Too late to make a travel sfotball team?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Virginia Stingrays has tryouts again this week. It’s not too late! Tuesday night.

This is where I'd start as it's listed as a new team, so probably several openings.

Great Falls Sharks and Outlaws were also recently holding tryouts (Outlaws are ongoing I think).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Virginia Stingrays has tryouts again this week. It’s not too late! Tuesday night.

This is where I'd start as it's listed as a new team, so probably several openings.

Great Falls Sharks and Outlaws were also recently holding tryouts (Outlaws are ongoing I think).

Stingrays has a 10u team that will become their 11u team and a 12u team that has quite a few girls moving up to 14u, but neither is an entirely new team.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Virginia Stingrays has tryouts again this week. It’s not too late! Tuesday night.

This is where I'd start as it's listed as a new team, so probably several openings.

Great Falls Sharks and Outlaws were also recently holding tryouts (Outlaws are ongoing I think).

Stingrays has a 10u team that will become their 11u team and a 12u team that has quite a few girls moving up to 14u, but neither is an entirely new team.

Then they should change their signups:
TRYOUTS: Firebirds 12u-Miller/White is a new, mostly 2012 birth year team, looking to add talented players to our roster for the 2024-25 season. All positions are considered.
Tryouts are on July 18th at Hayfield High School from 6:30-8:30. Pitchers and catchers will be asked to stick around for an additional 30 minutes or so afterwards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Virginia Stingrays has tryouts again this week. It’s not too late! Tuesday night.

This is where I'd start as it's listed as a new team, so probably several openings.

Great Falls Sharks and Outlaws were also recently holding tryouts (Outlaws are ongoing I think).

Stingrays has a 10u team that will become their 11u team and a 12u team that has quite a few girls moving up to 14u, but neither is an entirely new team.

Then they should change their signups:
TRYOUTS: Firebirds 12u-Miller/White is a new, mostly 2012 birth year team, looking to add talented players to our roster for the 2024-25 season. All positions are considered.
Tryouts are on July 18th at Hayfield High School from 6:30-8:30. Pitchers and catchers will be asked to stick around for an additional 30 minutes or so afterwards.

Oops thats Firebirds sorry!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Virginia Stingrays has tryouts again this week. It’s not too late! Tuesday night.

This is where I'd start as it's listed as a new team, so probably several openings.

Great Falls Sharks and Outlaws were also recently holding tryouts (Outlaws are ongoing I think).

Outlaws aren’t any sort of established organization. Aren’t they from that weak Perfect Performance place that has tried for like three years to field A teams but can barely form a C?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if you are in McLean, does your DD play McLean Little League? Did she make All Stars?

If she wasn’t a starting pitcher in Majors and All Stars, she isn’t ready for a B team.

I’d be looking for C-level teams for her.

No. We play in a neighboring organization for multiple reasons. She has been a baseball and softball all star. I have registered her for a couple of tryout and reached out to a few coaches. Both B and C teams. Also talked to a friend whose daughter plays travel and she went from rec to B, as a pitcher, but that was in 10u so she thought it might have been easier in 10u. We are not expecting her to make a B team but also don't think it hurts to try out.

This is potentially a red flags as it hints at conflict. Was conflict involved in your reasons? Travel team coaches are allergic to parents who cause conflict.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 12 year old daughter has just decided she wants to play travel softball. She played baseball from 4 to 10 and then switched the rec softball. She has a great arm an it turning out to be a good little pitcher, working with a private coach. Is it too late for travel? anyone aware of 12u teams still looking for girls?

If you're looking for an 11U C team, here's one that might be a fit. While tryouts have happened, there's always a chance for a private workout for the right kid.

https://www.firebirdsfp.com/teams-1/firebirds-11u-ferguson?teamid=Firebirds%2011u-Ferguson

From what I've heard at 12U there's often a year to adjust. This is a new team, so they'll do their year adjusting and go from there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Virginia Stingrays has tryouts again this week. It’s not too late! Tuesday night.

This is where I'd start as it's listed as a new team, so probably several openings.

Great Falls Sharks and Outlaws were also recently holding tryouts (Outlaws are ongoing I think).

Stingrays has a 10u team that will become their 11u team and a 12u team that has quite a few girls moving up to 14u, but neither is an entirely new team.

Then they should change their signups:
TRYOUTS: Firebirds 12u-Miller/White is a new, mostly 2012 birth year team, looking to add talented players to our roster for the 2024-25 season. All positions are considered.
Tryouts are on July 18th at Hayfield High School from 6:30-8:30. Pitchers and catchers will be asked to stick around for an additional 30 minutes or so afterwards.

