When is ENOUGH...ENOUGH

[TexasYellowBall]

A few comments and observations.

This year, it seem like the Showcase season has been a little harder then in the past. For 6-7 weeks, my DD and I have traveled all over Texas ( 3-5 hours one way ), getting to the hotels at 2am. The softball is great, but it seems to be so much about money. I will not break it down, we all know how much we spend.
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It seems like some of the fun for DD and I has been lost. The 5 game showcase formats are not fun. The TD build up all of these tournaments stating that 100's of College coach's will attend and 10-20 coach's show up.
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The SOME of the fun with softball has gone away with the Letters, emails, and phone calls. It kind of feels like a business, and I am the boss trying to get my daughter into a college. DD and I work together on recruiting things, but the business aspect remains.

I know everyone does not fell this way. What are you doing, or what did you do to keep it fun all of the time.

We can not wait for the summer season. Nothing is funner then regular tournaments, and trying to qualify.

[Fasterpitch]

The showcase tournament in Texas is a little mis-leading except for the RMD. The RMD has tons of coach's the whole weekend.

I agree with spazsdad. Recruiting is a business, but just like work, it is not always fun. Once your DD commits, you and your DD will have a big weight lifted from your shoulders.

[Demonboy]

A few comments and observations.

This year, it seem like the Showcase season has been a little harder then in the past. For 6-7 weeks, my DD and I have traveled all over Texas ( 3-5 hours one way ), getting to the hotels at 2am. The softball is great, but it seems to be so much about money. I will not break it down, we all know how much we spend.
________________________________________________________________________________

It seems like some of the fun for DD and I has been lost. The 5 game showcase formats are not fun. The TD build up all of these tournaments stating that 100's of College coach's will attend and 10-20 coach's show up.
________________________________________________________________________________

The SOME of the fun with softball has gone away with the Letters, emails, and phone calls. It kind of feels like a business, and I am the boss trying to get my daughter into a college. DD and I work together on recruiting things, but the business aspect remains.

I know everyone does not fell this way. What are you doing, or what did you do to keep it fun all of the time.

We can not wait for the summer season. Nothing is funner then regular tournaments, and trying to qualify.

Gold isn't about fun. It's a boring ass holding pen of showcasing you suffer through until you get to college and start having fun and playing for something that matters again.......like you did in 12U.

[TexasYellowBall]

Demonboy, I have been reading your post on heybucket for awhile. Sometimes I agree and sometimes I do not. I due think you normally do offer a different point of view which is good.

On this topic, I think you have it a little wrong. Softball should always be fun. Thats is why the kids play it. Of course most due have dreams of playing college ball and so some sort of business is involved. But I think it should be fun, or what is the point. I want my kids to do something they want and fight for it. In 5-7 years when softball is over, I do not want my kids to settle for a job because of the money, I want them to enjoy it for the next 30 years.

We as parents should not let softball be like a job to our kids. We are, in some ways the problem. We continue to go to BS showcase tournaments with over priced entry fees and over priced gate fees. We could demand more as a softball community. Just not help these bad TD run bad tournaments and make tons of money and not offer a great product.

Maybe I am a little sour about it, and glad that this is my last child going through this process.

Thanks for your comments.

[sftball1]

TexasYellowBall - I have to agree with you. The Showcase format takes all of the fun out of playing the game to win. My daughter said this fall that she felt like she had went to a tryout every weekend, which is exactly what she did. I know this is probably a necessary evil, I just wish someone would come up with a better way and a way to make it funner for the girls.

[DonnieS]

TexasYellowBall - I have to agree with you. The Showcase format takes all of the fun out of playing the game to win. My daughter said this fall that she felt like she had went to a tryout every weekend, which is exactly what she did. I know this is probably a necessary evil, I just wish someone would come up with a better way and a way to make it funner for the girls.

We feel the same. At first, my group said "If someone wants to see us really play, they need to come to a regular d/e tournament, not the showcases." But they are getting used to it, and learning to make it fun. I gotta admit I really do miss driving home bleary eyed at midnight on Sunday night, hoping that the lines on the highway quit moving long enough to drive 3 - 4 hours home.

[Demonboy]

Yellowball,

I was agreeing with you. Reread post and insert sarcasm.

[TexasYellowBall]

Sorry-------Country Edjemecated

[Brooke's Dad]

If ANYONE tells you that the "Stars Over Texas" in Beaumont is a Showcase where College Coaches show up and watch games..... they are mistaken!



RMD is the only showcase (and that is 18G) where any show up - and boy do they ever! Over 215 College coaches there for the weekend.



Elite Showcase (Plano) is somewhere between S.O.T. and RMD.... but closer to Stars IMO.

[Fasterpitch]

If ANYONE tells you that the "Stars Over Texas" in Beaumont is a Showcase where College Coaches show up and watch games..... they are mistaken!



RMD is the only showcase (and that is 18G) where any show up - and boy do they ever! Over 215 College coaches there for the weekend.



Elite Showcase (Plano) is somewhere between S.O.T. and RMD.... but closer to Stars IMO.

The Texas Elite Organization is throwing Showcase tournaments together as fast as they can. It is big business and virtually no coach's showing up. The RMD is the only true showcase in Texas. They bring the coach's and they must treat them well. The coach's travel to all complex's if you do your homework.