travel softball ?

[mom2rtk]

Makes me thankful neither of my kids is a great athlete.

LOL, me too!

 

[EMAW_KSU]

Makes me thankful neither of my kids is a great athlete.

Traveling teams are full of players that are not great athletes.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Traveling teams are full of players that are not great athletes.

Well, none of 'em are my kids

 

[bsblady01]

You don't say and if you did, I didn't see it. What does your DAUGHTER want? If she doesn't want to play travel ball (more stress, more time away from friends, etc), then she doesn't play (IMO).

She wants to do it. we have decided we are going to let her do it. We told her this will be the only sport she can play since in will be a year around team. My parent's said they would help with our younger kids and take them to their games when we need them.

 

[debster812]

No baseball/softball here for us, DS is a soccer kid. Started playing with his club at U10, started playing premier (with all the associated travel) at U13. He'll play one last season this spring/summer as a U19, when he gets home from college.

First point, yes, the travel will take a BIG chunk of time, and will impact the rest of the family. We had it easier, as DS is our only child, so we were not juggling multiple kids' schedules. It will also mean she may miss out on parties/activities/getting together with her friends. That was a tough one for DS, as none of his friends in town were as into soccer as he was. He arrived late or had to leave early to a lot of birthday parties, sleepovers, pool parties, etc.

I would point blank ask the club what the expected yearly fees are, and what tournaments they plan to attend. That should help you get a ballpark figure for cost.

 

[NewRVLady]

She wants to do it. we have decided we are going to let her do it. We told her this will be the only sport she can play since in will be a year around team. My parent's said they would help with our younger kids and take them to their games when we need them.

My sis did this and was away the whole weekend..but in the high school years.. And lots of weekends. My neice was the only one at home- older sis in college...You plan to leave the younger kids that much?

 

[bsblady01]

My sis did this and was away the whole weekend..but in the high school years.. And lots of weekends. My neice was the only one at home- older sis in college...You plan to leave the younger kids that much?

we would only have two out of state events during the summer and the little ones would come with us. most of the games are in different parts of new York and new jersey so we would not be leaving them all the time.

 

[bsblady01]

My sis did this and was away the whole weekend..but in the high school years.. And lots of weekends. My neice was the only one at home- older sis in college...You plan to leave the younger kids that much?

we have a parent's meeting on Thursday so we will see where we will be playing this summer. I know looking at it from last year they have a five day event in myrtle beach in july and a three day in pa at the end of aug. we would tack on a few days and make a family vacation out of it.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I have a question for you guys does anyone here have girls or boys that do travel baseball /softball. My ten year old was asked to play on a travel softball team this year. My daughter has been playing since she was five she even did winter ball this year.

Do you guys have any tips and the cost that will be involved in this. We have two other kids that play but they are to young for a travel team they are seven and five and are just getting into baseball and softball.

I played softball from the time I was five right on through college but I was not on a travel team. So this is all new for our family

I always considered the money we spent for DS to play on his travel team (which was nowhere near some of the figures mentioned here) was money well spent because of the extensive training he received from the coaches and organization, that he was not getting from local baseball. My concern about this situation with your daughter is that she's missed a big part of that "player development" piece already, since tryouts are usually in the late summer/early fall, and workouts are all winter. Right now, the season's about to start! So unless they're discounting your fee then you're paying for something she didn't get, kwim? Some teams try to fill spots now to help lower costs, if they aren't full already. Those players who come late may not have a great experience because coaches already have their position players in place, and they'll be the ones getting the playing time since they've been attending practices all winter, know the drills, etc. Is this the first time you've considered doing something like this? Have you looked into it before? I'd just hate to see her have a not so good experience when she could have a better one if she gets into it from the beginning next year. So caveat emptor here. But in general my DS had a really great experience over the past 8 years playing travel ball.

