Showball Softball camp in Vegas - worth it or moneymaker?

[lovsofbal]

Took my daughter to the last one in Vegas. Lots of girls- skill drills we very boring, They tried
to not have to much standing around but there was some. Games were good- they were run
like a showcase all-star game.
Biggest down fall DD got her e-val from a well respected coach from So. Cal. and when
coach handed it to her she said "if I would have seen you hit in the soft toss and off the machine
yesterday like you hit in the games today your e-val would have been much higher".

My suggestion to them was evaluate the girls for the whole weekend not just Saturday
than have Showball either email or mail them out.

Way to much money for way too little of time. JMO

Perhaps the better question for me to ask was were all of the "guaranteed" coaches in attendance? My DD's top few schools are advertised as coming and I want to make sure that they do. The schools are far away from home and to have her play in front of them at the same time may be worth it.

Can you give me an estimate of how many girls were there? How many teams were formed and how many on a team?

Whether a camp is worth it I guess is very subjective. It may be worth it for us to have her play in front of several of her top schools at the same time, provided they are present.

For starters, let's assume these schools among your top few already know your DD because she has written them, sent her bio, her schedule, her video link, etc. (if not, you are already doing it wrong)

That done, now pick up the phone, call the coach and ask if they will be there. Simple. Take the guesswork out of the equation before you shell out $600! While you have them on the phone, ask what real showcases they plan on attending in your area next season where they might be able to see your DD play.

Actually, have your daughter call them. She may as well start getting accustomed to talking with coaches... the good news is that the coaches do this for a living and know how to direct the conversation, which makes it a little easier on the kid who is just starting out. Better now than later.

good stuff, Market your daughter, communicate, communicate, communicate. Take her to a camp of her two or three favorite schools she'd like to play for, but be realistic. If they are interested after the camp, then keep communicating if not, move on.

[Fifteen's]

Took my daughter to the last one in Vegas. Lots of girls- skill drills we very boring, They tried
to not have to much standing around but there was some. Games were good- they were run
like a showcase all-star game.
Biggest down fall DD got her e-val from a well respected coach from So. Cal. and when
coach handed it to her she said "if I would have seen you hit in the soft toss and off the machine
yesterday like you hit in the games today your e-val would have been much higher".

My suggestion to them was evaluate the girls for the whole weekend not just Saturday
than have Showball either email or mail them out.

Way to much money for way too little of time. JMO

Perhaps the better question for me to ask was were all of the "guaranteed" coaches in attendance? My DD's top few schools are advertised as coming and I want to make sure that they do. The schools are far away from home and to have her play in front of them at the same time may be worth it.



Can you give me an estimate of how many girls were there? How many teams were formed and how many on a team?

Whether a camp is worth it I guess is very subjective. It may be worth it for us to have her play in front of several of her top schools at the same time, provided they are present.

For starters, let's assume these schools among your top few already know your DD because she has written them, sent her bio, her schedule, her video link, etc. (if not, you are already doing it wrong)

That done, now pick up the phone, call the coach and ask if they will be there. Simple. Take the guesswork out of the equation before you shell out $600! While you have them on the phone, ask what real showcases they plan on attending in your area next season where they might be able to see your DD play.

Actually, have your daughter call them. She may as well start getting accustomed to talking with coaches... the good news is that the coaches do this for a living and know how to direct the conversation, which makes it a little easier on the kid who is just starting out. Better now than later.

Great advice. And on a second note, save the $600 and attend a camp of one of the school's you are interested in. You will get better "one on one" time with the coaches of your choice. I would bet the coach/player ratio will be much more in your favor and probably a whole lot cheaper.

[Showball_Softball]

Hello everyone! I figured I'd reach out to the board to best answer this question from a different perspective.

I want to first remind everyone that this is a "camp". Per NCAA rules, this camp is open to "all" players who aspire to play college softball and is only limited by age and number of participants. It is no different than attending a specific school's camp which must remain open to all participants.

Although I've heard nothing but wonderful things about On Deck, I want to remind everyone that we are comparing apples and oranges. On Deck does indeed have some of the premire talent at their "showcase" and do a wonderful job of running a premier event. However. it is not a clinic run by the actual college coaches like Showball.

By no means does this make our event better, it just makes it 2 separate and different types of events. We strive to put the girls in front of a lot (40) of schools at one time for 3 straight days with the idea that they will receive elite instruction while demonstrating their abilities to these coaches. If you believe that it would be beneficial for your daughter to learn from and be seen by 40 college coaches for 3 consecutive days, then our event could be the right fit for you. In addition, the camp is formatted in a mannner that enables the coaches to interact with and connect with the players.

