Rec Ball Select team

[Bchbum54]

Just wanted to get a feel for what you guys think. Our league is slowly transitioning to select teams during the fall. Pretty much the All-star teams will stay together during the fall and will play different select only tournaments from what our other regular league tournaments. Our league in general has always pushed thier second year girls up during the fall to get them ready for spring. This doesn't affect DD cause she is a first year 10U All-star player who will play 10U select in fall but it affects the other 18 second year 10's who's families have to decide between playing 10U select or 12U regular rec during the fall. So what I'm really asking is do you hold your DD down and play a higher level of competition in a lower age division or move her up to play at a higher regular rec age division.

Sorry if all this sounds confusing

 

[JJsqueeze]

Depends on the girl and the rec league. As long as she is challenged and growing then she is where she is supposed to be. OC has some really good rec leagues and girls will develop just fine in them through 12u.

 

[Eric F]

Our rec league's Fall program is designed mostly for new and developing players, which is great, but tends to leave the all-star players looking elsewhere for a higher level of competition. For girls transitioning between age-groups, the league's Fall Ball program can be helpful for learning new rules, getting used to a new ball (especially 8Us moving to 10U), and new pitching distance.

 

[Momo'sDad]

It all depends on the size and competitiveness of the softball community where you live. Where you are in SoCal, which is far more softball-centric than NorCal, I say that the majority of players who are ready for comp ball should not stay down for 2nd year 8u, 10u, or 12u in the fall. There's no benefit to staying down.

We kept a primarily 01 team down a couple of years ago and while it was an enjoyable season, we should've played strictly tournaments instead of doing league ball, too, and we also should've had the team playing 12u instead of 10u. The HC and I had a very short-sighted master plan. His team is doing great now in 2nd-year 12u, but I know we retarded the group's progress by not putting them in 12u when we should've.

When people ask for my advice on this question, I strongly advise against following the route we took. Once your All-star team has accomplished everything it can that summer, MOVE ON, because there's nowhere to go but down from there.

 

[Bchbum54]

Our rec league's Fall program is designed mostly for new and developing players, which is great, but tends to leave the all-star players looking elsewhere for a higher level of competition..

Well I think this is what our league is trying to avoid. There are sooooo many TB options in our area and most of the time once a player goes looking else where they don't come back. Our Fall ball season is almost just as big as our Spring season, we still retain almost 80% of our girls during the Fall. A few here and there go to soccer but just in our 10U division we had 5 teams of 12 girls in the fall and 6 teams of 12 in Spring (about 8 girls were put on a waiting list cause we were at our limit ). Right now we are 3 weeks into our All-stars season but I already get a lot of "What do you think we should do?" from parents who have to make this decision. I'm a realist and believe this is a case by case situation but it can be debated both ways. Moving up early is a challenge but your playing a lower level of rec ball with the chance you could end up in a team that has 3 or more first time ever playing girls who can really slow down practices and general team development. Staying down might not be as challenging but your on a team with All-star caliber players who generally can at least catch the ball and that team can get more done and work on more advanced concepts of the game or at least I would hope so. I say this because our league is new to this and I have not yet personally experienced it.

 

[Bchbum54]

We kept a primarily 01 team down a couple of years ago and while it was an enjoyable season, we should've played strictly tournaments instead of doing league ball, too, and we also should've had the team playing 12u instead of 10u.

Lol we call those teams "Trophy Hunters". Yeah our league in the past has really pushed players to play up in the fall but this new "Select" idea has parents second guessing it. Fortunately for me DD is '04 and we get to try it first and then next Fall make a decision based on our experience and not speculations.

 

[Little Angels Softball]

IF you are truly looking at a "Select" program for the girls that will play only in tournaments, it is customary in the Fall to play in the age group you will be competing at the following year. For example, a team of '03s would play 12U this coming Fall, as would a team of '02s. A team of '01s would play 14U.

If you are doing a Fall league, then I can't help you as all leagues are different.

 

[Little Angels Softball]

This doesn't affect DD cause she is a first year 10U All-star player who will play 10U select in fall but it affects the other 18 second year 10's who's families have to decide between playing 10U select or 12U regular rec during the fall. So what I'm really asking is do you hold your DD down and play a higher level of competition in a lower age division or move her up to play at a higher regular rec age division.
Sorry if all this sounds confusing

Neither. If you are a second-year 10U now and you want to be a "Select" player, you play 12U Select this coming Fall.

 

[SoCal_Dad]

Is your league in the Fall Federation (i.e. Rancho Trabuco, Huntington Beach, Long Beach Heartwell, Laguna Niguel, East Whittier, Capo, La Habra, Aliso Viejo, San Clemente, Orange, Canyon, Newport Mesa, Brea, Mission Viejo, Irvine, Tustin, and Fountain Valley)?

If so, I always found it odd they advocated playing the same age group as the previous Spring instead of moving up like travel teams. They do allow up to 4 players to play up in the Fall and you can petition for more. They also have 2 levels of "select" teams, Gold and Silver, so all-star players could play either 10U Gold or 12U Silver. See their website, Fall Ball Federation, for more info.

A lot of 12U players move on to travel, so I doubt there will be many studs staying at 12U in the Fall.

 

[James Smith]

Fall ball can be a little rough even with a “select” Team. I am not as worried as I used to be with DD moving back pitching distance and playing against or with bigger girls. The new rules can be an Issue in the Spring if you do not play them in the Fall. They figure them out after a few games but it would be better to figure them out in the fall.

With the choices you gave in the OP I would rather DD play in on the select team with better players of her age and worry about the difference coming in the Spring over the winter.

A better option would be playing up with the better players in the Fall but that wasn’t a choice. You might take a little bit of beating but it is fall ball so it should be pretty tame.