I can't take it anymore

[jonriv]

I hate to state the obvious but how about starting a college fund for your kid when they are 4 or 5 then the education is a lock? The parents in the stands can brag that thier kids education is paid for and no need to chase college coaches around showcases. No pressure on anyone and maybe, just maybe playing college ball would fun like it was when they were 12.

Never mind, that was a stupid idea. I forgot that all of the Real travelball girls get full rides.

Until softball parents get a clue the rat race will continue.

good luck to everyones kids.

FT

I like your idea FT- put it this way, if you DD does get a full/partial ride, you have a nice nest egg for her

[NumeroUno]

FT not all people are capable of putting away $100,000 for each of their kids. That's not what this is about, it's about finding the right school for your DD and colleges robbing the cradle.

besides that like you said they all get full rides

[Dugout Dad]

I hate to state the obvious but how about starting a college fund for your kid when they are 4 or 5 then the education is a lock? The parents in the stands can brag that thier kids education is paid for and no need to chase college coaches around showcases. No pressure on anyone and maybe, just maybe playing college ball would fun like it was when they were 12.

Never mind, that was a stupid idea. I forgot that all of the Real travelball girls get full rides.

Until softball parents get a clue the rat race will continue.

good luck to everyones kids.

FT

Studies have shown that kids that work for their tuition do better than the ones that have everything paid for. During Christmas break my kid and I were having our usual conversations about life while doing BP in the batting cage, and she told me that she had it pretty good, she was being paid to play ball and get good grades - two things she loves to do. I told her it was better than flipping burgers (among other jobs) to pay for tuition like her old man did. She is putting value to her college education.

[Ks softball fan]

Funny - I was just venting about hating the process with a friend before reading this thread. I have a 2014 that is "above average". Gold Player, good organization, solid outfielder, high avg -low power slapper.

I have been blown away watching kids commit the last 3 years, many of which are not as good as they seem to be valued. Most are being signed due to who they play for. As example, we were on an independent team last year, played in Montgomery at 16U nats, and played in several high level showcases. Local college (D1) coach would tell our coach they liked our players, but were concerned we did not play big tournaments... We would watch them watch other games at the same tournaments we were at... Our stud pitcher left (as did we) after the season, joined a "top club", got an offer from said college...without playing any tournaments for them. CONFUSED.

I propose that the college coaches prefer the system to send them kids through the clubs as opposed to beating the bushes and actually scouring for talent. We have a Juco in our area that every year places kids at big D1 - kids that did not play on the top clubs. JUCO did not improve them that much...right?

My DD is getting the attention she deserves, D2 and some small D1 schools. She went from "gotta go away" 2 years ago to "i want to be close to home" now. Glad she decided that early and on her own! Expensive to learn Labor Day weekend of Freshman year...

Anyway - I agree with original post and most after - although I question why the parents are to blame? The colleges and clubs have nothing to lose with early commits - I told my DD at one point she should just send a note to ASU (her dream) committing and copy the local newspaper. It means as much as most of these committs... But now the top clubs are co-inviting one another to their invites, dont have to play way in to nationals, get their kids into top camps (Allisters), get the phone calls about other area kids... And I am not kidding about the last piece - I know for fact that a D1 called the area 800lb gorilla to ask about the stud pitcher above - told them he thought she was good, but would not vouch because he had not coached her, then proceeded to use that leverage to bring the kid over. LAZY college coaching in my opinion - and reinforces the top club influence. Hard to blame parents for not falling into traps laid by colleges and clubs. And now rankings are based on college commits - who is motivated to do what? Parents are the problem...dont think so.

Lots to argue with above i am sure - but had to join the venting.

[AlwaysImprove]

Funny - I was just venting about hating the process with a friend before reading this thread. I have a 2014 that is "above average". Gold Player, good organization, solid outfielder, high avg -low power slapper.

I have been blown away watching kids commit the last 3 years, many of which are not as good as they seem to be valued. Most are being signed due to who they play for. As example, we were on an independent team last year, played in Montgomery at 16U nats, and played in several high level showcases. Local college (D1) coach would tell our coach they liked our players, but were concerned we did not play big tournaments... We would watch them watch other games at the same tournaments we were at... Our stud pitcher left (as did we) after the season, joined a "top club", got an offer from said college...without playing any tournaments for them. CONFUSED.

I propose that the college coaches prefer the system to send them kids through the clubs as opposed to beating the bushes and actually scouring for talent. We have a Juco in our area that every year places kids at big D1 - kids that did not play on the top clubs. JUCO did not improve them that much...right?

My DD is getting the attention she deserves, D2 and some small D1 schools. She went from "gotta go away" 2 years ago to "i want to be close to home" now. Glad she decided that early and on her own! Expensive to learn Labor Day weekend of Freshman year...

