But it is, quite literally, passed down from generation to generation. D.A.s or District staff are encouraged to work with the leagues in their district to provide combined district travel teams, establish player pools, and find ways for all players interested to have an opportunity to . little league field, killing 1 . Let kids be kids. Many of the assertions in this article are quite true. My husband and I were both very competitive athletes growing up (though we had a wide variety of interests), played travel ball in high school, and won scholarships to a Big 10 university. If you are traveling every weekend, or most of them, for a Friday, Saturday, Sunday tournament, what happens to non-sport family time? Travel baseball takes a toll on kids, both mentally and physically. Also, parents may not have a realistic view of how talented their son or daughter is in sports, often over or underestimating their abilities. Because COVID, This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. Nowadays, a lot of young athletes choose other sports over baseball and a lot of communities are experiencing a sharp decline in baseball participation. Hello, Im Paul, a 45 year old passionate baseball fan and the owner of this website. Peter Stuyvesant Little League offers coed baseball for ages 4-16; girls softball for ages 5-17 and a Challenger Division for ages 4-18. Baseball exists not just because of the community's love of the game. My sons high school teammate played in the minors for several years before being cut and at age 26, he is just now finishing college and trying to figure out what to do with his life. I dont see anything wrong with having children that play recreational sports. Most professional golfers look the same. Do I think that she will go pro? Our two kids old enough to know what baseball is love the Orioles. Having coached both my sons in travel an rec ball, and being on the board of our local rec league, serving as president for several years. As a mom of a 10 year old girl who has played both travel and rec softball we have seen first hand the pros and cons of both. Participating in travel baseball will likely eat most of your free time. Fairfax County, Virginia - Youth Baseball Leagues in Fairfax County. As recently as the 1990s, travel baseball was a niche experience limited mostly to elite players in baseball-rich areas like Texas and California. (Matthew 6:33) I pray that many folks take heed of what you shared. I have coached in a recreation league for almost five years, and now my eleven-year-old daughter is in soccer travel ball. First, not all travel ball destroys a childs love for the game. Build this league and you will have travel on the decline. After looking at the tournament schedule, I realized Id miss days at work and the expenses would pile up. does the drake hotel chicago have a pool . Almost every parent volunteers. When my life ends, I will have to give an account to my Lord as to whether I obeyed the command in Matt28:19 that says Go. Travel Ball "World Series". Coach B, Come play in SBMSA in Houston. A lot of these programs operate on a business-like, almost professional, level and feature teams in all age groups. Nope, the good, serious players in most sports do both in high school. If the ultimate goal is for the kid to get to the pros, then joining a travel baseball program is definitely a better choice. The three year old is already all in and ready to play. Give your kid the chance to be a great person and cultivate that through sports. I was impressed when we showed up that the Varsity girls took a little time to welcome her and get her situated before the coaches were ready. Is Travel Ball killing little league and organized baseball? -ta. Thank you! From a father of 3 boys I can confirm this to be absolute truth. Little League International respects the rights of a parent(s), or legal guardian(s), to allow a child to participate in any Little League activity. Josh McDowells The Last Christian Generation If dads still took their kids to baseball games, played catch with their boys, played wiffleball and played baseball video games most boys would be competitive at baseball. What Is Travel Baseball? Thanks, To Him Be the Gory (in travel ball and everywhere else in His Creation). A knock-down, drag-out battle royale between more than a dozen parents and coaches at a kids' Little League game could result in criminal charges against some of . Kids racing go-karts and more expensive vehicles as they get older. Growing up I loved baseball. Now, the league has grown a bit but has 190 kids playing travel ball, with multiple teams at 12u, 14u, 16u, and 18u. It always seems to happen with those families that God is really working with. Once I got to be 13, we left Havenwood Little League to create our own team and I played with that team through age 15, when I stopped playing. Looking for a deeper, more forceful argument, the dad added: This team is our community.. We enjoyed Upward for what it was and knew that it wasnt hugely competitive (for the most part). That covered SOME tournaments and a bat bag. All of the travel players MUST play rec ball. The local community often gathers around a Little League team and takes pride in the kids representing them. When comparing travel baseball vs Little League, each of the two has its own advantages and drawbacks. For millions of American families, paying private for-profit clubseuphemistically termed "travel teams"thousands of dollars a year to organize athletic games for their children is now an. Scratch. Whos forcing their kid to play??!! Thank you for speaking out and I hope people will take these comments seriously. Is travel baseball killing Little League in America? For us, it boils down to priorities. After college, my husband played pro baseball for a while and I played on a national team. If your children think you are most concerned about their being the best baseball pitcher, back-stroker, or whatever, they can become guilt-ridden for wanting to even think about spending time in other pursuits because they naturally want to please you (or the constant stress of knowing how vital it is to you, may act to make them hate it). In general, most of the Little League tournaments are organized in the local area and involves teams from the same city or community. I submit that even with all the excitement of the game, and the money and fame that come with it, the life