Why club sports?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At that age, no. But sadly we found that eventually enough leave for club/travel that the only families left in rec are either very flaky or their kids are unathletic or brand new to the sport. That’s no fun for a kid who takes it seriously and has played for 4 years. By middle school we caved because it was killing her love of the sport to play with kids who did not care.

+1. This is a very common scenario.

+2
I am about to dive into club softball because I cannot take another year of my kid carrying the team and her dealing with disappointment as kids just do bare minimum or not even try.

The dozens of posts about having kids not caring or not trying is bull. I’m sure there are kids there that don’t to be there and their mothers forced them. But the kids who like sports but are new to the game or are having difficulty catching on are trying their hardest. And I doubt your kid is carrying a whole team. I’ve seen enough of these rec leagues to understand that there are usually a handful of kids that have it down, kids who struggle, kids who are timid and too scared to do anything but hang around the edges.

No offense to these kids, but by middle school most decent players want to move on from this. In 12u rec, half of our softball team still couldn’t field an easy grounder and make a competent throw to first base. They still didn’t know when were obvious moments to steal, or the difference between a force or tag play. This is really really basic stuff. And this is why people leave. Not because we have our eye on college scholarships. It’s not that deep.

Wow, your experience is so utterly different from ours in 12U rec. Makes me sad. But I've seen it at other age levels due honestly to girls heading to travel who are just getting utterly stomped being there. So I know how it happens.

PP you are quoting. Not getting "stomped" in travel. C level travel is effectively the same as all stars/rec plus, but with a longer season. The playing level is good without being cutthroat. And our rec league didn't have "rec plus" anyway.

Your kid is not getting stomped. That's great. The teams I am speaking of are getting stomped by other C teams. The teams stomping them - run rule every inning in a scrimmage, for example - don't even themselves win very often, so it's not even like the competition is just unbalanced and it's teams due to move up to B.

Is it really a fun season if you literally don't win ever?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm someone who would never do club/travel with my kids so I can't say for sure. But, I think it's for a status symbol or college resume building. Maybe parents are trying to live through their kids.

Wrong. I used to say I would never do travel/club. My oldest was on the good side of average as an athlete. But then my younger one naturally excelled and took sports seriously from an early age. In second grade, most kids, as another poster said, are literally there for the snacks. Or because their parents make them do sports. They don't care about the game or learning or winning or anything. When you have a kid who does care--a lot--this gets super frustrating for them. We waited until 5th grade because I had been really against it, but had we not moved to travel in 5th for her primary sport, she would have quit entirely. She was miserable in her sport in 4th grade. She is now in 8th grade and for the first time we are talking about whether she wants to play in college. That was never the goal for us. I would still say 2nd grade is early, but especially if those kids are second or third kids in their family, I can see how families would go in that direction.

This is definitely a factor.

We have friends whose kids all do the same sport. The youngest has grown up playing with older siblings, so is REALLY skilled compared to most same-age peers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At that age, no. But sadly we found that eventually enough leave for club/travel that the only families left in rec are either very flaky or their kids are unathletic or brand new to the sport. That’s no fun for a kid who takes it seriously and has played for 4 years. By middle school we caved because it was killing her love of the sport to play with kids who did not care.

+1. This is a very common scenario.

+2
I am about to dive into club softball because I cannot take another year of my kid carrying the team and her dealing with disappointment as kids just do bare minimum or not even try.

The dozens of posts about having kids not caring or not trying is bull. I’m sure there are kids there that don’t to be there and their mothers forced them. But the kids who like sports but are new to the game or are having difficulty catching on are trying their hardest. And I doubt your kid is carrying a whole team. I’ve seen enough of these rec leagues to understand that there are usually a handful of kids that have it down, kids who struggle, kids who are timid and too scared to do anything but hang around the edges.

No offense to these kids, but by middle school most decent players want to move on from this. In 12u rec, half of our softball team still couldn’t field an easy grounder and make a competent throw to first base. They still didn’t know when were obvious moments to steal, or the difference between a force or tag play. This is really really basic stuff. And this is why people leave. Not because we have our eye on college scholarships. It’s not that deep.

Wow, your experience is so utterly different from ours in 12U rec. Makes me sad. But I've seen it at other age levels due honestly to girls heading to travel who are just getting utterly stomped being there. So I know how it happens.