Ultimately, there are no guarantees of being recruited when attending any event or camp. However, I can tell you this from 7 years of past experience. There is NO chance of being recruited if coaches don't see you play. Again, this might not be the right fit for you, but Showball does GUARANTEE you the opportunity to learn from and be seen by 40 college coaches at one time. As we all probably already know, the more schools that see you play, the better your odds are of being recruited. You can have 100 schools watch you play and 99 of them might not think you're the right fit for their program while the 100th school thinks you're the perfect fit. It truly is a numbers game.

Please note: We do want to make sure that all parents are realistic about this camp and the opportunity. Please take a look at the schools / coaches in attendance and make sure that your daughter believes she has the abilitiy and passion to play at those programs. If she's not passionate and dedicated about playing at the next level, then the camp might not be worth the money. We understand it is an investment in ones time and resources and we always want to make sure that it's the right fit.

Lastly, we wish we could volunteer our time and resources in putting this spectacular event together. Unfortunately, we can not. Just like we suggest to parents and players that they must be passionate about the process and playing college softball, we take the same approach. We are extremely passionate about what we do and invest ALL of our time and energy in putting this event together to provide parents and players with a unique forum and platform that currently does not exist. Guaranteeing 40 schools and coaches will be in attendance to run a camp is something that is unprecedented in the industry and we are always striving to provide the girls with more and more opportunities.

Again, this response is to shed a little light onto our camps and the opportunity. The bottom line is, you will be instructed by and seen by 40 college coaches for 3 consecutive days. In closing, ask yourself one question....

When is the last time or next time you will be guaranteed to have 40 different schools provide your daughter elite instruction while being seen by 40 schools/coaches at one time?

P.S. - In response to the parent who attended the previous camp, the evaluation is only a tool provided to the girls so that they can better themselves. By no means is it a recruiting tool or an indication of whether or not a coach is interested. In addition, I'm not sure which camp you're referring to, but the girls never hit off machines. It was all live pitching.

If anybody every has any questions, please feel free to call us at 888-717-7469. We would be more than happy to answer any and all questions.

Sincerely,

John Novak
Showball Softball

[Sam]

Have your kid decide what school they want to attend. Sign up for the camp run by that particular school. If it is too far, just keep sending the coach emails and have the kid call them to come and look at her. Save some money.

Think about $600 per kid....that was a full year of team dues for my teams. It included bat bags, helmets, and uniforms.

[WCV 12]

"P.S. - In response to the parent who attended the previous camp, the evaluation is only a tool provided to the girls so that they can better themselves. By no means is it a recruiting tool or an indication of whether or not a coach is interested. In addition, I'm not sure which camp you're referring to, but the girls never hit off machines. It was all live pitching."


Mr. Novaks reply was right on! There was no Machine hitting- this was in fact part of the most puzzling part of the So. Cal Coaches comments made too my daughter. It was not a bad experience!
Glad we did it. We would be lying if we said we didn't want to verbal to 1 of the colleges on site,
With that said we knew that wasn't going to happen before we left for Vegas.

Nothing will replace your own homework. Write the letters, send the emails, and use camps
to help develop skills and gain experience!

Sean

[fastpitchdad05]

Hello everyone! I figured I'd reach out to the board to best answer this question from a different perspective.

I want to first remind everyone that this is a "camp". Per NCAA rules, this camp is open to "all" players who aspire to play college softball and is only limited by age and number of participants. It is no different than attending a specific school's camp which must remain open to all participants.

Although I've heard nothing but wonderful things about On Deck, I want to remind everyone that we are comparing apples and oranges. On Deck does indeed have some of the premire talent at their "showcase" and do a wonderful job of running a premier event. However. it is not a clinic run by the actual college coaches like Showball.

By no means does this make our event better, it just makes it 2 separate and different types of events. We strive to put the girls in front of a lot (40) of schools at one time for 3 straight days with the idea that they will receive elite instruction while demonstrating their abilities to these coaches. If you believe that it would be beneficial for your daughter to learn from and be seen by 40 college coaches for 3 consecutive days, then our event could be the right fit for you. In addition, the camp is formatted in a mannner that enables the coaches to interact with and connect with the players.

Ultimately, there are no guarantees of being recruited when attending any event or camp. However, I can tell you this from 7 years of past experience. There is NO chance of being recruited if coaches don't see you play. Again, this might not be the right fit for you, but Showball does GUARANTEE you the opportunity to learn from and be seen by 40 college coaches at one time. As we all probably already know, the more schools that see you play, the better your odds are of being recruited. You can have 100 schools watch you play and 99 of them might not think you're the right fit for their program while the 100th school thinks you're the perfect fit. It truly is a numbers game.

