I HAD to post this...

I wonder if it's OK to play up on that team?

Thats just sad. A 6 and under competitive travel team..........

Im sorry, I believe in travel baseball at the appropriate time....but this is beyond ridiculous.....of what benefit can this be to 6 year olds..???

quote:

Originally posted by Dad04:
I wonder if it's OK to play up on that team?

Only if they're potty trained

Shaking my head in disbelief...

Praying for more sanity in the world...

quote:

Only if they're potty trained

What about Huggies Pull-ups?

quote:

What about Huggies Pull-ups?

The problem is if they have to slide the huggies will leak

Instead of the 7th inning stretch it's the 7th inning nap, with a treat of coarse.

Actually, that doesn't sound to bad.

You guys may THINK you've seen it all with that, but you obviously haven't been exposed to the world (and I mean "WORLD") of select s****r.

S****r playing kids not much older are being trundled off on EUROPEAN s****r tours. What are these people thinking?

quote:

The problem is if they have to slide the huggies will leak

....which brings a whole new meaning to offensive dugout odors.

You WIN!!!!!!!!!!!

Is there really a big issue here? I know of worse things to expose children to. Read Tony Rasmus article at PG.org. Although 6 yo is young, it may not be too young to teach limited technique. I think we have all taught our toddlers which end of the bat to hold. Most 6 yo just look forward to the snack after the game not the score so how competitive can it really be?

The guys contact info including phone number is on the bottom left side of the web page.

someone call him and get the info

Blackheart

Teaching "basics" is one thing with 6 yr olds-- playing in tournaments is another thing

I asked myself how many six-year-old travel teams could there possibly be? Enough for a tourney? I then realized there could be enough.

quote:

We will be playing coach pitch and machine pitch tournaments in the N. Texas area during the 05 season. We are currently seeking quality players to add to our roster

Now that's just rich.

As I said in the related post a week or two ago, some people would find it strange that some parents send their teenagers around the country to play ball.

At what age would each of you give your blessing for kids to participate in a tournament?

SBK

It sure isnt 6 years of age!!!!

Q:

quote:

At what age would each of you give your blessing for kids to participate in a tournament?

A: 12 is an age when there seems to be separation in the quality of skill sets in players, an appreciation for achievement by the players and most kids can get through the day without a nap.

REDBIRD

Just sent you a PM--

Only 4 exclamation marks?

I asked what age is ok. Not what age is not.

Ok, Tr let's play your game.

Is 7 OK?

Is 8 OK?

9?

10?

11?

12?

13?

14?

Thanks Dad 04 for your usual respectful reply.

SBK

It isnt a game--if you knew me you would know I dont play games--I am too old for that nonsense --if you want to send your 10 U or lower to events go for it-- you arent allowed to turn on Stern as per the wifes directive but you can send a 10U or younger kid to a tournament--- makes sense to me !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Have a great day !!

SBK

My son started at 10U on a travel team. He got something out of it. It was fun for him. He was a little bigger and had a better arm than average. Would it have hurt him to wait a year or two. Probably not.

I think 11 or 12 is about right for most kids. Although the State of Florida AAU sanctions State Championships for 8U teams, that might be a little early to jump on the merry-go-round to me. JMVHO

Sunshine Sports AAU

TR,

If you don't play games, then why haven't you answered the initial question?

So what age do you give your blessing to take kids to a tournament?

If you don't play games why do you try to use the joke of my wife not allowing me to watch Stern?

In fact I think many of us reading your posts know that you love to play games. Don't tell me you are too old for that nonsense. Anyone that reads your posts know you are young at heart.

Dad04 & others,

Below is my post from a couple weeks ago when this subject came up.

No problem. My point is that it’s not for me either but I’m not going to chastise others if they have too much money and too much time on their hands and want to do it.

I am not aware of any clinical studies but I doubt that taking a little kid to a T Ball tourney is going to turn them into a nut case or suicidal down the road.

After all, as I asked before and have still not received an answer, what is the magic age where it is acceptable by all, or by whomever is reading this?

I’m sure if someone said 9 is the magic age to take kids to a national tourney, someone would chastise them and say it’s too young, the same goes for 10, 11, 12, 13 and so on. I’m sure a lot of people would even find it strange that people are taking their teenagers across the country to play ball.

Does anyone have experience with the T Ball tournament? Maybe it’s not that cruel, kid abusing thing that people are conjuring up in their minds. After the lashing already, I’d recommend that if anyone wants to comment about their experience, they might want to come up with a new screen name.

As I mentioned, the earliest my son played in a tournament like this was a 10 year old CABA tournament. Although we lived fairly close, we played teams from Texas, Tennessee and even Puerto Rico. From what I remember, the kids looked like they were having a good time. Mine seemed to have made it through this “traumatic” event without too much scarring.

As I said, traveling to a T Ball event is not for me. I don’t need to travel half way across the country to see how bad 6 year olds play ball but I’m not going to belittle those that participate. At least not until I have seen one or at least heard comments from a credible source about how inhumane it was.

SBK

I dont give blessings--not permitted to and not within my providence--never has been--I might give advice but people can take it or leave it and the advice is based on many years of experience.

What you want to do is your choice. Lordy now. I don't want to tell you how to bring up your kids

You made the statement about your Stern situation if I recall, not me.

