7u travel team. For real?

The problem is the poor kid's baseball career is probably over if he doesn't make it. 

So by the time these kids get to be 18, they've been through 11-12 years of travel ball; depending upon their "playing age?"

 

Can't tell you how glad I am that we were spared from that.

Last week I ran into a mid-20s young man that I used to coach in 14/15-year old travel ball.  After an injury-shortened college baseball career, he is now coaching 13-year old travel ball himself.

 

He tells me the parents are nuts.  After 7 or 8 months of playing, he and the HC tried to shut the kids down for 6-7 weeks.  The parents went crazy.  Wanted their kids to keep playing and wanted NO breaks.  Says they'll pay for nearly anything.

 

Our local rec league tells me that while there were 1 or 2 kids playing travel ball ages 12-14 back when our older son was that age...there are now 2-3 dozen for every age group (12, 13, 14) despite the fact that only 1 or 2 (max, if that) will ever play beyond HS and only 7 or 8 will even play HS.

 

What has happened to America?  (as Phil from Duck Dynasty often asks  ). 

Well since you asked, I think it is a confluence of several factors.  To start it is the ridiculous nature of todays rec ball.  Rules regarding not just playing time (ok) but up to what positions the kids have to play.  Extremely poor coaching/training and parent participation and attitudes.  Add to it the extremely competitive nature of high school sports -- especially with larger high schools.  Too many kids, not enough spots.  This leads to the mentality that the kid must play "travel ball" or else.       

The problem is what is travel ball?  Too many teams these days are PO dads hitting kids ground balls.  There isn't the upgraded training and coaching.  The leagues are watered down.  So the end result is that the parents pay a lot of money and get little in return.  And little Johnny doesn't make the HS team anyway.  So it is important to really look for a team that has the training and coaching the kids need.  That is maybe only 10% of the teams out there, so it is very hard to find. 

 

USSSA has 5u tee ball national championships. I once chatted on a board with a dad who told me about their laser arms and cannon shot hits. He said the kids are dedicated. They practice every dayand play tournaments on weekends.

My translation: Throws reach first and hits reach the outfield. Kids either practice and play or get cut. I'm guessing the team was the bigger 5yo's.

Golfman - Its a self fulfilling prophecy.  When my sons played rec ball...through (and above) age 14...the dads that coached were more often than not the dads of the best players.  Most of these dads were decent coaches...a handfull were great coaches.  In fact, THE best youth coach my older son ever played for was in rec ball and he was a dad of another very good player.

 

That is now gone from rec leagues because these same dads...just a few years after our sons played...think "rec ball" is below their sons...thus draining the leagues of talent.  I don't think its about instruction...even though that is often cited by these dads.  I think its more about the parents feeling part of an "elite" club.

 

"My son plays travel ball!"  

 

This same mindset may be coming to HS ball.  We see it pop on this site every once in a while and its my feeling that the dam will break eventually.  Sad to me as I think both of our sons who went on to play at very high levels will tell you that "rec ball" and HS ball were two of their very best and most cherished experiences.

 

I'm glad I didn't rob them of those fun days. 

There is nothing wrong with travel/tournament ball in and of itself.  A seven year old tourney team seems kinda stupid IMHO but whatever.

 

What worries me is the explosion of teams/clubs over the past ten years and the relative lack of any kind of regulation of these teams.  The money involved, in some cases tens of thousands of dollars is attractive to con men and shucksters and there is absolutely no regulation of who forms these teams, what qualifications they hold or any verification that the people working with these youths are qualified to teach anything to a kid, much less baseball.

 

There is little a parent can do when a con man takes your money.  We have had several incidents in our area alone where someone comes in, claims to a former pro player, scout or whatever only to find out that the guy was a con man.  Parents often have plopped down some significant money to get very little in return.  In some cases legitimate baseball facilities have agreed with these con coaches to train these kids only to lose the money owed to them because the 'coach' skipped out with the money.  Parents get promised a lot, are pressured into signing a contract but find out that it is worthless when the crook takes off and gives them nothing. 

 

What is even scarier is that in many cases there are no background checks done on potential coaches, nor is there any kind of governing body that really has any kind of control over teams.  Many of us have seen coaches that have had no business at all mentoring young ballplayers, or any youth.  There is a potential for abuse that is currently not being addressed and this is what scares me.  How many parents have actually sat down and asked an organization, 'Have you done all of the necessary checks to make sure a sexual predator hasn't signed on to our team?'

 

As a scout leader and a youth leader in my church I had to go through an extensive background check before I could interact with the kids.  When I was a coach in PONY I had to do the same.  There are checks in place for PONY, LL, and Cal Ripken.  I don't know of any for tournament style ball. And these are the types of teams that are at highest risk, they travel long distances, the kids spend a much larger time interacting with a coach and there is a much greater risk of abuse. 

 

I don't know of any mandated checks necessary to coach or participate in travel ball.  Maybe someone can clue me in on other areas but I don't know of any certification or standards that are in place for coaching select or tourney baseball.  We talk about baseball knowlege but I am as much, if not more concerned about the risk to youth from inappropriate individuals gaining access to our kids. 

Part of the problem is rec leauges tho not all.I never had any thought or intention for my guy to play travel ball.Problem started when he was @7 last year of coach pith.Coach only let him catch.After a couple of games I told C that my guy could play were needed.he told me my guy caught or he would kill one of the others throwing them the ball.I was told he did not belong in the league and get him moved up.Went thru that mess to be told that if you leave them all together they even out @10-12.I am no genius but knew that did not sound right.I let him play one year of the kids pitching to each other and we left.He will end his H.S. carrier being a 4 year starter on varsity and the first from the program with a scholarship to play the next level.

 

If I recall your boy was a freshmen this year Proud. He got a scholarship already? If so where?

We've started to see lots of 7U team pop up in NJ...problem is the parents and coaches that think travel ball is the only way to get ahead. I've seen these folks up close. Not pretty. 

 

We have some in our program that wanted to start at 7; we said no. These same coaches are now playing 9U - and batting 9 players in a game, same kids always in OF, etc. I've voiced my concerns to guy who runs program but his answer is generally "it's their team". 

 

Problem is they won't have a team when kids start leaving to play other sports or just leaving baseball behind because they never got a chance. Sad. 

Sad really. One reason my son has stayed in the game is because he can play so many positions. Helps when trying out for travel teams as they get older. Kids who can only play one spot have a more difficult time of it. They usu end up sharing the spot. Which means they get frustrated when they sit the bench.