quote:Originally posted by lorin rozatti:
hello Cabbagedad: The spring Pony season started mid March will end mid June. I am looking for a travel team for the summer & will surely place him somewhere when & if I leave. He will also be playing with a 14u team going to Arizona to compete with USSSA/Olympic competition in July. Another option is to join a baseball training facility that does showcase competition as they are forming a 14u team, I just am not sure that is affordable for me.
OK, perfect. I was hoping that was the case. Cabbage (now a senior) played Pony thru 15. He actually played varsity HS ball as a freshman before playing his last Pony season. He also played travel summer ball since he was 11. So, similarly, he found himself in a situation with Pony where he was dissappointed with the overall skill level and he struggled with this for a while. At one point, he came to realize that his last two Pony seasons would be the last time he could play organized ball with the emphasis heavy on "have fun and play different positions". Once he recognized this, he was able to embrace it and have a lot of fun with it. If you can find a way to communicate this type of message, maybe it will help.
It truly does become more like work (practice, work out or play every day for six months of the year) and more of a labor of love once he hits HS. And he most likely won't have the opportunity to play multiple positions. So, this may be his last opportunity to sort of be the king of the hill and enjoy the "rec" aspect of rec ball. I know if my son were to look back and try to identify what season he had the most playful fun, he probably would think of that last Pony season. I'm guessing your son will have more than his share of opportunity for competitive fun in the game down the road.
I know it's hard to convey a message like this without them experiencing it for themselves, but I hope this helps.