What is the goal to all of this?

[FP26]

Are people grinding through TB, practices, etc, etc, to get a college scholarship because the kid has a legitimate shot? Or are they doing it because the kid loves it and yet understands they probably will not get a scholarship? Or are they just flat out delusional?

In my opinion it all comes down to choices. Before anyone decides to get involved in travel ball, they should learn as much as they can, and make an educated decision. I know for a fact that some parents are delusional, or at least have unrealistic expectations. I'm not sure what to say about that. Without being harsh, I start thinking about a quote a friend of mine often says to me; "You can't fix stupid". Unfortunately there are a lot of adults out there that make poor decisions in various topics, not just athletics. I could talk for days about some of the purchasing habits of my next door neighbor... But those choices are his, and out of my control. All I can do is try to make the best decisions for myself, and help my daughter mature into an adult capable of making good decisions for herself.

 

[machine]

For my kids I let them do all kinds of Rec sports and then around 12-13 years old they can move to a travel team if they have found a sport they like enough to focus on.

DD played Rec Soccer and Softball until she was 13 yo. She loved Softball and was ready to move on to travel @ 13U. She played with many kids over the years who started travel early like at 8 or 9 and could never understand how they didn't "burn-out".

1st year 18U now and we are getting ready to leave for a PGF tournament in Peoria, IL.
Whole summer is booked with softball, including a trip to Colorado. Been that way for a few years now...

Big commitment! Many life lessons learned.

She is senior now, so an additional year at 18U then on to a local mid-major.
No full ride, but got enough to make it possible.

Tuition is stupid crazy at most schools nowadays!

 

[sluggers]

Are people grinding through TB, practices, etc, etc, to get a college scholarship because the kid has a legitimate shot? Or are they doing it because the kid loves it and yet understands they probably will not get a scholarship? Or are they just flat out delusional?

I assume by "people" you mean parents. (After raising teenage girls, maybe parents aren't people any more.)

My experience is that most parents start TB because their kids outgrow rec league. E.g., my DD#1 was striking out every kid she faced in rec ball and doubling every time she batted. Some kids on the other team were afraid to get in the box against her. Either she played TB or she gave up softball. Heck, I didn't even know there was TB.

TB is a fun experience. Hanging out with friends over a weekend isn't awful. The delusional parents are usually funny.

Around 14YOA, girls start dropping out of sports. The girls hit HS and they develop other interests...drama, music, choir, etc.

TB then becomes something very different. The mediocre kids usually disappear. All the kids not interested in the sport are gone. The TB competition level skyrockets.

Some parents at that age level are hoping their child gets a scholarship. Some parents enjoy watching their children play and enjoy the social environment of a TB team. Some parents just want someone else to watch their kids over a weekend. A few parents are certifiably crazy.

 

[Cougars]

There are a lot of members here that either played at the very high levels of TB, or have children that do now. I think the sometimes skews the overall thought that everyone in TB is spending a small fortune every season on private instructors and criss-crossing the country to play tournaments. I think the group that is doing that, is a pretty small % of the entire TB "world".

This is a small sample size, and just one sanctioning "entity", but in 14U Illinois USSSA, there are 41 'A' teams, 145 'B' and 47 'C'. So 'A' makes up only 17.5% of the teams, and I don't know how many of those 41 have any kind of "elite" status or reputation. 12U is 11.8% 'A' and 16U is 28.3%.

The majority of TB teams are just girls that want to play. Are there delusional parents out there, yes, but most aren't using TB money as some kind of college investment. In my daughters case, they simply wanted to play more than what the local rec league offered. If it costs me a little bit of money to make that happen, oh well. If I truly wanted all my money to be invested in the most profitable way possible, would be better to not have kids in the first place.......

 

[_MIA_]

My DD started playing TB in 1993.

The reason for the traveling is that fastpitch softball teams were few and far between until 1996 or so. The SEC and the Big 10 didn't have softball until 1997. The southern states didn't have fastpitch as a high school sport until 2000. Pony League and Little League didn't have fastpitch until around 2000. Whole states didn't have fastpitch teams...Florida didn't have a fastpitch team until 1996.

Simply to find a team to play required most teams to travel to a weekend tournament somewhere.

Gotcha. My sister (who is 43) played amateur softball in MA which I guess was some sort of precursor to TB. She played local teams from nearby towns but then ended up playing in some National tournament in Oklahoma (hey go figure) at the end of the year..may have been an ASA national tournament in Tulsa? She didn't play softball in college, but probably could have (probably D2). Instead she chose to play D1, albeit small conference (Patriot leage), volleyball.

 

[Eric F]

Are people grinding through TB, practices, etc, etc, to get a college scholarship because the kid has a legitimate shot? Or are they doing it because the kid loves it and yet understands they probably will not get a scholarship? Or are they just flat out delusional?

From my perspective, it would seem all the “extras” kids/parents are doing at such a young age is because they envision some sort of stardom in college. I would just assume “for the love of the game” and that being the ONLY reason is a rare thing. Great if that is the only reason. If a parent is hiring private coaches for $$$$ for their 4 or 5 year old t baller, that is crazy. IMO If a kid is 13, 14, 15 then they could probably make a logical decision on what they’d need to do to get to a high level. Again, just my perspective. I’m open to all points of view. I’m sure there are many.

As others have said, everyone's story is their own, Here's ours...

At 10yo, it became clear that my DD had out-grown the level of competition of the local rec league. She had the desire and motivation to make the commitment to playing the game with and against a higher level of competition, and we - as a family - decided to make the move. She stayed with her first TB team until the end of 12U, and we were blessed that she had some awesome coaches to help her develop her skills and game knowledge. Now 14yo, she is a very good player for her age, and continues to do the work it takes to play at the top level of the game. Her goal is to play in college, but this journey has never been about expectation of a scholarship. If that happens, great. If not, that's okay, too. If she decides to quit the game tomorrow, I'm also okay with that. She has had some awesome experiences, and we have all made some good friends.

