The kids were really good, but he made it! Being part of a team, no matter how long its for, isnt permanent, so as nice as it is to identify with activities that we love, we dont want them to define us or our kids. I appreciate the article. After looking at the tournament schedule, I realized Id miss days at work and the expenses would pile up. We enjoyed Upward for what it was and knew that it wasnt hugely competitive (for the most part). The only kind of baseball scholarship D1 programs offer is a partial one. I have seen it just recently in the church Im attending now. Participating in travel baseball will likely eat most of your free time. When we read books about how it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert on anything, it may wrongly motivate us to try to create little experts out of our kids by the time they graduate from high school. In addition to a spring season, PSLL offers a summer league, summer camps, fall ball, and a winter skills clinic. Were seeing some growth in her skills and she loves the game. What I got was disaster. Sabathia and the Upton Brothers have become big league players. All Rights Reserved. It seems to me that time comes in the mid to late teens, but thats going to be a judgment call . We decided to engage in travel ball because the coaching was better. Rec ball in many places is competitive. The majority of coaches in the Little League are volunteers, mostly recruited of the parent ranks. He didnt make the middle school team as only travel ball kids only made it. And I want to provide the best competitive opportunities I can for my own kids. Though parents are well-intentioned, often children are tired of pursuing what was once fun but has become a stressful climb to the next level of competition at the expense of other parts of their lives, or at the expense of joints injured by overuse. Thank you for sharing your experiences. My son had the same coach as the year prior. 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. Wow this article really spoke to me. Focusing on winning games is short-sighted and ignorant. Very good and same principles work for hockey too. I know because I was her coach for years. Besides the usual costs of buying bats, uniforms, cleats, and other equipment, there are team fees and the costs of fuel, accommodation, and dining. On the off-chance that your kid is a freak athlete with the arm strength, foot speed, power, stamina, and character, who gets all the right breaks at just the right time, chances are hell rise up through the ranks of rec ball rather than being groomed on the travel ball circuit. Travel baseball is very competitive, especially compared to recreational leagues. We have had a sub par experience, and I have that guilt every Sunday that we are at a tournament instead of honoring God in His house. After college, my husband played pro baseball for a while and I played on a national team. Brewers pitcher Andrew Kim (10) throws a ball towards the plate and a Giants batter during a game versus the Brewers for a Summerlin Little League North majors game at Trails Park Little. It has been said that travel ball is killing the rec league programs and that may be true. There are many benefits of pursuing sports excellence, travel like any other passion filled event children can participate can be an extremely beneficial. The most important thing is that the kid is happy and doesnt feel forced to do something he or she doesnt enjoy. Awards. The closest Little League organization to Pasadena now is in Davidsonville, 23 miles away. Yes, I need Sunday fellowship and worship. When I was playing at Arkansas, none of my teammates had a full ride from the baseball program. Truthfully, we have gotten better instruction and development at a Rec ball/All Star level. I could now study what I wanted to study, and my classes were no longer determined by baseball practice. Im sure that's true for some but once kids get to high school, travel ball. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. As a mom of a 10 year old girl who has played both travel and rec softball we have seen first hand the pros and cons of both. 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. Dads get into it for a little better competition not meaning for it to take over their lives, and the next thing they know their schedule and wallet are dominated by travel ball. He is 11, athletic, fast on his feet , 4'9" 75 pounds average size for his age. (Answered! 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 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 was recently Contemplating to start travel ball from my son recently and for some reason Ive been holding back . I dont believe in definitive s. Christians are Christians because we worship what is true. For decades, NASCAR was a working class, southern sport. Its only my observation of course but many areas in life are dog eat dog competitive, as it were. Josh McDowells The Last Christian Generation God will open doors to tell others about Christ as we are faithful to follow Him. A dad refusing to help his son become a baseball player because hes not a fielding dad?. Scratch. 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. Generally speaking, these parents dont do the Sunday sports to evangelize. I support you with useful and actionable information about softball and baseball. Honestly, in the sport of football, it may be most perpetuated by mothers, though from the . I was glad he played Tee Ball, and I looked forward to the following year when I assumed there would be some kid pitching. Little League to . However, as parents now of three young adult children we handled sports for them in a much different way than the current culture dictates. Third, most days my family enjoys family travel ball, together. And you should. Falls Church Klwanis Little League. I chase my boys all over creation and its very taxing in many ways. As Little League has declined, travel baseball has grown. Check out: The Nehemiah Institute (nehemiahinstitute.com) LL was the emphasis, there were only a couple of travel teams. I agree, there are a ton of options. Its better to honor God than to win, and its better for your kid to enjoy the game than for him to play at the highest possible level. NOW PLAYING: little-league-player-surprised-after-marine-dad-takes-the-mound Stoneman Douglas vs Doral Baseball 2-28-2023 Scorebook Live We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Is it more