Please note: We do want to make sure that all parents are realistic about this camp and the opportunity. Please take a look at the schools / coaches in attendance and make sure that your daughter believes she has the abilitiy and passion to play at those programs. If she's not passionate and dedicated about playing at the next level, then the camp might not be worth the money. We understand it is an investment in ones time and resources and we always want to make sure that it's the right fit.

Lastly, we wish we could volunteer our time and resources in putting this spectacular event together. Unfortunately, we can not. Just like we suggest to parents and players that they must be passionate about the process and playing college softball, we take the same approach. We are extremely passionate about what we do and invest ALL of our time and energy in putting this event together to provide parents and players with a unique forum and platform that currently does not exist. Guaranteeing 40 schools and coaches will be in attendance to run a camp is something that is unprecedented in the industry and we are always striving to provide the girls with more and more opportunities.

Again, this response is to shed a little light onto our camps and the opportunity. The bottom line is, you will be instructed by and seen by 40 college coaches for 3 consecutive days. In closing, ask yourself one question....

When is the last time or next time you will be guaranteed to have 40 different schools provide your daughter elite instruction while being seen by 40 schools/coaches at one time?

P.S. - In response to the parent who attended the previous camp, the evaluation is only a tool provided to the girls so that they can better themselves. By no means is it a recruiting tool or an indication of whether or not a coach is interested. In addition, I'm not sure which camp you're referring to, but the girls never hit off machines. It was all live pitching.

If anybody every has any questions, please feel free to call us at 888-717-7469. We would be more than happy to answer any and all questions.

Sincerely,

John Novak
Showball Softball

The power of the Bucket!

Thank you Mr. Novak for coming on and being so frank. I will be discussing with my wife the pros and cons of the camp and all the information here will help us decide if my DD will attend.

One thing for sure, since she will be right in front of these coaches for 3 days, if she attends the camp and does as well as we hope, it can only enhance her chances of being recruited.

I know that people here are saying it's a lot of money, which it is, but if there's at least 3 or 4 schools there that your DD is targeting then it seems to me that this would be somewhat similar to attending all of their camps, in one location, at an average cost of $150 - $200 per team.

Thanks again...

P.S. One question I had...although we are more inclined to take things slowly than perhaps some other parents, can a coach verbal a player at this camp? My DD is a 2015.

[softballdreams]

My DD attended the Vegas camp last year. Almost every coach that was slated to be there attended. There were a couple of last minute minor changes... but hey, things happen and they replaced them with other "coaches" (i.e. junior college, UNLV team members). If this year's camp is run the same way, the campers don't necessarily get exposure to all the coaches in attendance. In fact, there were some coaches my daughter never got to interact with at all. And for the most part, your DD's interaction will be limited to a small number of coaches in attendance. And you don't get to choose which ones. While I thought the camp was well run, it's a camp. I never got the impression that the coaches in attendence were very interested in recruiting while they were there. And my daughter repeatedly communicated with the attending coaches before and after the camp. I believe the assessment they provided each camper at the end is of limited value but I didn't expect much based on such short-term interaction. One positive thing that my DD took away was that she made friends with girls from all over the country that she still remains in contact with. Bottom line: Mr. Novak is straight up... it's a camp. It wasn't a bad experience for us, but it's not a recruiting venue. It's a camp...

[fasterpitch92701]

I posted most of this a couple years ago and don’t know if things have changed.

Having heard some minor less-than-stellar comments about NFCA camps I tried to keep my eyes open at Las Vegas, arriving a bit early. It was... interesting. The main cluster of fields was divided in half and you got either the "A" side or the "B" side. The "A" side timing average was consistently lower than the "B" side. The "A" side seemed to be run by individuals who had, at least, been to a softball game. The "B" side was run, it appeared, by those willing to work for $6.75/hr and once played baseball in 5th grade.

While waiting for the afternoon cycle we watched one girl in the catching camp miss 5 balls thrown from a pitching machine... caught the sixth one and dropped it, then managed to catch and throw 2 balls to second. And, each catcher was supposed to get only two balls (which all the other girls apparently got). I suppose this should be amended to "catching two balls", literally. Numbers called out for this particular catcher were lower than most so I suppose she's a star on paper. Several catchers were rising out of their squat as the ball was just leaving the machine, squaring early, glove out, ball only half way to home and going from there. A couple were, literally, standing in front of the batters box waiting. Funny. Had to laugh because if you were a coach you could see the obvious poaching but if one only read the results (timing) it would be totally bogus. I suppose you wouldn't really want to play for a coach that only looked at the numbers, anyway. Ahhh... the things you see if you show up early for a session. Oh well. The coaches had to be groaning at a couple of these poachers as it was very, very obvious. Oh, bunt plays and pop-ups for the catcher, not one… not one coach was watching.

