Too Many Travel Teams in Indiana

[softballwiz]

I retract my post. You all have made a lot of great points.

[Luther]

Actually this might be a good thing. Here is Southern California we had over 100 teams in the 12u division. I would say that 60 of these teams are horrible and have problems winning ANYTHING against the other 40 teams. What is nice though is that those 60 teams can now play each other in an attempt to raise their game. While these 60 teams are not very good they are filled with girls who want to play the sport and who are working to get better. Some of the girls will dramatically improve and once they do they will likely leave for a better team. This is almost a farm system to help develop girls for the named organizations.

In our area teams can play USSSA, AFA, TCS & ASA and based on the level of play usually determines which tourney's they enter. Of course you get those teams that consistently enter a tourney above their level and they get slaughtered but the majority of teams enter tournaments and friendlies of their same skill level.

With so many teams it means that there is a travel team for every type of kid.... which I think is a good thing for the sport.

While this may initially water down the talent across the top organizations I think in the long run it will making the sport more accessible which will increase participation and will increase the talent pool to draw from.

[mygirloryourgirl]

Luther thank you for the perspective from a different area. It is refreshing to hear an opinion based on girls learning and growing.

[slapperdad]

Wiz, you hit on a point. At the risk of sounding like a travel snob, it has never made much sense to me to be playing first round games at 4:00 on Friday afternoon, which ASA A did this year. In each of the three qualifiers, it was always the usual suspects hanging around at the end of the tournament on Sunday or Monday in the case of the state tournament. I don't necessarily begrudge teams wanting to go play the best to see what's what, but at the same time, those early Friday evening games are a PITA for everyone involved. Some folks just can't get off work, or have to burn vacation time, etc.

Luther makes a valid point, there are any number of sanctioning bodies with different levels of competition for a team to be competitive. Hell skip the sanctioning bodies altogether and go play the rec league all-star circuit if you have to.

All that being said, I'm not going to say that there are too many teams. I find it very exciting that there are more and more kids each year wanting to play. So what if some tournaments get a little watered down. At least kids are playing and hopefully getting better. If you're concerned about the tournaments in Indiana being watered down, go out of state and play, we've seen excellent competition this summer both in Indiana and out of state. I have to say, I'm really liking the out out of state tourneys and seeing teams that you don't play every weekend.

[SoftballSoccerDad]

This thread has way too much potential to be languishing here like this. I'm in the camp that says the more mediocre travel teams, the better, as they generally provide excellent opportunities for my DD to pad her stats.

My popcorn is ready.

[Joe]

There are way to many Travel Teams in Indiana. So I ask what is the point in having so many teams when over half the teams can't even compete? I have watched some horrible softball this summer in all sanctions and age levels.

I won't name any names but there are some Team/Organizations that need to hang it up. If you are getting beat by run rule in every game you play what is the point? I hate when I look at the bracket and see these teams are in our tourney, win or lose we want to play quality teams not the Teams that couldn't even compete with a rec league team.

This may sound harsh and I don't mean to talk bad about anyones kid but if you can't put a quality team together than go back to rec and quit watering down Travel Softball in Indiana.

Can you give us a list of the ones that suck and need to go away? Let's start with organizations, then teams....and finally, let's start naming names. Whose kids really stinks up the place and needs to go? Full name and phone if you have it. There's no point delaying this...

God forbid you and your DD don't get your way....

[fastpitch fool]

I think there is room for all, or at the very least, most. If your team is too good, then start traveling more and playing the better tournaments in the midwest. Or play up an age group.

What you are seeing is the growth of travel softball in Indiana. Why would you try to stop it? Yes, there may be too many teams for the talent at this point and time. But allow these teams and players to compete and become better. You will then get their younger sisters, cousins, and neighbors interested in travel softball as well. Let the sport grow.

There are divisions and associations for a reason. If you are beating every team you are playing, then find a division and level where you are challenged. If you are too good for everyone, then head west and south and see how that goes.

Learn to deal with the growing pains, instead of trying to stop the growth.

[Joe]

I think there is room for all, or at the very least, most. If your team is too good, then start traveling more and playing the better tournaments in the midwest. Or play up an age group.

What you are seeing is the growth of travel softball in Indiana. Why would you try to stop it? Yes, there may be too many teams for the talent at this point and time. But allow these teams and players to compete and become better. You will then get their younger sisters, cousins, and neighbors interested in travel softball as well. Let the sport grow.

There are divisions and associations for a reason. If you are beating every team you are playing, then find a division and level where you are challenged. If you are too good for everyone, then head west and south and see how that goes.

Learn to deal with the growing pains, instead of trying to stop the growth.

Fastpitch Fool...ain't no fool! Wiz, take notes....this guy has the right approach.

[dailyjoy]

Speaking from the perspective of having a child play on one of the "not so good" teams I am very glad Indiana has so many teams.

Our team was a new team this year made up of girls from rec/little league ball who have never played travel ball. Most these girls would never have had a chance to experience travel ball if it had not been for this team.

Playing back down in rec/little league isn't an option, not if we want our girls to improve, since the advancement in skills this year puts these girls way ahead of the girls playing little league. I was amazed when we scrimmaged against the All-Star team from our little league at how much better our girls were then the little league team.

If a team finds they are not challenged then why not move up to "A" tourneys. I am guessing, like us, most these teams which are losing all the time are playing in "B" tourneys. If a team gets to be good enough they are winning most their games it is probably time to move up, just as we did when we moved our girls from little league to travel ball, and allow the competition, even if you lose, to make the girls better players.

By the Way does anyone know who the A teams are? Every team I know in our area is a B team. Are there even any A teams in 12U?

[sofbal1234]

The big question here is softballwiz, is your DD good enough to be on one of the top teams??? And if so, everything else is irrelevant, eh!!!