Moving to a new travel team for more college exposure...at 10U!!

Yappi

Go Buckeyes
I really enjoy softball and think it is a great sport. The one downside like other travel sports is the player movement. There are some that have real reasons for moving. Others, not so much. But today I heard a new one. A relatively successful local team is losing players because the parents are looking for more college exposure for their 10 year old player!! They think getting on a "name" team at 10 years old will lead to a better chance at college.

I'm guessing any player that has legitimate college aspirations will be able to find a true college prep team when they are 14. Moving teams at 10 years old with an eye on getting on a college coach's radar is just silly. No college coach cares about any 10 year old anywhere. They wait until they are teenagers to see if their size and skill are college level. Probably more kids out of softball by 16 that move to these "college prep" teams at 10 years old then actually go on to play in college. Dropout rate in softball is dramatic and it is mostly on the unrealistic parents.
 
 
I hate to say this but kind of see their point. It's easier to break into that type of team at age 10 than age 15. I knew someone who had her daughter play on a lasers team at age 9 just in case she decided one day to be recruited, with the thought it would be harder to get on a team like that later on. Having said that, it's crazy to think college coaches are looking at kids that young. My 16 year old daughter doesn't want to play in college so her B level team is perfect for her and she's having fun.
 
I hate to say this but kind of see their point. It's easier to break into that type of team at age 10 than age 15. I knew someone who had her daughter play on a lasers team at age 9 just in case she decided one day to be recruited, with the thought it would be harder to get on a team like that later on. Having said that, it's crazy to think college coaches are looking at kids that young. My 16 year old daughter doesn't want to play in college so her B level team is perfect for her and she's having fun.
It would be interesting to see the turnover of the "elite" teams from 10 to 15. I suspect that a slightly better player comes along playing a certain position and that new player will bump the current player. Just the nature of the beast.

Girls that have talent that college coaches are looking for have a pretty easy time finding a spot on an elite team whether they are 10 or 15. The difference is that many kids get on these teams thinking the world of recruiting will open up for them but gets chewed up and spit out by the machine.

I've already seen a few girls that thought the grass was greener, made the move, only to find out that it meant fewer reps at their position. Being the 4th pitcher on an elite team basically means you aren't a pitcher anymore.
 
It would be interesting to see the turnover of the "elite" teams from 10 to 15. I suspect that a slightly better player comes along playing a certain position and that new player will bump the current player. Just the nature of the beast.

Girls that have talent that college coaches are looking for have a pretty easy time finding a spot on an elite team whether they are 10 or 15. The difference is that many kids get on these teams thinking the world of recruiting will open up for them but gets chewed up and spit out by the machine.

I've already seen a few girls that thought the grass was greener, made the move, only to find out that it meant fewer reps at their position. Being the 4th pitcher on an elite team basically means you aren't a pitcher anymore.
Turnover is very high. I watched a pretty good 12u team grow and develop, by the time they were in 18u they had one kid from the original roster and had become an elite team (ASA state champs in 16u and top 4 at several national tournaments including the Junior Olympic Cup). As they got older, many kids realized they weren't good enough to play the level of college ball they thought they wanted to play or they simply decided that they didn't really want to play college ball at all. A lot of work goes into getting recruited. Emails to coaches, social media pages dedicated to recruiting, videos, camps, travel and that's not to mention the actual work most kids have to put in to be elite at their position. Add that into to college showcase tourney's that start on Thursday or Friday and run through Sunday and a lot of kids just get burned out. Parents too. 99% of kids don't get recruited because a coach shows up to a game and realizes that kid is the best player on the field. One of the things that elite programs tend to do better is put kids on the right path to get recruited. It's a lot of work. Most times the player has to find the school and not the other way around. With that being said, the only benefits to joining an elite team at a young age is to play in the best tournaments at a young age against the best competition and like @Moacmama said establishing yourself on an elite team at a young age to hold that spot for the future. The downside can be the grind of playing a national schedule at such a young age and the constant turnover of the roster on teams like that.
 