Timing running, home to home… it was routine for runners to cut first base by 2-3 feet and second by 4+ feet. Really. It wasn’t even close. The timers were at third so these same runners managed to actually touch third. The timers had to guess when the runner ran past home given their timing position.

The pitching seemed a bit better run. 7 stations, rotate through, including the standard array of pitches, speed, spin. All the coaches (that were there) showed up for that, pitcher/infield, (verses the earlier catcher/outfielder morning session). Not surprising as "the glory position" of pitcher does require attention as we all know (all sarcasm intended with a light heart).

Apparently the Independence Tounament in Denver has dropped these camps although the Sparkler and Fireworks continue. I can see a couple reasons why Independence dropped the NFCA camp. I could never recommend these camps to anyone. Regardless, just some opinionated commentary from a bystander as the board seems slow this week.

Net/net remains what others have noted: ask coaches that you know or are in contact with if they will be there. Maintain communications. Write them often. Confirm. Communicate. If your prospective coaches are not going and you HAVE to spend $500-650 plus transportation and hotel , stay at home and send the cash to me. Or donate to Heybucket. Or… Salvation Army. If there is no specific reason or connection or specific coach-link for going, don’t waste your money. It’s a revenue generator for the most part.

Enjoy in good health.

[Showball_Softball]

My DD attended the Vegas camp last year. Almost every coach that was slated to be there attended. There were a couple of last minute minor changes... but hey, things happen and they replaced them with other "coaches" (i.e. junior college, UNLV team members). If this year's camp is run the same way, the campers don't necessarily get exposure to all the coaches in attendance. In fact, there were some coaches my daughter never got to interact with at all. And for the most part, your DD's interaction will be limited to a small number of coaches in attendance. And you don't get to choose which ones. While I thought the camp was well run, it's a camp. I never got the impression that the coaches in attendence were very interested in recruiting while they were there. And my daughter repeatedly communicated with the attending coaches before and after the camp. I believe the assessment they provided each camper at the end is of limited value but I didn't expect much based on such short-term interaction. One positive thing that my DD took away was that she made friends with girls from all over the country that she still remains in contact with. Bottom line: Mr. Novak is straight up... it's a camp. It wasn't a bad experience for us, but it's not a recruiting venue. It's a camp...

Just to clarify for everyone, you absolutely are exposed to ALL coaches/schools in attendance. So there is no confusion whatsoever on the format and process, here it is:

Day 1 - The girls participate in their workouts, drills, evaluations and instructional work with the 40 coaches. All workouts and evaluations take place on 1 field. This means that ALL 40 coaches watch every girl throw, field and take batting practice. Instructional work is broken up into different groups in which the girls can rotate to different stations with different coaches every 15 minutes.

Day 2 and Day 3 - The girls will play in 2 scrimmages each day (4 total) with the games coached by the coaches themselves. The coaches wil be divided into 2 groups with half of the coaches on 1 field and the other half on field 2.

The coaches will see ALL girls play extensively!

Lastly, this is indeed a camp and the coaches are there to instruct and evaluate. Like any other event, if there are girls there that they feel are recruitable, they will indeed proceed with that process. For those parents that think they have it all figured out, please take a moment to understand coaches and the process.

Have you ever heard the old saying, "you never know who is watching and when"? Good, because when you look at a coach, please understand that they are very aware of EVERYTHING that is going on and aren't quick to show their hands. Remember, they are there with many other coaches and often times competing for the same players. They are not in the business of drooling over players in front of other coaches.

Anyhow, I've been in this industry for many years now and have seen an incredibly large number of players be recruited from camps. If you impress, they will like you.

Thanks again for your time and remember, I'm only providing you this information as a tool for you to make the best decisions possible for your daughter.

Sincerely,

John Novak
Showball Softball

[Fredegar]

P.S. One question I had...although we are more inclined to take things slowly than perhaps some other parents, can a coach verbal a player at this camp? My DD is a 2015.

Like any other event, if there are girls there that they feel are recruitable, they will indeed proceed with that process.

My understanding is that college scouts cannot have personal contact involving recruiting prior to July 1st after their junior year. Exceptions include 1) having the student on-campus, or 2) over the phone if the student initiates the phone call.

Is running an off-campus camp another exception?