I can't take it anymore

[NumeroUno]

I can't bite my tongue any longer. I can't take it any more. Something has to be done and it has to be done soon. Recruiting 8th, 9th and 10th graders must stop. It is not good for anyone. Their is no money in softball after college for 99% of the players. The STUDENT athletes must find a school that will help them succeed in life after college. Just because you play for a top organization does not mean you must play Pac 12. Your #1 concern when it comes to finding the right school is education. There are so many Gold coaches that would rather have their player go to a big school just to make their portfolio look better.

Most 8th, 9th and 10th graders have no clue what they want to do in life. How in the world can these colleges verbal them this young? NCAA stop this idiotic recruiting process. More and more colleges are going to start yanking verbals, you mark my word. It use to be only the big time schools were recruiting real young players but now their are small schools trying to keep up and doing the same thing. Parents you are as much to blame as anyone.

Example:

College coach recruits a 9th grader who has never played at the Gold level. She is a complete stud, head and heals above anyone else on her team. By the time she is a senior she is now only a little better than an average player, everyone has caught up to her ability or passed her. The coach now sees a girl in 10th grade much better than this player or the coach sees another girl the same age who was a later bloomer and way better than this player, what do they do? Well in a perfect world they keep their word and take the player they committed to when she was a 9th grader. We don't live in a perfect world and these coaches are paid to win.

Players should fill out a college questionnaire on their own without mommy and daddy influencing them. They must be honest and answer the questions with their heart, not answer them because ma and pa wants to hear that answer.

1) Location:
What part of the country do you want to play in.

2)ACADEMICS
What would be your desired level of academic challenge? What are you interested in studying in
college?

3)LEVEL
At what levels would you be interested in playing for? What level do you desire to play for?
D-1 D-11 NAIA..Do you know what any of this mean and the differences?

4)ENROLLMENT
What size school do you desire to attend?
(Large, Small, Public, Private, 0-5000, 5000-15000, 15000-25000,25000-50000)
Are you okay with 300 people in a class or do you do better with less that 40, 30, 20 people in a class ?

5)MISCELLANEOUS
What other types of activities/programs would you like your school of interest to have?
(Sports Programs such as Football, Basketball, baseball)

6)COST
How much will cost affect the decision of your school of choice?
(Athletic scholarships, Academic, Financial Aid, Loans- Subsidized vs. Unsubsidized, Travel costs to and from
home) I know people that decided to have their child go to school far from home because they were offered more money and after all the traveling to see the kid and or to get the kid back and forth from school they spent more money.

Spread the word, do what's best for your child not what's best for someones ego. If you hear a travel ball coach say come play for me that other team only gets their kids signed to small schools run and don't look back, listen up one more time, it's about the education for most !!!

[Dugout Dad]

Well said, Uno.

[jonriv]

Finally- a voice of reason

[Tyler Durden]

Agreed. I would also suggest that young players and parents ask themselves two simple questions when they think that they have decided to commit to a University and Program. If (and quite possibly, when) the player stops playing softball for whatever reason (Hates the grind, wants to experience some of the many other aspects of college life, coach loses interest in her for the next "great player").......will that player want to continue to be a student at that school? And can the family afford to keep her there without athletic money and facing out-of-state tuition?

[DDG]

100% agree.

Schools that are recruiting 12 and 13 year old's are only looking out for themselves and don't give a crap about the kid. If they make it on the team 4, 5 or 6 years later, great. They might be treated well. However, if someone else comes along before then, they get tossed aside. How many good opportunities did they miss out on while they were verbaled?

Every time I hear a parent or TB coach brag about how young a player was when they verbaled, I want to scream.

[4girlsmom]

I understand and respect all of this information and opinions.
I also agree with most of what you posted Uno. What does
a kid, in 9th grade,do when her/his "dream school" offers up a verbal commitment?
After the kid has gone to several camps at their "top 5" schools, and they
have a list of #1college, #2college, #3college, #4college, #5college.
#1 college says, "we want you". What should the kid say at this point?
It would be nice to play your 9-12th grades without worrying about
where you will go. I understand their is taking back of verbals due to coach
changes. Nothwithstanding this, and considering the kid continues to
improve, what is the downside to verballing early to the #1 college.
(Be it Pac12, or Div3)

Also include in your list of questions your child needs to think about it,
weather! Some of these socal kids go back east and freeze their butts off-
they have never experienced winter.

[8u/10udad]

I always wondered what was going through coaches minds when they were verbally 8th graders. Especially since my oldest is a 6th grader and I know by no means, will she, be a superstud in two years. Now, I may be wrong, but, still, she will not be ready to know what school or even major she would want to accomplish in only two years.

I can see coaches, hitting the 10th grade and above, but, nothing below that.

[hit4power]

Parents you are as much to blame as anyone.

IMO, parents get all the blame. No parent should be able to blame the system, the coaches, etc., even in part, for what happens to their middle school age or HS age daughter. Softball is not different than any other aspect of life, and parents are 100% accountable and responsible for what happens to their kids. No excuses, no exceptions.

I don't know very many kids who verballed 10th grade or earlier, but the ones I do know didn't have a positive outcome.

1) 1 kid transferred schools after freshman year.
2) 1 kid changed her mind at the start of senior year and took an offer from another school
3) 1 kid fell in love, quit softball, followed her BF to another school (and then they broke up)
4) 1 kid was offered a verbal, asked for a few weeks to consider it, and when she called to accept was told the school had offered her slot to someone else.
5) I know 2 more kids who will graduate HS this year, we'll see what happens to them...

[airborne]

So I should hold off on sending out video of my 5 yr old niece?

[Sftbll4ever]

I can remember when I had posted on here many years ago that my DD was going to a specific school not because of the softball, but because of the schools academics and what it could do for her future.

The comments I received back were, only a parent of a kid not good enough to go to school XYZ would say something like that.

Nice to see there are more people seeing it the other way around.

My kids have NEVER played softball because of the name on their jersey. They have only played it for the opportunity to wear the jersey.

There are many kids out there that are going to those big name schools and are having to pay their way. But, they do it so they can say they are going to UCLA or ASU, not becuase of the academics, this I know for a fact as a couple have told me this.