Should we consider Gold teams?

[SBFAMILY]

Many Gold teams are always looking for subs. It is a good way to test the water. Just be careful that it isn't an ASA event. Mine is playing next weekend as a sub on a gold team in a showcase. That gives her an idea ,of what they want.

 

[sluggers]

With all that said, does she really need to be on a Gold level softball to get where she wants to be?

You are asking the wrong people.

The steps for getting your DD a scholarship:

(1) Decide which colleges your DD is interested it. Make a list.
(2) Contact each school on the list and talk to the coach.
(3) Ask the coach what the coach needs.
(4) Find out what tournaments the *coach* attends.
(5) Have your DD play in those tournaments.

This is really "Sales 101". Salesmanship is about understanding the customers and their needs, and then giving them what they need.

 

[Bouldersdad]

Hi everyone. Been a while since I posted.

I wanted to run something by everyone in hopes that those who have been down this path can help us out.

My daughter just finished her freshman HS year. She did well against a pitcher in District playoffs whos father is a coach for a Gold team in our area.

I have since been getting emails from the Head Coach about my daughter guesting for this Gold team this summer and how it is a chance for both sides to see if it’s a good fit for next year. My daughter was invited to tryout for this Gold team last fall, but wasn't seriously looked at I believe because she was really too young at the time.

As my daughter continues to improve in her softball abilities and is entering her Sophmore year I have started conversations with her in regards to her softball future.

Through these discussions and knowing my daughter better than anyone, I am getting a good idea of her personal goals for softball.


1) She wants to play softball in College.

2) She doesn't care about the school being Div 1, 2, 3, NAIA, NJCAA or any of that.

3) She has no aspirations of ever being on TV or anything like that. Nor does she really care about national rankings. Its not important to her.

4) She doesn't want to go too far from home to go to school. What "too far" means, is yet to be determined. But lets just say there aren't any power house schools that I know of no matter the division within the range limits from home she is willing to consider.

5) She wants to be an impact player right away. She doesn't want to go to a school where she will be on the roster, but might not play until her Junior or Senior year.

6) As with any 15 year old girl any of the above is subject to change, frequently.


She plays on a very good Class A team that always plays the best competition they can find and frequently plays up from 16U to 18U. They will move up to 18U next season and they do plan to and have already played in a few localized showcases. However, due to having a Gold team within the same organization her team will probably never see the best showcases in the area especially the Gold team is in them. The organization I think has a rule that any show case the Gold team is in, none of the others can be present.

With all that said, does she really need to be on a Gold level softball to get where she wants to be?

This is our first athlete in the family and we're really in the dark here.

Thanks for any help.

Gold squads are primarily geared for the girls that want to play at that next level in college. The majority are the ones that seek the D1,s be it mid or major. There is nothing wrong with subbing for a gold squad. It is defiantly a way to test the waters before you make a full blown commitment.

If she is not picky about her Division she is wanting to play at and is going mainly for her education and to play softball on the side I would personally use other avenues of recruiting than gold.

D3 and NAIA will be more suited to be an impact player right off the bat VS fighting for a spot at the D1 or 2 level. To put it simply if she isnt willing to sit some or all of her freshman season and she isnt the big recruit it may not be a good fit. Or a frustrating start to her college carrear.

At 15 it is difficult for them to decide what to wear to school much less where they want to go to school in college.

The bottom line is no she does not need to be on a gold squad to get recruited to college. It is the top of the collage age recruitable girls as far as college coaches are concerned. But she can get recruited b y being on a 16/18 team as well that plays good tournaments. As long as she is doing her home work on communication and visiting camps of her choice.

The last 2 seasons we have placed 13 kids in college on a very small budget playing 4 to 5 exposure tournaments in the fall and our normal summer schedule. Of those 13, 1 was D1, 4 D2, the rest were D3 or NAIA.

Gold is a mind set. A totally different view of softball.It is unabashed 100% about playing ability and recruitment at the highest level of prep ball Understand that before you commit to it. It is definatly more expensive and way more time commitment than ASA ball.

Good luck to both your daughter and you.

Tim

 

[Atlantabell]

My opinion from someone who has been there: guest with the Gold team and see how it goes. If it is a good fit, go for it. Gold teams get better exposure in better tournaments. Make sure your budget can afford it. Also, check out the roster size. I know one Gold team that has 20 kids on the roster. Will your daughter get to play? Make sure you get a tournament schedule. Are they quality tournaments? Also, does your kid have the grades to occasionally miss a day of school for a showcase? These are some of the things I would think about.

 

[Daddylawman]

Atlantabell - you are correct in what you say, but numbers aren't the whole story. At one point we had 19, but two were injured and we knew they couldn't play. 3 others were signed and we had previously agreed to excuse them from some showcases.Add in proms and SAT's and the numbers any given weekend might change. These are part of the realities of coaching Gold.