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Why the rush to have tryouts?

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by Schmick » Tue Aug 04, 2020 1:08 am

why is there a rush for all of the organizations in So Cal to have tryouts the first week of August?
And what is there to gain by going to tryouts at the start of August? The parks aren't open to play anywhere and pelosis nephew won't allow any games to be played until after the election at least anyway.
Why pay dues and start up fees and purchase uniforms when nothing is going to be allowed to go on?
I dont really see a point in any of it at all.
I guess the organizations are thinking they need to keep the money flow going but the girls have mostly sat idle for 5 months now and that's 1000 dollars at 200 a month per girl for a whole bunch of nothing. These organizations want to start charging people again for Sept-Dec for what will likely be 4 months of zoom meetings and hoping to get some work on at a field before the kung flu gestapo rain down and tell everyone to leave?
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by brown bomber » Tue Aug 04, 2020 9:31 am

It’s all about the Benjamins for the orgs. Seriously don’t understand why the rush to pay for Zoom meetings. Also, a way to collect fees in advance and then when season is cancelled or shortened, players are tied in for next season or if they choose to leave and ask for a refund, they get hit with administrative fees.
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by 110% » Tue Aug 04, 2020 1:29 pm

Most teams aren't charging dues, or they're charging a reduced amount during this time. We haven't charged full dues in months. Some teams are practicing and even playing, in fact a very few never stopped playing. There's costs associated with that. Insurances are due as of August 1st. Game Changer has a monthly cost, new softballs cost money, new Bownets cost money. With no tourney fees now is a good time to replace worn out equipment.

If you're practicing and have a permit, you're paying for the field. If you're playing friendlies you're paying for umpires. Getting your team set now also allows the new players to order uniforms and get them back in time for when the teams do play. Coaches are also sending cards, candy or flowers depending on ages to girls that have birthdays during this time. A lot goes on behind the scenes families may not know about.

Quit whining about the orgs taking your money and appreciate you have an organization that will help your daughter get into college someday.
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by jwerde » Wed Aug 05, 2020 3:27 pm

It's not even about collecting the money as it is collecting new "impact" players or not losing them. It's the keeping up with the Jones's concept. Since a hand full of orgs are holding tryouts that forces the others to do it for fear that the quality kids will already commit to someone else before they ever get a crack at them.

Note to parents with kids who are doing tryouts now- You don't have to commit now. If you are good enough they will take you later as well. It's a game the coaches have to play to get you to commit. Trust me if you are a baller that team will take you at any time!! Unless you are 100% sure it is the team for you, go try out at other locations later on and make a more educated decision after going to those tryouts two or three weeks from now.
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by TheTownUSA » Wed Aug 05, 2020 4:24 pm

"Quit whining about the orgs taking your money and appreciate you have an organization that will help your daughter get into college someday."


If you have to rely on a travel ball organization to get your daughter into college, you may want to reevaluate your priorities AND life in general. My youngest plays travel ball and hopefully will play softball wherever she attends college. All we know for certain is that softball will be a secondary consideration when making her decision on which college or university to attend.

Moreover, only 8% of high school softball players play college ball; less than 2% play D1 ball. Just like with travel ball, pitchers and catchers are in highest demand, so they typically get the full-rides, while most everyone else gets a partial. When you are awarded an athletic scholarship, it's not guaranteed for 4 years, and they pretty much own your life for as long as you hold it.

Point being, softball is a GREAT sport, but don't put all of your eggs in that basket to get your daughter through college. If you can grasp that concept now, it will save you a lot of disappointment down the road. It may even help to salvage your relationship with your daughter, so she actually wants to spend quality time with you when her playing days are over.
Last edited by TheTownUSA on Wed Aug 05, 2020 9:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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by TheTownUSA » Wed Aug 05, 2020 9:50 pm

I'd like to see you attempt to correct even one thing I said. The information I shared could save some parents a lot of headaches and heartaches, as they chase the dream with their little princess, while taking their eye off the bigger picture. I suspect you're one of those guys that's all about "selling the dream," which is why you interpret what I'm saying as a threat.
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by Schmick » Wed Aug 05, 2020 10:45 pm

At some schools, when you receive an athletic scholarship from them, it's good for up to 5 or 6 years. While many schools do only offer scholarships on a year to year basis, some of the better schools will show loyalty to their students and keep them on scholarship, even if they become injured and can no longer play


