Pls explain travel softball tournaments/games to me

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are a lot more soccer teams than softball teams.

This is the real answer. Lots of sports outside of soccer are set up around tournaments

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are several different softball sanctions for travel teams to play tournaments. There is no NVTBL equivalent for travel teams to play each other locally. There are informal scrimmages that coaches individually set up but other than that, it’s tournaments.

This. If your team is playing USSSA tournaments there actually are standings, but I'm not sure how meaningful they are since some teams play 15 USSSA tournaments a year and some play 4 and you get points by tournament. There's the higher level governing bodies beyond that (Alliance, PGF, etc.) that very few younger age teams participate in locally that also keep some level of standings.

In northern Virginia out in Loudoun they do have a person to set up the scrimmage double headers, but it's still informal.

I wish there was an NVTBL for softball. It seems like it's a crap shoot the level of committment various travel orgs, or even teams with in an org, will require for softball here.

Two reasons why teams play doubleheaders: 1) To tune-up early in the season. Especially if you have a new team or new players -- you're trying to get reps and get the team to gel. Typically, coaches aren't even playing to win in these -- think of them like preseason NFL games. 2) They're cheaper. A Sunday DH is like $125. A 4-game gaurantee tournament is nearly $600. Do the math.

The problem with softball is the talent is diluted. Everyone's in a hurry. Every parent thinks their kid is Jennie Finch. And so when their kid doesn't get enough playing time or enough pitching opportunities, or whatever, they pull the kid and go start their own team. Daddy Ball is a real problem, especially at the 10U and 12U levels.

Yeah no joke on the bolded. Have watched that seem to accelerate in the past few years to the point where there are several 12U teams in our area on USSSA with rosters of 7, 9, or 11.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are several different softball sanctions for travel teams to play tournaments. There is no NVTBL equivalent for travel teams to play each other locally. There are informal scrimmages that coaches individually set up but other than that, it’s tournaments.

This. If your team is playing USSSA tournaments there actually are standings, but I'm not sure how meaningful they are since some teams play 15 USSSA tournaments a year and some play 4 and you get points by tournament. There's the higher level governing bodies beyond that (Alliance, PGF, etc.) that very few younger age teams participate in locally that also keep some level of standings.

In northern Virginia out in Loudoun they do have a person to set up the scrimmage double headers, but it's still informal.

I wish there was an NVTBL for softball. It seems like it's a crap shoot the level of committment various travel orgs, or even teams with in an org, will require for softball here.

Two reasons why teams play doubleheaders: 1) To tune-up early in the season. Especially if you have a new team or new players -- you're trying to get reps and get the team to gel. Typically, coaches aren't even playing to win in these -- think of them like preseason NFL games. 2) They're cheaper. A Sunday DH is like $125. A 4-game gaurantee tournament is nearly $600. Do the math.

The problem with softball is the talent is diluted. Everyone's in a hurry. Every parent thinks their kid is Jennie Finch. And so when their kid doesn't get enough playing time or enough pitching opportunities, or whatever, they pull the kid and go start their own team. Daddy Ball is a real problem, especially at the 10U and 12U levels.

Yeah no joke on the bolded. Have watched that seem to accelerate in the past few years to the point where there are several 12U teams in our area on USSSA with rosters of 7, 9, or 11.

We know lots of teams with 14 players (which is way too many).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are a lot more soccer teams than softball teams.

This is the real answer. Lots of sports outside of soccer are set up around tournaments

Are there really? I ask because it seems there are too many travel softball teams. And its less about number of team, and more about interest in league play. As a softball Dad, I would prefer a tournament every other weekend (with a 4 game min) vs 2 league play games a week

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are a lot more soccer teams than softball teams.

This is the real answer. Lots of sports outside of soccer are set up around tournaments

Are there really? I ask because it seems there are too many travel softball teams. And its less about number of team, and more about interest in league play. As a softball Dad, I would prefer a tournament every other weekend (with a 4 game min) vs 2 league play games a week

Basketball, volleyball, field hokey. Lacrosse has leagues and tournaments. I think soccer is unique because there are enough teams to have leagues for every level of play. Other sports require you to travel unless you want to play the same 5 or 6 teams every season

[Anonymous]

There are a ton of teams in NOVA (as someone posted upthread there are weekly double-headers in Loudoun). Why isn't that league play?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are a ton of teams in NOVA (as someone posted upthread there are weekly double-headers in Loudoun). Why isn't that league play?

Because there is no league.

Most travel softball teams are tournament teams. They only play a couple of doubleheaders in a season.

