Great post, TRhit. And fillsfan, truer words have never been spoken.
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I think one of the biggest frustrations can be communication between the team and the player/parents. A lot of parents, myself included, are wandering if the travel/exposure is paying off. Meaning, are people noticing.
If a team gets calls about a player the player and family should know. It doesn't have to be everyday but at practice or a weekly call with new info can alleviate some of the stress or pressure we experience.
I remember my son's travel coach sharing that he had just gotten off the phone with a JUCO coach asking about my son. Another time, the travel coach passed on what another college coach had said about my son at a tournament: "I hear that [John] is having a great week." The feedback was so encouraging.
Some parents complained that the director of the travel program did not communicate enough with them, but then again, they rarely took it upon themselves to communicate with him or ask him for feedback. Conversely, we communicated with him via email almost weekly throughout our son's recruiting summer and developed a great relationship with him. I'll never forget the day he forwarded an email he wrote to a college coach promoting our son, followed by the coach's response: "Thank you for the email. I really appreciate your assessment of [John] - you have always been very honest with us in the past so we take what you say very seriously. We are planning on having [John] come on an official visit....."
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As far as money goes, like anything else we buy, if someone feels they are getting value for the money they don't mind spending it. Once you feel you are being taken advantage of or not getting what you expected or were told, it's time to move on.
Indeed, some travel teams can make you feel like you're being taken advantage of. Following is an email I received from the parent of a player who had just finished his recruiting summer -- and btw did quite well with BA and ERA when he got to play:
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[Billy] played second fiddle to the more spotlighted players this summer, to the extent that the last tournament for example he only dh'ed some and didn't play one inning in the field. He normally only pitched around 4 closing innings a tournament when all the scouts had left. I was pretty much fit to be tied all summer over this, with the belief that the goal of these teams is to showcase the boys in order for them to play at the next level. I am very frustrated that some are afterthoughts, considering I paid the same amount as everyone else, and as far as innings in the field went....this summer averaged out to about $75 an inning! Not counting any travel or other incurred expenses.....just the team fee divided by innings played. I don't understand how anyone would think that this is an ok situation. I understand in a HS or College game situation where you play who you think who will get the job done for you, but this was just about putting the favorites out front and the rest get crumbs.