The Firebirds team is new in that the existing 2012 team was toxic - coaches were incredibly mean to the girls and that led to the girls being incredibly mean to each other in the dugout by the reports I heard - and so they pulled in a new coach and are starting nearly entirely from scratch. Will be interesting to see how it shapes up. They're going to have to pull in a lot of talented girls from the competition to form a solid B level team, given that the team that fell apart wasn't exactly performing well. But with new coaches if they get the right players maybe?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Virginia Stingrays has tryouts again this week. It’s not too late! Tuesday night.

This is where I'd start as it's listed as a new team, so probably several openings.

Great Falls Sharks and Outlaws were also recently holding tryouts (Outlaws are ongoing I think).

Outlaws aren’t any sort of established organization. Aren’t they from that weak Perfect Performance place that has tried for like three years to field A teams but can barely form a C?

Also, we played their 12U team recently and their parents were insane.

[Anonymous]

OP - best of luck to your daughter. I would think coming over from a baseball background and having pitching lessons, she’d be in a good spot to make a team. For the people implying it might be too late for her, is it because tryouts have already happened or that teams are already established at 12u and hard to break in?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP - best of luck to your daughter. I would think coming over from a baseball background and having pitching lessons, she’d be in a good spot to make a team. For the people implying it might be too late for her, is it because tryouts have already happened or that teams are already established at 12u and hard to break in?

It's both -- July is tryout season for travel softball, but some teams have them as early as June (those are the more desperate teams) and many 12U teams are mostly intact or moving up from 10U and mostly intact. Note I say "mostly" because typically these teams ARE looking for two or three players still. And they'll always look at pitchers and catchers.

Having played baseball is somewhat helpful, but not really. The games are very different. For example, there's no leading off in softball. There are no slap hitters in baseball. There's no lookback rule in baseball. The way you play a pickoff defensively at third is different in softball (you step to the line/player, not to the bag). There's no balk in softball, although there are illegal pitches. The act of hitting a pitch delivered underarm rather than overhand is different (there's a reason Jennie Finch could strike out major leaguers). Softball is a much faster game, so footwork is more critical. Baseball is good at teaching the basics -- most of the rules are the same. But simply having played baseball doesn't necessarily mean she'll hit the ground running in softball.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if you are in McLean, does your DD play McLean Little League? Did she make All Stars?

If she wasn’t a starting pitcher in Majors and All Stars, she isn’t ready for a B team.

I’d be looking for C-level teams for her.

No. We play in a neighboring organization for multiple reasons. She has been a baseball and softball all star. I have registered her for a couple of tryout and reached out to a few coaches. Both B and C teams. Also talked to a friend whose daughter plays travel and she went from rec to B, as a pitcher, but that was in 10u so she thought it might have been easier in 10u. We are not expecting her to make a B team but also don't think it hurts to try out.

This is potentially a red flags as it hints at conflict. Was conflict involved in your reasons? Travel team coaches are allergic to parents who cause conflict.

Ha! No, not at all! It was more about draws to the other organization.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - best of luck to your daughter. I would think coming over from a baseball background and having pitching lessons, she’d be in a good spot to make a team. For the people implying it might be too late for her, is it because tryouts have already happened or that teams are already established at 12u and hard to break in?

It's both -- July is tryout season for travel softball, but some teams have them as early as June (those are the more desperate teams) and many 12U teams are mostly intact or moving up from 10U and mostly intact. Note I say "mostly" because typically these teams ARE looking for two or three players still. And they'll always look at pitchers and catchers.

Having played baseball is somewhat helpful, but not really. The games are very different. For example, there's no leading off in softball. There are no slap hitters in baseball. There's no lookback rule in baseball. The way you play a pickoff defensively at third is different in softball (you step to the line/player, not to the bag). There's no balk in softball, although there are illegal pitches. The act of hitting a pitch delivered underarm rather than overhand is different (there's a reason Jennie Finch could strike out major leaguers). Softball is a much faster game, so footwork is more critical. Baseball is good at teaching the basics -- most of the rules are the same. But simply having played baseball doesn't necessarily mean she'll hit the ground running in softball.

She has played (rec) softball for two years so she has made the adjustment. I mentioned the baseball background because having played six years of baseball and two years of softball is a lot different than someone who has only played two years of softball and no baseball before that. Anyway, we have a number of (open and private) tryouts scheduled and she has no expectations as to how things will go. Thanks for the suggestions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - best of luck to your daughter. I would think coming over from a baseball background and having pitching lessons, she’d be in a good spot to make a team. For the people implying it might be too late for her, is it because tryouts have already happened or that teams are already established at 12u and hard to break in?

