So are we going to beat this dead horse again? There is a place for HS ball and Travel baseball as well. The majority of travel teams do not practice during the summer any more than the high school teams do. Most HS teams use the hour or so before the games to teach and work on things. If I didnt think my kids benefited greatly by playing HS summer ball I wouldnt have wasted my time coaching it which I have done the past 24 summers. It's hard work and a tremendous time commitment with little to no pay. Honestly, we have been weak at the lower levels and in my opinion have gained alot of ground on other programs through our summer program.
Our kids beat teams at the Varsity level that 10 run ruled them as freshman and sophomores. As for the western suburbs I think if you look closely at teams making it downstate and winning state championships the western suburb teams are in the thick of it every year. Lastly keep in mind that we are dealing with kids that also play football, basketball, and s****r in the summer. They constantly prioritize where they are going to go each night. Games have a higher priority than practices in the summer. I wonder how well these practices would be attended. By using the hour or so before games to practice we get our practice in without the title of just a practice session. Psychology 101. There are positive and negatives to HS and Travel ball. I'm not going to rip travel ball. We've shared kids successfully on a yearly basis. But when judging high school ball speak for your own program. Don't generalize all programs.