Why I do not advocate 8u TB

[SoftSocDad]

You are really hardcore against 8u TB aren't you? What about a scenario where the girl lives in a small town, and the competition/coaching is just horrible? I do think that there are different types of 8u TB teams, and some of them are a little over the top hardcore for the age group. However, there is nothing wrong with giving your daughter a chance to play with/against the best players in her particular age group. To see the strides that some of these girls have made because of it is amazing. One little girl has been trying to turn a double play all year, and when she finally did, it was a massive celebration. Another little girl, our catcher, has gone from closing her eyes whenever the batter swings to tracking it's every movement, and now if the ball is popped up anywhere in her vicinity, she's all over it. It's the small victories at this age. We haven't made our team about winning every tournament. We go play in tournaments with teams that are far superior to us, just so the girls can learn lessons on what hard work can bring you, failure, and to see the looks on their faces when we actually beat the best team (don't snicker) in the state. It was epic to say the least. Don't get me wrong, we have also played in tournaments where the teams are more evenly matched, and even won one of them. We qualified for nationals, but did not go. Our girls have learned lessons in defeat, and we found no need to drive 14 hours for them to learn anymore. We don't play daddyball. We're not screamers. All of the parents genuinely like each other, and we're having a whole lot of fun. We're just a group of people who's kids happen to like softball enough to want to play it a lot, and learn as much as they can. What's wrong with that?

If someone ruined the experience for you, or you've seen up close and personal a bad situation, I can fully understand why you feel the way you do. But, don't make such generalized statements that include those of us that are doing it right, and for the right reasons. I am an 8u TB coach, and we're having a blast with it.

(I wanted to respond to CobraAssist's post without taking any more attention away from the OP's question in the other thread)

Yes, I am generally against 8u TB, and I'm also against parents buying $300 bats for 8yo players, especially since they'd be much better off with a $40 bat and 8 hitting lessons. These are my two hangups, I do admit.

It all depends on the community you live in and the people you've got involved with your team. I don't doubt for a moment that there are unique situations like yours where everyone's getting a benefit from the program, but there's too much anecdotal evidence which indicates that the experiences of the OP are more common than not. The player development issues, specifically, are that playing time is not shared reasonably and that there are too many teams on which players don't get actual game experience at a variety of positions. Tournaments are tough, because even with a 4gg format, coaches feel pressure - whether real or imagined - to do what they feel will help the team advance deep on Sunday. Not pointing a finger at you, Coach, just saying that no matter how we try to fight it, human nature is generally going to kick in at some point with respect to how people will feel about a tournament game vs a regular-season rec game.

As you mentioned, so much depends on geography. We do have the advantage of winterball here in this region, which offers a 'travel lite' experience for players and parents that's pretty cool. Teams from different towns play one another and the cost is only a few dollars more than spring rec. The kids also get to play in a tournament format at the end.

So no, I'm not totally against its very existence, but in general, full-time 8u TB isn't good, with the sole exception of those areas which are all player pitch and I haven't heard of such a thing anywhere in the U.S.

 

[kchmcbaz]

So no, I'm not totally against its very existence, but in general, full-time 8u TB isn't good, with the sole exception of those areas which are all player pitch and I haven't heard of such a thing anywhere in the U.S.

My daughter is playing on a 8u TB team this summer. She also plays on a local little league team. The TB team started playing in tournaments at the end of May and so far they have played in five tournaments. Only one of the tournaments was far enough away (2.5 hours) that required overnight stay. The rest were within 1.5 hours.

The cost was minimal and I think most of the parents and coaches see it as further development rather than always about winning. Though we do see those teams. The talent that my daughter sees during these teams are far superior than what she would see in little league.

Right now my daughter loves it. She also played on my other daughters 10u Little League team when they were short players. Will she get burnt out on softball? Maybe. And we can look at it when that time comes. But right now she is having a blast on the weekends and loves being around the other girls.

All of the tournaments we play in are all player pitch. Most of the pitching we see is very good and would beat out most of the pitching that my older daughter sees in Little League. They pitch from 30 feet and most of the pitchers are throwing 35+.

 

[obbay]

I think it's a vehicle for separating parents from their money earlier, using their love and ambition for their children's success as the catalyst. If I had a DD playing 8U TB I'm sure I would think differently, but this is just my opinion.