Not softball, but I know of a kid who has been on 4 different teams the last four summers.

Good kid, but his dad....geesh. He is a piece of work and it started the very first weekend of games he was on the team.
 
Not softball, but I know of a kid who has been on 4 different teams the last four summers.

Good kid, but his dad....geesh. He is a piece of work and it started the very first weekend of games he was on the team.
We had a girl on our team in 14u that was on 4 different teams in ONE calendar year. From my experience, as the girls got older the better teams tend to shy away from those girls. Not all but the majority don't want to deal with the constant threat of moving on when things don't go their way.
 
Most of your elite teams in Ohio... Outlaws, Lasers, Doom, Hawks, Stingrays etc. do not develop talent or grow it....They hold tryouts every fall and pick up players from the lesser teams /organizations to fill their voids...Fact...
 
I really enjoy softball and think it is a great sport. The one downside like other travel sports is the player movement. There are some that have real reasons for moving. Others, not so much. But today I heard a new one. A relatively successful local team is losing players because the parents are looking for more college exposure for their 10 year old player!! They think getting on a "name" team at 10 years old will lead to a better chance at college.

I'm guessing any player that has legitimate college aspirations will be able to find a true college prep team when they are 14. Moving teams at 10 years old with an eye on getting on a college coach's radar is just silly. No college coach cares about any 10 year old anywhere. They wait until they are teenagers to see if their size and skill are college level. Probably more kids out of softball by 16 that move to these "college prep" teams at 10 years old then actually go on to play in college. Dropout rate in softball is dramatic and it is mostly on the unrealistic parents.
What team or organization is promoting a 10Ucollege exposure team? I would like to check out that organization and team and report back..
 
Where do 10U College Exposure Teams go to play? What Fast Pitch Tournament Association or Group “runs” 10U College exposure Tournaments?
 
What team or organization is promoting a 10Ucollege exposure team? I would like to check out that organization and team and report back..
Not sure if the teams are advertising themselves this way. This is more about parents that think their 10 year olds team actually has any chance of being seen by colleges.
 
Not sure if the teams are advertising themselves this way. This is more about parents that think their 10 year old's team actually has any chance of being seen by colleges.
Got ya, Yeah There were several college exposure events here in Ohio that would have a 10U / 12U division of play to bring in the $$$$$$. They usually played at a completely different park than the big girls...
 
Most of your elite teams in Ohio... Outlaws, Lasers, Doom, Hawks, Stingrays etc. do not develop talent or grow it....They hold tryouts every fall and pick up players from the lesser teams /organizations to fill their voids...Fact...
Same with baseball.
 
Soft all use the same buzz words as baseball? All scout. Showcase. Scout at all sites¿. Send stats to 100 college coaches?

BFD.

It's all about the Benjamin's baby
 
This very topic makes me cringe. I would like to see the turnover not only of softball, but the overall turnover rate of kids who did one sport at such a young age and if they even played for their high school team, especially girls.
I've seen it happen way too many times. These kids get into organized sports before age 10 and by the time they are 15, they are done. Folks pay attention to your kids and how they are socially. Don't allow them to only have sports friends. It's way too much and it's a recipe for disaster. I'm very fortunate that my daughter was a good athlete, but good at a variety of sports and didn't want to just hone in on one.
And the other thing, if you think your daughter is getting exposure for college at age 10, cut it out. You have no idea how they are going to develop, if they are even going to want to play beyond high school and for what? To be a walk on or get a partial scholarship? Think of the thousands and thousands of dollars you'll spend until they even get to that point and you'll have paid a good chunk of their college. D1's around here don't even give full rides.
Let your kid enjoy the sport.
 