Anyway - I agree with original post and most after - although I question why the parents are to blame? The colleges and clubs have nothing to lose with early commits - I told my DD at one point she should just send a note to ASU (her dream) committing and copy the local newspaper. It means as much as most of these committs... But now the top clubs are co-inviting one another to their invites, dont have to play way in to nationals, get their kids into top camps (Allisters), get the phone calls about other area kids... And I am not kidding about the last piece - I know for fact that a D1 called the area 800lb gorilla to ask about the stud pitcher above - told them he thought she was good, but would not vouch because he had not coached her, then proceeded to use that leverage to bring the kid over. LAZY college coaching in my opinion - and reinforces the top club influence. Hard to blame parents for not falling into traps laid by colleges and clubs. And now rankings are based on college commits - who is motivated to do what? Parents are the problem...dont think so.

Lots to argue with above i am sure - but had to join the venting.

Current system, lets call it, Confused College Coaches + Somewhat Organized Orgs is not that great. It is still better than the system it replaced, which was, Confused College Coaches + New group of coaches hard selling their wares every year. Assume the Confused College Coaches is not going away, what can you add to the other side of the equation to fix it.

Again I find myself looking at football. I know a few guys in the local area that fly all over the us on behalf of their alma mater, a pretty powerful football school. There is like a group of 15 guys, they use their own money to fly around and scout prospects. They are gone to a new town every Friday night of Fall. Blanketing the US looking for just the right players. All in a precursor to the huge recruiting effort the football team will put into the more worthwhile candidates. If a softball teams spends 200k on recruiting, football spends 2.4M a year. And still a recruiting class of 20 will wash out 10, most of them just not a good fit.

[MTR]

I hate to state the obvious but how about starting a college fund for your kid when they are 4 or 5 then the education is a lock? The parents in the stands can brag that thier kids education is paid for and no need to chase college coaches around showcases. No pressure on anyone and maybe, just maybe playing college ball would fun like it was when they were 12.

Never mind, that was a stupid idea. I forgot that all of the Real travelball girls get full rides.

Until softball parents get a clue the rat race will continue.

good luck to everyones kids.

FT

Hell, people have been saying that for years, but it doesn't fall into the common belief of the carrot chasers. And it certainly doesn't help the recruiting by the TB organizations

[CatWoman]

I think it just makes sense to let a kid get into 10th grade at least before starting the verbal offers. Until there are, at the very least, two semesters of grades, how is anyone going to know where a kid stacks up academically and how they will be able to handle school and softball. I remember hearing that softball would help lift some girls into better schools than they would otherwise get into. I now hear that statement and shudder because those girls are most likely going to have a pretty rough college academic experience. Softball may be good but what about the rest of their time? I hear kids talk all the time about their dream schools but at 13, they really don't know what that means. I know I am a fossil but back in the old days, no one really cared if the school we went to was our dream school. If it turned out not to be our dream school, tough - we were expected to make it the best we could. The fact is that these kids have got to be able to find jobs when they graduate. It is no longer so much about what school you graduated from it is now more about what you do with the education you received, whereever you received it.

Everyone has to slow down. Let the kids play at least through their freshman year and learn a thing or two about themselves. I have seen some really good players not get any offers and I am now thinking that they would have been better off with some academic help once a week rather than the extra batting or fielding lesson. I feel for some of these families that have invested so many of their resources and not had their child receive any scholarship offers. I think a lot of times it has to do with grades and the areas where a kid is struggling would have shown up in their freshman year and should have been tended to then.

[Lunatic Fringe]

As I was freezing my ass off in the desert watching the Showball Showcase last December, it occurred to me that most of the college coaches I've seen so far take a ready, fire, aim approach to recruiting. I don't thing most of them really know what they are doing as far as evaluating talent. The coaches are driven by fear more than anything else. I'm waiting for the day that Jennie Finch's unborn fetus gets verballed by Baylor in utero

I'm trying to keep a positive attitude as my daughter and I play the exposure game. It gets difficult at times to see her get frustrated with the BS.

[DonnieS]

I'm trying to keep a positive attitude as my daughter and I play the exposure game. It gets difficult at times to see her get frustrated with the BS.

Its all you can do but some times good old karma bites them in the butt. Most everyone knows, if you are able to get a tall (6 footer or better) blonde - and please God let her be a lefty, she will be signed very early - regardless. I have seen two that we knew pretty well - my small town group of girls used to have bp with them - then I see one of them with a ride at a major. And - she is still very nice, still dishing up bp to everyone. My kid, is blonde, but 5.8 and throws right, she is hoping to get an at bat or two against them. Just for old times sake.

[ontheblack]

I dont understand the logic behind blaming the parents. Parents didnt start an uprising the last few years demanding that their kids be recruited earlier.