I think this is a good book regarding the inflated importance of youth sports:
Amazon.com: Until It Hurts: America's Obsession with Youth Sports and How It Harms Our Kids (9780807021194): Mark Hyman: Books

more importantly, how much are my kids and I going to go into debt to get them a college education that will guarantee them nothing but debt? I hope they develop a keen interest in life and find softball to be a fun and significant facet in their growth experience.

Do they have U6 TB or U4? at what point is it too young?

 

[Amy in AZ.]

I didn't let my kids, 2 boys and a girl, play organized baseball until they were 10. But, they are 27,26 and 22, now - so maybe things change. But, I considered baseball and softball a dangerous sport and I wanted them to be ready. Of course, I was doing the teaching myself. We spent hours in the front yard just on overhand throw, itself. Then, line drives, pop flies and hitting off a tee.

I was teaching school, so I had generally the same hours that they did and there were other activities to keep them busy during those blustery IL. winters. Plus, we couldn't have afforded travel ball for all 3 kids and it was just me doing the driving. My husband worked 60 hours a week.

Our GDD is 19 months old and already has been to lessons with me, a lot. Time will tell what her folks will think about her activities. I am pretty sure that Tucson doesn't have any 8U travel ball teams, though. We were short 10U, up until 2 years ago.

 

[kchmcbaz]

Imore importantly, how much are my kids and I going to go into debt to get them a college education that will guarantee them nothing but debt? I hope they develop a keen interest in life and find softball to be a fun and significant facet in their growth experience.QUOTE]

Your looking at it the wrong way. No way am I letting my daughter play travel ball for a potential college education 11-12 years away. When the coach called to see if my daughter would be interested in playing you think the first think that popped into my head was, "we need to do this because she can get a scholarship in 12 years". Thats ridiculous.

They have a tournament about every other weekend and practice once a week. The cost was very minimal ($250 which included the team fee, and equipment consisting of helmet, bat bag, cleats, and two uniforms). She has a $50 bat and a $40 glove. We pack a cooler for the tournaments so the cost for food is low.

She loves playing and would play everyday if she could. I think some people hear 8u travel ball and think that practice is everyday, tournaments every weekend, and thousdands of dollars spent.

We look at it as our daughter gets togather with 10-11 of her friends every other weekend, plays softball for a couple of days and has fun. If she told me she didnt want to do it anymore the previous tournament we be our last.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

I am thinking that what some are calling travel ball isn't what I consider travel ball at all. For one thing, you could never bring a cooler into a tournament, here. We are quite lucky to get to bring in one bottle of water, each.

There is a gate fee of $4.00 per person, too.

Although, $250.00 isn't cheap, either. Play ball!

 

[CycloneSoftball22]

Around here , no problem bringing in coolers , but there is a $5.00-$8.00 per day gate fee. Most teams are local or 1-2 hours away. I would call it more "tournament ball" instead of travel ball. Every tournament has 8u - 18u. Entry fee is usually $200-$225 per team (except for 8u which is like $75 and the tourney is usually one day for them)

 

[Ivy's Dad]

I am thinking that what some are calling travel ball isn't what I consider travel ball at all. For one thing, you could never bring a cooler into a tournament, here. We are quite lucky to get to bring in one bottle of water, each.

There is a gate fee of $4.00 per person, too.

Although, $250.00 isn't cheap, either. Play ball!

Wow, gate fees and you can't bring in your own food. Softball must be really big in Arizona. In NJ at B level tournaments, teams pay an entrance fee ($300 - $500), but there isn't an entrance fee for the spectators. My DD's TB team always brought coolers and canopies. Since the rec. league that supported the TB team paid the tournament entrance fees, our only cost was the uniform. My DW and I always viewed it as a bargain.

 

[chinamigarden]

Several of the tournaments we go to each year, we set up pop up tents, someone brings a grill and the team has a Pot luck for lunch between games. Hamburgers, hotdogs, bratwursts,

 

[Amy in AZ.]

At 8U, who pitches? The girls?

DD is 22 and I can't remember the last trny, even in IL. that we could have brought food, into. I won't eat at a concession stand, because I have worked in too many that were over ran with mice, so I have to stick ham sandwiches in my lawn chair. Out here at Sport's Park, they even ask to look in purses.