Who are the big tough teams at 10u level A?? are there any?

[Play Hard]

32 pages in and it just keeps getting more confusing……I have been around travel ball for many years. I have been through it with 1 daughter and I am starting it with the next. I read the forums regularly, but this is my first post. I am sure I will come to regret it.

Am I supposed to seek out the best competition or keep it fun? Half of the veterans talk about being careful to burn the girls out while the other half believes you should travel the country with ten year olds looking for better teams.

Here is what I have observed. Girls burn out for many reasons. Some are pushed too hard, some choose other sports, some get jobs, some go boy crazy and some just do not want to put the work in it takes to keep improving. Some of the girls that burn out will be stud players from the best teams that shock you and others fall off the B teams that think everything is supposed to be about fun. Other girls on those B teams will be playing on Gold teams in a few years. There is no right answer…….Just enjoy the trip.

Although I do believe that teams need to be challenged and should play good competition, this is not the only way for the team to improve. Maybe a team plays down in order to allow bench players to gain game experience at certain positions. Would the team not improve by improving its depth? Is the team trying to build confidence? I don’t advocate beating up weaker teams, but getting away for a weekend from a team that has your number is sometimes a good thing.

We are a registered A team. When we play NSA tournaments, which are the bigger tournaments in Indiana at the younger ages, they combine the A and B teams. The competition level can be up and down. If we play the ASA tournaments in June, we may not get to play. These tournaments were cancelled last year due to poor turnout. Just pointing out that the right answers aren’t always crystal clear………..

[hittersdad]

Thanks tmjones....someone should try to entice the "best" teams to play in it!

Thanks but we are simply having our fields borrowed for an NSA tournament for those weekends. Indiana Heat is not in a position to entice anyone to come. We are greatful to be able to host the tournaments for our small town and bring in some business to the community.

Tim Jones
http://www.indianaheat-2000.com

Entice was the wrong word....my bad....meant invite!

[10GatorCoach]

Bake, good luck in Johnson City, TN this summer. We hope to earn a bid to USA/ASA next year in Bloomington, IN when we are an older team. Also, you might want to have a back up plan for the USA/ASA Qualifier in Mooresville, IN. Not many teams around here play ASA, even ASA State was cancelled last year. Look forward to seeing you in Brownsburg in a few weeks. Hope to have some good games with you guys, I hear good things about your team.

[10GatorCoach]

Coach,

NSA Indiana Gators Classic at Midwest Sports Complex in September.

10U has been cancelled last 2yrs due to lack of teams. 12U, 14U, 16U have all had great turnouts! Hope to play the 10U group next year. That is the only one our Organization hosts.

Working on a possible 4-8 team WS tune up friendly in July. More info to come!

[10GatorCoach]

This may not be the place for this, but it seems that we have a good mix or "rookies" and "veterans" in this forum, so here goes.

We are begining to put our tentative schedule together for next year and are looking for some of the traditionally strong tournaments in the midwest. We are attending Stingray's this summer and plan to again next year. We are also looking into Laser's, Spark's, and plan to go to USA/ASA(Bloomington, IN). Any suggestions? Which ones are we missing? We are looking for 2-3 other than Stingray's and USA/ASA. We will also be attending NSA A again in 2012.

Thanks in advance,

Nick Carver
Indiana Gators 2001

[Bake]

First of all MR COACH you ain't ever SHUT ME UP, I respond when I feel like responding, who the _ _ _ _ do you think you are!!! You say in one of your post that your glad your DD is past the 10u age group, but 18 of your 20 post on this board tell me different!!! mmmmmmmm.
What makes you think that the most important thing in our season is to go to Indy and play in one of these tournaments, the reason we are going to Martinsville tournament is because it's a USA/ASA National Qualifier DUH!!!! I HOPE YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS!!!!! but just in cause you don't!!! it means if you win a bid there you get to go and play in the BEST 10u TOURNAMENT IN THE COUNTRY DUH!!!! reguardless of what you think the best tourney is not in INDY or Chattanooga Tn. it's in Johnson City!!
Our schedule is listed on our website, that's right COACH you can actually read our schedule on our website, not like most teams websites where you must be a member and login in to view anything!! If anyone would like to play us they should enter into one of the tournaments we are playing in, see COACH that's not so difficult is it!!!!!

http://www.nwisoxfastpitch.com

[backstop13]

the reason we are going to Martinsville tournament is because it's a USA/ASA National Qualifier DUH!!!! I HOPE YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS!!!!! but just in cause you don't!!! it means if you win a bid there you get to go and play in the BEST 10u TOURNAMENT IN THE COUNTRY DUH!!!!

Bake, I thought you already had a berth to USA/ASA?? No need to go if you do have one.

But seriously, I would imagine there will be better teams for you guys to play at another tournament. Like someone else mentioned, those routinely get cancelled at that age group due to lack of teams.

If you are looking to play the best teams from the Indy area, just check out the NSA tournaments on that same weekend and see where they are going. You can see where each team is going, or better yet, ask on here. I am sure these guys will tell you where they will be.

[Bake]

10GatorCoach, thanks for the kind words, I also have much respect for your Gator team and hope we get to play a couple of good games in Brownsburg, OH!! and in case "COACH" is wondering why Brownsburg?? It's a personal thing, my daughter and I have some close friends there and they would like us to bring the team down!!

Also thanks for the heads up on the Mooresville Qualifier, I had no idea that would be an issue (you would think most good 10u teams would be there), I will start looking for an alternative.

Look forward to meeting you in a few weeks.

[coach]

First of all MR COACH you ain't ever SHUT ME UP, I respond when I feel like responding, who the _ _ _ _ do you think you are!!! You say in one of your post that your glad your DD is past the 10u age group, but 18 of your 20 post on this board tell me different!!! mmmmmmmm.
What makes you think that the most important thing in our season is to go to Indy and play in one of these tournaments, the reason we are going to Martinsville tournament is because it's a USA/ASA National Qualifier DUH!!!! I HOPE YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS!!!!! but just in cause you don't!!! it means if you win a bid there you get to go and play in the BEST 10u TOURNAMENT IN THE COUNTRY DUH!!!! reguardless of what you think the best tourney is not in INDY or Chattanooga Tn. it's in Johnson City!!
Our schedule is listed on our website, that's right COACH you can actually read our schedule on our website, not like most teams websites where you must be a member and login in to view anything!! If anyone would like to play us they should enter into one of the tournaments we are playing in, see COACH that's not so difficult is it!!!!!

http://www.nwisoxfastpitch.com

Way to act like a class act for your organization their Bake! What a sucker?
And you are a coach for the NWI Sox? CLASSY!!

To your point, my daughters are past the 10U age group but I have a niece that plays 10U ball and another playing 8U. I follow the 10U closely even though she is not on one of the top teams but they are improving. They are a victim of a watered down 10U travel group but that's another subject.

[Wagner]

well COACH, it sounds like you should just stick to that other subject...........