Elite players from the San Fernando Valley!!!!!

[Lil Ballers]

I've been in the travel seen now for 3-4 yrs, and have noticed a lot of the girls here in the valley play for big name teams in the O.C .There are some decent teams here, but what gives that the young players have to travel else where.
Why not bring some of those big name teams to the valley, and have those teams travel this way. I do get it that the girls want to play against good teams , but the more I see teams as we play in orange county the more I see girls from the valley on those teams.
It would be great to keep those girls here in the valley with those big name teams and have good competition here. It would be cool to be able to say theres good competition in the San Fernando Valley...

[CatcherDad99]

We travel from SCV. To be honest for us its about finding a good fit. Too few teams up this way to choose from. By finding the right team/coach she has been able to really shine on a winning team. We tried one local team and it was not a good experience for her at all. Trust me we don't want to drive 2 hours in traffic just for practice. Its worth it to see her doing what she loves at a high level. Now if we could only choose her HS team the same way.

[DropCurve]

When you get to the 14s and on up, it's all about the showcase. Most of the well known organizations are in OC. Coaches/recruiters tend to gravitate towards those teams to look at their roster....not to take away any credit from Choppers or Pumas. Isn't this why you left rec and moved onto travel? Because YOUR daughter loves the game and wants to get better....right?

[Fastpitchdad1]

We also travel from the valley. I can not speak for everyone, but I can give you a list as we wrote it when we made the decision to travel to OC/IE for a team. Keep in mind that every situation and every family is different. Every athlete is different so the key is to make a decision that works for you and your family.

1. Team prestige and history:
It mattered how well the 18Gold team was doing. Also, how well were the other teams and how deep the talent pool was within the organization. At the end of the day recruiters and college coaches do look for certain teams and look at their rosters first.

2. Playing time and development:
It was important that our daughter got the necessary playing time at her desire position and competed at a high level to earn her position.

3. Organization attitude towards academics and extra curricular activities:
Stressing a good academic importance. What values outside of softball are the kids learning?

4. Coaching staff;
Head coach credentials, softball pedigree, history. How professional are the assistant coaches? How motivated is the head coach to get the athletes recruited into good colleges?

5. Good fit for our daughter:
How did she get along with the other girls on the team? What type of chemistry do the athletes have on and off the field. We also had to make sure the families were supportive and there was as little animosity as possible.

6. How often were we required to travel for practices? Academics are number 1... We had to make sure grades would not drop and there wouldn't be any added stress.
This is travel and our daughter puts in a lot of work on her own during the week with her hitting instructor, fielding coach, strength and conditioning training. We are only required to attend practices on non game weekends so no driving out during the week was plus.

There few local options and teams to choose from. We found a team which is very competitive at their age group, the organization is one of the top ones, and our daughter is one of the key players on their roster, and she dominating her age group.

Like I said every situation is different. Our daughter playing on her team works for us and it is a great opportunity for her as a student athlete.

[Nicelag]

All responses are spot on. Bottom line is all it takes is a good coaching staff to put together a team under the name of a top organization and you have it. Easier said than done though. Getting the name is fairly easy, but getting the good coaching staff not so simple.

Bottom line is a lot of people don't want to settle, and why should they? There are plenty of teams in every area, but we want to get better, learn the game, be competitive and successful all while having fun. That my friend is why we travel.

[SydsDad]

Hey Everyone,

New to HeyBucket. In terms of SFV teams, can you give me an idea of who they are? I'm not sure getting to the OC works for us, but would definitely like to explore a higher level of play than our rec league.

Happy New Year and thanks!

Steve

[tbjd33]

Hey Everyone,

New to HeyBucket. In terms of SFV teams, can you give me an idea of who they are? I'm not sure getting to the OC works for us, but would definitely like to explore a higher level of play than our rec league.

Happy New Year and thanks!

Steve

What's the goal?

[Fastpitchdad1]

Hey Everyone,

New to HeyBucket. In terms of SFV teams, can you give me an idea of who they are? I'm not sure getting to the OC works for us, but would definitely like to explore a higher level of play than our rec league.

Happy New Year and thanks!

Steve

What age group is your daughter? There are a few options depending and her age and skill level.

[SydsDad]

Thanks for the replies. The goal is to determine if travel ball is right for her and what our options may be. She is a 10U all star catcher. Her catching skills are great, but not sure about her hitting compared to travel girls. It's a catch 22. With better coaches and training she could improve, but if she stays at rec ball I am afraid she won't progress as fast. I have started private training which should help. She is a great teammate and very open to accepting instruction. She's also tough as nails!

Thanks again,

Steve

[SydsDad]

Hey Everyone,

New to HeyBucket. In terms of SFV teams, can you give me an idea of who they are? I'm not sure getting to the OC works for us, but would definitely like to explore a higher level of play than our rec league.

Happy New Year and thanks!

Steve

What age group is your daughter? There are a few options depending and her age and skill level.

Thanks for the replies. The goal is to determine if travel ball is right for her and what our options may be. She is a 10U all star catcher. Her catching skills are great, but not sure about her hitting compared to travel girls. It's a catch 22. With better coaches and training she could improve, but if she stays at rec ball I am afraid she won't progress as fast. I have started private training which should help. She is a great teammate and very open to accepting instruction. She's also tough as nails!

Thanks again,

Steve