PLAYING FOR THE TOP GOLD PROGRAMS

[sftball1]

And we go back to Sam's orginial post. All norcalgold is trying to let us know that his dd is on a top gold program and she signed with what he considers a good college. OK, point taken, good for her. Obviously, not everyone can be on a top gold program and obviously girls from second tier gold teams get signed. As long as its a good fit and my dd graduates from college with a degree that can get her a job, I don't care if its a PAC 10 college or a college in BFE. I would much rather her have a real degree than a "let me see what the easiest major is so that I can play softball" degree that a lot of these "top" college players get.

[ssarge]

"But,when it came time to play gold that they got on the Best most recognizable Gold program they possible could get on even if playing time was sparse."

Sarge was simply pointing out how bad that advice was and why.

I might be a little more charitable. Different situations are right for different kids.

My own daughter signed off a middle-of-the-pack Gold team (been in existence 3 years, qualified once). And the team signs virtually all of the players who stay on it for 2 or more years. Probably the majority to D1s, but also D2s, D3s, and NAIA. Even a Texas JuCo in two cases (full rides). We try very hard to match each kid to the school that best meets her academic needs AND affords a great chance to play softball as well. And the coaches work their asses off before and at tournaments, working to position players and to get coaches to come watch players.

Other kids absolutely make (what is) a good decision (for them) to join a more high profile team, and that is great. But it isn't the norm.

Personally, I agree with the advice that joining the most advanced level / team where you will be a significant contributor is the right decision for MOST players. It isn't just about the prestige of playing for one of the big teams. It is also about getting READY to play in college. And that means playing. A lot. Sitting on the bench will almost never be as sound a strategy as playing, JMHO. But if you are a kid whio can actually contribute to teams such as the BBs, Firecrackers, Cruisers, Angels, etc., I probably would recommend that you do so. I MIGHT look at it a little closer if the opportunity is to join one of those teams as a role player. Would still be the right decision for some kids, but I think there are some considerations. Mainly that you HAVE to play to get ready for college.


Let me also say that I agree with Cathi Aradi when she states that there is a place in the college game for virtually all Club players. 950 4-year schools means 15,000 players, plus JC . Call it 5,000 players a year. That is a LOT of opportunity. The location of the school, the level it plays at, and whether the player will contribute as a freshman (or ever for that matter) are open questions. But if the goal is to play in college while obtaining an education, the news is good. That opportunity exists.

If the desire is to play for UCLA on a full, well, that is about 4 players a year out of the 5,000. I would suggest that being a 3, 4, or 5 hitter for the Batbusters would in fact be a good strategy to prepare for this eventuality. OTOH, if you are good enough to fill one of those slots for the Batbusters, plenty of colleges will be interested even if you are playing for the Podunk Pounders.

I would add that the (IMO) regretable state of the game today means that the BCS conference type schools have pretty comprehensive lists of the players in whom they have an interest by the time the players are Freshmen in HS. I'm sure there are exceptions, but there will be less and less of them - this is definitely the trend. And if you are one of the players on those kinds of lists, it will be made clear to you - you'll know.

Conversely, many of the other 800+ colleges in the country sign players up to the summer after their senior year. I point that out only to urge people to consider it when compiling a plan for where you would like DD to play club ball, colleges she'd like to attend, etc. There are lots of things to consider, but your daughter's age (and what time she arrived at the party) are definitely among those things.

Best regards,

Scott