Stingrays Fastpitch - Experience?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How old is your kid? Neither organization is super top notch but great if you are just starting travel. Some teams are better than others. Regarding the 10u Stingrays coach mentioned above, as a parent of a team who played against her back in 10u, I was not a fan, but the girls I know who actually played for her LOVED her. She is tough but a good coach.

She is also a dedicated 10U coach. No kid on the team. She coaches them and then they move up and she coaches the next 10U team. It's a good environment for a kid starting out.

This is a fair point. Her kids are older so not a factor. She is passionate about teaching softball. She can seem a bit intense sometimes but she loves kids and loves coaching.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looking at Glory I see it’s described as “purpose driven softball”. Is there a religious component?

Our kids are older, but several years ago it seemed like the purpose was being recruited to play in college. Many of our DDs friends who played in that organization went on to play in college.

The website also mentions having a “servants heart” and serving a “mission”? No religious aspect at all?

[Anonymous]

Stingrays and Firebirds are both good organizations. Stingrays seems to have slipped a bit in the last few years. My recommendation for someone just starting out is to choose a team close to home where your daughter will get a lot of playing time her first year and seems to be average for the team, as seen at tryouts. After that, you can re-evaluate for the next season if it turns out she loves it and needs a more challenging team.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looking at Glory I see it’s described as “purpose driven softball”. Is there a religious component?

Our kids are older, but several years ago it seemed like the purpose was being recruited to play in college. Many of our DDs friends who played in that organization went on to play in college.

The website also mentions having a “servants heart” and serving a “mission”? No religious aspect at all?

My DD has played for Glory and there was nothing religious at all, despite the coach being quite religious in his own private life (which I only knew via other ways, not from practice/games/team events). Suzie owns the Glory franchise so I am assuming those are her catch phrases, but each coach runs their own team. Maybe Suzie is religious? She only coaches 16-18U Showcase level teams. We did clinics with her at Bishop OConnell and my daughter never said anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looking at Glory I see it’s described as “purpose driven softball”. Is there a religious component?

Our kids are older, but several years ago it seemed like the purpose was being recruited to play in college. Many of our DDs friends who played in that organization went on to play in college.

The website also mentions having a “servants heart” and serving a “mission”? No religious aspect at all?

Honestly if my DDs were Glory-level players (they aren't), I would love that the organization emphasizes the character-formation aspects of elite sports. Every girl is going to finish softball sometime - high school, college, even the pros quit eventually. But the character stuff lasts a lifetime.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looking at Glory I see it’s described as “purpose driven softball”. Is there a religious component?

Our kids are older, but several years ago it seemed like the purpose was being recruited to play in college. Many of our DDs friends who played in that organization went on to play in college.

The website also mentions having a “servants heart” and serving a “mission”? No religious aspect at all?

Honestly if my DDs were Glory-level players (they aren't), I would love that the organization emphasizes the character-formation aspects of elite sports. Every girl is going to finish softball sometime - high school, college, even the pros quit eventually. But the character stuff lasts a lifetime.

Yes but not every girl is religious, or even Christian. So if it's about being a good person.. great. If it's about serving the lord through softball, that's not for everyone.

[Anonymous]

My daughter played for Glory and we are atheists. Not religious at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter played for Glory and we are atheists. Not religious at all.

Sorry, I meant her team was not. I do think the owner of the organization is religious but it is not an organization-wide philosophy.

[Anonymous]

Glory has no religious affinity.

Unity does. FCA does (although I haven't seen an FCA team in quite some time).

For whatever reason, there's a lot of overlap in the softball world with evangelical Christians -- it's a cornerstone of Patty Gasso's program, for example, which is a little obnoxious because Jesus doesn't care about softball or the Oklahoma Sooners and to suggest that you won because of Jesus implies you're more pious than your opponent, which is just ... well ... anti-Christian.

But I digress. You don't see it much in youth sports.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looking at Glory I see it’s described as “purpose driven softball”. Is there a religious component?

Our kids are older, but several years ago it seemed like the purpose was being recruited to play in college. Many of our DDs friends who played in that organization went on to play in college.

The website also mentions having a “servants heart” and serving a “mission”? No religious aspect at all?

Honestly if my DDs were Glory-level players (they aren't), I would love that the organization emphasizes the character-formation aspects of elite sports. Every girl is going to finish softball sometime - high school, college, even the pros quit eventually. But the character stuff lasts a lifetime.

Let's be clear about something: Glory is a fine organization but it has a lot of teams and many of them are just "good." And some even not-so-good. There's really only one or two true National A-level teams. The younger teams can barely compete in the competitive tournaments like PGF. It's a little comical to see them get their comeuppance when they venture outside the DMV tournaments. One of them trophy hunts on the regular too. I'm surprised Suzy allows it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looking at Glory I see it’s described as “purpose driven softball”. Is there a religious component?

Our kids are older, but several years ago it seemed like the purpose was being recruited to play in college. Many of our DDs friends who played in that organization went on to play in college.

The website also mentions having a “servants heart” and serving a “mission”? No religious aspect at all?

Honestly if my DDs were Glory-level players (they aren't), I would love that the organization emphasizes the character-formation aspects of elite sports. Every girl is going to finish softball sometime - high school, college, even the pros quit eventually. But the character stuff lasts a lifetime.

there was no special "character formation" aspects to Glory that I observed as a parent. Just the same old everything as any other softball team.

[Anonymous]

Has anyone's DD transitioned from baseball to softball or done both at the same time? If so, did the skills translate well to softball?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone's DD transitioned from baseball to softball or done both at the same time? If so, did the skills translate well to softball?

Around ten or eleven is the best time, any younger and they won't like the drop in competition, any older and they'll fall behind in softball development.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone's DD transitioned from baseball to softball or done both at the same time? If so, did the skills translate well to softball?

Around ten or eleven is the best time, any younger and they won't like the drop in competition, any older and they'll fall behind in softball development.

Not sure if either of those points are correct but 12U is the most fun age group so that would be a great time to switch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone's DD transitioned from baseball to softball or done both at the same time? If so, did the skills translate well to softball?

Not us but my DD had a teammate who played baseball first. Yes, of course the skills do translate, but there is also definitely an adjustment. She got called out a lot for leaving the bag early in the beginning, no matter how often she was told, she had trouble batting at first, and she had been baseball pitcher which she decided not to pursue but really missed it. Took her a full season to adjust.