I have never looked at the money we spend as anything other than supporting my DD's desire to play the game at the level she wants to play. I built a batting cage in my back yard, and my DD has been working with paid private instructors since we made the move to TB - hitting, catching, strength training. Some people have said that I could have saved all that money and paid for her college. Maybe that's true, but that's not realistic. The money would get spent on something else. I have never had the idea that I'm trying to "turn her into a star". This is her journey. She does the work - the relentless hard work - to play at a high level, because she loves it. I drive and write checks to support it. It could have been music, or dance, or any other sport. Softball has been a fit for her since she started playing the game at 8yo, and it's the only sport she's wanted to play. For me, the best part is getting a front seat to seeing my DD do what she loves to do, with and against others who are equally passionate and competitive.

This year, my DD played her freshman season on the HS team. One thing that was immediately clear - on our team and others - was which players were experienced TB players, and which ones were not. A couple of players on the team played with my DD in rec ball, and have stayed playing rec ball. At 9yo, they were all at a similar skill level (all-star teammates). The difference between their skill level now is vivid. There is no substitute for the increased reps (practices and games) and better instruction that comes along with playing TB, plus the additional focused training outside the team. Experienced TB players play the game at a different speed. Not just physical speed, but mental speed.

As for making the move to TB at 13+yo, the skill level gap between rec and TB is much wider at 14U than it is at 10U. What I see in the world of 14U TB is that 13-14yos just making the move from rec ball to TB (generally) struggle badly against girls who have been playing at a higher level for 2+ years. I've seen a few that age that are able to adapt and be competitive, but a lot more that don't.

All that said, TB isn't for everyone, and not everyone's experience with it is the same. I've seen lots of players come and go. Some good players have decided that it wasn't for them, and went back to play rec ball with their school friends, or moved on to a different sport.

Everyone has their own journey.

 

[texasheat]

In softball, the pitchers usually get a full ride (books, tuition, room and board).

Is this the case for all levels of college ball, from P5 D1 down to D2?

 

[Jken043]

This is actually a fantastic thread. Thank you for your responses. I have a daughter that is a "bracket pitcher" and has been very good at an early age but I have no idea what that will translate too in her future. She has been one of the better pitchers in our area and mowed down much of the local competition. She usually only gets squared up at nationals and bigger state events minus a few control issue games which she slugs through very occasionally. I often ask myself if all of this is worth it but I'm fairly certain that she "should" be capable of playing the game at the college level (which level I have no idea.) The one thing I know for sure is that this sport and TB in particular has made her such an extremely confident young lady and has hardened her spirit and resolve while having genuine fun playing the game and being around friends, family and teammates. She works SO HARD and is very passionate about this sport and if she is going to work this hard for something and believe in herself while having fun then I will support her. worst case scenario is wasted money on travelling expenses but the memories will always be there and she has already benefitted from it in many ways which are unrelated to softball as is. I'll plan on using her college money that I have been saving for her to attend school......but, just maybe she will get a shot to play college ball if everything works out. No matter what I love watching her play and I never take for granted that she will not always be this age and making sure that I soak up the memories!

 

[efastball]

I know that once a parent gets the travel bug (I've been through this with many kids in many sports), they sorta become obsessed.

And then they love it while they're doing it, until they don't.

 

[bmakj]

For us, it is about helping our DDs see what their talents are, see what their opportunities are, and helping them define goals and then work towards them. make certain it remains about the kids dreams.

DD1 does not play softball, but is being actively recruited by D1 schools in another sport (finishing frosh year of HS). there have been a lot of sacrifices by DD1 (time away from friends/classmates, sore muscles, missed sleep to get homework down after workouts, etc.), myself and DW (professional and financial for us), and DD2 (lots of WE days with grandparents or home alone now that she is old enough, but this is her choice, when younger getting dragged along), plus the sacrifice of Thanksgiving with family the past two years, and probably at least the next two (big recruiting event that WE every year, with a 6 hour car ride involved), plus all vacation time and $ being used on travel for sports.

DD2 is few years younger, plays TB, not because she currently has goals of playing in college (not ruled out, just not certain), but because she has the talent, and is so competitive that playing rec frustrates her so much (she did come back to rec this year for another shot at AS, and it is a little better now with older girls). she has often times complained about the time TB takes, but it is really griping. she gets excited about working with her instructor, you can she the spark in her during games, but does not perse love practice, but will spontaneously go out and do a couple of buckets of tee work. will she play in college? hard to know, she may pursue her other sport (swim) more as she gets older, or may change her mind completely and focus o

the only requirement we put on our kids was we told them they would play some sport every season at least until HS, they needed to be physically active. they tried different ones over the years (basketball, soccer, swimming, softball, field hockey), and each kind of fell into their thing. no idea where this athletic talent came from (not me or DW, maybe the milkman ), but as they have decided what they want to pursue, we have supported them fully (this maybe why some would sacrifice financial stability for TB dreams more than scholarships).

why is different for everyone. but one thing is for certain. if you do not lay TB, you will almost certainly not play in college. softball (and baseball) are a little different from football and basketball. in the latter two, if you are a freak athlete, you will be recruited, and they will develop you (possibly QB excepted). I think several other sports are probably same way. I beleive diamond sports simply require too much of a learned skill set and knowledge (like QB in football), and same for some other sports (soccer with the footwork for example). The skillset is just too refined now, you have to play top level competition to develop those skills to the top level.