There are a handful that might play more DHs than tournaments but they tend to be newly organized or young (I.e. a 9U team forced to play in a 10U division at tournaments) and they don’t want to spend $600 every week to get beat by older teams. And when I say handful I mean maybe less than six doing this in any age group. It wouldn’t be much of a league.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are a ton of teams in NOVA (as someone posted upthread there are weekly double-headers in Loudoun). Why isn't that league play?

Because there is no league.

Most travel softball teams are tournament teams. They only play a couple of doubleheaders in a season.

There are a handful that might play more DHs than tournaments but they tend to be newly organized or young (I.e. a 9U team forced to play in a 10U division at tournaments) and they don’t want to spend $600 every week to get beat by older teams. And when I say handful I mean maybe less than six doing this in any age group. It wouldn’t be much of a league.

The closest thing to a "league" doing double headers is the rec+/all-star teams in out of the leagues in Fairfax/Arlington. But they don't keep standings. It might be kind of fun if they did.

I'd argue that there are a lot more teams doing mostly double headers than you think though. A lot more glorified all-star teams that sign up as C level teams, mostly play DHs, and do a tournament or two. I'm still a little unclear what the purpose of those teams is, honestly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are a ton of teams in NOVA (as someone posted upthread there are weekly double-headers in Loudoun). Why isn't that league play?

Because there is no league.

Most travel softball teams are tournament teams. They only play a couple of doubleheaders in a season.

There are a handful that might play more DHs than tournaments but they tend to be newly organized or young (I.e. a 9U team forced to play in a 10U division at tournaments) and they don’t want to spend $600 every week to get beat by older teams. And when I say handful I mean maybe less than six doing this in any age group. It wouldn’t be much of a league.

Is this true in our area? There seem to be a lot of B teams doing double-headers ... these are just some of 12U teams that DD has played against on Sundays: Smash, Great Falls Flames, McLean Magic, Firebirds, Sage, Sharks, Inferno.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are a ton of teams in NOVA (as someone posted upthread there are weekly double-headers in Loudoun). Why isn't that league play?

Because there is no league.

Most travel softball teams are tournament teams. They only play a couple of doubleheaders in a season.

There are a handful that might play more DHs than tournaments but they tend to be newly organized or young (I.e. a 9U team forced to play in a 10U division at tournaments) and they don’t want to spend $600 every week to get beat by older teams. And when I say handful I mean maybe less than six doing this in any age group. It wouldn’t be much of a league.

Is this true in our area? There seem to be a lot of B teams doing double-headers ... these are just some of 12U teams that DD has played against on Sundays: Smash, Great Falls Flames, McLean Magic, Firebirds, Sage, Sharks, Inferno.

See upthread where someone mentioned the continuous splintering of softball in our area. Around 12U especially it seems to get bad with teams breaking up and multiple new teams forming from the splinters. Just look at the Alexandria Royals this year.

But I'm not sure what having a league unrelated to one of the mass number of existing travel softball governing bodies would do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are a ton of teams in NOVA (as someone posted upthread there are weekly double-headers in Loudoun). Why isn't that league play?

Because there is no league.

Most travel softball teams are tournament teams. They only play a couple of doubleheaders in a season.

There are a handful that might play more DHs than tournaments but they tend to be newly organized or young (I.e. a 9U team forced to play in a 10U division at tournaments) and they don’t want to spend $600 every week to get beat by older teams. And when I say handful I mean maybe less than six doing this in any age group. It wouldn’t be much of a league.

Is this true in our area? There seem to be a lot of B teams doing double-headers ... these are just some of 12U teams that DD has played against on Sundays: Smash, Great Falls Flames, McLean Magic, Firebirds, Sage, Sharks, Inferno.

See upthread where someone mentioned the continuous splintering of softball in our area. Around 12U especially it seems to get bad with teams breaking up and multiple new teams forming from the splinters. Just look at the Alexandria Royals this year.

But I'm not sure what having a league unrelated to one of the mass number of existing travel softball governing bodies would do.

In soccer, leagues with limited membership keeps clubs together because splinters would have to play at a lower level. I think that has it's pluses and minuses

[Anonymous]

My DD's team would not be interested in league play. As it is, we are looking to travel more because it feels like they play the same teams over and over in local tournaments. And even when we travel, we see repeats as we tend not to travel too far. In terms of standings, we definitely know where the team stands locally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are a ton of teams in NOVA (as someone posted upthread there are weekly double-headers in Loudoun). Why isn't that league play?

Because there is no league.

Most travel softball teams are tournament teams. They only play a couple of doubleheaders in a season.

There are a handful that might play more DHs than tournaments but they tend to be newly organized or young (I.e. a 9U team forced to play in a 10U division at tournaments) and they don’t want to spend $600 every week to get beat by older teams. And when I say handful I mean maybe less than six doing this in any age group. It wouldn’t be much of a league.

