How far do many of you travel

[Hoover's Dad]

How far do some of you have to drive to get your DD to her travel ball team practices?

My dd was asked to come to a tryout for a 10U team that is 2:15 minutes from our home. We are very flattered to be asked, but there is no way I can afford to go that far at least twice a week for practice if she made it.

 

[andyh64000]

30 mins or so would be my max (my daughter just finished 10u and will be 1st year 12u this year). Over 2 hours at 10U...no way. Maybe in about 4 years if she showed amazing talent and dedication to the sport.

 

[SoCalDad]

When DD #1 was playing TB about 15 years ago she was asked to play on a top team out of Huntington Beach starting at 16U. We lived in Vista at the time and it was about 150 miles round trip (about 3:00 due to traffic). I would pick her up after school about 2:30 and we would by there 4:30. Practice ran from 5 - 7:30 and we would get home by 9 at the latest. Her grades improved those 3 years as she did her homework in the car.

With DD #2 the current TB team is 6 miles away and takes less than 10 minutes. With so many quality teams in my area now I don't think I will travel like I did for DD #1 again.

 

[SoftSocDad]

I'm willing to do up to 20-30 minutes each way at 10u/12u and if she's still playing - and progressing - after that, maybe I'll be open to expanding the radius if she continues to show outstanding potential.

Because we're outside Sacramento, we have plenty of great options within an hour, but even if we didn't there is NO WAY, I would do a 5-hour round-trip twice a week for a 10u player. That just doesn't seem reasonable. I don't know your personal situation, but it's too great a time commitment for the typical 10yo superstar (admitted, I don't know that many, but...).

 

[Amy in AZ.]

I "might" drive 1 hour at 10U, if the team was exceptional. But, a 4 1/2 hour trip would probably cost $35-$40.00, depending on what you are driving.

At age 16, we drove 1 1/2 hours, one way for pitching lessons every week.

 

[amanda_cake]

When DD #1 was playing TB about 15 years ago she was asked to play on a top team out of Huntington Beach starting at 16U. We lived in Vista at the time and it was about 150 miles round trip (about 3:00 due to traffic). I would pick her up after school about 2:30 and we would by there 4:30. Practice ran from 5 - 7:30 and we would get home by 9 at the latest. Her grades improved those 3 years as she did her homework in the car.

With DD #2 the current TB team is 6 miles away and takes less than 10 minutes. With so many quality teams in my area now I don't think I will travel like I did for DD #1 again.

Pick her up from school at 2:30? We don't get out of school here until 3:15!

I've never played travel ball, however, I do have comments. I would not even think about that distance at 10U, especially when the 10U rec teams here are great. If she was a dedicated 14U+ player, then I would definitely consider it. I'd seriously consider it when she was old enough to drive herself to/from practice as well.

 

[jonnypar]

DD is a second year 12U. We drive between 60 - 80 miles round trip to practice, depending on which fields we're practicing on. The thing that makes it difficult to bear at times is the traffic. Other than the traffic we don't really think twice about it.

 

[Hollyrockartist]

We had a tb player in the Fall who lived 2 1/2 hrs away (12u). She wouldn't make the practices during the week - she'd just come for the Sunday afternoon practices.

 

[amanda_cake]

The coach let her do that? There aren't very many girls that I'd want on my team badly enough to agree to them missing the weekday practices.

 

[Coach-n-Dad]

I agree that it is very rare in 12U. 16U and 18U particularly it is fairly regular. A very good team at the higher levels can have players from all over the state and have only 1 "team practice" per week and the rest of the week the players practice on their own.

My DD is onnly 14 and has been offered this type of arrangement for 2 different teams. She opted for a more local team that we drive about an hour for 4 times per week.