of a professional athlete is not one to be envied. Kids need to play more than one sport so their rotator cuffs can recover, so their elbows can rest, so they dont have to have Tommy John surgery at 17. Scotland (Scots: Scotland, Scottish Gaelic: Alba [alap] ()) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. The competitive environment, expert guidance, and the quality of available facilities are unmatched by any other youth competition. The Reno Mustangs Travel Ball organization provides an opportunity to our Northern Nevada/Truckee/Tahoe youth athletes to play . You can start posting after you click here to register.Click the word the "register" to proceed. Too many times parents want what they want, not whats best for their kids. vs. travel. Help your kids find the joy of learning in areas other than sports. If I show my kids church is optional but reach the other parents, Ive failed. So we are playing upward thru our church. Thats commendable, but I suspect that those tournaments dont always start the Sunday games at times that make finding a worship service possible. I give you a big Amen! . The latest Arizona headlines, breaking news, in-depth investigations, politics, and local community stories that matter to you. If the ultimate goal is for the kid to get to the pros, then joining a travel baseball program is definitely a better choice. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Today, that role has been mainly overtaken by travel baseball which has become the basis for young players looking to build a baseball career. Kids need to see that Jesus and his church are more important to their parents even than baseball. Operating Policies and Position Statements, Little League - Character, Courage, Loyalty. Sound familiar? They did not come out of the womb knowing about baseball. You win district, you then go to state, you win state, you go to regional, you win . All 9YO players. But if you don't make it into your dream team, the loss is much heavier on people's pockets as well as their minds. I wrote about this for Camden Chat in 2016: Orioles baseball will not be the most important thing that we teach our daughter about. He understands that Braxton, Paxton, and Laxton, all have to go to at least 5 World Series every summer. Be a parent. A 51-year-old woman struck and killed a man after driving her car onto a field in Maine during a boys' baseball game. Teen suspect in shooting of 15-year-old NYC boy caught upstate after months on run: sources 12-year-old NYC boy was shot while playing with other kids in apartment lobby Harrowing video footage. Personally, if I could have done things differently I would have kept my child in the rec leagues but I guess Im not sure if she would have learned to pursue excellence in the manner she did had she done so. ). Messages conveyed: We parents need to pray daily about what messages we are sending our children by the sports or other activities we have them in. Jan 25, 8:31am. Who knows; organizationally they still seem to be doing pretty well overseas and a U.S. team won three of the last four Little League World Series featuring international teams. Northern Virginia Travel Baseball League. Well, the genie of privatized baseball cannot be put back in the bottle. Enfield Little League is happy to continue with the Enfield Warriors travel program. Often this will vary from league to league and from coach to coach. My boss lets me take off whenever I want for travel ball. I appreciate that. Teams advancing to the regional level in the U.S. receive an additional $200. Fifth, a child can play travel ball while a family is still committed to church. Do they enjoy it or is it a drudge? So, teaching them the core baseball concepts is more important than competing. For more information, please see our Fall 2022 Season Focus. But, the worst part of it all was that my son was clearly not having the same amount of fun he had in Little League last year. 6 Differences Between Baseball And Softball, What Is A Quick Pitch In Baseball? I want your son to love baseball, to have the opportunity to be a kid, and to play the game as a kid. After my first year of it in college, I found that what had been so fun because I had the opportunity to look forward to it in the off season, or even on days between practice or games, began to feel like a dreaded obligation that consumed a significant portion of every day. The piece in America by John W. Miller posits that America sold out Little League through the widespread adoption of high-dollar travel baseball: The father on the phone was upset. They need to run and jump and exercise other muscles than the ones required by baseball. Is travel baseball killing Little League in America? At 12, our son tells us he thinks we have made the right decision. Our eldest, now six, is in her second year of playing though she has moved over to softball. Mid-way through the season, I asked the coach if there would be an opportunity for some kid pitching. Search FairfaxCounty.gov . My arm hurt all the time, and I wasnt a pitcher. The physical and mental challenges of pursuing more than one sport is healthy in every respect. When we read books about how it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert on anything, it may wrongly motivate us to try to create little experts out of our kids by the time they graduate from high school. But I say be wise. And you are right about MLB not being all its cracked up to be; several of my sons college teammates were drafted in the top 10 rounds (as high as supplemental 1st round), and with only one exception, they all complained about the grind and monotony (not to mention extremely low salaries) once they entered the minor leagues. He said he had seen it happen. And this, more than anything else, is the problem with the continued growth and success of baseball. In fact, most experts believe that if your goal is for your child to go pro, the worst thing you can do is overplay them. No formula exists, but here are a few ideas to think about: Variety: Encourage your children to play a different sport each season until their upper teens. We must show them how to live well so that they may flourish and worship what is enduring. Its about the fact that fewer and fewer kids are playing baseball every year. Playing baseball is a nice extracurricular to put down on applications. However, they are much more severe. As of now, we do believe