Low key travel softball in Nova?

[Anonymous]

OP what grade will she be in next year? VGSL does grade based divisions, like 12u is 5th-6th graders, etc. That being said, you are allowed to play up. My daughter is 14u and a rising 8th grader but there are two rising 7th graders on her team that could have stayed in 12u this past year. If she would have another year on 10u but is the best on the team, you could request to play 12u which is a higher level of rec play.

[Anonymous]

If you are in Oakton, you might want to look at Firebirds, Xplosion, Stingrays, Herndon Reston Glory (not associated with Virginia Glory), and So. Loudoun Stingers. They might practice a little closer to you than Sharks, Magic or Sage - although those sound like a good low key fit. I also agree that the Vienna Raiders may be a good place to start for this summer and then tryout for multiple teams in late July/early August for next year. A lot of the organizations will have B or C level teams at the younger ages, even if there are also higher level A level teams, so don't be scared off by someone saying that an organization has a an intense A level 18U team - chances are the 10U team won't have the same intensity. During tryouts, you can go check out multiple teams/organizations and see which coaching style and philosophy your daughter likes best. You can find tryouts on www.playsoftball.net

[Anonymous]

OP here, and thank you all, this has been super helpful.

[Anonymous]

A lot of these rec+ programs are only for kids in the rec programs of those leagues. Just FYI.

8U is a little harder to find btw. There are just five entered in the NOVA NIT this weekend:

Leesburg Freedom (feeder for the Revolution organization)

HRYS Legends (feeder for the local Restory Glory teams, but not the national franchise)

Loudoun Inferno (lower Loudoun county)

WLGSL Nationals (feeds the Loudoun Liberty organization)

Team Virginia Mizuno (national franchise team.

Fairfax used to do a Father’s Day tournament for all-star teams (one step below the lowest travel levels) but not sure if it’s on this weekend

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:13:16 again. McLean Magic tends to be more chill. Same for AGSA Sage at that age. Great Falls Sharks are also pretty chill. I would stay away from Firebirds & VA Stars because they are more serious (at least at the older ages). Further out, I don't know as much. Talk to the coaches and ask questions.

Where are you located? At this age go with a team close to you. You don't want to be driving all over.

My daughter played for both McLean Magic and Sage. Both would fit what you're looking for, however, a lot depends on the coach. It can vary wildly I'd also avoid Arlington Impact and VA Glory. Both are super intense. I don't know anything about the further out teams.

My daughter now plays for Mt Vernon Magic and it's still on the lower end of competitiveness but it's far away from us. She drives herself.

Impact was just an “elite” rebrand for Sage to lure back who left for a different organization. There are only two teams in it. The coaches and players spent years in the Sage uniforms

It’s also only for upper ages.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:13:16 again. McLean Magic tends to be more chill. Same for AGSA Sage at that age. Great Falls Sharks are also pretty chill. I would stay away from Firebirds & VA Stars because they are more serious (at least at the older ages). Further out, I don't know as much. Talk to the coaches and ask questions.

Where are you located? At this age go with a team close to you. You don't want to be driving all over.

My daughter played for both McLean Magic and Sage. Both would fit what you're looking for, however, a lot depends on the coach. It can vary wildly I'd also avoid Arlington Impact and VA Glory. Both are super intense. I don't know anything about the further out teams.

My daughter now plays for Mt Vernon Magic and it's still on the lower end of competitiveness but it's far away from us. She drives herself.

Impact was just an “elite” rebrand for Sage to lure back who left for a different organization. There are only two teams in it. The coaches and players spent years in the Sage uniforms

It’s also only for upper ages.

If you want to chill your oven, you're going to get a half-baked cake. Terrible lesson for your daughter, all so you can protect your precious "free time".

Why don't you teach your daughter what it means to compete? To lay it all on the line?

Firebirds. VA Stars. VA Glory (so long as this is associated with the national version, not the local knockoff). Look at who wins the top division at the best national tournaments. Move there, and get jobs teleworking. Show your daughter the meaning of the word "commitment".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A lot of these rec+ programs are only for kids in the rec programs of those leagues. Just FYI.


Fairfax used to do a Father’s Day tournament for all-star teams (one step below the lowest travel levels) but not sure if it’s on this weekend

The All Stars is at Wakefield Park this weekend, at least it is for 12u and 18u, not sure about 10u.
If your child wasn't selected for all stars on her team I would rethink the idea of a travel team at this time.

Also, all of these travel teams mentioned above are not what I call "low key travel". My child has been on two of them on B or C teams and it was still a large time commitment. It totally depends on the coach and the makeup of the team for travel as to the time commitment. We ultimately decided that being one of the best on the rec team and taking advantage of other opportunities such as all stars, summer raiders, and taking some private hitting lessons is really a better lifestyle for us as a family and my daughter. Vienna is great in that is also offers free clinics for catching and pitching. Do it all while young and see what she likes. Then you can pay for lessons for what she really needs or wants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:13:16 again. McLean Magic tends to be more chill. Same for AGSA Sage at that age. Great Falls Sharks are also pretty chill. I would stay away from Firebirds & VA Stars because they are more serious (at least at the older ages). Further out, I don't know as much. Talk to the coaches and ask questions.