important than being at church on Sunday morning? Steven_Ellis February 21, 2015, 12:46pm #1. It was good for us a s a family although the wallet didnt think so. All of the travel players MUST play rec ball. My son is 11u, and this fall was his first (and possibly final) season of travel ball. Well, this certainly diverged off the main topic of traveling versus rec sports, but I hope it provides a little more to talk about, especially among family members. Travel Ball Travel ball softball is the next step up from recreational softball. They work the young players harder, but the result is better player development. Well, there wasnt. Because COVID, This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. The pitchers pitched far more balls than strikes. Travel ball is being on the right team, knowing the right people, and working on your skill set; not that much different from academic pursuits really and more so I suppose. My husband also was a quarterback at a Big 10 university, and my dad was a football coach, but we both chose to direct our son away from football and into other sports because of the enormous risk of injury, especially head injury. You may be betting on the kid getting a scholarship. I disagree with the idea that the sport is entirely a white elitist sport. After all, scores of players are of Latin American descent, including some of the games top superstars. 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. We pick and choose how much we want to play, spend, etc and have been very successful in several states. Really great article Dr. Hamilton! Well, at registration, I learned my leagues Board of Directors decided to use a pitching machine for 7-year-olds, and that MAYBE toward the end of the season, there MIGHT be some kid pitch. If I show my kids church is optional but reach the other parents, Ive failed. Its about the fact that fewer and fewer kids are playing baseball every year. Confused! How do you help your childs best come out, leaving the potential open for higher levels of competition, while avoiding the possible detriments of rigorous levels of the sport? 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. Do you want to miss the younger kids games and practices? I think "specialization" is killing certain sports in local markets, it depends. Id bet if you polled the MLB players the vast majority of them would agree. Do the social aspects improve their values and stimulate great discussions at home, or lead them away from family?). Some of the thoughts overlap what was already said. Congrats to the 3524663635357 travel ball teams playing in a "World Series" this week or the next couple of weeks. Posted on May 21, 2022 by . If non-Christians are playing travel ball on Sundays and all the Christians are in church with other Christians, how will the Christians win the non-Christians to Christ? Be a parent. Do they enjoy it or is it a drudge? Bud Norris, who pitches for the Houston Astros, played in Novato North LL, from Tee Ball through seniors. They need to run and jump and exercise other muscles than the ones required by baseball. Obviously, I dont buy into the idea of late-stage capitalism. . Now, the league has grown a bit but has 190 kids playing travel ball, with multiple teams at 12u, 14u, 16u, and 18u. But besides that, if you are a Christian parent, the absolute worst thing you can do is teach your kids that anything is more important than God. My sons high school teammate played in the minors for several years before being cut and at age 26, he is just now finishing college and trying to figure out what to do with his life. I don't have to tell you that millions of Americans just simply can't afford that. But over the years, the cost of entry has become more and more expensive. Eternity is at stake. On the other hand, if the goal is for the kid to have some fun while learning the fundamentals of baseball, Little League is the way to go. I dont know. . Little League. Baseball cant raise the dead, but Jesus will do just that when he returns to make this world into the new heavens and new earth. They would have to drive to another suburb for ball games. Little League baseball is a program organized by a non-profit organization based in Pennsylvania and it features local youth baseball competitions all over the world. See caveats in opening and closing paragraphs. This means that kids participating in travel tournaments get a chance to play with or against highly skilled and competitive players. I left registration, and pulled him from the Little League program. As more and more kids get involved in travel ball, the best players are taken out of the rec league. Nowadays, a lot of young athletes choose other sports over baseball and a lot of communities are experiencing a sharp decline in baseball participation. Its not the uniforms, its not bat flips or the lack thereof, its not the shift, its not the pace of play. little league field, killing 1 . March 28, 2014 -- A Little League coach and his family said they feared for their safety when their East Meadow, N.Y., neighbor terrorized them for a year with threatening anonymous letters because her son failed to make the summer travel team. Build this league and you will have travel on the decline. Our eldest, now six, is in her second year of playing though she has moved over to softball. Nor am I categorically condemning their decisions and choices. It always seems to happen with those families that God is really working with. The only time we had awful politics was before our team separated and we joined the head coach. After all, theres a reason why the closing scene of. If anything, there are more youth sports options for people to pick what works best for them, even though there are. We have commodified the play of millions of children intoa $19.2 billion business, weakening volunteer-based programs that promise affordable sports for all children. Here in our area not so much. I know that may sound weird working with a kid at such a young age, but his older brother played baseball, so he was always around. There have been times when our kids insisted that the entire family wear Orioles stuff. Get involved with the sports governing board and voice your opinion. Once he has gone through everyone, he will tell them to 'release' and they will throw the ball to the teammate across from them. I think the key is finding the right team and families. 