Playing up in rec ball?

[jtat32]

When my girls were playing rec and I was part of the board, I would give players the option of playing in two age groups for the same base cost. This allowed the better players to play with older players, but still play with their friends. It also helps the players in the younger age group develop by exposing them to better competition.

[PDad]

When my girls were playing rec and I was part of the board, I would give players the option of playing in two age groups for the same base cost. This allowed the better players to play with older players, but still play with their friends. It also helps the players in the younger age group develop by exposing them to better competition.

Did the scheduler have to prevent conflicts in their game schedules? Our league did that for a couple people that coached multiple teams, however that would be a nightmare for a bunch of players.

Our league rarely let players play up. I recall one pitcher went up for the regular season and back down for all stars.

[jtat32]

Did the scheduler have to prevent conflicts in their game schedules? Our league did that for a couple people that coached multiple teams, however that would be a nightmare for a bunch of players.

Our league rarely let players play up. I recall one pitcher went up for the regular season and back down for all stars.

I should preface by saying that the level of competition in our league was fairly weak, and nearly all of the more serious players played up prior to my involvement. My concern was that diminishing the level of competition in the younger ages would decrease the development of the remaining players. Also, the game isn't very fun or motivating when you don't have many players who can perform the basic operations.

As far as conflicts went, it worked fairly well while I was there. Our league played two games a week, one on a weekday, and the other on a weekend. The different age groups played on different weekdays, so there was only the opportunity for game conflicts on weekends. The first responsibility for the players was to their older teams in the event of a weekend conflict. Same for practice conflicts.

This probably wouldn't have worked as well in a more competitive league.

[Backnine]

Thank you gentlemen for all your input. Well, I wish I would have been able to convince a small core of talented 2nd year 10u girls to come up and play 12u but that is simply not happening. So I took your advise and discussed the situation with DD and wife and came to the decision to play with friends at the 10u level. Will probably play all-stars and then start practicing with the bigger ball to prepare for 12u fall ball (I believe transferring from 10u rec to 12u TB is problematic) and then after that have another decision to make. Spring 12u rec ball or plunge into the travel ball scene. After watching and talking to some of our rec league friends that transferred to TB I am not convinced that TB is the greatest thing since sliced bread. What do you think? Thanks again!

[MrGeek]

I would compare the choice of my daughter playing Travel to finding the right pair of shoes. There are hundreds of options but it is really important to find one that is the right fit and style for her. Try out many until you find one that fits her (and the entire family, as it takes commitment from everyone) and do not settle for one that doesn't feel right. That's my $.02

[PDad]

Will probably play all-stars and then start practicing with the bigger ball to prepare for 12u fall ball (I believe transferring from 10u rec to 12u TB is problematic) and then after that have another decision to make. Spring 12u rec ball or plunge into the travel ball scene. After watching and talking to some of our rec league friends that transferred to TB I am not convinced that TB is the greatest thing since sliced bread. What do you think? Thanks again!

August is the main tryout time in SoCal and that's to build a roster for the entire year. There is some turnover after the fall as some players switch teams hoping for a better fit. There are some openings throughout the year due to vacancies or to upgrade the team. Most teams have stable rosters for the year, however some have a lot of turnover and some struggle to put a roster together.