I agree, there are a ton of options. The low-end travel teams can be local teams going to a few tournaments outside the region. The way its going, all pro players are going to be rich, white kids from the suburbs, or [they will be] Dominican or Venezuelan, one major league front office analyst told me. Dont sacrifice your sons childhood on the altar of the hope that hes the next Derek Jeter. Set the example for the kids. I pray that God keeps me humble and rightly focused. I have been wanting to put my son on a travel team. If I was in the big leagues, my summers (and falls, and springs) would be dominated by an unrelenting schedule leaving no opportunity to coach my kids teams. FieroCoug. (on which more below). Little League International respects the rights of a parent(s), or legal guardian(s), to allow a child to participate in any Little League activity. I just watched a program not too long ago on the rise of Tommy johns surgeries. For every 10 players that are forced to play at the highest level for their age, 6-8 will quit by the time they get into high school. I stayed with the Little League program because I was told that for my sons 7-year-old season, there would be kid pitching. My older brother played sports from t-ball to college, probably would have went pro if he hadnt hurt his shoulder (yes, he was THAT good, Im not just saying it, he had an unhittab,e curve ball), but the decision was made when he first started that God and His church would always come first, and he would not play if there was a conflict between his first priority and the game. Little League Baseball and Softball. Skip to main content Toggle navigation menu. However, Little League International also has the right to limit participation in its activities to players who comply with its rules, regulations, and policies. Again, like you said, church should not be sacrificed by families of 8, 10, and 12-year olds, and oftentimes not even by families of high-schoolers. Are those stewardship issues as well? I had to pay a sign-up fee of $750. Additionally, they will probably have fewer injuries and enjoy the competition more. Jim, Think brands like Mercedes-Benz. They need to run and jump and exercise other muscles than the ones required by baseball. The pitchers pitched far more balls than strikes. Several thoughts on that: Their chances are greater for continuing their sporting lives, whether at college or recreationally as adults, if they arent burnt out on competition by the time they turn 18or 13, as Ive seen occur far too often. I appreciate that. Fall 2022 Season Focus. And I hope all who read my question realize that there is no 1 correct answer for everyone. Extend your season, make sure that all teams are drafted equally. The following year was about the same. Guess what; we still talk about baseball. For some may not even be an issue. As of now, we do believe that we are pursing the wisest course. Its not for every child or family, but we have enjoyed allowing our child to play travel ball, at least today. Thank you for writing this. However, the main reason weve stuck with travel is the consistency that it offers. Many of the families on our team actually make it a family affair. Nowadays boys don't know how to catch at age 9-10. re: Little League Baseball Really is the Worst. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a 96-mile (154-kilometre) border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, the North Sea to the northeast and east, and the Irish Sea to . My daughter loves the game more now than ever before. Now, the league has grown a bit but has 190 kids playing travel ball, with multiple teams at 12u, 14u, 16u, and 18u. Yes, Major League Baseball has its RBI Program to return baseball to urban fields. little league field, killing 1 . However, as parents now of three young adult children we handled sports for them in a much different way than the current culture dictates. Thanks for sharing them. . And if I had any skill to make some of that money working in baseball, I wouldnt have a day job. You are spot on with all your assertions, and I wish Id been able to absorb something like this when my oldest two were starting out. T-ball, Biddy, "Little League", and Teener League baseball programs for the Tamaqua Area. I think it does need to be approached carefully and prayerfully, especially with the demands on the family and commitments that call us away from the church. I know because I was her coach for years. It's a vicious cycle. God will open doors to tell others about Christ as we are faithful to follow Him. And for the good of rec ball leagues everywhere, for the good of your family, and for the good of your kids, I would urge you to avoid travel ball until the kid is old enough to commit to a more demanding regimen. I could be wrong. I don't have to tell you that millions of Americans just simply can't afford that. I spent my 20s laying the foundation for what Im doing with the rest of my life, not bouncing around in the minor leagues. We have the pressure of middle school tryouts being in 2 years, and we wanted to make sure that he did well at those tryouts. You all make very good points to consider. