Thoughts & Opinions

[SoftballSoccerDad]

My DD has played on small market teams and SoCal teams.

In SoCal when someone leaves the team, they leave the team. In small market team, when someone leaves a team, they spend about 3 months making loads of noise before they leave, then after leaving they leave they spend about 3 months making noise.

Small market teams at 10U and 12U have no idea how good softball can be played.

LOL @ 'small market teams'

[tcannizzo]

From my experience, one of the biggest differentiators between SoCal and the rest of the country is not the talent of the athletes or the coaches, quite simply it is the level of commitment.

SoCal softball is almost a "cult" - no disrespect meant. Perhaps a better word would be a "culture". The mindset is without a doubt very different.

A story from someone who might still be on HB.
ASA Nationals in VA one year. There was a lengthy rain delay. Most of the teams, especially from the East, left the park and went to the mall, movies or just back to the hotel. A SoCal team, which will go nameless, stayed at the park, with uniforms on, in the van until the weather improved.

Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of non-SoCal players who are totally committed to their game, eat and sleep softball. But as a region collectively, SoCal cannot be matched.

[fastpitchdad05]

From my experience, one of the biggest differentiators between SoCal and the rest of the country is not the talent of the athletes or the coaches, quite simply it is the level of commitment.

SoCal softball is almost a "cult" - no disrespect meant. Perhaps a better word would be a "culture". The mindset is without a doubt very different.

A story from someone who might still be on HB.
ASA Nationals in VA one year. There was a lengthy rain delay. Most of the teams, especially from the East, left the park and went to the mall, movies or just back to the hotel. A SoCal team, which will go nameless, stayed at the park, with uniforms on, in the van until the weather improved.

Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of non-SoCal players who are totally committed to their game, eat and sleep softball. But as a region collectively, SoCal cannot be matched.

Wait a minute...are you saying then that we here in Southern California aren't just genetically superior to everyone else and that's not why our DDs dominate the softball world??

Blasphemy I tell you!

[joemcq51]

I think that the top teams, there is more parity than 10 years ago. You see teams like GCH's Rock, EC Bullets, Impact Gold, TNF, Bandits...all able to compete with the best teams. The reason So Cal still is the best area, is sheer number of girls playing the game. When you have so many girls, with so many experienced coaches and former players in the area, it spells success to a much deeper level. It isn't teams 1-10 that show California's domination, its teams 11-200.