 

[bsblady01]

I always considered the money we spent for DS to play on his travel team (which was nowhere near some of the figures mentioned here) was money well spent because of the extensive training he received from the coaches and organization, that he was not getting from local baseball. My concern about this situation with your daughter is that she's missed a big part of that "player development" piece already, since tryouts are usually in the late summer/early fall, and workouts are all winter. Right now, the season's about to start! So unless they're discounting your fee then you're paying for something she didn't get, kwim? Some teams try to fill spots now to help lower costs, if they aren't full already. Those players who come late may not have a great experience because coaches already have their position players in place, and they'll be the ones getting the playing time since they've been attending practices all winter, know the drills, etc. Is this the first time you've considered doing something like this? Have you looked into it before? I'd just hate to see her have a not so good experience when she could have a better one if she gets into it from the beginning next year. So caveat emptor here. But in general my DS had a really great experience over the past 8 years playing travel ball.

My daughter did a winter softball team this winter and the coach that ran it is the coach for the travel team . She did not miss anything as the season here does not start till mid april. The coach asked us if she would join the team since she did so well this winter. She has played since she was five.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

My daughter did a winter softball team this winter and the coach that ran it is the coach for the travel team . She did not miss anything as the season here does not start till mid april. The coach asked us if she would join the team since she did so well this winter. She has played since she was five.

Is the winter team a separate team from the travel team? When did the travel team have tryouts and start practices? Not trying to be argumentative, just trying to explain what I've seen at times when people come late to a team since you asked for experiences.

 

[littlejimmy]

hey bs lady. yes, its tough and takes time away from your family. but you know what, if your kid wants to do it and loves softball, it is worth it. every penny spent and every second of the travel. you will figure it out for YOUR family. don't ever let anyone make you feel bad about doing it. great memories. great friends. great bonding with your kids. and memories to talk about for the rest of your lives. both my girls are well into their 20's and we still talk about how much fun our family had during those hectic days. go for it!!

 

[tvguy]

hey bs lady. yes, its tough and takes time away from your family. but you know what, if your kid wants to do it and loves softball, it is worth it. every penny spent and every second of the travel. you will figure it out for YOUR family. don't ever let anyone make you feel bad about doing it. great memories. great friends. great bonding with your kids. and memories to talk about for the rest of your lives. both my girls are well into their 20's and we still talk about how much fun our family had during those hectic days. go for it!!

Just make SURE your kid wants to do it. Far too off the PARENTS want their kid to do it.
In my experience, the burnout rate of kids who play Travel Sports is much higher than those who just do Recreational. Like many Psychologists and many Physicians say, sometimes a kids mind and body need them to be doing NOTHING for a few months.

 

[NewRVLady]

My daughter did a winter softball team this winter and the coach that ran it is the coach for the travel team . She did not miss anything as the season here does not start till mid april. The coach asked us if she would join the team since she did so well this winter. She has played since she was five.

I know you live up in NY where it snows-curious WHERE you play ball?

When my son was doing baseball , the school team STARTED around now and I live in South. Then the city league started in april. I thought ALL the travel teams were in the summer?

 

[sam_gordon]

I know you live up in NY where it snows-curious WHERE you play ball?

When my son was doing baseball , the school team STARTED around now and I live in South. Then the city league started in april. I thought ALL the travel teams were in the summer?

I'm not that far north and there are indoor places to play. They used "reduced flight" balls. When my DD was playing, we even participated in an overnight tournament in Indianapolis at an indoor facility.

 

[Mickeyluver37]

DS16 started at 8U and will play 17U for his final season this summer. The costs at 10U weren't significant compared to now! DS's fees alone are in the thousands. In the younger years, I loved it- loved getting to know other families, traveling with them, having the younger siblings play together at the park, watching my son bond with friends while hanging out at the pool, beach, or whatever fun destination the tournament was. And of course, coming together to cheer our kids on at every game and tournament. As the years went by, it became more political, more cutthroat, and significantly more expensive. People move around to organizations all over the county or state, and it's no longer local kids at a local organization from the same communities and schools. Now DS isn't even on a team with kids he grew up playing with, and it doesn't have the same feeling. His academics far surpass his athletic abilities, so we aren't looking at this like we need to get him in front of college coaches like many families are. He'll likely go to a college that he doesn't stand a chance of playing baseball (or football) for. In fact, I hate the showcases and find them pointless since there are no brackets and no satisfaction in winning a game.

