My thoughts written here veer away from the focus of recreational versus travel leagues as the original blog talks about, but include some areas to think about whichever route of competition you choose. However, as parents now of three young adult children we handled sports for them in a much different way than the current culture dictates. See caveats in opening and closing paragraphs. Was it really worth it? The statistics reported concerning the abandonment of the Christian Faith by christian young people before their sophomore year in college is overwhelming. Cant keep my almost 13 yr old from it since 5, and 3 yr old hits a large bucket of real balls off the tee by himself at the indoor facility in a cage while his brother hits in another. Top 5 Reasons Your Daughter Should Not Play Travel Softball Bottom line: give your kids a childhood theyll want to replicate with their own children not one theyll react against. 23 I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it. If you live in a big city, chances are that a good program is nearby. For the summer travel season, once teams are chosen, practices and games will start in May and go through to the end of July. You can argue all you want and say you go to church when you travel, but the first time you skip church because it interferes with game time, you have taught your child that a game is more important than worshipping God. Of course, we dont love giving up almost every Saturday to softball. Coaches are typically parents or grandparents, and the umpires are often volunteers. After speaking to a lot of college coaches, they agree. The irony is that if you dont value your commitment to church (and Christ) enough to pass on sports to commit to church, you arent likely to step out and preach the gospel at the sports events either. . Back in the day, if you played travel softball, you were a serious player striving to become an elite athlete, and you had the full intention of playing in college. I give you a big Amen! We dont win Non-Christians by showing them how little we care about worship and the assembly of believers, we win them through honoring God as better than all other appetites. Maybe its you? My weekend routine typically looked something like this for travel ball: In other words, its a lot of time on the road. We must show them how to live well so that they may flourish and worship what is enduring. The fear that if children dont specialize in one sport by eighth grade they will miss opportunities is unfounded. Unlike recreational softball, travel teams don't play a set number of games every season. Have a frank family conversation about these sacrifices and whether you are willing to make them. Even though my son showed to every practice and gave 100% effort, it didnt matter. The answer to that question depends on two main things: her love for the game and your wallet! Out of these two scenarios, could you handle the 2nd scenario? Also, since most teams only have one practice per week, theres an expectation that additional work is being done outside of practice. Thankfully, this was a better fit for all of us. With all of that said, here are some things you need to know about competitive travel softball. Of course, we dont love those miserable weather days where its cold and wet. Encourage her to work even harder to earn playing time. You have to be selfless and extremely hard-working. Hitting, pitching and defensive skills should be worked on roughly four days a week. He was selected and after spending money on uniforms, dues, tournaments, he was cut from the team because he had a slump in his batting. Its only my observation of course but many areas in life are dog eat dog competitive, as it were. Car pool or fund transportation for those who cant get their children on time. Yes, there are ways to make this lifestyle a little more affordable (check out used gear at places like SidelineSwap, Ebay, or take some tips from our post here on bats) but regardless of how much you cut the costs, you will still be paying a decent amount of money to be doing this. Check out: The Nehemiah Institute (nehemiahinstitute.com) Also, parents may not have a realistic view of how talented their son or daughter is in sports, often over or underestimating their abilities. We dont win Non-Christians by loving them more than we love God and his glory. Stealing home: How travel teams are eroding community baseball Then of course you have everything for your player to use at home to practice like hitting nets, tees, practice balls, medicine balls, balance boards, etc. You accept the fact that today you will be cold, wet, sleepy, and possibly moody. The most elite tournament teams (especially at the high school level) travel the farthest and play the most. Not criticizing anyone not on same path, but if they want it, you wont stop them. Or are they truly passionate about the sport? Joining a travel team is definitely demanding, and not just for your kid. My daughter loves the game more now than ever before. If the coaches seem wishy-washy about these topics, dont offer straightforward answers, or seem like they just dont want to be bothered with the questions, thats a red flag. How do I know which is best for my daughter? Since you are spending so much time with your teammates, long-term friendships are formed more likely than on a rec ball team. Have fun with sports, and use it to build character, not dream-castles in the skies. It all depends on what attitude you approach it with. (Not that we did everything right by any means!!) Lack of skill It's not easy to admit that you or someone you love is not good enough for something. Applaud effort and celebrate results for both dugouts. They dont need to have baseball practice every week all year long, and you dont need to be their taxi for that every week all year long either. Are those stewardship issues as well? We asked our Facebook and Twitter fans what the most frequent problem in baseball and softball were and we noticed there was a very popular answer among parents, and players: Daddy Ball. Do I think you are sinning if your kid plays travel ball? For others, it can wreak havoc. I grew up wanting to be a major league baseball player, and Im so glad I never even got drafted. He was athletic and had the potential to play college baseball, so we finally enrolled him in travel ball after his freshman year in high school. But its also a major commitment, so its important to think carefully about what kind of program is best in your specific situation. Personally, if I could have done things differently I would have kept my child in the rec leagues but I guess Im not sure if she would have learned to pursue excellence in the manner she did had she done so. I was sad when the team cut me from the roster, but I was also relieved. You also accept the fact that this may be a long day and that the next time you touch that warm bed could be 3 am the next morning if you make it to the championship. Jun 8, 2016. There doesnt have to be a life lesson constantly pointed out. My son is 11u, and this fall was his first (and possibly final) season of travel ball. Travel expenses also can become considerable. On the diamond. PAY FOR QUALITY UMPIRES, make sure you have enough umpires for all games and have them supported by all involved. The physical and mental challenges of pursuing more than one sport is healthy in every respect. These reflections grow out of my own experience playing and coaching and watching other families. The regular season typically runs from March to May, with single games twice per week, and one or two practices per week. Softball programs usually get a team in fresh-off a summer season filled with travel softball games and practices. And if it means giving up travel ball, by all means give it up. Kids need to be challenged so they can grow. Q+A What is space debris and how dangerous is it? | Reuters Build this league and you will have travel on the decline. Theres a lot that goes into deciding what travel softball team to play for. This post seems a departure from your normal posting and writing. That means that even if your kid is the best thing since Babe Ruth, if he goes off to play major college baseball, the baseball team isnt paying all the expenses. If youre a parent who never played a sport competitively, you might not understand her desire to spend every waking hour at the ballpark. I had my schedule back. Ive alluded to this somewhat above. As a pastor, I require my daughter to be in church every Sunday, which means that she misses all Sunday games that interfere with worship. Not as organized- depending on the organization.
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