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. They learn more socially because they have different teammates for each sport and different roles. No doubt there are exceptions, but I havent personally witnessed one. Travel ball, by contrast, is not cheap participation fees average about $2,000 per player per year. Messages conveyed: We parents need to pray daily about what messages we are sending our children by the sports or other activities we have them in. After my first year of it in college, I found that what had been so fun because I had the opportunity to look forward to it in the off season, or even on days between practice or games, began to feel like a dreaded obligation that consumed a significant portion of every day. Harford County Travel Baseball League: Sports league web site provided and hosted free of charge by LeagueLineup.com - The Youth and Amateur Sports Portal! (Explained In Detail! Dont get me wrong: I love competition. They open/close each practice and game with prayer and are not overwhelming us with lots of games. And thats where the travel baseball jumps in as currently the surest path to the higher level of the game. After all, theres a reason why the closing scene of Field of Dreams is so poignant. Fifth, a child can play travel ball while a family is still committed to church. I had worked with him quite a lot prior to that. AVONDALE LITTLE LEAGUE 10720 W Indian School Road, #19 PMB-137 Phoenix, Arizona 85037 Email: registerinfo.avll@gmail.com The best outcomes were consistently when we stayed in the local rec leagues. Some of the thoughts overlap what was already said. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. I am offering these thoughts for parents who are considering whether to put their kids on a competitive team, or a travel-ball team, or a tournament team, or whatever it may be called in your sport and locale. 6 year olds should play a season of teeball before signing up for Prep. The travel ball system is no different. We dont have Sunday games and Id venture that shes in the lower end of competitive teams. Now, this doesnt mean that her coach and teammates like it, but we have found that our commitment has opened the door for spiritual conversations. My Kids Dont Play Sports Added together, the average cost per player for a season must be well over $1,000. Its only my observation of course but many areas in life are dog eat dog competitive, as it were. Covering Phoenix, Mesa, Glendale, Scottsdale, Gilbert, the valley . My son had the same coach as the year prior. Thankfully, we have a great group of players, coaches, and families. I have a neighbor who constantly pesters me about our childrens sports involvement level-rec. Until more teams see value in helping the game at home, this problem for the entire sport will continue. Any player or team that does so may be declared ineligible for further participation in Little League for that year, by action of the Tournament Committee or Charter Committee in Williamsport. Fourth, travel ball is expensive, but so are the other activities in which many parents place their children like show choir and band. Families who thought the Sunday game was no big deal slowly dropped out of church because sports came first. The piece in America by John W. Miller posits that America sold out Little League through the widespread adoption of high-dollar travel baseball: The father on the phone was upset. This is decided by the player's ability from the previous year of play and/or how they look in tryouts. Despite not playing travel ball until high school, he got several offers and ended up playing for a highly regarded D1 program. Little League now includes a senior division for players age 13 to 15 and a big-league division for age 16 to 18. D.A.s or District staff are encouraged to work with the leagues in their district to provide combined district travel teams, establish player pools, and find ways for all players interested to have an opportunity to . Unlike travel baseball, Little League is mostly a local affair and is organized with a lot of effort and goodwill from the locals. It can be a huge change in commitment, skill level, and dedication depending on the type of team and price you go into. (Also, the boy could really hit. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. Second, recreation leagues can be just as competitive and demanding as travel ball, but doesnt have the same season length. I thought I had found the answer. I played college baseball and never once played Travel Ball in the summer until I was 17. Please dont mortgage your home on a dream that your kid might be good enough to go pro. Our hope as parents is that they think of themselves first as members of Gods family and then our family, and then perhaps as an athlete, etc., after that. All of the travel players MUST play rec ball. After all, theres a reason why the closing scene of. While many are still from the south, many are from upper-middle to upper-class backgrounds, with their appropriate support systems. We havent broken the bank, we attend church on Wednesdays is we know we will be traveling too far to attend on Sunday (otherwise we go on Sundays), and the kids are all great friends. How does a big leaguer have a family? The percentages are outrageous. I wanted to play all the time, until I got to college and had to do so. Just last year, I finished your work Gods Glory in Salvation through Judgment. Were seeing some growth in her skills and she loves the game. I needed a break, and I wanted to be a counselor at a Christian camp that summer (Kanakuk). 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