NTIS Tryout Fees Are A RipOff

USA Baseball receives no money from the Federal
Government.

Also, even though they are the governing body of baseball. They receive no monies from their membership organizations (Little League, Dixie, Pony, AABC, etc.)

The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) does not recieve continuous funding for itself and umbrella organizations, but it does recieve funding in years when the games are held here (or if a bid is competitive).

USA Baseball collects membership fees according to its financial statement and further noted that it made $81,000 on the Tournament of Stars in 2007. Further, if the various named organizations are paying for the participants in the Tournament of Stars, USA Baseball should include these monies as donations or member costs.

Having a monopoly on all US baseball, membership and sponsorship fees are collected.

Like any good non-profit, the costs of staff and other outlays for the full year offset the amount taken in.

Most Little League and high school parents that I ask have never heard of USA Baseball outside of the World Baseball Classic or when we had baseball as an olympic sport.

Stinks for me I guess I am taking my son to one tommorrow!

quote:

Originally posted by Quincy:
trying out for any of our national teams should be free at the 14 and 16 levels.

Not getting what you are trying to communicate.

Do they charge now for final tryouts?

Or did you mean that the tournaments where they pick the candidates from should be free?

You also made a statment in another thread about teams representing the USA, do they do that now or still pick the candidates from those teams? How much to they (the teams) charge for entry?

Many years ago (when it was a bit less to run tournaments) we each paid about 60-70 dollars to be on a team at the tourney. Son got handed a free ticket (one of 4 from that team) to Houston all expenses paid for a week to tryout. He never made the youth team, but what an investment that was!

I am not understanding your point.

There is on average a $200 fee for these tryouts (evaluations). Eight players for each age will be chosen from the total numbers of tryouts nationwide to compete for the final rosters of each division (with the 14 exception as noted). The tryouts will be held at multiple regional sites across the nation.

The 2010 USA Baseball National Team Identification Series (NTIS) will consist of three separate age groups and will feature a total of 648 players. The event will be held Sept. 10-Sept. 12, 2010, and will be held at the USA Baseball National Training Complex and adjoining Thomas Brooks Park in Cary, N.C.

The three age groups (17U, 15U, 13U) within the 2010 event will be divided based on 2011 National Team (18U, 16U, 14U) aspirations. As per international guidelines, players competing in the NTIS in the three age groups must conform to the following:

• 2010 17U NTIS: born on or after Jan. 1, 1993, for the 2011 18U NT
• 2010 15U NTIS: born on or after Jan. 1, 1995, for the 2011 16U NT
• 2010 13U NTIS: born on or after Jan. 1, 1997, for the 2011 14U NT

From these three separate age groups, USA Baseball will name
a minimum of eight players to the 2011 18U National Team Trials (18U);
a minimum of eight players to the 2011 16U National Team Trials (16U); and
a minimum of 24 players to the 2011 14U National Team Trials.

While the NTIS is designed to supplement the existing programming being done at the 18U and 16U age groups, it will constitute the primary identification opportunity for the 14U National Team.

Boy, lots of emotions on this one. Here in CO you need to pay a fee to go to the try out for the local NTIS team. Then you have to pay a coaching fee and travel to go to the regional series in Utah. Honestly don't know what happens after that.

However, I will tell you that baseball expenses have gone thru the roof in the last 10 to 15 years as have travel s****r/camps, travel football/camps, virtually all youth sports.

Cities have figured out their fields are "profit centers" and "certified umpires" have figured out there's serious coin to be made.

My kid went to Jupiter FL last year where rain and the number of kids on the team (and the quality of the team)held him to 7 ABs over the course of the, can't remember, but certainly 7 day tournament. The most any one had was 8 ABs. The cost was well over $2K total. Live and learn.

I reckon the current recession might be a good thing as I hear certain organizations numbers are down.

The "cream" will rise to the top for sure but I'm kind of thinking that the old school method of picking a school(s), contacting the coach and asking his advice on when/where to show your stuff might be the way to go for the future.

Harv

My son was invited to tryout for the USA team here in KC and the fee is $179. If you make it past the local tryout, it's on to St. Louis for another tryout. Not sure what the cost is to continue beyond the first tryout but it just isn't worth the cost to me.

