Do I think that she will go pro? How does a big leaguer have a family? Jesus is God not baseball. Alas, the father refused to make him work on defense, explaining: I am not a fielding dad.). I understand that now I may be bringing up an exception to the norm. Ive also heard more than one parent tell me that after a few years of travel ball, in some cases only one year of it, their son decided he didnt want to play baseball anymore. Despite the beautiful fields the travel ball team played on, the grass wasnt greener. This question reveals how far our cultural worldview has intermixed with a Christian one. Rookie is for 7 and 8 year olds. Congrats to the 3524663635357 travel ball teams playing in a "World Series" this week or the next couple of weeks. (Little League, 1) Paperback - September 24, 2013 by Matt Christopher (Author) 290 ratings Book 2 of 5: Little League See all formats and editions Kindle $6.99 Read with Our Free App Audiobook $0.00 Free with your Audible trial Hardcover $7.24 37 Used from $1.28 10 New from $7.24 Paperback $7.99 66 Used from $1.29 20 New from $6.75 Audio CD Written on their website was High Level Competition For Competitive Kids. We must show them how to live well so that they may flourish and worship what is enduring. That the glory of the Lord might cover the dry land as the waters cover the sea. Our time in sports opened up a world of opportunities, and more importantly taught us much about life, ourselves and God, so we are very pro-sports. Well, the genie of privatized baseball cannot be put back in the bottle. Now, the league has grown a bit but has 190 kids playing travel ball, with multiple teams at 12u, 14u, 16u, and 18u. Nope, the good, serious players in most sports do both in high school. Here are 10 reasons I think you should keep your kid in the rec league rather than quitting it for travel ball. Golf attracts high dollar, high roller sponsors. . . Archived post. The biggest problem I see is the fact that there are too many marginal players who should be. Additionally, as an exercise physiologist, Im very pro movement, health and sports, but believe balance in life is key. 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. Part. Listen to baseball experts'. Small towns breed professional athletes, and the reason seems to be that kids in small towns arent over-coached, over-organized, and over-specialized by the travel ball opportunities found in larger cities. Give your kid the chance to be a great person and cultivate that through sports. And there are eight Urban Youth Academies. Overall, the risks are pretty much the same as regular baseball. I do offer the opportunity to advertise your league and ask that you share it here and anywhere possible. We will be staying with rec from now on. Not necessarily, but if your kid is in the 714 age range, I will suspect that you might not be pursuing the wisest course. 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. looking over our back," John DeMasi told ABC News' "20/20." In volleyball and soccer, maybe cheer, but most other sports they don't. FieroCoug. I know that may sound weird working with a kid at such a young age, but his older brother played baseball, so he was always around. Anthony Lynn, who remembers his Little League days so vividly, told me that he thinks travel ball is cynical. It should be noted that the local Little League programs pay a one-time entry fee for each team to enter Tournament Play ($200), which goes into a restricted fund used exclusively for offsetting local Little League programs expenses accrued during International Tournament play, including the World Series in each division of play. I stayed with the Little League program because I was told that for my sons 7-year-old season, there would be kid pitching. No. Then again, some games I find my older daughter listening to her ipod while we watch the games. . I never felt that way until I got to college, but looking at the demands of travel ball, I totally understand how the kid feels. There are rules and considerations for exceptions and of course fall ball has its own set of rules as there is no rec ball at that time. I have a neighbor who constantly pesters me about our childrens sports involvement level-rec. 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. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. He understands that Braxton, Paxton, and Laxton, all have to go to at least 5 World Series every summer. I found a local travel ball organization that was offering tryouts for several 10-U teams. The sport came natural to him, and he loved it. These reflections grow out of my own experience playing and coaching and watching other families. Nor am I categorically condemning their decisions and choices. I think Jesus said it best when He said, What does it profit a man to gain the world and lose his soul?, Thank you sir for thisI wrestle with this issue a lot as our older children (3 boys/12, 9, & 8) are starting to get to the age where this is a possibility. 