Wednesday, June 27, 2012

TRAVEL BASEBALL - AT WHAT AGE?


Travel ball at age six? How young is to young to play travel baseball? I don't know the answer to that question as I feel it is the parents right to put their child on the field when they feel the time is right. With that being said, these are children who are going into kindergarten and many of the players are fresh out of diapers. Click here for a 6 and under tournament's results.


Baseball in Nevada County begins at age six with tee ball and these kids are already playing in high pressure tournaments. Maybe we need to start playing at age 4 then we may be able to compete when we play down the hill.

If there is a child who is six years old plays on average of 60 games per year, as most travel teams do, by the time that player graduates high school he will have played 720 games. That might be a little much for most kids.

2 comments:

  1. WOW, 6 is young on one hand, but I guess not out of the question? I started my daughter at 9 and really thought I was being crazy but after doing it, would do it again. She played about 80 games last year and practiced 3 times a week. AMAZING, the progress that has been made. It certainly is not for the kids that want to strictly play for the companionship but can have the same properties. Key is the CHILDS desire. It can be draining and become a burden rather then a passion so be careful. I will say this, the coaching quality at this level is better then most recreation stuff that most rec leagues display. Not taking anything away from the Little Leagues, or Softball league because you can also find quality coaching but the abilities to stay with the same coaches over time becomes an issue. Travel ball also can keep you away from all the corruption and near sided politics that are displayed by some local organizations. Cost are higher, competition is much more fierce. In Nevada County finding committed parents and players is hard. In the valley you can find many where only a handful are selected, up here you find your minimum and hope others will follow suit. The other large issue becomes funds. It will cost you about 10 times more to play travel ball vs the 75.00 season fee administered by the local programs. Not to mention the actual costs of traveling, lodging and eating. I feel the good strongly outweighs the negatives. My dream would be to put together an organization, under one umbrella, that supports all age groups, including both baseball and softball, where quality coaching is trained and the kids who play for the passion and desire are not hampered by corrupt boards or stuck playing daddy ball. It could happen!!

    Dave

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  2. While I don't dispute any of your claims. Six is young. My son began playing at 10 with the Lincoln Brown Sox of Lincoln, he has learned a lot about the game through Raymond Garcia's leadership. Ray does not have a son on the team so the daddy ball is not an issue with him. The quality of play is significantly higher as he plays against teams from Rocklin, Tri-City and ElDorado Hills. The expense is high as is the time. If there were a local organization that were to offer the same product locally for the boys much like the Intensity for the girls I could assume may local boys would be interested.
    If locally we have a desire to compete at that level we could consider consolidation of little league leagues. If we were to combine PV, NC, GV and BR we might have a chance to compete. Schools are joining forces so maybe our youth sports organizations should follow suit if they want to compete.

    Thoughts?

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