that we are pursing the wisest course. Its not for every child or family, but we have enjoyed allowing our child to play travel ball, at least today. I had to pay a sign-up fee of $750. Articles like this help. The travel ball system is no different. Dont sacrifice your sons childhood on the altar of the hope that hes the next Derek Jeter. I had played non-stop from the summer before my freshman year, through fall ball, winter weights, the spring season, then summer ball before it started all over in my sophomore year. Despite not playing travel ball until high school, he got several offers and ended up playing for a highly regarded D1 program. Lesson learned. I was forced to purchase team-designed cleats and helmet. There are many benefits of pursuing sports excellence, travel like any other passion filled event children can participate can be an extremely beneficial. As a volunteer basketball coach for 18+ years, Ive seen girls spiritually suffer by the same well-intentioned convictions of their parents. Member since Aug 2014. Now think about NASCAR. Dont get me wrong there are alot of rec leagues that are great but if you live in the middle of no where lile wr do that was out only option to make her the best that she could be and to teach her to challenge herself and not settle for just good enough. Icicidirect. I simply have to go find the people that need Jesus. Nowadays boys don't know how to catch at age 9-10. re: Little League Baseball Really is the Worst. You explain it t the tee for me and cant thank you enough . He pulls down honor roll at school and is in band. With the emergence of travel baseball and its more developed infrastructure, Little League has lost its appeal as a path to higher levels of competition. I spent my 20s laying the foundation for what Im doing with the rest of my life, not bouncing around in the minor leagues. Just like my folks did. Little league teams have pulled out of the North Carolina state championship tournament after gunshots erupted during a weekend game, their organizers said Monday in social media posts. Keep him in rec ball, where he wont get burnt out because hes a kid facing the demands of a profession. Hey, for years sports programs operated quite successfully without Sunday morning scheduling. That means that even if your kid is the best thing since Babe Ruth, if he goes off to play major college baseball, the baseball team isnt paying all the expenses. Always keep in mind why you have this child involved in sport. I could now study what I wanted to study, and my classes were no longer determined by baseball practice. Little League baseball is a program organized by a non-profit organization based in Pennsylvania and it features local youth baseball competitions all over the world. Mr. Greene, who is currently a minor league coordinator and coach for the Milwaukee Brewers, said what troubles him is not pushy parents, showboating players or bullying coaches. Rec ball in many places is competitive. It also has a successful 18u rec program. She got to have some really good conversations with the moms who really didnt understand the philosophy behind Upward as a result. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. The only time we had awful politics was before our team separated and we joined the head coach. (Their varsity team is seeded #1 or #2 nationwide and is competitive, though still strives to put Jesus first.) Little League, international baseball organization for children and teenagers, started in 1939 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, by Carl E. Stotz and brothers Bert and George Bebble. My husband also was a quarterback at a Big 10 university, and my dad was a football coach, but we both chose to direct our son away from football and into other sports because of the enormous risk of injury, especially head injury. But they have more similarities than you think there are. My son had the same coach as the year prior. We have truly enjoyed getting to know our travel team family! He is 11, athletic, fast on his feet , 4'9" 75 pounds average size for his age. For us, the Orioles will always be a family affair. While my son made a ton of new friends and had fun, I felt he needed more. 2021 featured all American teams. They play the same. It will look different for each family and each child. Im coming at this topic from a multi-dimensional approach. Set the example for the kids. The travel baseball vs Little League debate has been a hot topic in US youth baseball for quite some time now. Overall, the risks are pretty much the same as regular baseball. There is another very sad thing that often happens as a result of a familys involvement in travel ball. The only kind of baseball scholarship D1 programs offer is a partial one. Were seeing some growth in her skills and she loves the game. Its hard in the county. Eternity is at stake. . I dont believe in definitive s. My thoughts written here veer away from the focus of recreational versus travel leagues as the original blog talks about, but include some areas to think about whichever route of competition you choose. AVONDALE LITTLE LEAGUE 10720 W Indian School Road, #19 PMB-137 Phoenix, Arizona 85037 Email: registerinfo.avll@gmail.com His, I agree 100% with your article. Some of the thoughts overlap what was already said. Travel baseball may be making people a lot of money but, in the long run, it may be killing the golden goose. I do wonder though as a parent of a child who did play travel ball and also ended up as a D1 athlete if we arent typically just exchanging one pursuit of excellence for another. That was it! . Individual players who play on Little League teams are also permitted to participate in non-Little League Baseball and Softball programs. Lets think about two sports; Golf and NASCAR. Sabathia and the Upton Brothers have become big league players. Little League wants parents to understand the potential dangers of allowing a child to participate in programs in which limited rules and regulations may exist while recognizing our programs rules that are designed to protect players from injury, such as Pitch Counts and equipment rules. I pray that God keeps me humble and rightly focused. When people refer to travel baseball, they typically mean a team of higher-level athletes who play in competitive tournaments and probably work out at their own facility. 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