Where are you located? At this age go with a team close to you. You don't want to be driving all over.

My daughter played for both McLean Magic and Sage. Both would fit what you're looking for, however, a lot depends on the coach. It can vary wildly I'd also avoid Arlington Impact and VA Glory. Both are super intense. I don't know anything about the further out teams.

My daughter now plays for Mt Vernon Magic and it's still on the lower end of competitiveness but it's far away from us. She drives herself.

Impact was just an “elite” rebrand for Sage to lure back who left for a different organization. There are only two teams in it. The coaches and players spent years in the Sage uniforms

It’s also only for upper ages.

If you want to chill your oven, you're going to get a half-baked cake. Terrible lesson for your daughter, all so you can protect your precious "free time".

Why don't you teach your daughter what it means to compete? To lay it all on the line?

Firebirds. VA Stars. VA Glory (so long as this is associated with the national version, not the local knockoff). Look at who wins the top division at the best national tournaments. Move there, and get jobs teleworking. Show your daughter the meaning of the word "commitment".

The local Glory teams were here long before the national franchise arrived. The current Glory team used to be the Vienna Stars.

The best teams in the immediate area are the Shamrocks out of Mannassas and Shooting Stars out of Ashburn. Loudoun Liberty fields some great teams.

The franchise Glory are hit-or-miss. The 10UB team is one of the weakest in the state, for example.

Firebirds/Sage/Stingrays/McLean Magic depends on the coach and age but are typically strong teams, if not elite.

Virginia has produced a lot of stars in the WCWS. See JMU’s run and Virginia Weseleyan won its third national title (D3) in recent years.

[Anonymous]

Sorry to digress from the original topic ... but a few corrections...

1) VA Glory did NOT used to be Vienna Stars. Vienna Stars folded several years ago and Glory (who already existed) became affiliated with Vienna Girls softball league. It appears that VGSL will be associated with Mizuno Outlaws as the new travel branch of VGSL. The newer incarnation of the old Vienna Stars is Stars National, which has several teams on the east coast, but only older teams locally.

2) Shamrocks and Shooting Stars are good organizations and have some great teams. But I have a feeling that LLG, Glory and Team Virginia Mizuno (among many others) would dispute the assertion that Shamrocks and Shooting Stars are the "best teams in the immediate area".

3) Impact is affiliated with Arlington Girls Softball Association - but is NOT a re-branding of Sage. Sage still exists. Half the players in Impact are not from Arlington and never played for Sage. They have announced there will also be a 14U futures team and a 16U National next year (also not limited to Arlington residents or former Sage players).

Happy to see girls of ALL levels grow a love of the sport. No need to team-bash here or opine as to the "best". We are fortunate to live in an area where there is a team for everyone at every level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry to digress from the original topic ... but a few corrections...

1) VA Glory did NOT used to be Vienna Stars. Vienna Stars folded several years ago and Glory (who already existed) became affiliated with Vienna Girls softball league. It appears that VGSL will be associated with Mizuno Outlaws as the new travel branch of VGSL. The newer incarnation of the old Vienna Stars is Stars National, which has several teams on the east coast, but only older teams locally.

2) Shamrocks and Shooting Stars are good organizations and have some great teams. But I have a feeling that LLG, Glory and Team Virginia Mizuno (among many others) would dispute the assertion that Shamrocks and Shooting Stars are the "best teams in the immediate area".

3) Impact is affiliated with Arlington Girls Softball Association - but is NOT a re-branding of Sage. Sage still exists. Half the players in Impact are not from Arlington and never played for Sage. They have announced there will also be a 14U futures team and a 16U National next year (also not limited to Arlington residents or former Sage players).

Happy to see girls of ALL levels grow a love of the sport. No need to team-bash here or opine as to the "best". We are fortunate to live in an area where there is a team for everyone at every level.

At the 10U level, Team Virginia Mizuno has two teams. The B team is 2-17-1 in class and ranks 19 out of 22 in the state. The C team is 8-11-1.

The Shamrocks are basically an A team, but there are no other A teams in Virginia so it is classified as a B team. They are 37-5-2 and four of their losses are to 12U teams.

The Shooting Stars are 25-4-1.

Lady Lightning Gold doesn’t even field a 10U team.

I know less about older ages currently.

And yes, when the Vienna Stars folded, the Glory stepped in to replace them. They sponsor the same tournaments the Vienna Stars used to sponsor.

Organizations come and go. Baseliners used to be among the best but now they only have a 12U team, for example. And today’s Shamrocks are not the same organization that Tommy Orendorf took to win 18U Gold Nationals many years ago.

But spare me this talk about Team Virginia Mizuno.

[Anonymous]

Find a coach you like. Forget the name of the organization.

[Anonymous]

I would be surprised if OP is still around with all this oversharing of the minutiae of high level travel. Her kid is in third grade. If she didn't get on All-Stars, she shouldn't be playing any sort of travel yet. But she could play a summer league (Raiders, Dimensions, etc) or play up a level in rec ball to get better. Take a few summer camps at 643 or Colby Fastpitch. Pay for some hitting lessons Practice in the back yard with your kid. Then revisit the idea of travel.