High school sotball provides greater thrills and greater misery than travel ball, IMO.
At its best, if you're really lucky, you're on a state-contending team with the right teammates and right coaches, and you're playing for championships that really matter to people. Let's say you win the ASA championship in your state. That's a higher level, and that's pretty cool, but nobody cares. The paper doesn't cover it. No one outside your family and teammates care. But win a state title in high school, and your school, your teachers, your classmates, your hometown and community, all care. You've played for something bigger than yourself, something that will be etched in stone for eternity. My DD's most exciting experience in softball was playing on a HS team that made a run to the state semifinals, and she didn't even play a big role in it. It was just the experience of a bonded team, advancing one round at a time, the pre-game meals, the bus rides, the anticipation, do-or-die.
At its worst, and this is more common unfortunately, HS softball is miserable. You're not going to enjoy your coaches or teammates and you'll be at practice wishing you hadn't signed up.
Most experiences are somewhere in the middle. You have a good time, but you're ready to move on when it's over.
At its best, if you're really lucky, you're on a state-contending team with the right teammates and right coaches, and you're playing for championships that really matter to people. Let's say you win the ASA championship in your state. That's a higher level, and that's pretty cool, but nobody cares. The paper doesn't cover it. No one outside your family and teammates care. But win a state title in high school, and your school, your teachers, your classmates, your hometown and community, all care. You've played for something bigger than yourself, something that will be etched in stone for eternity. My DD's most exciting experience in softball was playing on a HS team that made a run to the state semifinals, and she didn't even play a big role in it. It was just the experience of a bonded team, advancing one round at a time, the pre-game meals, the bus rides, the anticipation, do-or-die.
At its worst, and this is more common unfortunately, HS softball is miserable. You're not going to enjoy your coaches or teammates and you'll be at practice wishing you hadn't signed up.
Most experiences are somewhere in the middle. You have a good time, but you're ready to move on when it's over.