Turnover is very high. I watched a pretty good 12u team grow and develop, by the time they were in 18u they had one kid from the original roster and had become an elite team (ASA state champs in 16u and top 4 at several national tournaments including the Junior Olympic Cup). As they got older, many kids realized they weren't good enough to play the level of college ball they thought they wanted to play or they simply decided that they didn't really want to play college ball at all. A lot of work goes into getting recruited. Emails to coaches, social media pages dedicated to recruiting, videos, camps, travel and that's not to mention the actual work most kids have to put in to be elite at their position. Add that into to college showcase tourney's that start on Thursday or Friday and run through Sunday and a lot of kids just get burned out. Parents too. 99% of kids don't get recruited because a coach shows up to a game and realizes that kid is the best player on the field. One of the things that elite programs tend to do better is put kids on the right path to get recruited. It's a lot of work. Most times the player has to find the school and not the other way around. With that being said, the only benefits to joining an elite team at a young age is to play in the best tournaments at a young age against the best competition and like @Moacmama said establishing yourself on an elite team at a young age to hold that spot for the future. The downside can be the grind of playing a national schedule at such a young age and the constant turnover of the roster on teams like that.
And I think it's more of kids maturing. It's really difficult to tell if a 10 year old is even going to be interested in playing ball when they get to high school, let alone college. In my experience with girls, by they time many of these "elite" atheletes are 15-16 years old, they don't want to do it anymore. Classic burnout. They can drive, they want boyfriends and to hang out.
 
This very topic makes me cringe. I would like to see the turnover not only of softball, but the overall turnover rate of kids who did one sport at such a young age and if they even played for their high school team, especially girls.
I've seen it happen way too many times. These kids get into organized sports before age 10 and by the time they are 15, they are done. Folks pay attention to your kids and how they are socially. Don't allow them to only have sports friends. It's way too much and it's a recipe for disaster. I'm very fortunate that my daughter was a good athlete, but good at a variety of sports and didn't want to just hone in on one.
And the other thing, if you think your daughter is getting exposure for college at age 10, cut it out. You have no idea how they are going to develop, if they are even going to want to play beyond high school and for what? To be a walk on or get a partial scholarship? Think of the thousands and thousands of dollars you'll spend until they even get to that point and you'll have paid a good chunk of their college. D1's around here don't even give full rides.
Let your kid enjoy the sport.
These are good points. I was fortunate to have a daughter who pitched, so she got close to a full ride and if things go well we will recoup the money we spent on travel ball and then some. On the other hand, I saw many a parent dish out the same kind of money we did for their daughter to get a few thousand dollars to play ball. Being involved in things outside of softball, or whatever sport is your focus is vital. My daughter was a softball only kid, but she was on student council, the yearbook committee, attended many, many football and basketball games and always stayed active at school. She really had 2 sets of friends throughout high school. Softball friends and school friends with almost no overlap. To play at that elite level you really, really have to love the game. Otherwise, have your kid stay on a local team, play in local tournaments, live a life outside the game, but still enjoy the game while they can.
 
These are good points. I was fortunate to have a daughter who pitched, so she got close to a full ride and if things go well we will recoup the money we spent on travel ball and then some. On the other hand, I saw many a parent dish out the same kind of money we did for their daughter to get a few thousand dollars to play ball. Being involved in things outside of softball, or whatever sport is your focus is vital. My daughter was a softball only kid, but she was on student council, the yearbook committee, attended many, many football and basketball games and always stayed active at school. She really had 2 sets of friends throughout high school. Softball friends and school friends with almost no overlap. To play at that elite level you really, really have to love the game. Otherwise, have your kid stay on a local team, play in local tournaments, live a life outside the game, but still enjoy the game while they can.
You have a great perspective and should share it with any and all. Yes, D1 schools do have scholarships, and yes, kids do get them. But it takes the dedication - both by the kid and financially by you to make that happen. And there are no guarantees. And you have a lifetime of memories that money can't buy. I wish I could say that all of these situations turn out this good, but you're the exception. Congratulations!
 
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