I guess that things have changed since son was invited to try out for USA youth team.

I also realize that costs for everything has risen over the years.

I also understand that when there is a need (parents wanting their sons/daughters to participate and be seen in the best tournies and events in the country) things will cost alot. You do what you can do, don't complain about it, or don't do it.

I still don't get Q's point.

quote:

Originally posted by TPM:
You do what you can do, don't complain about it, or don't do it.

I'm with TPM on this one...if you don't like it, exercise your right to not participate. That's a great lesson I have taught my kids many times over...your money is your voice of acceptance and withholding it is your voice of protest. My 17 year old knows enough to not put his money into something he believes is a "rip off". What does it say about people who believe something is a rip off and still spend their money there?

My point is simple.

The NTIS system has created a situation where parents are laying out approx $200 for Stage One of a Regional Selection process. This is a tryout, not a tournament. This is also money spent with no hope of making the national team that year.

The current Junior Olympics for 16 and under costs are similar to what TPM quoted since the player travels as part of a team. (Less than NTIS costs)

Parents seeing the USA Basrball NTIS advertisement could very easily believe that this is the usual process and thus usual cost. They may not know any better and could use another viewpoint on costs vs value.

So if a player is 13 or 15 and is a quality ball player, the parents can skip this entire NTIS process and just incur the costs of attending the usual process.

If a player is 17 and has not drawn attention, there is miniscule hope that they are the overlooked diamond in the rough that can compete with the shadow committee's Tournament of Stars picks. (Unless they are of suddenly apearing Dominican or Cuban players. Should citizenship or legal immigrant status be an issue?)

Quincy, your points on the costs and the process of the NTIS are well taken. The costs and efforts in getting to Cary for 8 trials spots do seem expensive. But what high level national baseball tournament isn't? If the only goal is to obtain one of the eight spots for the 2011 16's and 18's there are going to be many disappointed players and parents.

I see the NTIS searching for the best method for identifing the top players/canidates for Team USA. Making adjustments to their model is how they will achieve this. This year in N. Cal our local NTIS rep is hosting a three day showcase open to all players with college recruiters in attendance. That will provide value for the players not selected to advance. Cost $195. No further tryouts necessary. Additional team cost once you make the team $150. A large expense for us will be the travel and lodging.

Once you get an invite to the trials the future player costs are covered by Team USA. Patriot Son was fortunate enough last year to make it all the way to Ecuador. It certainly was an experience of a lifetime. Something that might never come around again. We are very gratefully to all involved and have nothing but praise for the way our son was treated from beginning to end.

NorCal Travel Baseball has been selected as the NTIS representative for your area. (Coincidence?)

They are advertisng the following tryouts

Regional Schedule

June 30; Manteca, Calif.; 13U
July 13; San Francisco, Calif.; 13U
July 15; Mather, Calif.; 13U
July 27; Final 13U Tryout
Aug 2-4; San Jose, Calif. (Prospect Games); 15U, 17U

Since NorCal has established teams at 16 and maybe 18, are these kids actually trying out for a NorCal NTIS team while NorCal will also send its organizational teams to the Junior Olympics. (Or will the NTIS team and organizational team be one and the same?)

What college coaches will be showing up for a 13 and under showcase?

Quincy,
To put it bluntly, your posts in this thread have been overwritten and under researched. You may want to look more closely at how the 14U NAtional team is chosen as compared to the 16U team.

Also:
NorcalTravelBaseball is an organization that hosts many youth tournaments throughout the year. NTCB has successfully taken over the operation of most tournaments here in Northern California.

NorCal Baseball is a College Development Program (I don't especially like that term, but it is more apt than most), and is probably better known across the country.

The two organizations are completely separate, and have only minor overlap in the functions they provide.

I find your post defensive and evasive of the subject, NTIS Tryout Fees.

To clarify for you, NTIS are tryouts for 'off year' players who are vying for a USA Baseball team in the next year after the NTIS particpated in.

It is far more cost effective to just join a team that participates in the Tournaments that have historically chosen the finalists and National Team (such as NorCal or the other regional representatives).

Further, the 13 year old can participate in the 14 year old competition as well as the 15 year old participating in the 16 competition.

