bacdorslider posted:Are parents so lost in this process that they cannot compare their player to teammates , opponents, high school coaches , travel coaches and get a pretty good idea ?
I think this comment is the source of my concern for this type of program. For a parent that educates themselves and works diligently at avoiding the rose colored glasses, the assessment of current and projected skill level is not too terribly difficult. Assuming a kid needs instruction, one needs to find competent instruction and seek realistic feedback. Once the rose colored glasses are put on, this type of program will be sought after by parents who have a preconceived notion that their kid is better that he is credited with and wants some ammunition. These parents will not take kindly to a poor assessment (therein lies the need for the prepaid arrangement). These scouts may have a tremendous amount a knowledge and experience that they can apply, but I think that value lies in the higher levels (maybe a discussion about what it would take to get drafted high enough to forego college, as an example) and not at the lower levels (what is the development plan for my soft body, soft throwing 12u so as to make the freshman team as an 8th grader).
My idea would be for some average folks to sit with the parent during the double header and have that parent describe how their kid stacks up to all the other players. For $200, the parent will get a development report on what steps they need to take to begin their return journey to reality so as they might actually be able to assist little Johnny in reaching their goals. The program would completely ignore the kid in question and simply focus on the parent(s) as well as document any and all paid advisers who have been brought on board. I would love for Goosegg to take a crack at how that letter might read.