DS8 played 8U travel last year but it was very low key- additional Sunday games, and 2 local tournaments. He's playing 8U again this year and it will be only slightly more of a commitment. However, even at this age, it's year round, although he does only have 1 winter work out per week, in contrast to DS16's 3 per week. He's been with the same group of kids for a couple years already, as many of them are younger siblings to other travel baseball players. Our additional costs for that team are only around $200 for umpire and tournament fees.

 

[NewRVLady]

I'm not that far north and there are indoor places to play. They used "reduced flight" balls. When my DD was playing, we even participated in an overnight tournament in Indianapolis at an indoor facility.

didn't know that-NOTHING like that in the South ....I thought the OP lived in a rural area in the Mountains ,,,just curious

 

[Shmily1]

My DGS9 and DGD13 play travel ball and my DD24 was in travel/competition dance/baton. I have a few ideas on them as they all relate to each other in the end.

• Make sure they want to do it. If/when they don't want to do it, there's no pressure from you to keep it up. They get to quit at the end of the season (not in the middle so as to deficit their team).
• Make sure they are doing it for fun and not being too serious about it. Sure it has to be serious to a point but I see/have seen many that get into competition stuff and it breaks their heart when they aren't perfect. No one is all the time. My rule for DD was if she started being too serious about it, I could make her quit any time. There's no need for them to be depressed because they aren't perfect all the time.
• Don't be "that" parent. You've seen the one that their words can break the kid when they didn't catch the ball or hit as far as they could have. The parent says 10 words to the kid and the kid is heartbroken and crying in the corner.
• Don't expect that you'll find a material benefit in your kid's life for the money you are spending. It is NOT monetary. You do this to spend time with them, to help them better themselves, and because they love it. DS was in band and DD was in dance until she no longer wanted to do it. There are no better memories than watching them perform. I have cried many tears from being proud of them and their accomplishments. I took pictures of DS at his last band concert and none are worth seeing because I was crying so hard because it was his last time and all the pictures are blurry. It's all about the memories. Since this is a Disney board, I'll put it in those terms. You spend money on Disney because you want the memories. That's what you are doing with this ball.
• If the costs give you financial problems, it's probably best not to do it at this time. You can always carpool with friends though to help save money.
• Enjoy every minute you are watching them. They grow up fast so take it all in.

 

[nugov2]

We do travel soccer and it is expensive and sucks all of my dd's time. When she isn't at practice or a game she is looking for extra clinics or 3 v 3 tournaments because it is all she wants to do. She has tried lots of other activities but has always just wanted soccer. She doesn't care about missing parties or hanging out with school friends she is ok seeing them when she can. If this is your dd's personality and commitment level I think travel is for her. If you are ok spending the money than its for you. My middle son loves baseball and plays on a very laid back travel team...still parent coaches and only local town teams. That is for him. He loves to play but isn't looking for it to consume his whole life. It is perfect because it is an extension of his rec team so very little expense, but he still gets some extra playing time.

It is good to find families to carpool with. This is a huge help.

 

[goofy !]

Makes me thankful neither of my kids is a great athlete.

My daughter is a special needs athlete and her travel team will incur expenses of up to $5,000 this year. We are traveling 2X across the country with a possibility of a third trip to WDW (have to win the 2nd travel trip to earn the bid to WDW.)

Travel teams are for all kinds of athletes This is our 12th year and we would not have done it any differently. The benefits far outweigh the dent in the budget.

We have been so lucky to have coaches that emphasize that winning is the goal, but losing is ok too because there is far more learning to be had from losing than there is from winning. There was a major cheer competition this past weekend in Dallas. This is the take from one of the teams that lost by a small margin. It is all about the team, the sacrifice, the family you build. The trophy or ring or jacket is a bonus, but the journey to get to the top is what is important. http://www.insidecheerleading.com/#...standing-Defeat/cd9n/56cccff90cf24bcda47203b9

My kids swam, played football, lacrosse and cheered on some pretty competitive teams. Learning how to lose with grace, dignity and good sportsmanship were some of the best lessons they could have learned.

OP, if this is a passion of your daughter, go for it. If expenses are a difficulty, help set up fundraisers.