What is a dd?

What is a dd?

 

Darling daughter

Advice is advice...not orders:) LOL I find this all very interesting and informative and my dd does not want to play D1:) Looking forward to more tips for the other divisions as well. I can tell, you as the parent of a HS player since 7th grade NOT on a travel team, that we can take all the help we can get...nobody seems to know anything about any of this where we are:)

 

Keep the info coming:)

 

That is why I wanted to bring this subject up. When our kids were going through it we really didn't have anyone to look up to or talk to about it that we felt comfortable with, and to make things worst we were kinda right in the middle of the big change with recruiting where schools were looking at freshman and sophmores instead of juniors and seniors.

That is why I wanted to bring this subject up. When our kids were going through it we really didn't have anyone to look up to or talk to about it that we felt comfortable with, and to make things worst we were kinda right in the middle of the big change with recruiting where schools were looking at freshman and sophmores instead of juniors and seniors.

Your advice has helped me tremendously.

As far as the cost to travel to one tournament you're right. Couple dollars more. However, local teams may only go to 1-2 travel events. When you look at it as 1-1, then yea. But when you travel every weekend as an elite club vs me only traveling 1-2, now how much is the difference. Hotel, gas, flights, food (you tend to eat out more when traveling), etc. then your cost is way more than mine and we still have a shot at scholarships and yes, even D1.

 

Not every kid desires the same thing. They all go out and put their time in. Some may work extremely hard, but never get anything out of it. I would say this topic has very few viewers that have the reality of getting a D1 scholarship.

 

My whole point is I see all kinds of people listening to advice of a very few that it worked for. And then they follow that advice, only to find out years later that they wasted a lot of time and money for nothing. There are more stories like that than there are successful d1 stories. I'm saying there are many other options than flying around the country and paying large amounts of money to get a scholarship. It might work for a few, but not the majority.

 

You did it your way, I'll do it mine and the girls will end up in the same place in life 6-8 years from now. Mine will have memories, established relationships, and played in college. All without dragging the family all over the place every weekend and paying the elite costs.

 

 

I pretty much agree with your whole post until the last part. In no way does our daughter drag us around to be able to play softball, I enjoy the hell out of it. You can spend your money the way you want I promise I wont be upset at you.

 

The cost of travel is great but I can tell you while in Chicago we stay with families, when we travel I share hotel rooms with other dads. When we went to Nationals in Huntington Beach CA we rented a house 8 blocks from the ocean that was awesome. My share was $400 for the week. We all paid $40 a piece I went to Cosco and we feed about 20 people for a week. We ate like kings, steak, chicken, pork you name it we ate it. Probably the best trip I have ever had. We were with such a great group of people I didn't go anywhere besides the ball park and our front porch. (well besides flying into Vegas and losing way to much) Yes it is expesive but you can keep the cost down.

 

As far as girls getting a chance to go D1 you are probably right, but the girls in this area probably have as good if not better shot than all these soccer and volleyball players that do the same thing. Its not for every one but for those that want to it is pretty cool.

Your advice has helped me tremendously.

 

Your easy bc your kid is really good!!

Thanks for that link! And the advice! This is a great thread! I appreciate all your guys experience! In my situation my daughters education is by far the most important, and if she gets to continue to play a game she absolutely LOVES and get her education patially paid for more power to her! Not to mention I love to watch her play!!! She is still improving and growing absolutely loves to work on her game. She has found a couple schools that offer what she wants to major in (Physical Theropy) and looks at their softball program second. Her top choice would be Ballarmine so why not start with your first choice. Which we are going to visit sometime in march when they have a home game.

 

Thanks Again!

 

This is what I mean by everyones different. My daughter loves the game of softball but is also using it as a way to pay for college. No way she would be able to attend a school like James Madison with out softball. I wouldn't want her to bc of the cost alone. Heck if they would let her she would love to play soccer while there also!!

