I know grapes come in bunches, but SEVEN teams?

[JimineyCricket]

It seems that the Grapettes are fielding an entire league of their own at the 12u and 14u levels this Spring. 12u has Kahwaty, Ervin, and Mendez. 14u has Acuna, Bilbao, Kappmeyer and Krueg. At first glance, the organization must be doing something right to field so many teams, and many of them seem to do well. For those of us not as familiar with the Stockton-area scene as we should be, what can the Bucket tell us about each Head Coach and their team? Where did they come from?, Where do they seem to be going? 98s, 99s, 00s or 01s or mixed? Who's cool enough to pull off purple shoes?

[noncrazynorcal]

I'm hoping this does not come to fruition. 7 teams in 4 year groups is crazy. Looks like someone wants to replace Mizuno All-American as the most watered down softball franchise in Norcal.

[1st to 3rd]

Grapes 14U Coaches:

Acuna - Has produced very competitive travel ball teams in different age divisions for the last 6+ years! This is a 98'/2nd year 14U team and talent is drawn primarily from the East Bay.

Bilbao - Has coached for 20+ years in all age groups, does not have a kid in the program and always fields a competitive team. This is a 98'/2nd year 14U team and talent is drawn primarily from the Sacarmento Area.

Kappmeyer - Has produced very competitive travel ball teams in different age division for the last 5 years. This is a 99'/1st year team and talent is drawn from East Bay, Valley and Sacramento.

Krueg - Has produced very competitive travel ball teams in different age divisions for 8-9 years. This is a 98'/2nd year team and talent is drawn from the Sacramento and Valley areas.

Considering College Coaches and Futures Camps current trend towards scouting and promoting 8th grade and Freshman talent I think the Grapettes are positioning themselves correctly.

They have a 18 Gold coach (Dennis Gomes) that has been in the program for 15+ years with a proven track record of facilitating a high percentage of girls scholarships at Major Division 1 schools.

They have a 16U coach (Kelley Olson) taht has been in the program for 10+ years that consistently produces a competitive team and has a proven track record of preparing girls to play 18 Gold Ball.

So next fall Olson and Gomes will have 40+ talented girls from all over NorCal that are already Grapettes to back fill their roster's with! They have an advantage when it comes to keeping talent in house. Sounds like a good "farm" system to me!

[1st to 3rd]

Crazy NorCal - Oh and please dont compare the California Grapettes to Mizuno All American! That's Apples to Oranges if I have ever heard of it!

[Iluvblue]

Olson started coaching in the Grapettes maybe 5 years ago.... maybe.

Not taking anything away from her, I like her as a person and she is a fine coach, but just trying to keep things straight.

[noncrazynorcal]

Crazy NorCal - Oh and please dont compare the California Grapettes to Mizuno All American! That's Apples to Oranges if I have ever heard of it!

Yeah that was a low blow. Grapettes is still quality.

[triplecrown]

The Grapettes org has expanded its geographic's over the last several years (as has everyone else), therefore the entire Valley from Modesto to East Bay to Sacramento has players wearing the Grapes shirt. There are a lot of kids playing softball which is a good thing IMO but, the quality is suffering, both in coaching and team play. I am a fan of development first at the younger ages (so choose wisely), second competing is crucial, playing for a team that can play with the better teams so you get better yourself is key, and winning against the better teams instills confidence, and confidence produces mental toughness that kids will need as they move on. I am kind of selfish and want my kid surrounded by the best kids in her age group, making her work harder therefore ultimately a better player, and the way things are going now, its virtually impossible. Some will say, you can get better playing weaker opponents, that b.s in my book, never believed in that theory, never will. Sure you will get a false sense of security, is that what you really want?

Ask yourself, why are we playing travel ball, what is our goal as a family?

Recruiting is getting younger for sure, we have top kids being offered in 8th grade today that just three years ago would have been offered as 10th graders. Its getting so sad that you will see the top college coachs watching 14s now trying to snag a soon to be 8th grader. So it is so crucial to be on a team that develops your kid early. Ultimately, you have to do whats right for your family, for your kid, because for the majority the college scholarship is a dream, but for the minority its a reality so put yourself in a position that will best suit your kid, as by the time they get to Gold the best ones will just be baby sat and spoken for, for four years, and thats expensive, both monetarily and development wise, while all the rest are hoping to taken to the promise land by their coach (the unknown will mentally crush people), so choose wisely!

[slice]

NCN: Glad to see your taking ownership of your words. This could have been another Hatebucket diet of bad feelings. For that ILB is getting us a scoop of Rite Aid ice cream !!

1st to 3rd: I think you meant to say "That's Apples to Grapes"

Coach Olsen: Started Grapettes Fall '09. Fine coach!!

[onlooker]

What is the goal of (any) org that has that many teams in 14U?

Is it to fill rosters for 16U and 18U as noted....I highly doubt it.
Is it about more publicity / appearances / name recognition which makes the org stronger in perception and financially? I think this has a lot to do with it.
Is it simply money? I dont think so, but the added revenue is hard to balk at.

however, I pose this question, not just to the grapes, but to any org that has multiple teams (3+) in one age group....

dont you think combining the 3+ teams into one good team that can go compete on a national level, and WIN on that national level will in fact get you more name recognition making the org much stronger in perception and finances?

Yes, I understand that if 3+ teams turn into 1 then about 20 girls arent on a grapes team.

am I off base with this logic?

[1st to 3rd]

ILB - Thanks for clearing up Olsons tenure. She has established herself well for only 5 years of tenure.

Slice - Very witty, cannot believe I missed that!

Onlooker - The Grapettes have been around longer than most orginizations and like Sorcerer or Breeze dont need exposure. I do agree with Triple Crown that they have "stretched out" geographically the last 5 years and expect to see more in an effort to stay ahead of teh curve and on top (check out the Firecrackers out of SoCal. They have teams in Arizona, Texas, NorCal, ect...). I wouldnt be surprised to see another 12U team added. I wouldnt be surprised to see the Grapettes reach into Northern Nevada and into Upper NorCal/Southern Oregon.

You see there are only a few orginizations in NorCal that have a proven legitimate track record of developing talent from 10U-18 Gold. They are one of the few that are truely "vertically intergrated". Will they keep 100% of their kids in the program from 10U through 18Gold, NO (blame that on parents)! But what they will do is have a better farm system that provides kids a legitimate "A" ball experience (coaching, quality competition, mentorship, ongoing opportunities to advance, ect...) and in my opinion will put them in a better position to retain talent as seasons transition and kids develop and grow.

In a circuit that has players (mostly influenced by their parents) "team hopping" from one season to the next always looking for the greener side I find this move refreshing. Don't be surprised to see this model of multiple 12u/14U teams and geographical reaching to be followed by the other few big orgs in the years to come. The next step these orginizations need to take is to take advantage of amount of teams and run more in house scrimmages, friendlies and group practices amongst themselves. IE the 14U squads could scrimmage against each other and against their 16U team for FREE! THe 16U teams could scrimmage the 18U teams for FREE! Coaches should share information! Practice drills, coaching philosophies, opponents tendancies, ect.. Again a huge advantage that other org's won't/don't have in my opinion!

Lets blame all the "start up teams/daddy ball" teams for the water down of talent not an orginization that has been around for almost 30 years and that has done more for softball than all of us combined! I see the vision and direction they are taking and think it is progressive, refreshing and pioneering!

Next big step for 2014 - Indoor facility that blows all others out of the water!