PP you are quoting. Not getting "stomped" in travel. C level travel is effectively the same as all stars/rec plus, but with a longer season. The playing level is good without being cutthroat. And our rec league didn't have "rec plus" anyway.

Except when the end of the season comes, and some of those RAS teams enter a C tournament....and it usually goes very poorly.

[Anonymous]

To waste money say your kid plays on a special team

And have your kid around adults who scream yell and are drunk

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, the goal is to be around other kids who also want to play and aren't just there for the snacks.

This. And good coaches who know what they are talking about.

We are not looking for a scholarship but the level of play, the other kids and fields are all worth it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, the goal is to be around other kids who also want to play and aren't just there for the snacks.

This. And good coaches who know what they are talking about.

We are not looking for a scholarship but the level of play, the other kids and fields are all worth it

For better fields I would definitely pay more. In our area and sport good fields are incredibly hard to come by.

But unfortunately I probably wouldn't pay 3x more. Which is what I would have to do. Or more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To waste money say your kid plays on a special team

And have your kid around adults who scream yell and are drunk

You seem drunk

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At that age, no. But sadly we found that eventually enough leave for club/travel that the only families left in rec are either very flaky or their kids are unathletic or brand new to the sport. That’s no fun for a kid who takes it seriously and has played for 4 years. By middle school we caved because it was killing her love of the sport to play with kids who did not care.

+1. This is a very common scenario.

+2
I am about to dive into club softball because I cannot take another year of my kid carrying the team and her dealing with disappointment as kids just do bare minimum or not even try.

The dozens of posts about having kids not caring or not trying is bull. I’m sure there are kids there that don’t to be there and their mothers forced them. But the kids who like sports but are new to the game or are having difficulty catching on are trying their hardest. And I doubt your kid is carrying a whole team. I’ve seen enough of these rec leagues to understand that there are usually a handful of kids that have it down, kids who struggle, kids who are timid and too scared to do anything but hang around the edges.

No offense to these kids, but by middle school most decent players want to move on from this. In 12u rec, half of our softball team still couldn’t field an easy grounder and make a competent throw to first base. They still didn’t know when were obvious moments to steal, or the difference between a force or tag play. This is really really basic stuff. And this is why people leave. Not because we have our eye on college scholarships. It’s not that deep.

Wow, your experience is so utterly different from ours in 12U rec. Makes me sad. But I've seen it at other age levels due honestly to girls heading to travel who are just getting utterly stomped being there. So I know how it happens.

PP you are quoting. Not getting "stomped" in travel. C level travel is effectively the same as all stars/rec plus, but with a longer season. The playing level is good without being cutthroat. And our rec league didn't have "rec plus" anyway.

Your kid is not getting stomped. That's great. The teams I am speaking of are getting stomped by other C teams. The teams stomping them - run rule every inning in a scrimmage, for example - don't even themselves win very often, so it's not even like the competition is just unbalanced and it's teams due to move up to B.

Is it really a fun season if you literally don't win ever?

How would you know this if your kid is happily playing rec? But yes my DD would much rather lose half of her C level travel games than play another season of rec with girls who watch balls roll by them and don’t know that the play is to 1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At that age, no. But sadly we found that eventually enough leave for club/travel that the only families left in rec are either very flaky or their kids are unathletic or brand new to the sport. That’s no fun for a kid who takes it seriously and has played for 4 years. By middle school we caved because it was killing her love of the sport to play with kids who did not care.

+1. This is a very common scenario.

+2
I am about to dive into club softball because I cannot take another year of my kid carrying the team and her dealing with disappointment as kids just do bare minimum or not even try.

The dozens of posts about having kids not caring or not trying is bull. I’m sure there are kids there that don’t to be there and their mothers forced them. But the kids who like sports but are new to the game or are having difficulty catching on are trying their hardest. And I doubt your kid is carrying a whole team. I’ve seen enough of these rec leagues to understand that there are usually a handful of kids that have it down, kids who struggle, kids who are timid and too scared to do anything but hang around the edges.

No offense to these kids, but by middle school most decent players want to move on from this. In 12u rec, half of our softball team still couldn’t field an easy grounder and make a competent throw to first base. They still didn’t know when were obvious moments to steal, or the difference between a force or tag play. This is really really basic stuff. And this is why people leave. Not because we have our eye on college scholarships. It’s not that deep.

