Jim, Likewise, I appreciate the voices of parents who have been there on both sides. And it certainly does nothing to address the issue of middle and working-class suburban residents and the expense involved in playing the game at a high level. Then again, some games I find my older daughter listening to her ipod while we watch the games. After a few weeks of intense practices, it was clear my son would not see much playing time. No doubt there are exceptions, but I havent personally witnessed one. Listen to truthful, accurate feedback from coaches. This is the one your wife wants you to care about. He played Little League all the way through age 14 and has wonderful memories of playoff games, sometimes leading all the way to state. I give you a big Amen! Hey, for years sports programs operated quite successfully without Sunday morning scheduling. Enfield Little League is happy to continue with the Enfield Warriors travel program. I agree 100% with your article. Falls Church Klwanis Little League. However, many people believe that the Little League better cultivates the true spirit of baseball as opposed to the sometimes too professional and competitive approach in travel baseball. Every expert agreed that kids are being played too hard and too long. 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. To make matters worse, I learned his old Little League team did incorporate kid pitch mid-way through the season. We have truly enjoyed getting to know our travel team family! As recently as the 1990s, travel baseball was a niche experience limited mostly to elite players in baseball-rich areas like Texas and California. I am confident that there are better ways to steward those thousands of dollars. Thanks, To Him Be the Gory (in travel ball and everywhere else in His Creation). She does it for fun and its not overwhelming even though its a little more competitive than a local rec league. Girls have been admitted since 1974. 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 would urge you to consider how trustworthy Jesus is, how he can reconcile you to God, how he has paid for your sin, and how his Spirit can enable you to love others and enjoy life with them in a gathering of people joined together at a local church. A fun, family-friendly, reasonably affordable activity you can do with the kids? I understand that now I may be bringing up an exception to the norm. I also need it every day of the week. It seems to me that time comes in the mid to late teens, but thats going to be a judgment call . 6 Differences Between Baseball And Softball, What Is A Quick Pitch In Baseball? Do you want to miss the younger kids games and practices? Member since Aug 2014. I left registration, and pulled him from the Little League program. There is another very sad thing that often happens as a result of a familys involvement in travel ball. We also pushed the season back deeper into the summer so to allow high school kids (mostly JV players) to play rec ball as well. We love them by showing them that God is infinitely more valuable than all else. Written on their website was High Level Competition For Competitive Kids. Nowadays boys don't know how to catch at age 9-10. re: Little League Baseball Really is the Worst. We parents should observe whats going on, be readily available, but not be constantly interfering, trying to direct, or solve everything that goes on in practice or competition. We have had a sub par experience, and I have that guilt every Sunday that we are at a tournament instead of honoring God in His house. Im betting you would be better off saving your money to help him with college expenses. NASCAR started as bootleggers in the 1940s and 1950s trying to see who had the fastest car. Whos forcing their kid to play??!! All Rights Reserved. Thats fine for an 18 year old on the cusp of adulthood, but theres no reason to put a 714 year old through that kind of rigor. They need to run and jump and exercise other muscles than the ones required by baseball. I also appreciated this article: 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. Baseball cant raise the dead, but Jesus will do just that when he returns to make this world into the new heavens and new earth. 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. I would also ask to establish contact with you for a best practices sharing of information and spreading of the works you are enjoying. They dont need to have baseball practice every week all year long, and you dont need to be their taxi for that every week all year long either. Kids may start playing in the Little League from as young as age 4. And you should. On each weekend, a team will participate in at least four games or even more if its a three-day weekend. OP's son sounds like a hard worker, just have to work in the right place 35 Reply [deleted] 5 yr. ago And to get your kid into a school with AP courses. Being part of a team, no matter how long its for, isnt permanent, so as nice as it is to identify with activities that we love, we dont want them to define us or our kids. The Little League League Finder tool quickly and easily identifies whether a residence or school address is located within the boundaries of an active Little League program. Manage Settings Wow this article really spoke to me. They did not come out of the womb knowing about baseball. Until more teams see value in helping the game at home, this problem for the entire sport will continue. My son tried out. Certainly, both travel baseball and Little League proponents have some valid arguments and Ill try to dig a little deeper and explore the advantages and drawbacks of both systems. (And options do exist that dont cost an arm and a leg.) He said he had seen it happen. Also, parents may not have a realistic view of how talented their son or daughter is in sports, often over or underestimating their abilities. I pray that God keeps me humble and rightly focused. I know families whove mortgaged their homes so their kids can play baseball, he said. It was something that we passed on to them. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. My son had the same coach as the year prior. If his 10-year-old son did not make the team at the $2,500-per-season private baseball club where I coached, the boy would lose friends and the familys routines would be upended, he argued. Even though my son showed to every practice and gave 100% effort, it didnt matter. I have also read some of your other works and have learned much from them and enjoyed reading them. There have been times when our kids insisted that the entire family wear Orioles stuff. Learning that excelling takes commitment, hard work, loyalty. Praying we keep the Lord first in all thingsand your insights help!!! #momof3boys. I dont even want to think about how much parents pay for their 714 year old kids to travel to tournaments, to stay in hotels, to pay the tournament entry fees, and whatever else all this costs. Our eldest, now six, is in her second year of playing though she has moved over to softball. LittleBallparks.comis a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sitesto earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Several thoughts on that: Their chances are greater for continuing their sporting lives, whether at college or recreationally as adults, if they arent burnt out on competition by the time they turn 18or 13, as Ive seen occur far too often. The only time we had awful politics was before our team separated and we joined the head coach. We have expanded our season to now include winter training, a competitive league spring travel schedule, tournament season as well as a competitive league fall schedule. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Its a fading game. In Florida, some high-level programs now cost over $10,000 a season. In fact, Little League International pays all the expenses of the dozens of teams that reach the World Series level in Little League Baseball and Softball, including travel, meals, and lodging. The travel baseball vs Little League debate has been a hot topic in US youth baseball for quite some time now. Encouraging the pursuit of excellence and rewarding hard work and God given talent. Is it a help or detriment to their character and bodies? We dont win Non-Christians by loving them more than we love God and his glory. We are leaning strongly to go back to his Rec ball league that we enjoyed in the spring. Our son never felt like he missed out on anything; he was too busy playing other sports and doing other activities. 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. I appreciate that. Since 2015, it has been known as The Emirates FA Cup after its . You are spot on with all your assertions, and I wish Id been able to absorb something like this when my oldest two were starting out. You explain it t the tee for me and cant thank you enough . I wanted to play all the time, until I got to college and had to do so. Most professional golfers look the same. Little League. Privacy Policy. And for the good of rec ball leagues everywhere, for the good of your family, and for the good of your kids, I would urge you to avoid travel ball until the kid is old enough to commit to a more demanding regimen. I dont know. Registration is quick, easy, and FREE. While rec ball was enjoyable, the ever changing pool of players, coaches and parents made for inconsistent experiences for my daughter, some good and some bad. Congrats to the 3524663635357 travel ball teams playing in a "World Series" this week or the next couple of weeks. All 9YO players. It did to me. 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