12u travel

[clayface74]

My dd is 11('97) a lot of the teams around here are looking for '96's. Am I better to try and find someone that will look at a '97 or spend the next 8 months strengthening her game and trying out in the fall. I have a team I would love for her to play with but they and many others wont even look at a 97 with no "travel" experience. She has played on the local league weekend teams. What to do?

[GIMNEPIWO]

My dd is 11('97) a lot of the teams around here are looking for '96's. Am I better to try and find someone that will look at a '97 or spend the next 8 months strengthening her game and trying out in the fall. I have a team I would love for her to play with but they and many others wont even look at a 97 with no "travel" experience. She has played on the local league weekend teams. What to do?

[Izzy's Dad]

If you can, find a 97' team she can grow with. If all that is available is 96's, get her to as many tryouts as will allow. My DD (96) had 6 teams looking at her at the end of last summer. We narrowed it down, tried out for 3, and she made all 3. Then an even harder desicion was, what team to put her on. The team we chose was the right team, but it was 2 weeks of stress after tyouts making the descison.

[Judd]

I would keep trying to find a team. If you can find a 97 team great, if its a 96, then oh well but at least she will be playing. If she wants to play keep looking and get her in somewhere.

[socalsoftball]

Clayface

What area are you in?

[clayface74]

Clayface

What area are you in?

East Central Indiana

[Softballshouldbefun]

I'm still amazed that coaches get caught up in the birth year discussion. It seems to me that if a '97 girl can play on a team with a bunch of '96 players and be one of the best nine, then she should get to play. If she's going to sit the bench all the time it might be best to find her another team to play on. If the coach is going to play another girl and sit the younger girl strictly because of her age, he probably isn't a very smart coach to begin with. The other parents will eventually start asking questions and the coach will have to explain why he's playing a less talented player.

It just seems stupid to rule a girl out just because her birthday falls on the wrong side of January 1st. I also refuse to listen to the argument about wanting to keep the team together. How many teams keep their ENTIRE roster together longer than one full year?

[pitchersmom96]

From our experience last year we had a split team 95/96 and it was a bad experience. The two ages never bonded and there was definite separation between the two and you could see it when they played.The 95's believed they were better than the 96's and so did their parents. They never let the 96's have a chance at doing better in fear of showing them wrong. During the practice and games there were a lot of bossy older girls. I think coaches try and stay away from having to deal with all of that and make it simple to having one age group in stead of worrying about all of the bs that goes on with with coaching split ages. Also if the the team is a 96 and has to move to 14s next year that 97 is going to have to find another team anyways so why not find one that she can grow with.

My two cents from experience, get on a team of her own age she will enjoy it more.

[clayface74]

I'm hearing a lot of the '96's are moving up and they are trying to build a 14u..I spoke to my dd about it last night and she prefers to play with the girls she knows this year ...so league ball and weekend "Tri-County"...

[Judd]

well you are doing what she wants and thats whats important.

My DD is 96, has played on teams with different ages, even played up last year on a 14U team. She was always welcomed and got along with everyone. She is now a 96 on a mostly 97 team and gets along.

Pitchersmom96, I think that team just had alot of little brats on it