It's both -- July is tryout season for travel softball, but some teams have them as early as June (those are the more desperate teams) and many 12U teams are mostly intact or moving up from 10U and mostly intact. Note I say "mostly" because typically these teams ARE looking for two or three players still. And they'll always look at pitchers and catchers.

Having played baseball is somewhat helpful, but not really. The games are very different. For example, there's no leading off in softball. There are no slap hitters in baseball. There's no lookback rule in baseball. The way you play a pickoff defensively at third is different in softball (you step to the line/player, not to the bag). There's no balk in softball, although there are illegal pitches. The act of hitting a pitch delivered underarm rather than overhand is different (there's a reason Jennie Finch could strike out major leaguers). Softball is a much faster game, so footwork is more critical. Baseball is good at teaching the basics -- most of the rules are the same. But simply having played baseball doesn't necessarily mean she'll hit the ground running in softball.

She has played (rec) softball for two years so she has made the adjustment. I mentioned the baseball background because having played six years of baseball and two years of softball is a lot different than someone who has only played two years of softball and no baseball before that. Anyway, we have a number of (open and private) tryouts scheduled and she has no expectations as to how things will go. Thanks for the suggestions.

Good luck to her.

One last piece of advice: You're evaluating them as much as they're evaluating your daughter. Pay attention to how the coaches interact with both your daughter and your player. Interact with the other parents if you are able -- you're going to spend a LOT of time with these people in the next year. Try to size up the abilities of the other players -- if your girl lags (and be realistic about this), she might not get much playing time. Try to find out what the team's ambitions are -- are they focused on development (yay) or winning (inappropriate for 12U -- yes, fun to win but there are teams that think they are going to go play PGF in Tennessee and would go to the Colorado Sparkler if it existed for 12U). Does the coach have a kid on the team? Can you tell who it is when you watch the tryout/practice (if you can't, that's a good sign). Where does the team practice in winter? How many girls are on the team -- if more than 11, look out. 12 if fine, although it means more bench time to spread around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - best of luck to your daughter. I would think coming over from a baseball background and having pitching lessons, she’d be in a good spot to make a team. For the people implying it might be too late for her, is it because tryouts have already happened or that teams are already established at 12u and hard to break in?

It's both -- July is tryout season for travel softball, but some teams have them as early as June (those are the more desperate teams) and many 12U teams are mostly intact or moving up from 10U and mostly intact. Note I say "mostly" because typically these teams ARE looking for two or three players still. And they'll always look at pitchers and catchers.

Having played baseball is somewhat helpful, but not really. The games are very different. For example, there's no leading off in softball. There are no slap hitters in baseball. There's no lookback rule in baseball. The way you play a pickoff defensively at third is different in softball (you step to the line/player, not to the bag). There's no balk in softball, although there are illegal pitches. The act of hitting a pitch delivered underarm rather than overhand is different (there's a reason Jennie Finch could strike out major leaguers). Softball is a much faster game, so footwork is more critical. Baseball is good at teaching the basics -- most of the rules are the same. But simply having played baseball doesn't necessarily mean she'll hit the ground running in softball.

She has played (rec) softball for two years so she has made the adjustment. I mentioned the baseball background because having played six years of baseball and two years of softball is a lot different than someone who has only played two years of softball and no baseball before that. Anyway, we have a number of (open and private) tryouts scheduled and she has no expectations as to how things will go. Thanks for the suggestions.

Good luck to her.

One last piece of advice: You're evaluating them as much as they're evaluating your daughter. Pay attention to how the coaches interact with both your daughter and your player. Interact with the other parents if you are able -- you're going to spend a LOT of time with these people in the next year. Try to size up the abilities of the other players -- if your girl lags (and be realistic about this), she might not get much playing time. Try to find out what the team's ambitions are -- are they focused on development (yay) or winning (inappropriate for 12U -- yes, fun to win but there are teams that think they are going to go play PGF in Tennessee and would go to the Colorado Sparkler if it existed for 12U). Does the coach have a kid on the team? Can you tell who it is when you watch the tryout/practice (if you can't, that's a good sign). Where does the team practice in winter? How many girls are on the team -- if more than 11, look out. 12 if fine, although it means more bench time to spread around.

^^ I mean pay attention to how coaches interact with your daughter and YOU. Listen carefully to what they're saying and the ambitions. Are they positive people or are they screamers, etc.