Wow, your experience is so utterly different from ours in 12U rec. Makes me sad. But I've seen it at other age levels due honestly to girls heading to travel who are just getting utterly stomped being there. So I know how it happens.

PP you are quoting. Not getting "stomped" in travel. C level travel is effectively the same as all stars/rec plus, but with a longer season. The playing level is good without being cutthroat. And our rec league didn't have "rec plus" anyway.

Except when the end of the season comes, and some of those RAS teams enter a C tournament....and it usually goes very poorly.

I'm not really sure what you are talking about. All Stars is in the summer where we are. Those teams are not playing in fall C tournaments. Not sure where you are getting your information, but you don't seem to have much first hand experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At that age, no. But sadly we found that eventually enough leave for club/travel that the only families left in rec are either very flaky or their kids are unathletic or brand new to the sport. That’s no fun for a kid who takes it seriously and has played for 4 years. By middle school we caved because it was killing her love of the sport to play with kids who did not care.

+1. This is a very common scenario.

+2
I am about to dive into club softball because I cannot take another year of my kid carrying the team and her dealing with disappointment as kids just do bare minimum or not even try.

The dozens of posts about having kids not caring or not trying is bull. I’m sure there are kids there that don’t to be there and their mothers forced them. But the kids who like sports but are new to the game or are having difficulty catching on are trying their hardest. And I doubt your kid is carrying a whole team. I’ve seen enough of these rec leagues to understand that there are usually a handful of kids that have it down, kids who struggle, kids who are timid and too scared to do anything but hang around the edges.

No offense to these kids, but by middle school most decent players want to move on from this. In 12u rec, half of our softball team still couldn’t field an easy grounder and make a competent throw to first base. They still didn’t know when were obvious moments to steal, or the difference between a force or tag play. This is really really basic stuff. And this is why people leave. Not because we have our eye on college scholarships. It’s not that deep.

Wow, your experience is so utterly different from ours in 12U rec. Makes me sad. But I've seen it at other age levels due honestly to girls heading to travel who are just getting utterly stomped being there. So I know how it happens.

PP you are quoting. Not getting "stomped" in travel. C level travel is effectively the same as all stars/rec plus, but with a longer season. The playing level is good without being cutthroat. And our rec league didn't have "rec plus" anyway.

Except when the end of the season comes, and some of those RAS teams enter a C tournament....and it usually goes very poorly.

I'm not really sure what you are talking about. All Stars is in the summer where we are. Those teams are not playing in fall C tournaments. Not sure where you are getting your information, but you don't seem to have much first hand experience.

Yes, of course RAS is in the summer. But any team can play up. After a tournament or two, its not unusual for a C team to enter a B tournament. Or a RAS team to play C.

Rec ends in May. The summer tournaments go all the way through August. So its not unusual to see a RAS team play up in a single tournament.

And I've got 4 years of experience. 2 at C level and 2 at B level.

At both levels, our team played a team that was playing up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At that age, no. But sadly we found that eventually enough leave for club/travel that the only families left in rec are either very flaky or their kids are unathletic or brand new to the sport. That’s no fun for a kid who takes it seriously and has played for 4 years. By middle school we caved because it was killing her love of the sport to play with kids who did not care.

+1. This is a very common scenario.

+2
I am about to dive into club softball because I cannot take another year of my kid carrying the team and her dealing with disappointment as kids just do bare minimum or not even try.

The dozens of posts about having kids not caring or not trying is bull. I’m sure there are kids there that don’t to be there and their mothers forced them. But the kids who like sports but are new to the game or are having difficulty catching on are trying their hardest. And I doubt your kid is carrying a whole team. I’ve seen enough of these rec leagues to understand that there are usually a handful of kids that have it down, kids who struggle, kids who are timid and too scared to do anything but hang around the edges.

No offense to these kids, but by middle school most decent players want to move on from this. In 12u rec, half of our softball team still couldn’t field an easy grounder and make a competent throw to first base. They still didn’t know when were obvious moments to steal, or the difference between a force or tag play. This is really really basic stuff. And this is why people leave. Not because we have our eye on college scholarships. It’s not that deep.

Wow, your experience is so utterly different from ours in 12U rec. Makes me sad. But I've seen it at other age levels due honestly to girls heading to travel who are just getting utterly stomped being there. So I know how it happens.

PP you are quoting. Not getting "stomped" in travel. C level travel is effectively the same as all stars/rec plus, but with a longer season. The playing level is good without being cutthroat. And our rec league didn't have "rec plus" anyway.