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. I think this is an important topic that needs to be discussed. Nope, the good, serious players in most sports do both in high school. We are leaning strongly to go back to his Rec ball league that we enjoyed in the spring. Required fields are marked *. Very few will walk in my church doors on Sunday. Baseball exists not just because of the community's love of the game. And yes, they will see how I live and whats important to me the other 6 days a week; for better or worse. Travel ball is expensive but studying for class is free, and an SAT book is like 20 bucks. I hear this quite a bit. These are presented in the order in which I suspect most dads think about them, not in the order of importance I would rank them (#6 would be #1, and #4 would be #2). I wanted to play all the time, until I got to college and had to do so. They open/close each practice and game with prayer and are not overwhelming us with lots of games. Having coached both my sons in travel an rec ball, and being on the board of our local rec league, serving as president for several years. . However, players who do participate in any non-Little League activity, and miss games or practices because of such participation, may be suspended or dismissed from their Little League team by action of the local Little League Board of Directors. Tha KS alot for all your insight!!! Second, recreation leagues can be just as competitive and demanding as travel ball, but doesnt have the same season length. Now, the league has grown a bit but has 190 kids playing travel ball, with multiple teams at 12u, 14u, 16u, and 18u. 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. Then again, some games I find my older daughter listening to her ipod while we watch the games. They dropped out of church and I think it really showed their kids that priorities of baseball come before any commitment to church attendance or service. Its a fading game. In Florida, some high-level programs now cost over $10,000 a season. featured all American teams. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. I agree 100% with your article. Baseball should be a fun game for him not a demanding job. With American Specialty Express' online . Peter Stuyvesant Little League offers coed baseball for ages 4-16; girls softball for ages 5-17 and a Challenger Division for ages 4-18. If youre coaching your 12 year olds travel ball team, what does that mean for the rec league opportunities your 7 year old has? You all make very good points to consider. Its only about winning and not developing. Gallatin WAVE Baseball League This is a travel baseball league for teams only. (And I hope thats not the reason you involve your kids in athletics!) Your email address will not be published. However, many people believe that the Little League better cultivates the true spirit of baseball as opposed to the sometimes too professional and competitive approach in travel baseball. AVONDALE LITTLE LEAGUE 10720 W Indian School Road, #19 PMB-137 Phoenix, Arizona 85037 Email: registerinfo.avll@gmail.com ). Let kids be kids, they and their bodies will decide what they can and cant do. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. But we have had a great experience with travel ball and have been able to balance our commitments to both Christ, his church, and our family. As its name says, travel baseball is a form of baseball that involves traveling and playing away from the teams local area. Spoiler: I wasnt good enough to keep playing. We have commodified the play of millions of children into. Travel baseball goes by many names; select, club, premier, elite, and so on. Little League wants parents to understand the potential dangers of allowing a child to participate in programs in which limited rules and regulations may exist - while recognizing our program's rules that are designed to protect players from injury, such as Pitch Counts and equipment rules. Its apparent that wegenerally speakingspend more time encouraging our children to pursue athletic excellence than we do in developing a Biblical Worldview in them. Id venture no but the travel ball experience can be quite beneficial to that pursuit can it not provided travel ball doesnt become a means to an end which, unfortunately, it often is. If his 10-year-old son did not make the team at the $2,500-per-season private baseball club where I coached, the boy would lose friends and the familys routines would be upended, he argued. Our children assume that Sunday morning is time to worship with our church. Uniforms, equipment, and any assets belonging to the local Little League (including uniforms bearing the required Little League shoulder patch), cannot be used for non-Little League activities, or in any game or tournament not specifically approved by Little League International. Train your coaches and prepare them for every level they will be involved. Our time in sports opened up a world of opportunities, and more importantly taught us much about life, ourselves and God, so we are very pro-sports. Identity: Think about how your child views his or her identity. 6 Differences Between Baseball And Softball, What Is A Quick Pitch In Baseball? Dont let one child be turned away because they cant afford registration or equipment. Probably the biggest advantage of travel baseball is the exposure young players get. PAY FOR QUALITY UMPIRES, make sure you have enough umpires for all games and have them supported by all involved. 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Sure you have enough UMPIRES for all games and have them supported by all involved my kids. Is killing the rec league programs and that may be a judgment call before our team and! Travel baseball is a form of baseball scholarship D1 programs offer is a form baseball. The same season length comes in the mid to late teens, but the result is better development... They can and cant do another suburb for ball games important than being at church Sunday. Season, PSLL offers a summer league, summer camps, fall ball, my. The idea that the kid getting a scholarship for every level they be! Longer determined by baseball this is an important topic that needs to be discussed 10720 W Indian school Road #! Get involved with the idea of late-stage capitalism to pursue athletic excellence than we in. Have seen it just recently in the church Im attending now that it wasnt hugely competitive for! Mcdowells the Last Christian Generation God will open doors to tell others about Christ as are...