Burned Out or close to it

[Quit Whining]

How does one combat softball burnout?? The traveling seems excessive and it seems to keep getting worse. How to do you balance the travel requirements with DD wanting to be a high school student? Seems extreme to have to travel on a plane to play in fall?? Any thoughts?

[Fathrof4grls]

You really can't combat softball burnout if the desire to play, at a high level, exists in the kid. You can judge the level of burnout by taking a look at the parents. I have been at this for a while now, coaching and watching from the stands, and have seen girls go all the way through 18 Gold, get recruited and then decide playing softball isn't for them any more. I have seen parents pushing their kids to the point where they dread going to practices and find excuses not to want to travel to tournaments. In my opinion, school and the "social aspects" of high school are very important, especially to a girl, once they reach that level. Now to answer your question, IMO, the only way you can judge the level of burnout is to talk to the kid to get their feelings. If you have a good relationship with her, she will be honest with you. If she feels pushed into playing and traveling then she is going to tell you what she thinks you want to hear. There are a lot of kids who are still playing and traveling because their parent's think it's what is best for them when in reality it is more for the benefit of the parent. Combat the burnout by getting her involved in things that have nothing to do with softball and tell her it's okay to take some time off to recharge her batteries. There are plenty of opportunities to shine on the field but very few opportunities to shine in life. Allow her to develop a life outside of softball and see how it works.

[TXfastpitchsoftball]

Depends on age, but by the time your DD is in high school if she wants to play in college - especially at the Div. I level - and softball isn't her undisputed No. 1 priority, she probably doesn't need to be trying to earn a college scholarship, and therefore, doesn't need to travel, play every weekend, etc. If she already is wanting to be "just a high school student," she is probably at some point going to want to "just be a college student," and college softball isn't where she needs to be.

I would suggest sitting down and having a serious, heart-to-heart about what your daughter really and truly thinks she wants out of softball; her talent level; and what she and you are willing to do to achieve that goal and have success once she gets to college. Sooner is better than later.

I'm always amazed at parents and players who say they want to play Division I softball, but then the daughter and/or parents complains about committing almost all of their time in the fall and summer to weekend showcases/qualifiers, traveling, etc. What do they think college softball requires once they get there? And it's beginning to be no different for Division II.

We were sitting around the house with the spouse's parents this weekend, and they were saying how great it was that Gabby Douglas, the U.S. Olympic gymnast, had moved away from her family to Iowa to pursue her Olympic dreams. They went on and on about how so many kids today just don't have that kind of dedication, commitment, etc.

My DD quickly pointed out to her grandparents that they sure don't think it is great for her to play softball almost every weekend, miss family outings, birthdays, weddings, vacations, Friday night football, etc to pursue her college softball dreams. I had to stifle a laugh as my spouse glared across the room at me.

[Quit Whining]

These are some great thoughts. My DD is currently committed to a D1 school and said she still loves to play but doesn't want to miss the important events over the next year (homecoming, football games). I also think these massive club programs would design gold teams around girls who are committed and want to keep their skills up with limited travel and those who are still marketing their skills to get to that college committment (doesn't have to be a D1 just any old college). For some kids being away from home is better than being at home but for the vast majority of those who are committed being away from home before you really have to (that means being away at college) is not a high priority.

[soreshins]

Division 1 softball is not the end, rather it is the beginning. The time demands and stress are only going to increase when she goes to college. If she is feeling burned out now perhaps she should re-think D-1 softball. College athletics even in a non-revenue sport is all consuming.

Now is the time for her to decide whether college softball is best for her. If she has not signed a NLI, she can get off the merry-go-round.

On the other hand, most gold organizations give some leeway to seniors. There is nothing wrong with wanting to go to homecoming and prom as a senior. There is also nothing wrong with wanting to spend time with your high school friends before leaving for college. But you still have to fulfill your team commitments.

Upper level gold programs travel--that is how the remain upper level gold programs. They expect their upperclassman to attend the out of state tournaments. If traveling is the issue, she can join a team that travels less--after all most parents are broke by the time DD is a senior.

[DonnieS]

How does one combat softball burnout?? The traveling seems excessive and it seems to keep getting worse. How to do you balance the travel requirements with DD wanting to be a high school student? Seems extreme to have to travel on a plane to play in fall?? Any thoughts?

Dont.

[hit4power]

I also think these massive club programs would design gold teams around girls who are committed and want to keep their skills up with limited travel

There are several "gold" teams I know of who never get on planes to go anywhere. They might drive to Dallas for a tourney but that's about it. Equally true that they don't place kids into the top programs, but for those that aren't trying to achieve that, there are alternatives.

That said, with one or two exceptions, these teams are often the ones that go 2 n Q at the main tourneys and get the back of the complex field assignments in the exposure tourneys.

[TexasYellowBall]

How does one combat softball burnout?? The traveling seems excessive and it seems to keep getting worse. How to do you balance the travel requirements with DD wanting to be a high school student? Seems extreme to have to travel on a plane to play in fall?? Any thoughts?

Dont.

With all the long answers, the best is short.......DONT

Many team do not travel all over to get into major colleges. Do what makes you daughter and family happy. Softball burnout is a real thing. Slow down, take a break, give her the options and let her decide. They are young once...

[93players]

It is true that the top Gold programs view playing at Huntington Beach, Rising Stars, or some of the NE tourneys as important to their recruiting mission. A few of those teams require the uncommitted players to go and make it optional for the committed. I know many kids who received offers from those tourneys or who were identified by coaches as top prospects because their teams were playing at those tourneys. Five of our best leads came from coaches who were at Huntington Beach and Rising Stars. A sixth came from a coach who said in response to an email from DD announcing the schedule, I am not there this year, but I want to follow you. One trip in the fall and one in the spring is reasonable for an uncommitted player. Any more than that pushes too much stress on a player.

Why would coaches view teams who make such trips as better than the teams that never travels. They are committing their school resources to an 18 year old who could at any time quit playing softball. They are entrusting their jobs to recruiting classes. A player who is on a program that travels and goes to nationals is simply more likely to be committed to the sport of softball.