TB vs. High School

[riseball]

Maybe its different in your region but many players and families in CA are very happy about the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) putting restriction on travel ball/club sports during high school season. Basically travel softball in SoCal goes "dark" from March 1 to mid-May (longer if HS team makes playoffs) with TB teams only allowed once or twice a month practices (no competitions). It's a nice break from kids playing travel softball from September through July every year. Many kids love playing for their school and its a different, less stressful environment for a few months. In addition, the HS games are played mostly during the weekdays, so families have a few "free" weekends before jumping back into travel ball's national qualifier tournaments in late spring.

Don't see anything wrong with people deciding to play High School Ball and not play Travel Ball for a few months. See plenty wrong with not affording individuals the opportunity to make their own choices. Find even more wrong when people rely on the state to make decisions for them. If individuals want to play HS ball, TB ball, or both then they should be free to do so. Nobody is forcing anyone to do anything. But why limit the choices for others? I find it odd that governments proudly leave many life and death decisions up to the individual, yet feel the need to regulate when and with whom a kid can play a game. If people need the state to step and and regulate their hectic lives to give them a break from the stress of softball, they have some serious issues they need to deal with. As I have said before this is all about the $$$ and keeping HS sports viable in the face of the increased popularity of club sports.

 

[Swim Coach]

I believe here the general rule is you cannot represent another team (in competition) in the same sport during the HS season. Nothing about practice.

Swimming is the only exception I know of. You can swim for HS and YMCA/USA Swimming at the same time.

 

[JAD]

DD's HS ball is 3 hours a day, 6 days a week with games or practice, so there is no time for TB and pretty sure the coach would not allow it even if there was. There is also an injury risk. By the same token, when TB is in season the HS coach is hands off.

 

[CoogansBluff]

I've lived in two states, and neither (GA or NC) has restrictions on club/travel ball. I would be curious to hear the rationale given by the state associations. I suspect those rules came about to avoid some kind of competitive advantage that some teams were trying to get. I know some travel teams are basically HS feeder teams.

Speaking of coaches and their rules, my DD's coach has no rule against playing TB. But, DD went to a 3-hour TB practice last weekend and jammed a finger pretty bad. It's purple, and she's out a week. While her coach was understanding, I could understand if he were not too thrilled and banned TB practices for that reason.

 

[4KidsDad]

If it's HS Season then 14U and up should not be going dark. Trust me I coach both

Interesting input, Coach Tucc...care to elaborate why u think this way?

 

[riseball]

I've lived in two states, and neither (GA or NC) has restrictions on club/travel ball. I would be curious to hear the rationale given by the state associations. I suspect those rules came about to avoid some kind of competitive advantage that some teams were trying to get. I know some travel teams are basically HS feeder teams.

Speaking of coaches and their rules, my DD's coach has no rule against playing TB. But, DD went to a 3-hour TB practice last weekend and jammed a finger pretty bad. It's purple, and she's out a week. While her coach was understanding, I could understand if he were not too thrilled and banned TB practices for that reason.

Never understood the rationale behind banning practice with TB teams to avoid an injury such as was experienced by your DD. It makes no sense. Do not practice with your TB team because you might get hurt, but you can stay home and ride your bike, go to the skateboard park, sky dive, etc... At face value it seems much more about control and ego than the welfare of the player.

 

[Swim Coach]

Never understood the rationale behind banning practice with TB teams to avoid an injury such as was experienced by your DD. It makes no sense. Do not practice with your TB team because you might get hurt, but you can stay home and ride your bike, go to the skateboard park, sky dive, etc... At face value it seems much more about control and ego than the welfare of the player.

I fail to see the rationale behind it as well. These kids didn't just show up in 9th grade playing like rock stars. If it wasn't for TB, they wouldn't be where they were. Seems like the kid might just keep improving at TB practice as opposed to sitting around playing XBox.

 

[Cannonball]

I'll now speak as a HS Coach. In my opinion, if I have created a HS team and have coached them for 34 games, 3 hour practices everyday we don't play with the exception of Sunday and then I were asked if a player could play TB, I'd say sure and give her her release. (I have done it.) I'll coach another kid and try to make her a player. Conference, Regional, Sectional, and the State Tournament are all on the line and one injury can ruin everything for all of the team and not just the injured person. I am not asking them to come to HS practice during the summer TB experience and would suggest that if they did and a key player got hurt, all of the parents of the TB Team would be beside themselves as their tournament play would be impacted. I expect the same courtesy and in my state, it is against the rules. We have Missouri 20 miles away and so, they play HS ball in the fall. So, a player can skip HS and play in Missouri in the spring. Great.

 

[Cannonball]

I fail to see the rationale behind it as well. These kids didn't just show up in 9th grade playing like rock stars. If it wasn't for TB, they wouldn't be where they were. Seems like the kid might just keep improving at TB practice as opposed to sitting around playing XBox.

If all of these TB Teams are doing so much coaching then how is I keep seeing players in HS who play TB who don't know squat?

 

[JAD]

If all of these TB Teams are doing so much coaching then how is I keep seeing players in HS who play TB who don't know squat?

See my post in another thread stating there are a lot of morons in coaching....