as she’s happy. While,she’s and I wanted her to move to a higher level team last year as did her pitching coach, she wasn’t ready and wanted to stay in her team. Fast forward to now and she finally decided after seeing much better competition this summer and realizing she wants that and needs to have different coaching, she agreed to move to a higher level team she will be 1st year 12u in the fall.

 

[MadBandit22]

As parents we certainly guide our kids, even plant seeds.

My DD had several offers and I let her pick. I would have picked differently. Oh well. She's 10, so it's not a big deal at all. The team I liked most said they'll continue to recruit her, which was nice to hear.

Obviously as a parent we can make the decision. Based on our knowledge or gut feel, or the commute, coaching staff, etc. I know families where the parents are 100% in charge of the decision, though most I know probably discuss it and come to agreement.

Of course we pick teams for our kids. You narrow it down to the few you like and try and figure out which team would be the best fit. My final question to the coach(s) is where do you see my daughter playing and how much playing time do you see her getting.
There are several important factors like how many players are you taking, what level team are you, playing local, national, or combination of the two for tournaments. Do you play Fall, & Winter tournaments, what is included in your tuition cost, how many mandatory practices a week, how far to travel to practices, do they use a real indoor training facility for Winter training or a local gymnasium, etc....
After tryouts are complete we sit down and go over all the pro’s and cons of the final teams and make a decision. My daughter gets it and picks the team that she feels will make her a better player. I support her decisions because she usually picks the team I would pick for her.

 

[gator5]

We told her she was not allowed to play on the same team the next year, then we let her more or less pick her team. She nixed a few we liked. We did not let her pick a team that we knew would not work out.

As parents we certainly guide our kids, even plant seeds.

My DD had several offers and I let her pick. I would have picked differently. Oh well. She's 10, so it's not a big deal at all. The team I liked most said they'll continue to recruit her, which was nice to hear.

Obviously as a parent we can make the decision. Based on our knowledge or gut feel, or the commute, coaching staff, etc. I know families where the parents are 100% in charge of the decision, though most I know probably discuss it and come to agreement.

 

[InsidePitch]

Once DD expressed a desire to play in college (14U) I started picking the teams based on the tourneys they played and the fields they played on. She could always nix the team.

 

[Lilly'sDad24]

10u and 12u I picked the teams. Now that she has moved up to 1st year 14U i picked the tryouts and she selected the team.
It wasn't the team I would have selected, but she's the one who has to play with these girls and listen to these particular coaches.