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. The privatization of American youth sports over the past 40 years is one of those revolutions of late-stage capitalism that should shock us more than it does. Were seeing some growth in her skills and she loves the game. Awards. I know families whove mortgaged their homes so their kids can play baseball, he said. The competitive environment, expert guidance, and the quality of available facilities are unmatched by any other youth competition. Sabathia and the Upton Brothers have become big league players. Get involved with the sports governing board and voice your opinion. Whos forcing their kid to play??!! As one who has three sons, two of whom played travel ball for part of their youth, and one who didnt, I can affirm everything you say here. Car pool or fund transportation for those who cant get their children on time. As expected, my son got limited playing time during the season. I left registration, and pulled him from the Little League program. The higher level of competition drives young players to work harder on their game. Wr had to travel 3 ours to find a competitive travel team. While it has completely permeated and overtaken little league baseball, it exists in every sport, football included. Im sure that's true for some but once kids get to high school, travel ball. On the other hand, if the goal is for the kid to have some fun while learning the fundamentals of baseball, Little League is the way to go. And there are eight Urban Youth Academies providing year-round instruction in the game. Well, there wasnt. The league originally included boys age 8 to 12. The group that split from us is the same group that has ruined our little league. But this issue goes far beyond Little League Baseball organizationally. You may be betting on the kid getting a scholarship. Honestly, in the sport of football, it may be most perpetuated by mothers, though from the . Prep is for 6 and 7 year olds. Also, parents may not have a realistic view of how talented their son or daughter is in sports, often over or underestimating their abilities. As a volunteer basketball coach for 18+ years, Ive seen girls spiritually suffer by the same well-intentioned convictions of their parents. 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. For us, it boils down to priorities. Praying we keep the Lord first in all thingsand your insights help!!! I love excellence. No one should expect to make the show. All of the travel players MUST play rec ball. I've seen and heard stories about parents who spend thousands of dollars to get their kids on the best travel ball squad in their areas. A jury convicted three men of murder in the 2017 death of a beloved Little League coach who was fatally stabbed over a confiscated driver's license while working security at a downtown bar. My son excels in travel ball and weve started a bible devotion for the boys before every tournament. The low-end travel teams can be local teams going to a few tournaments outside the region. Unlike travel baseball, Little League is mostly a local affair and is organized with a lot of effort and goodwill from the locals. I could rest. The guy running the program told me he was going to have a 7/8-year-old team. Fourth, travel ball is expensive, but so are the other activities in which many parents place their children like show choir and band. But a story did cross my timeline about something near and dear to my heart: baseball. So much time was freed up by not having to go to practice. My kid started lessons at five and at almost thirteen, still going strong. Below are just a few stream of consciousness suggestions as readers consider their views on how they encourage their children in sports. My son loves basketball but I have noticed the small number of high school players that are playing in high school now especially in our town. The privatization of American youth sports over the past 40 years is one of those revolutions of late-stage capitalism that should shock us more than it does. Id venture no but the travel ball experience can be quite beneficial to that pursuit can it not provided travel ball doesnt become a means to an end which, unfortunately, it often is. Little League to . Individual players who play on Little League teams are also permitted to participate in non-Little League Baseball and Softball programs. I needed a break, and I wanted to be a counselor at a Christian camp that summer (Kanakuk). Let them play the game. However, the main reason weve stuck with travel is the consistency that it offers. As parents, however, we can sometimes unknowingly pressure our kids to continuing pursuing things at a higher level because we want it for them, not because they want it, and we proverbially try to put a square peg into a round hole. Its apparent that wegenerally speakingspend more time encouraging our children to pursue athletic excellence than we do in developing a Biblical Worldview in them. 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. While many are still from the south, many are from upper-middle to upper-class backgrounds, with their appropriate support systems. I am confident that there are better ways to steward those thousands of dollars. I am coaching a 5-6 yr old team and can already feel the pull of private instructors, out of season ball, travel squads, etc. You played in some tournament, and then district. I got an education, got married, we started having children, and now I get to coach my kids. The gods of baseball punished me for my lack of devotion. This is related to the previous: the best players leave the rec league for travel ball, and then the mediocre players get tempted to do so, and then all the kids get burnt out and stop playing baseball. Participating in travel baseball will likely eat most of your free time. Steward those thousands of dollars, he said far beyond Little League great person cultivate! 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