Except when the end of the season comes, and some of those RAS teams enter a C tournament....and it usually goes very poorly.

I'm not really sure what you are talking about. All Stars is in the summer where we are. Those teams are not playing in fall C tournaments. Not sure where you are getting your information, but you don't seem to have much first hand experience.

Yes, of course RAS is in the summer. But any team can play up. After a tournament or two, its not unusual for a C team to enter a B tournament. Or a RAS team to play C.

Rec ends in May. The summer tournaments go all the way through August. So its not unusual to see a RAS team play up in a single tournament.

And I've got 4 years of experience. 2 at C level and 2 at B level.

At both levels, our team played a team that was playing up.

Not saying it doesn’t ever happen, but teams usually register for all their tournaments up front. Not sure how they’d suddenly switch to C. We’ve never seen an all star team at a C tournament- and this would be easy enough to check on USSSA.
There are some seriously misinformed people (or person) on here who constantly say C level softball is worthless. To parents/kids considering it- I think that’s wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At that age, no. But sadly we found that eventually enough leave for club/travel that the only families left in rec are either very flaky or their kids are unathletic or brand new to the sport. That’s no fun for a kid who takes it seriously and has played for 4 years. By middle school we caved because it was killing her love of the sport to play with kids who did not care.

+1. This is a very common scenario.

+2
I am about to dive into club softball because I cannot take another year of my kid carrying the team and her dealing with disappointment as kids just do bare minimum or not even try.

The dozens of posts about having kids not caring or not trying is bull. I’m sure there are kids there that don’t to be there and their mothers forced them. But the kids who like sports but are new to the game or are having difficulty catching on are trying their hardest. And I doubt your kid is carrying a whole team. I’ve seen enough of these rec leagues to understand that there are usually a handful of kids that have it down, kids who struggle, kids who are timid and too scared to do anything but hang around the edges.

No offense to these kids, but by middle school most decent players want to move on from this. In 12u rec, half of our softball team still couldn’t field an easy grounder and make a competent throw to first base. They still didn’t know when were obvious moments to steal, or the difference between a force or tag play. This is really really basic stuff. And this is why people leave. Not because we have our eye on college scholarships. It’s not that deep.

Wow, your experience is so utterly different from ours in 12U rec. Makes me sad. But I've seen it at other age levels due honestly to girls heading to travel who are just getting utterly stomped being there. So I know how it happens.

PP you are quoting. Not getting "stomped" in travel. C level travel is effectively the same as all stars/rec plus, but with a longer season. The playing level is good without being cutthroat. And our rec league didn't have "rec plus" anyway.

Except when the end of the season comes, and some of those RAS teams enter a C tournament....and it usually goes very poorly.

I'm not really sure what you are talking about. All Stars is in the summer where we are. Those teams are not playing in fall C tournaments. Not sure where you are getting your information, but you don't seem to have much first hand experience.

Not PP, but I have it on good authority that in Virginia USSSA there is no rec/all-star division offered at tournaments so any house+ (like Vienna Raiders) or summer all-stars who want to play a tournament either have to go out-of-state or play C. You might find Virginia teams registered on USSSA as rec/all-star but you won't find RAS divisions at any tournament in VA.

Look PP, I know you and your kid love C level softball. That's great. Enjoy!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At that age, no. But sadly we found that eventually enough leave for club/travel that the only families left in rec are either very flaky or their kids are unathletic or brand new to the sport. That’s no fun for a kid who takes it seriously and has played for 4 years. By middle school we caved because it was killing her love of the sport to play with kids who did not care.

+1. This is a very common scenario.

+2
I am about to dive into club softball because I cannot take another year of my kid carrying the team and her dealing with disappointment as kids just do bare minimum or not even try.

The dozens of posts about having kids not caring or not trying is bull. I’m sure there are kids there that don’t to be there and their mothers forced them. But the kids who like sports but are new to the game or are having difficulty catching on are trying their hardest. And I doubt your kid is carrying a whole team. I’ve seen enough of these rec leagues to understand that there are usually a handful of kids that have it down, kids who struggle, kids who are timid and too scared to do anything but hang around the edges.

No offense to these kids, but by middle school most decent players want to move on from this. In 12u rec, half of our softball team still couldn’t field an easy grounder and make a competent throw to first base. They still didn’t know when were obvious moments to steal, or the difference between a force or tag play. This is really really basic stuff. And this is why people leave. Not because we have our eye on college scholarships. It’s not that deep.