 

Best of luck with Bellarmine, it is an awesome school. My guess is if she keeps working hard things will work out great for your family. Your daughter is lucky she has an idea of what she wants to do. Most kids don't know or it will change several times. Kinda like how kids might change along with their plans with softball down the line.

 

Anything I could do help please PM me and if possible I would be happy to help.

If you and your dd don't want to pursue a d1 school than don't

If you and your dd don't want to travel and play on an elite team than don't

I won't get on this forum and say your selling your kid short so why get on here and insist that it's to expensive and probably a waste of time pursuing a big d1 school

I'm glad your kid will probably be at the same place 6-8 years after college but don't belittle those that do aspire to play at the highest level by insisting that hardly any kid really gets that far.

The reality of my dd pitching at her dream school on the same field as cat osterman is priceless. Traveling the country and playing the best softball talent in this country are memories no less important than what you hope for your kid.

Do what you think is best without downplaying what others might choose to do, even if doesn't work out for them. Memories and life lessons are created either way...........

 

Not putting your way down at all. I posted my thoughts and you guys answered. I just don't think your way is the way for everyone or even the majority. A lot of great information, but parents also need this side of it to keep them grounded. Not every Susie is a superstar and when people see success, they feel if they mimic what the success story did, they are guaranteed the same success. (agreed it happens a lot in soccer and even more in the cult of volleyball-false promises) There is a lot of knowlege in "the other side of the story" as well. Obviously, you two and Far Beyond Driven have or will benefit from your way, but that is a very few out of several that will take that route and be successful. Again, I see it all the time where people feel Susie is a superstar and waste time and money. Susie still has to have talent and skill, no matter how hard she works or how much money they pay or what tournaments they choose to play in. If a girl has talent and skill and wants to get exposure she can with a little bit of online research and playing on any select team. In your cases, it sounds like it was your daughter's dream. In many cases, it's mommy and daddy's dream! Yes, the kid may want to play in college, but the parents often think that anything below D1 is a failure. Not all, but a lot because they live through their kids. I just like to keep the reality factor that very few are as fortunate as your daughters and get to pursue their dreams. And others get pushed too hard and its because of the parent and it causes damages instead of good.

Not putting your way down at all. I posted my thoughts and you guys answered. I just don't think your way is the way for everyone or even the majority. A lot of great information, but parents also need this side of it to keep them grounded. Not every Susie is a superstar and when people see success, they feel if they mimic what the success story did, they are guaranteed the same success. (agreed it happens a lot in soccer and even more in the cult of volleyball-false promises) There is a lot of knowlege in "the other side of the story" as well. Obviously, you two and Far Beyond Driven have or will benefit from your way, but that is a very few out of several that will take that route and be successful. Again, I see it all the time where people feel Susie is a superstar and waste time and money. Susie still has to have talent and skill, no matter how hard she works or how much money they pay or what tournaments they choose to play in. If a girl has talent and skill and wants to get exposure she can with a little bit of online research and playing on any select team. In your cases, it sounds like it was your daughter's dream. In many cases, it's mommy and daddy's dream! Yes, the kid may want to play in college, but the parents often think that anything below D1 is a failure. Not all, but a lot because they live through their kids. I just like to keep the reality factor that very few are as fortunate as your daughters and get to pursue their dreams. And others get pushed too hard and its because of the parent and it causes damages instead of good.

 

Again you are a 100% correct. It's pretty simple process what we are getting to on here, and you don't have to worry about families traveling all around and blowing their money. I would say in most cases it is harder to get on a team like the Louisville Sluggers, Beverly Bandits, TN Fury, Cincy Doom and so on than it is to get a D1 scholarship. The top tourney's around the country wont accept just anyone. The Demarini tourny in Chicago that the Bandits host is IMO the best tourney of the year outiside of Boulder and Premier nationals, they accpect about 40 teams. I heard almost 200 teams applied last year. So again we are pointing out things that has worked for kids that DO want to. As it has been said many and many of times on this thread its not for everyone and you should try to be realistic about your kids ability.

