Wanting to play travel ball instead of high school season

[radness]

I quit because I was a head case who managed to make playing games unbearable for
myself..not because I thought playing would make me worse, which is what I was commenting on .
When I quit I just stopped showing up. To show you what I was dealing with, my coach had a player come check
on me to make sure "he didn't hang himself with his cleat shoelaces.." his words.

Hmmm?
Sounds rough and unfortunet.
However its good you were able to bring up an adversity that can cause struggle for a team dynamic.
Possibly you quiting could have made it easier on the team you left?
Possibly pretty darn hard for a coach to help a head case?
Terrible situation.
Cant imagine being a high school coach dealing with a bunch of that.
( did see what it looks like tho)
High school players who have mentally checked out but have to show up because its a manadotory p.e. elective.

Glad there are options for families and players!

 

[_MIA_]

Possibly you quiting could have made it easier on the team you left?
Possibly pretty darn hard for a coach to help a head case?

The team lost their starting second baseman and I never mentally checked out..what I needed was to mentally "check out" more tbh. There was a myriad of things that went down over the previous 2 or 3 years that led me to that point. Not sure if the coach was happy I left or not, I never spoke to him again. He and I never saw eye to eye so he probably wasn't sad, put it that way. He saw a kid who cared about the game but had a tough time dealing with his emotions and decided to make fun of it instead of trying to help. I've thought about contacting him and apologizing for how it all went down,e.g. never telling him I was quitting, but I never have.

If a kid doesn't want to play they shouldn't..it is a game it should be fun. I've said that before. Again my only comment was not playing (at the age a HS player is) because you are worried that playing for a lesser team is going to erode your skills is baseless imo.

 

[radness]

The team lost their starting second baseman and I never mentally checked out..what I needed was to mentally "check out" more tbh. There was a myriad of things that went down over the previous 2 or 3 years that led me to that point. Not sure if the coach was happy I left or not, I never spoke to him again. He and I never saw eye to eye so he probably wasn't sad, put it that way. I've thought about contacting him and apologizing for how it all went down but I never have.

If a kid doesn't want to play they shouldn't..it is a game it should be fun. I've said that before. Again my only comment was not playing (at the age a HS player is) because you are worried that playing for a lesser team is going to erode your skills is baseless imo.

Good discussion point!
Lesser team isnt just ability levels.
Can be talented but a head case.
Even beginners with no talent and being a head case.

Either way its good to access and recognize the situation people may be signing up for.


Looking back could anything have helped you stay on your team?

 

[_MIA_]

Looking back could anything have helped you stay on your team?

Not sure. Like I said there were a lot of things that led up to my mental state by the time I played in college. Even if he had handled me properly (e.g. not nicknaming me Tourette because of my emotional outbursts) I am not sure it would have made a difference. Also I was not well physically when I quit. I was trying to be the first to practice and the last to leave along with being in the library studying the longest so I wasn't sleeping (we had 6 am practices in the early spring before we went down South for our first games). I contracted mononucleosis because of what I was doing to my body and when we were down South playing (right before I quit) I got strep because of it and never told anybody about how I was feeling because I didn't want him to sit me. When I got back I had a 103 fever and then right after that is when I quit.

 

[radness]

Not sure. Like I said there were a lot of things that led up to my mental state by the time I played in college. Even if he had handled me properly (e.g. not nicknaming me Tourette because of my emotional outbursts) I am not sure it would have made a difference. Also I was not well physically when I quit. I was trying to be the first to practice and the last to leave along with being in the library studying the longest so I wasn't sleeping (we had 6 am practices in the early spring before we went down South for our first games). I contracted mononucleosis because of what I was doing to my body and when we were down South playing (right before I quit) I got strep because of it and never told anybody about how I was feeling because I didn't want him to sit me. When I got back I had a 103 fever and then right after that is when I quit.

Pattar thank you for sharing this.
Will follow with a tribute post

 

[_MIA_]

Pattar thank you for sharing this.
Will follow with a tribute post

Lol..If I had to guess my problems started after I tore my ACL right before my Junior year in HS. When I was a Soph I had pro scouts at my games telling my old man I was going to be a top 5 round draft pick. After I tore my ACL I was never the same player, the scouts went away. I was a better player when I was a Soph in HS then I was in college. It did a job on my head. Nothing the college coach could have done about that.