Wow, your experience is so utterly different from ours in 12U rec. Makes me sad. But I've seen it at other age levels due honestly to girls heading to travel who are just getting utterly stomped being there. So I know how it happens.

PP you are quoting. Not getting "stomped" in travel. C level travel is effectively the same as all stars/rec plus, but with a longer season. The playing level is good without being cutthroat. And our rec league didn't have "rec plus" anyway.

Except when the end of the season comes, and some of those RAS teams enter a C tournament....and it usually goes very poorly.

I'm not really sure what you are talking about. All Stars is in the summer where we are. Those teams are not playing in fall C tournaments. Not sure where you are getting your information, but you don't seem to have much first hand experience.

Yes, of course RAS is in the summer. But any team can play up. After a tournament or two, its not unusual for a C team to enter a B tournament. Or a RAS team to play C.

Rec ends in May. The summer tournaments go all the way through August. So its not unusual to see a RAS team play up in a single tournament.

And I've got 4 years of experience. 2 at C level and 2 at B level.

At both levels, our team played a team that was playing up.

Not saying it doesn’t ever happen, but teams usually register for all their tournaments up front. Not sure how they’d suddenly switch to C. We’ve never seen an all star team at a C tournament- and this would be easy enough to check on USSSA.
There are some seriously misinformed people (or person) on here who constantly say C level softball is worthless. To parents/kids considering it- I think that’s wrong.

+1. Look, travel is not a good idea for anyone for whom the cost would be a hardship. But if the money is no big deal to you, C is a nice change from Rec, especially after about 5th grade or so. I know that my daughter would have quit altogether if she were forced to keep playing Rec after a certain point.

[Anonymous]

The funny thing is that the tail end of this thread has focused on softball when the OP is about 2nd graders (probably soccer, let's be real here). There aren't a lot of 8U softball travel teams in the DMV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At that age, no. But sadly we found that eventually enough leave for club/travel that the only families left in rec are either very flaky or their kids are unathletic or brand new to the sport. That’s no fun for a kid who takes it seriously and has played for 4 years. By middle school we caved because it was killing her love of the sport to play with kids who did not care.

+1. This is a very common scenario.

+2
I am about to dive into club softball because I cannot take another year of my kid carrying the team and her dealing with disappointment as kids just do bare minimum or not even try.

The dozens of posts about having kids not caring or not trying is bull. I’m sure there are kids there that don’t to be there and their mothers forced them. But the kids who like sports but are new to the game or are having difficulty catching on are trying their hardest. And I doubt your kid is carrying a whole team. I’ve seen enough of these rec leagues to understand that there are usually a handful of kids that have it down, kids who struggle, kids who are timid and too scared to do anything but hang around the edges.

No offense to these kids, but by middle school most decent players want to move on from this. In 12u rec, half of our softball team still couldn’t field an easy grounder and make a competent throw to first base. They still didn’t know when were obvious moments to steal, or the difference between a force or tag play. This is really really basic stuff. And this is why people leave. Not because we have our eye on college scholarships. It’s not that deep.

Wow, your experience is so utterly different from ours in 12U rec. Makes me sad. But I've seen it at other age levels due honestly to girls heading to travel who are just getting utterly stomped being there. So I know how it happens.

PP you are quoting. Not getting "stomped" in travel. C level travel is effectively the same as all stars/rec plus, but with a longer season. The playing level is good without being cutthroat. And our rec league didn't have "rec plus" anyway.

Except when the end of the season comes, and some of those RAS teams enter a C tournament....and it usually goes very poorly.

I'm not really sure what you are talking about. All Stars is in the summer where we are. Those teams are not playing in fall C tournaments. Not sure where you are getting your information, but you don't seem to have much first hand experience.

Not PP, but I have it on good authority that in Virginia USSSA there is no rec/all-star division offered at tournaments so any house+ (like Vienna Raiders) or summer all-stars who want to play a tournament either have to go out-of-state or play C. You might find Virginia teams registered on USSSA as rec/all-star but you won't find RAS divisions at any tournament in VA.

Look PP, I know you and your kid love C level softball. That's great. Enjoy!

That may explain why DDs summer team played tournaments in MD (along with other all star teams).
Oh - my kids team, which started as a C team, now plays B.