Again I ask you-- why the venom on your part?-- why are you always cynically biting at my tail?

Be careful you might be nipping at a skunks tail

LOL--- funny thought

quote:

No problem. My point is that it’s not for me either but I’m not going to chastise others if they have too much money and too much time on their hands and want to do it.

Me neither. I just would not want to take a 6 year old out of town to play T-ball.

I don't think any incremental benefit is possible for their physical or mental development.

Their physical capacity to enhance motor skills and absorb instruction is finite for the average child, at that age.

Just plainly spoken in my opinion, the effort is just not worth it. He might better enjoy fishing for bream with his dad on a sunny afternoon. But, to each his own.

quote:

You made the statement about your Stern situation if I recall, not me.

Yeah but you didn't have to tell everyone so that they also know my wife wears the pants in my family. LOL

No venom intended.

I use to trap skunks when I was a kid and get a few bucks a skin so I know one when I smell one.

by the way I have spoken to the "ringleader" of the 6u Tournament team

Anyone interested in hearing it all can phone, email or pm me

It is too long to post here=== Bobs web space is too valuable

Tom Rizzi
www.collegeselect.org
800-782-3672

at what age play travel tournaments?

I'll just say what worked for me -
it was a 8/9 yr old team, their first season of real baseball after playing coach pitch, & my first coaching job -
it was a "house/rec league" team playing in a 10-U pre-season tournament with 10 yr old teams and a few "travel teams"

my goals - get some games in before our league started, get the pitchers a head start & don't get embarrassed(!)

My phone rang off the hook - this was unheard of in our town, I was a new coach and parents were sure I was crazy and some actually wanted off the team. Thank God we had a sponsor and I didn't have to ask them for money. (there went my fishing trip tho)

now the 14 players are about 22 yrs old - about 7 played in hs, 2 play in college

I talk to many regularly - they still bring it up - -

here's what the players remember - -

they got their uniforms (T-shirts) before anyone else in our league/school and they wore them to school

they ate a team breakfast (wow could they eat)

the fields had banners, signs and balloons

over the PA players were introduced on the baseline

the National Anthem was played over the PA

the fields were freshly lined

they had 2 real umpires in uniform (no hs kids in gym shorts)

there was a concession stand with real cooked food (dogs, burgers) and snacks and they could smell it while playing

there were alot of fans -

if they got to the semi's they played under the lights - - heck they thought only MLB had lights

some made lifelong friends



ps - hey the parents had fun too, I kept my job & no-one was trumatized

"So what age do you give your blessing to take kids to a tournament?"


Has to at least be Kid Pitch age.

Next year I will be coaching a 9 year old "select" team.

Our local rec teams play only 10 games a year. This team will probably play 18-20 league games and 1-3 tournaments(all within 1/2 hour of our home field).

Bee & BigWi

That's cool. The thought just never crossed our minds at age 8. With 25 games in the spring and 25 in the fall, it seemed to be about enough to improve, but not too much to lose interest.

10 games a year sure would have meant alot more whiffle, rolled-up-sock-ball in the living room.

I have one question---if you begin playing in "tournaments" with a World Series in view when do the 6 year olds have time to be 6 years olds and play in the dirt with trucks etc.

That aside how do you teach 6 yr olds the basics of the game if you are prepping for tournaments every weekend and if you practice how long are the practice sessions ?---most 6 year olds have an attention span of 30 minutes at the most

Do they check for steroids at this age?

Full physical required--- the squeeze the diaper for the samples

Remember the kids did not come up with this idea

Will/Bama

When you get the chance call me---you will be quite amazed at what he told me--scares the bejeebers out of me

Tom Rizzi
www.collegeselect.org
800-782-3672

Remember the real objective of the tournaments is fund raising. The younger the kids the more fans, Dad, Mom, Siblings, Grand Parents, Aunts, Uncles.... you get the picture. I watch a machine pitch state championship going on behind the 14-15 state championship tournament and the fan base was about 4 to 1. The yelling on the machine pitch side was like a 3rd world s....r game. I guess everybody got what they wanted so it was win win for everybody.

You can teach fundamentals to 6 yo. I used to hand out stickers for kids that did drills correctly and rewarded all regardless with a less valuable prize. Drills: Show me your fielding stance, run through 1st base by holding out a treat past the bag, hitting the dot I drew on the ball while on a tee, going to the correct position. We had a blast. Kids are sponges and they learn from repetition. AAU starts Nationals at age 8U. The "U" stands for under and I'm sure there are many 7 yo and a couple of 6 yo that will play in that tournament. I used to have a couple of 12 yo that towered over all my other players. They were the "Studs". Now 6 years later both are out of the game becuase 1) they stopped growing 2) They thought they would stay ahead of everyone else and everybody passed them because they quit working on their game. The most important part is having fun, no matter if your 6 or 60.

Tom I know this guy and I agree, it is scary

Alot of talk about when this starts. Just so people will not think it is only a Texas thing, when my boys were 6 years old they played on a Coach Pitch team in Alabama that was part of the Dixie Youth organization. At the end of the season there was a sub-district and district tournament for all star teams. This is alot different than a travel team but still traveled to tournaments at the end of the year.

These were very competitive tournaments. The kids in these leagues did not play t-ball but coach pitch at 5 years old.

The 7/8 league was a kid pitch league.