Anonymous wrote:Firebirds is going through issues with teams defecting to other organizations. It's mostly due to daddyball. Once you are 13 or older, it's better to get professional coaches and leave the parents to coach rec. I would not put a player on a ream run by parents if they are serious about playing HS varsity.

Firebirds deserves all this and more for how it's being run.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Firebirds is going through issues with teams defecting to other organizations. It's mostly due to daddyball. Once you are 13 or older, it's better to get professional coaches and leave the parents to coach rec. I would not put a player on a ream run by parents if they are serious about playing HS varsity.

Not doubting you but genuinely curious - if the entire team is defecting how is it daddyball? Is that at the organizational level? Or are teams leaving but without the parent coach?

The latter. Paid coach will run team.

Anonymous wrote:Firebirds is going through issues with teams defecting to other organizations. It's mostly due to daddyball. Once you are 13 or older, it's better to get professional coaches and leave the parents to coach rec. I would not put a player on a ream run by parents if they are serious about playing HS varsity.

Not doubting you but genuinely curious - if the entire team is defecting how is it daddyball? Is that at the organizational level? Or are teams leaving but without the parent coach?

Anonymous wrote:
For whatever reason, there's a lot of overlap in the softball world with evangelical Christians ...

And with lesbians too! What an odd Venn diagram that must make

Firebirds is going through issues with teams defecting to other organizations. It's mostly due to daddyball. Once you are 13 or older, it's better to get professional coaches and leave the parents to coach rec. I would not put a player on a ream run by parents if they are serious about playing HS varsity.

Anonymous wrote:To try out for Stingrays… do you suggest just filling out the interest form, or should I also reach out to coach? First travel experience…

Stingrays parent here… do both. The 10, 12 and 14u teams will likely have open tryouts soon.

No experience with Firebirds here, but I have a kid on Stingrays who started out with the 10u coach. She is passionate and devoted and you won’t find a better role model for girls. I have seen her “go to bat” (sorry for the pun) with umpires - she is extremely knowledgeable - and win. Highly recommend.

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.

I think this is correct. In 8U most area rec leagues have a lot lower level of play than LL or Babe Ruth (VGSL and the Loudoun Alliance are a little higher rules at 8U). After 6th grade it'll get harder. But many quality players I know transitioned between 10 and 12.

Anonymous wrote:To try out for Stingrays… do you suggest just filling out the interest form, or should I also reach out to coach? First travel experience…

I would say fill out the interest form. More importantly, show up for every tryout you can. Many teams have 2-3. Got to all of them if possible.

Also, Stingrays has tryout tips on their website. Follow them. Like don't coach your kid, or speak to them at all during the tryout. Your kid should act confident, hustle in everything she does, do not get upset about a mistake, just keep smiling and trying her best.

To try out for Stingrays… do you suggest just filling out the interest form, or should I also reach out to coach? First travel experience…

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.

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 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.

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 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.