Grades and test scores are as important as softball. Anything less than a 4.0 is unacceltable, especially if the GPA is weighted with honors/AP courses. In a sport where traveling roster is greater than the number of athletic scholarships.you make things easier on yourself and any school looking at you if you have a 4.0, a 1400 or higher SAT and a 30 or higher on your ACT. When they split your scholarship up athletically and academically and add grants they can stretch the allotment
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by xyzdude » Thu Aug 06, 2020 6:31 am

[quoteIf you have to rely on a travel ball organization to get your daughter into college, you may want to reevaluate your priorities AND life in general. My youngest plays travel ball and hopefully will play softball wherever she attends college. All we know for certain is that softball will be a secondary consideration when making her decision on which college or university to attend.

Moreover, only 8% of high school softball players play college ball; less than 2% play D1 ball. Just like with travel ball, pitchers and catchers are in highest demand, so they typically get the full-rides, while most everyone else gets a partial. When you are awarded an athletic scholarship, it's not guaranteed for 4 years, and they pretty much own your life for as long as you hold it.

Point being, softball is a GREAT sport, but don't put all of your eggs in that basket to get your daughter through college. If you can grasp that concept now, it will save you a lot of disappointment down the road. It may even help to salvage your relationship with your daughter, so she actually wants to spend quality time with you when her playing days are over.][/quote]

This is a bit closed minded and some might even say a privileged point of view. There are certainly many students for whom playing a sport can be a huge factor in getting into and helping pay for college. There are so many degrees of this from the player who gets into a more academically challenging school than they might otherwise because of the influence of the coach to the player for whom an athletic scholarship allows them to go away to a school instead of perhaps doing community college or no college at all.

It is absolutely true that the choice of college should not be based only on athletic considerations, but not every child has the luxury or the choices to be picky all the time. And you should note, that the majority of high school graduates have no idea what they want to study or do with their life so the choice of college as far as having a particular program of study is probably not such a big deal for a majority of them.

Outside of elite level talent (and that unfortunately is a rare gift), the choice of a good organization may actually be one of the key elements in the ability to successfully navigate the athletic recruitment process for a softball player these days. Certainly there are other key factors like hard work, good instruction, supportive and OPEN MINDED parents, and academic success.

Lots of high school players do not end up playing in college - that is true of all sports. This in itself is not indicative of a flaw in sport or the current system it is simply an outcome that is attributable to many factors including the fact that lots of kids play sports in high school for fun. Not every child has the desire to play sports beyond high school for many reasons and that is perfectly fine. But please don't diminish those that do.

You also indicate that athletic scholarships are most often a one year commitment and that is mostly true, however you will find that it is the exception certainly not the rule for a player's scholarship to be dropped by a school for athletic performance reasons especially in a non-money sport such as softball. You also indicate that the program basically "owns you" for four years. No one should own your child ever. Teaching her to stand up for herself, find her own compass, and do the things that she loves and selects for herself are some of the most important life lessons to learn during the college years, and in my experience, sport can be a great learning source for those. Being owned by a coach or a team is a concept that I find particularly troubling for a women's sport and would encourage you to teach your daughter that there is a big difference in having a plan and working a plan, being dedicated, and motivated and working hard than being owned.

I'm sorry to say that while you are not entirely wrong in your statements, they are not nuanced enough to be accurate or helpful for folks struggling with this process (in my opinion).
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by xyzdude » Thu Aug 06, 2020 8:32 am

[quote] Point being, softball is a GREAT sport, but don't put all of your eggs in that basket to get your daughter through college. If you can grasp that concept now, it will save you a lot of disappointment down the road. It may even help to salvage your relationship with your daughter, so she actually wants to spend quality time with you when her playing days are over. /quote]

