not enough 16U players

[coach james]

My 16U travel team is probably about done after this year. Most of the girls are starting to get their drivers licences and some even have jobs now or will soon enough. I lost two good players to team Mc Donalds last month! I told DW that I'd probably be starting a new team of "04" 12u girls. Eyes rolled, and she says when will it ever end? I said after the speedy 6 year old we adopt here in 5 years is done playing!

 

[Juggs]

Sad to hear, where in midwest? my DD will be 16u next year

 

[Little Angels Softball]

I told DW that I'd probably be starting a new team of "04" 12u girls.

Dude, I'd start the '04s at 10U next year. Nothing better than a year of 10U to teach mad base running skills.

 

[coach james]

I'd love to stay at 10s but the core group on my current 10u rec are moving up as 03, so I guess I'd be an 03 team with a few 04's on it.

 

[RetiredCoach]

To cover our 16U shortages this year we have pulled girls from 14U and even 12U!

 

[Doug Romrell]

To cover our 16U shortages this year we have pulled girls from 14U and even 12U!

We're having to pickup a couple of 14U players for a few tournaments. We also had to schedule our tournaments according to when a few 16U players' teams weren't playing so we can pick them up. Yup, things really start thinning out at 16U.

 

[GOINGDEEP]

Around here a "true 16u" team is scarce, most jump from 14 straight into 18u. The true 16's usually have to play up in a combined 16/18 anyway, so why handicap yourself from the gate.

 

[SCDad]

Around here a "true 16u" team is scarce, most jump from 14 straight into 18u. The true 16's usually have to play up in a combined 16/18 anyway, so why handicap yourself from the gate.

Our area is different. The players skip 14's. Jump directly from 12U to 16U. 12U is a girls game. 16U is a womens game.

I hear ya though on the big changes at 16U. Once my DD could drive, hard core travel softball faded. Now DD is just a really good HS softball player. Has college offers and not interested. It was a great ride though from 4 years old to start. Now 17, soon a senior, and one final season in HS, with a really good team and hopefully end on top.

Life changes completely at 16 years old. I really enjoyed the bond playing ball has done for DD and I. For that bond is what lasts a lifetime. Even today, the joy is sitting down for dinner with DD and talking about her LIFE. Softball is not even talked about anymore. And she is the most pleasant, whereas before with softball, there was the underlying "tension" of the next travel softball game and how to perform better. Loved every minute of it. Truly enjoy watching a toddler, become a girl, become a young lady, to now almost a grown women. Oh, what a man learns about the opposite gender through participating in this growth.

If I only knew then, what I know now. Life is like that. A journey.

 

[GOINGDEEP]

Our area is different. The players skip 14's. Jump directly from 12U to 16U. 12U is a girls game. 16U is a womens game.

I hear ya though on the big changes at 16U. Once my DD could drive, hard core travel softball faded. Now DD is just a really good HS softball player. Has college offers and not interested. It was a great ride though from 4 years old to start. Now 17, soon a senior, and one final season in HS, with a really good team and hopefully end on top.

Life changes completely at 16 years old. I really enjoyed the bond playing ball has done for DD and I. For that bond is what lasts a lifetime. Even today, the joy is sitting down for dinner with DD and talking about her LIFE. Softball is not even talked about anymore. And she is the most pleasant, whereas before with softball, there was the underlying "tension" of the next travel softball game and how to perform better. Loved every minute of it. Truly enjoy watching a toddler, become a girl, become a young lady, to now almost a grown women. Oh, what a man learns about the opposite gender through participating in this growth.

If I only knew then, what I know now. Life is like that. A journey.

It is funny how each area handles ball differently. 14u was showing your team was the cream of the crop from 40', just like 52' in BB. New distance rules of late in SB, I'd probably move my girls up earlier.

 

[Kaizen]

Around here a "true 16u" team is scarce, most jump from 14 straight into 18u. The true 16's usually have to play up in a combined 16/18 anyway, so why handicap yourself from the gate.

Same here. Most of the clubs here have all their best high school age players on their 18U team. The 16U team often becomes their B squad.