The fees were a bit much when we did it last year. I think it was about 100 for the tournament for mountain baseball, then another 150 for the tryouts after the game. They let about everybody tryout. I think there were at least 100 kids in the 15U. Then anther 200 for the Utah tournament to pick a team. Not including hotels, food etc. Then another fee to go to NC. We passed on the NC part. Total cost just to go to NC from Phoenix was around 2 grand. It was fun. Son really wanted to go to NC, but the costs got crazy.

You need to just make a decision on the costs involved. The 14U team is picked from that tournament. My son was 15 so it didn't matter much.

Doughnutman,

You could have avoided the NTIS altogether by trying out for a local or Arizona team

All Star Baseball Academy...... AZ
Angels Amateur Baseball Program AZ
AZ Athletics................... AZ
AZ Clash A.P.S.T............... AZ
AZ Diamondbacks ................AZ
NuttyBuddy .....................AZ
PBA Storm-Red ..................AZ
PBA Storm-White ................AZ
SABA 520 Elite .................AZ
The Show 2012 ..................AZ

participating in the 16 and under West held in Glendale, Surprise and Peoria, Arizona.

Mountain West (UT) (NTIS Regional Representative for Colorado, Utah, Nevada,Arizona and New Mexico) seems to have allowed you to spend your money without educating you.

Quincy,
That was at the 2009 15U NTIS. We played for Nutty Buddy. My son played for NorCal this year at the 16U. Two completely different animals. NTIS and JO have almost nothing in common. In my opinion, NTIS is a complete waste of money and time unless your kid is a 14U.

It was fun. Had a great team from AZ in Utah. Totally dominant. You shoudl have seen the kids they picked to go to NC. It was silly. Politics galore.

Quincy,
Did you delete your PM? Good job. It was pretty silly. You should really think before you PM. If you hadn't noticed, I agreed with you that the fees were outrageous.

Update...Son got invited back to a 2 day Tier II event and the positive thing is that its only $59!!!

quote:

Originally posted by Doughnutman:
Quincy,
That was at the 2009 15U NTIS. We played for Nutty Buddy. My son played for NorCal this year at the 16U. Two completely different animals. NTIS and JO have almost nothing in common. In my opinion, NTIS is a complete waste of money and time unless your kid is a 14U.

It was fun. Had a great team from AZ in Utah. Totally dominant. You shoudl have seen the kids they picked to go to NC. It was silly. Politics galore.

Being on a team that participates at the Junior Olympics already enables the player to tryout for the national team.

I wasn't being sily or saying 'gotcha', just enlightening parents. You seemed to have taken my PM as a Gotcha. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

The point of my message was that as a 15 year old there was no need to attend the NTIS when he could have played for his team (16 and under) at no additional cost.

Selling an illusion for between year players to tryout at greater costs seems to be taking advantage of parents.

quote:

Originally posted by Quincy:
NorCal Travel Baseball has been selected as the NTIS representative for your area. (Coincidence?)

They are advertisng the following tryouts

Regional Schedule

June 30; Manteca, Calif.; 13U
July 13; San Francisco, Calif.; 13U
July 15; Mather, Calif.; 13U
July 27; Final 13U Tryout
Aug 2-4; San Jose, Calif. (Prospect Games); 15U, 17U

Since NorCal has established teams at 16 and maybe 18, are these kids actually trying out for a NorCal NTIS team while NorCal will also send its organizational teams to the Junior Olympics. (Or will the NTIS team and organizational team be one and the same?)

What college coaches will be showing up for a 13 and under showcase?

Quincy, Norcal Travel Ball, aka NCTB, run by Adam Farb, is a different organization than Norcal Baseball Club. NCTDB does the USA Baseball NTIS stuff here in Northern CA, but Norcal is an organization comprised of 4 or 5 teams. Different groups, nearly same name.

NorCal is a location. There are teams that have state or city names as their titles that are unrelated to each other.

The bottom line is that parents who send their kids to the NTIS are paying twice the amount than kids who are participating in the Junior Olympics at the 16 and under group.

It isn't clear if the 14 and under tournament has been done away with, but I doubt it.

It's your money.