The over the top parent is an issue that doesn't only relate to college recruitment but to sport in general. We have all seen those players who are constantly looking to a parent in the stands (typically Dad) in between pitches during an at bat. Time to wake up parents - if your daughter is playing sports to win your affection you have done something wrong along the line. In my opinion, playing higher level travel ball at 14U or older needs to become the player's thing, not the parent's. How do you know if it is your daughter's thing - by making her take responsibility and be accountable for her commitments and decisions. I see that in the little things like making her responsible for keeping track of the schedule, her equipment, her food/drink/snacks, etc. You may even try and make her line up transportation to certain things once in a while and not be there (maybe try supporting your non-athlete kid or go on a date with your spouse). Even with lessons, I would purchase a dozen lessons at a time with her hitting coach and then leave it up to her to schedule them [our rule was that for every lesson you took, you had to do three practice sessions on your own to work on what you did in the lesson before you could schedule another lesson]. Make her do most of the work for college recruitment. Help her along the way but don't do it for her. In short, life is hard and it is rarely "fair". Let your kid work out their own stuff and never as a parent get caught up in the drama (and there will be drama for most). Remember that as a parent you are not there to break down her game, tell her what she is doing wrong, or complain about how she is being treated - if it is her thing leave that all up to her and you will be surprised at how mature and grown up they become through the process. Your most important job is to (1) pay the bills, and (2) feed them. I found that, especially with my softball playing child, there was practically nothing that a good meal or ice cream couldn't fix. The time you spend together on this journey is what ends up being important and is what makes them want to spend time with you after the sports career is over.
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by TheTownUSA » Thu Aug 06, 2020 12:02 pm

xyzdude wrote:
Point being, softball is a GREAT sport, but don't put all of your eggs in that basket to get your daughter through college. If you can grasp that concept now, it will save you a lot of disappointment down the road. It may even help to salvage your relationship with your daughter, so she actually wants to spend quality time with you when her playing days are over. /quote]

The over the top parent is an issue that doesn't only relate to college recruitment but to sport in general. We have all seen those players who are constantly looking to a parent in the stands (typically Dad) in between pitches during an at bat. Time to wake up parents - if your daughter is playing sports to win your affection you have done something wrong along the line. In my opinion, playing higher level travel ball at 14U or older needs to become the player's thing, not the parent's. How do you know if it is your daughter's thing - by making her take responsibility and be accountable for her commitments and decisions. I see that in the little things like making her responsible for keeping track of the schedule, her equipment, her food/drink/snacks, etc. You may even try and make her line up transportation to certain things once in a while and not be there (maybe try supporting your non-athlete kid or go on a date with your spouse). Even with lessons, I would purchase a dozen lessons at a time with her hitting coach and then leave it up to her to schedule them [our rule was that for every lesson you took, you had to do three practice sessions on your own to work on what you did in the lesson before you could schedule another lesson]. Make her do most of the work for college recruitment. Help her along the way but don't do it for her. In short, life is hard and it is rarely "fair". Let your kid work out their own stuff and never as a parent get caught up in the drama (and there will be drama for most). Remember that as a parent you are not there to break down her game, tell her what she is doing wrong, or complain about how she is being treated - if it is her thing leave that all up to her and you will be surprised at how mature and grown up they become through the process. Your most important job is to (1) pay the bills, and (2) feed them. I found that, especially with my softball playing child, there was practically nothing that a good meal or ice cream couldn't fix. The time you spend together on this journey is what ends up being important and is what makes them want to spend time with you after the sports career is over.



These two posts are the most informative that I've experienced since joining The Bucket. Last year my daughter played a couple of invite only tournaments where the games were extremely competitive. Child psychologists say it's not the birthday parties and good times that kids remember after they reach adulthood, but more so their childhood trauma. I would say the same applies to travel ball.

I can barely remember that 2 run shot in the bottom of the 5th that once propelled us into the championship game of a tournament. What I vividly remember is the ace pitcher of an opposing team walking off the field in tears, when her coach refused to pull her from a game, after she had run out of gas and gave up the winning run. My wife speculated she may have done it on purpose to get back at her dad, coach or both. There was merit to that argument.

That wasn't the only time I witnessed a struggling pitcher stare at her bench late in the game, seeking help, only to be blown off. But the one memory that stuck with me above all others, was the coach that verbally micro-managed EVERY single batter for the entire game. It literally ruined the experience for me as a spectator. I wanted so badly to stand up and yell out, "Would you please shut the f**k up and give your batters hitting lessons at practice? I'm trying to watch a game here!"

I wonder how many parents know their daughters are playing travel sports to appease them, more than they are for their own enjoyment? Attached are some facts about the realities of athletic scholarships for those who are interested.


https://www.ncsasports.org/recruiting/h ... ship-facts
Last edited by TheTownUSA on Thu Aug 06, 2020 8:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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