 

[Tango]

HS team has 9 TB players on it and 4 or 5 more that has played TB in the past. With that said, around 10 years ago our HS won state and the best player set out because she couldn't fly all over the country and play both. Played D1 ball after HS.

Currently our HS has a junior baseball player that throws in the 90's, that decided to sit out the next two years so he can get his ACT/SAT scores up to attend an Ivy League school to play baseball.

Have to do what you think is correct for your kid and it may not be what I think is correct.

 

[IndyHScoach]

You are actually right don't play. Guess what? A lot are not because like everyone else has said the talent level is not good at all. You may have 3 teams out of 20 that are competitive. How many college coaches really look at their HS team? They always ask what is the name of your TB team. I don't know where you live but it is not that many high caliber pitchers in high school, so that's false. Yes, you get the practice everyday, but how many bad habits are they developing from coaches that have no clue on how to coach? Many girls play softball in high school to help their resume when they apply for colleges because it's easy to make the team. I agree with the recharge and the cost but high school softball is waaaay on the back burner in sports. When the girls finally get to TB for the season, coaches have to reprogram their player back to basics because of the high school set back.

This statement is insulting to all of us high school coaches that work hard and teach the game. Do all of our players go to college and play? NO. That does not mean our coaching staff is worthless or our players are nobody's. I promise you that our players go to their TB teams in the summer ready to play and their skills have not decreased and they have not picked up bad habits. I walked on and made a NAIA baseball team so I know the hard work it takes and the commitment to participate in college sports. We also have a former D1, P5 player on staff. We work hard to teach the game and the skills. You are pretty sure of yourself to make all of these statements and grouping all "HS ball" into a worthless waste of time.

Sorry rant over.

 

[MNDad]

You are actually right don't play. Guess what? A lot are not because like everyone else has said the talent level is not good at all. You may have 3 teams out of 20 that are competitive. How many college coaches really look at their HS team? They always ask what is the name of your TB team. I don't know where you live but it is not that many high caliber pitchers in high school, so that's false. Yes, you get the practice everyday, but how many bad habits are they developing from coaches that have no clue on how to coach? Many girls play softball in high school to help their resume when they apply for colleges because it's easy to make the team. I agree with the recharge and the cost but high school softball is waaaay on the back burner in sports. When the girls finally get to TB for the season, coaches have to reprogram their player back to basics because of the high school set back.

There’s far more good HS teams than bad. Conversely there’s far more bad so-called travel ball teams than good. Saying the talent is not good at all is laughable when over 99% of the kids in college also played in HS. Most travel kids will see their toughest competition during HS ball. Just because a particular HS coach doesn’t think a kid is all that, doesn’t mean all HS coaches/teams are bad.

 

[Orange Socks]

You are actually right don't play. Guess what? A lot are not because like everyone else has said the talent level is not good at all. You may have 3 teams out of 20 that are competitive. How many college coaches really look at their HS team? They always ask what is the name of your TB team. I don't know where you live but it is not that many high caliber pitchers in high school, so that's false. Yes, you get the practice everyday, but how many bad habits are they developing from coaches that have no clue on how to coach? Many girls play softball in high school to help their resume when they apply for colleges because it's easy to make the team. I agree with the recharge and the cost but high school softball is waaaay on the back burner in sports. When the girls finally get to TB for the season, coaches have to reprogram their player back to basics because of the high school set back.

So why bother playing ANY HS sports? Not all Volleyball players on Varsity play club ball. Not all Varsity Basketball players play AAU. Not all Varsity baseball players play TB. Softball players that choose not to play for their HS is very minute. This is not about college coaches recruiting at the HS, because that is rare as well. College coaches don't ask about TB stats either. In fact, I have never had a college coach ask me about any stats EVER. You say that many girls play HS ball to help their resume for college. I seriously doubt that.

So I live in Houston and guess what? We are a Hot bed for Softball. Not every school will have a high caliber pitcher, not every TB team have high caliber pitchers either. There is a lot of great HS softball being played around the country. It's no longer just California and Texas. It's EVERYWHERE! During my DD HS playing career