 

I think if your kids dreams are to play college softball and all things being equal and their dream is not to play D1 you should be a little worried. How many kids dream of playing basketball or baseball in the NBA or MLB? I would say about all of them, now should we tell them to dream of playing bball in Turkey instead of the NBA or Japan for baseball. For females softball players the top they can really hope for is to play D1 softball. Now I understand there are many girls that would still dream to play softball but for other reasons their dream might not to be at a D1 school for many different reasons that still doesn't they shouldn't give it their all to reach their dreams.

 

I have all kinds of high dreams for all my kids that they may or may not reach. Does that some how make me a bad person? Not sure how old your kids are but it is pretty hard to get a teenage female to do anything she doesn't want to do so I just don't see your point of "mommy or daddy's dreams" bc if they don't want it, its not happening.

One last things on Dreams, watch this 8 minute video...if you don't have time forward to the 5:55 mark.

 

Kenny Chesney - The Boys of Fall - YouTube

Again you are a 100% correct. It's pretty simple process what we are getting to on here, and you don't have to worry about families traveling all around and blowing their money. I would say in most cases it is harder to get on a team like the Louisville Sluggers, Beverly Bandits, TN Fury, Cincy Doom and so on than it is to get a D1 scholarship. The top tourney's around the country wont accept just anyone. The Demarini tourny in Chicago that the Bandits host is IMO the best tourney of the year outiside of Boulder and Premier nationals, they accpect about 40 teams. I heard almost 200 teams applied last year. So again we are pointing out things that has worked for kids that DO want to. As it has been said many and many of times on this thread its not for everyone and you should try to be realistic about your kids ability.

 

I think if your kids dreams are to play college softball and all things being equal and their dream is not to play D1 you should be a little worried. How many kids dream of playing basketball or baseball in the NBA or MLB? I would say about all of them, now should we tell them to dream of playing bball in Turkey instead of the NBA or Japan for baseball. For females softball players the top they can really hope for is to play D1 softball. Now I understand there are many girls that would still dream to play softball but for other reasons their dream might not to be at a D1 school for many different reasons that still doesn't they shouldn't give it their all to reach their dreams.

 

I have all kinds of high dreams for all my kids that they may or may not reach. Does that some how make me a bad person? Not sure how old your kids are but it is pretty hard to get a teenage female to do anything she doesn't want to do so I just don't see your point of "mommy or daddy's dreams" bc if they don't want it, its not happening.[/QUOTE]

 

agreed, i'm speaking mostly at a younger age. I have a highschooler now and am very familiar with all the sports. I just see too much of parents dreaming about things for their kids that have no sense of what it takes. They pump the kid up and set them up for disappointment.

 

Here's just one example. I coach a 2nd grade rec bball team for one of my son's. We are not good, but it's fun for them! It's a rec league. I have one kid that really doesn't want any part of playing bball and quite honestly i have a fear he is going to get hurt, even in this rec league. We've all seen this. We are at the end of the season and he finally touched a ball on defense...meaning that he usually does everything he can to stay as far away from the ball as possible! The ball actually bounced off his kids foot and landed in his hands. As I try to do with anyone I coach, I point out the posititves. I couldn't wait til after the game to congratulate him on his "steal". I did so in front of his parents and they were excited. Now here's where the issue is. His dad looked me dead in the eye and as serious as a heart attack said "yea, he played great today. C'mon scholarship!". He was not kidding at all. I know this is an extreme example, but it is an example of what some think can become a reality. It's pretty sad and SEVERAL people chase this and there has to be a balance that can help ground people.

 

Yes, my daughter would love to play at the higest level available to her and she is very talented in multiple sports, but we also keep her grounded to what reality is. It doesn't make her work any less, but there are also no false promises and expectations. And if anything, it makes her work harder because that's the kind of kid she is. If you tell her that it's going to be extremely difficult to reach your goal of playing at the highest level, she looks at that as a challange, not a downer.