Is this true in our area? There seem to be a lot of B teams doing double-headers ... these are just some of 12U teams that DD has played against on Sundays: Smash, Great Falls Flames, McLean Magic, Firebirds, Sage, Sharks, Inferno.

See upthread where someone mentioned the continuous splintering of softball in our area. Around 12U especially it seems to get bad with teams breaking up and multiple new teams forming from the splinters. Just look at the Alexandria Royals this year.

But I'm not sure what having a league unrelated to one of the mass number of existing travel softball governing bodies would do.

I’m not in the area, but can understand the splintering. I see it happening with my daughter’s 10u team. It happens when daddy ball runs rampant and people get tired of it.

On her team, the head coach’s daughter has decided she wants to pitch. She’s no where close to ready (and this is C level), but she seems to be one of the 4 girls they have practice pitching. There are a number of girls who are better than her, but are not getting the chance. There were no “tryouts” for pitching, they just pulled aside the 4 the first day of practice. Of the 4 pitchers, 3 have dads as coaches. The 1 that does not is by far the best of the 4. Four girls doesn’t seem like enough, but it’s what they’re doing.

I could completely see pitcher #5 (not my daughter) bailing and starting a new team next year. She’s into it, better than the coach’s kid and the parents can see that she’ll never get the chance. Yea, she could (and is) doing lessons, but it’s hard to jump 3 coaches’ kids in travel softball.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are a ton of teams in NOVA (as someone posted upthread there are weekly double-headers in Loudoun). Why isn't that league play?

Because there is no league.

Most travel softball teams are tournament teams. They only play a couple of doubleheaders in a season.

There are a handful that might play more DHs than tournaments but they tend to be newly organized or young (I.e. a 9U team forced to play in a 10U division at tournaments) and they don’t want to spend $600 every week to get beat by older teams. And when I say handful I mean maybe less than six doing this in any age group. It wouldn’t be much of a league.

Is this true in our area? There seem to be a lot of B teams doing double-headers ... these are just some of 12U teams that DD has played against on Sundays: Smash, Great Falls Flames, McLean Magic, Firebirds, Sage, Sharks, Inferno.

See upthread where someone mentioned the continuous splintering of softball in our area. Around 12U especially it seems to get bad with teams breaking up and multiple new teams forming from the splinters. Just look at the Alexandria Royals this year.

But I'm not sure what having a league unrelated to one of the mass number of existing travel softball governing bodies would do.

I’m not in the area, but can understand the splintering. I see it happening with my daughter’s 10u team. It happens when daddy ball runs rampant and people get tired of it.

On her team, the head coach’s daughter has decided she wants to pitch. She’s no where close to ready (and this is C level), but she seems to be one of the 4 girls they have practice pitching. There are a number of girls who are better than her, but are not getting the chance. There were no “tryouts” for pitching, they just pulled aside the 4 the first day of practice. Of the 4 pitchers, 3 have dads as coaches. The 1 that does not is by far the best of the 4. Four girls doesn’t seem like enough, but it’s what they’re doing.

I could completely see pitcher #5 (not my daughter) bailing and starting a new team next year. She’s into it, better than the coach’s kid and the parents can see that she’ll never get the chance. Yea, she could (and is) doing lessons, but it’s hard to jump 3 coaches’ kids in travel softball.

I don't think it's just daddy ball. Poor coaching, a poorly run organization, parents who overestimate their kids' abilities (not saying that's you PP, at all, but I'm sure we can all think of those parents an d those kids we know), coaches chasing more organizational prestige, all sorts of things cause people to organization hop or even found new organizations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are a ton of teams in NOVA (as someone posted upthread there are weekly double-headers in Loudoun). Why isn't that league play?

Because there is no league.

Most travel softball teams are tournament teams. They only play a couple of doubleheaders in a season.

There are a handful that might play more DHs than tournaments but they tend to be newly organized or young (I.e. a 9U team forced to play in a 10U division at tournaments) and they don’t want to spend $600 every week to get beat by older teams. And when I say handful I mean maybe less than six doing this in any age group. It wouldn’t be much of a league.

The closest thing to a "league" doing double headers is the rec+/all-star teams in out of the leagues in Fairfax/Arlington. But they don't keep standings. It might be kind of fun if they did.

I'd argue that there are a lot more teams doing mostly double headers than you think though. A lot more glorified all-star teams that sign up as C level teams, mostly play DHs, and do a tournament or two. I'm still a little unclear what the purpose of those teams is, honestly.

Vanity, ego, money and delusion.