My observations pretty much echo what others have already said. From my experience with my own kids and a few players I have coached along the way...
DD1 (now 19yo) - Played rec ball from 8U-14U. Played HS ball as a freshman, but also made the cheer team. As a soph, she realized she couldn't do both, and picked cheer. She set a goal of becoming Team Captain as a senior, which she accomplished, but it wasn't enjoyable. After graduating HS, she told me she wished she had stayed with softball.
DD2 - Started playing rec at 8U, moved to TB in 10U, and is still playing at 14U. She has a goal of playing college ball. We have told her many times that if she decides to quit the sport, we support that decision. So far, her dedication to doing the work, and enjoyment of the sport, are staying solid. She's not super excited about playing HS ball because the team is historically terrible, but she will enjoy playing with some of her friends. We will see what happens in HS, but I think she's going to be okay.
Player 1 - Outstanding young athlete, and top-level rec player in 8U and 10U. Moved to TB, and lasted less than a year before quitting due to the high demands of the team's schedule and performance pressure. (IMO, parents picked the wrong team for her personality). She's now playing club soccer and thriving.
Player 2 - Good catcher. Moved to TB in 12U with her best friend (a pitcher), and adapted pretty well. At 14U, hitting started to really struggle, and her enjoyment of the game faded. She's currently playing club volleyball on a very good team, and doing well.
Player 3 - Joined our TB team as a first-year 12U player coming from 10U rec all-stars. She had the potential to be a very powerful hitter, but struggled to adapt to the faster speeds of the game. Parents had her with a million different hitting instructors, and was in a constant state of adaptation to a new approach. Parents pulled her from the team mid-season, claiming we ruined her hitting, but never seeming to grasp the concept that 12U TB isn't the same as 10U rec ball. Last I heard, she isn't playing sports.
Player 4 - #2 pitcher in DD's 12U TB team last summer. Hard worker, gritty competitor, and a solid player, but was never going to be an elite pitcher. She's also a competitive swimmer. At the end of the summer season, she decided to quit pitching due to feeling way over-loaded by the training demands of two high-level sports. A short time later, she pulled the plug on softball completely, deciding to put all of her focus on swimming.
Player 5 - Very talented 13yo TB player. She has been bounced around from team to team to team by her dad. She hates that he keeps moving her. He's also a yeller, and it affects her attitude on the field. She's still playing, but I won't be surprised if she quits just to escape his behavior.
DD1 (now 19yo) - Played rec ball from 8U-14U. Played HS ball as a freshman, but also made the cheer team. As a soph, she realized she couldn't do both, and picked cheer. She set a goal of becoming Team Captain as a senior, which she accomplished, but it wasn't enjoyable. After graduating HS, she told me she wished she had stayed with softball.
DD2 - Started playing rec at 8U, moved to TB in 10U, and is still playing at 14U. She has a goal of playing college ball. We have told her many times that if she decides to quit the sport, we support that decision. So far, her dedication to doing the work, and enjoyment of the sport, are staying solid. She's not super excited about playing HS ball because the team is historically terrible, but she will enjoy playing with some of her friends. We will see what happens in HS, but I think she's going to be okay.
Player 1 - Outstanding young athlete, and top-level rec player in 8U and 10U. Moved to TB, and lasted less than a year before quitting due to the high demands of the team's schedule and performance pressure. (IMO, parents picked the wrong team for her personality). She's now playing club soccer and thriving.
Player 2 - Good catcher. Moved to TB in 12U with her best friend (a pitcher), and adapted pretty well. At 14U, hitting started to really struggle, and her enjoyment of the game faded. She's currently playing club volleyball on a very good team, and doing well.
Player 3 - Joined our TB team as a first-year 12U player coming from 10U rec all-stars. She had the potential to be a very powerful hitter, but struggled to adapt to the faster speeds of the game. Parents had her with a million different hitting instructors, and was in a constant state of adaptation to a new approach. Parents pulled her from the team mid-season, claiming we ruined her hitting, but never seeming to grasp the concept that 12U TB isn't the same as 10U rec ball. Last I heard, she isn't playing sports.
Player 4 - #2 pitcher in DD's 12U TB team last summer. Hard worker, gritty competitor, and a solid player, but was never going to be an elite pitcher. She's also a competitive swimmer. At the end of the summer season, she decided to quit pitching due to feeling way over-loaded by the training demands of two high-level sports. A short time later, she pulled the plug on softball completely, deciding to put all of her focus on swimming.
Player 5 - Very talented 13yo TB player. She has been bounced around from team to team to team by her dad. She hates that he keeps moving her. He's also a yeller, and it affects her attitude on the field. She's still playing, but I won't be surprised if she quits just to escape his behavior.