Great read on this thread. The thing I take away from it mostly is those that are traveling like myself to these tournaments are doing it for more than just the exposure for my DD. The conversations I have with her while we travel are more memory material than most of the things she does at the tournaments. You are right D1 is not for everyone but like was said before anyone that plays a sport is playing to be the best or they are not playing that level for the right reasons. Its hard to get noticed by anyone let alone D1 that are looking for the best of the best. There has never been a time when I thought she was dragging me with her just so she could play. I go willingly and support her in her dreams even if that means i have to room with other parents and eat PB&J the whole weekend. My DD has played in just about every smaller version of a showcase around the KY area and yes there are coaches there scouting and such and we have made many contacts this way. Last season we got to go to Denver and play in major showcase and the difference is what coaches are there is vastly different. the schedule this season is looking like it will have a lot more of the major showcases in them. Does it require more travel? Yes it does but if I have to fork out a little extra money and time for my DD to chase her dreams then thats what I will do.

 

The one thing I will say to anyone out there is that if you have a chance to chase your dreams then chase away because once that dream is gone its gone.

I think this thread was to get out how to get recruited to big schools and also not so big schools. I think either way, if your daughter wants or does not want to play for a big school, it's not up to you or her. She has to have the talent to play for a big school. You can play travel ball until your blue in the face, if she doesn't have the talent, it's not going to happen. I like this thread, but it went in a different direction than it should have went. I don't think all of the bashing of being a crazed person for playing travel ball was really needed. Nice thread, lets keep focused:thumb:

I think this thread was to get out how to get recruited to big schools and also not so big schools. I think either way, if your daughter wants or does not want to play for a big school, it's not up to you or her. She has to have the talent to play for a big school. You can play travel ball until your blue in the face, if she doesn't have the talent, it's not going to happen. I like this thread, but it went in a different direction than it should have went. I don't think all of the bashing of being a crazed person for playing travel ball was really needed. Nice thread, lets keep focused:thumb:

 

I really don't think either was bashing, good points from both posters with different views. What I haven't seen yet is one of the dozens of parents or players that have played at one of the divisions lower than d-1 explain the process that got them there. Another thing to consider when thinking of the lower divisions is what a friend of mine likes to call the "big fish in a small pond". Last years Miss Kentucky committed to a div.1 school but has since moved to NAIA Lindsey Wilson. LW has a budget alloted for athletic scholarships just like at d-1 schools, my guess is that she is going to get a pretty good percentage of that budget and probably a better deal than she was going to get at a d-1 school. Another point, I have seen numerous College coaches at high school games, usually the lower level schools, but they will come. My daughter sent out letters with stats and accomplishments to several schools in KY. Several were interested and she was able to go to a skills camp with several college coaches in attendance. One of the coaches liked what he saw and offered her the opportunity to play college ball. Through academics and the athletic scholarships it has paid for everything and she has been a starter since the day she stepped on campus and will have a college degree in the very near future.

I really don't think either was bashing, good points from both posters with different views. What I haven't seen yet is one of the dozens of parents or players that have played at one of the divisions lower than d-1 explain the process that got them there. Another thing to consider when thinking of the lower divisions is what a friend of mine likes to call the "big fish in a small pond". Last years Miss Kentucky committed to a div.1 school but has since moved to NAIA Lindsey Wilson. LW has a budget alloted for athletic scholarships just like at d-1 schools, my guess is that she is going to get a pretty good percentage of that budget and probably a better deal than she was going to get at a d-1 school. Another point, I have seen numerous College coaches at high school games, usually the lower level schools, but they will come. My daughter sent out letters with stats and accomplishments to several schools in KY. Several were interested and she was able to go to a skills camp with several college coaches in attendance. One of the coaches liked what he saw and offered her the opportunity to play college ball. Through academics and the athletic scholarships it has paid for everything and she has been a starter since the day she stepped on campus and will have a college degree in the very near future.

She is at Campbellsville, transfered along with high school/WKU teammate Taylor Borders.Taylor's step mother is asst coach at Campbellsville.