baseball moms - tournament vs league play

[lgliser]

Sam will be starting 10U this fall and we're trying to decide on a new team for him.  He's got some try outs going on.  One team that wants him is a tournament only team.  They said in the spring they would do around 10 tournaments in our town (or not TOO far away) and then one about 4 hours away plus a world series thing.  

I think all of the other teams would be league play but likely some tournaments sprinkled in there.  We've only done league play (and a couple tournaments) in the past so that's all we know.  What is a tournament only team like?  What do you prefer?  Any experience out there?

[lollie010]

My guy is only 7 so our experience may be a little different. He is on a U8 and U9 (and also practices with a U7 team). They are tournament teams. I just wanted to verify terminology before posting too much, though. When you say league team, do you mean like a recreational team (what we call park ball team) that has a full season playing other recreational teams but also enters some tournaments? I know sometimes terms are different based on the community so just wanted to check.

 

If most of the tournaments are local then that would be great. Sometimes local can mean up to two and half hours away. Tournaments for my little guy make for very long weekends. Usually the first game is on Saturday morning and then there is A LOT of sitting and waiting to find out when we play next. If it's a tournament weekend we pretty much plan to do absolutely nothing else for that weekend. So 10 tournaments in one season would be a huge commitment, especially in the fall which is a truncated season.

 

I think playing tournaments requires a very flexible personality. A lot of times tourneys are added at the last minute or cancelled at the last minute. Sometimes we don't know which direction we are heading until late Thursday evening. It's also expensive to be out all day for two days, even its its local and no hotel expense. If the team is not competitive then it can be a real drag, seeing the same teams over and over.

 

But, all that said the level of play cannot be replicated with city league play. With the right team you will develop a family type bond and the kids will grow and play together long term. My son loves it, even though he sometimes dreads the tourneys. We love that our coach is professional, paid and doesn't have to cater to his own son. At the team level things are fair and focused!

 

But, league play with some travel can be a good balance. With league play we usually have a more consistent schedule with evening games that don't take up the whole weekend. We plY one game at a time, so no getting overly tired. If there is a problem there is a system of oversight (theoretically, lol)! Also, there is repeated success factor when you are a talented player on a park ball level.

 

We have come up with a crazy approach that would sound ridiculous to many, but if you're interested I will fill you in. 😊 I'm not sure how things work in your area but in ours I think most people are cobbling together the same kind of craziness we have come up with.

 

Good luck!!!!

[lgliser]

 

 

I just wanted to verify terminology before posting too much, though. When you say league team, do you mean like a recreational team (what we call park ball team) that has a full season playing other recreational teams but also enters some tournaments? I know sometimes terms are different based on the community so just wanted to check.

Leage play is still competitive.  Not rec.  And ya, it's the same teams a few times each.  

 

 

 

But, all that said the level of play cannot be replicated with city league play. With the right team you will develop a family type bond and the kids will grow and play together long term.

That's the kind of thing we are looking for.  Our son LOVES baseball and wants to get better and grow with a team.

 

 

 

But, league play with some travel can be a good balance. With league play we usually have a more consistent schedule with evening games that don't take up the whole weekend. 

And this is especially nice for his 2 sisters, who get VERY bored even at just one game.

 

 

 

We have come up with a crazy approach that would sound ridiculous to many, but if you're interested I will fill you in. 😊 I'm not sure how things work in your area but in ours I think most people are cobbling together the same kind of craziness we have come up with. 

I'd love to hear more!

 

I think the biggest reason for us NOT to do a tournament team is his sisters.  I'm not sure how fair it is for them.  Of course, one of us could stay back with them, but then that person doesn't get to see him play.  And we all miss out on "all of us together" time.  

[teachermom2834]

My 18 yo played travel ball for 10 years. He will be playing in college (D3 so not sports scholarship)

 

My takeaway on the other side is that it was a huge drain on the family time and resources. It definitely took a toll. I won't say I regret it because he is very talented and it has been good for him personally. It would have been hard to say no to this particular kid because of his talent and passion and because he was always so sweet and grateful.

 

But- it did impact our family. This is our first summer not playing and it has been so nice for everyone else. We rarely could afford to take the whole family to tournaments and it didn't seem fair to drag three younger siblings along most of the time. So we were always split up on weekends. We are just now rediscovering family time as a regular thing.

 

So I don't exactly regret it but I am quick to tell those with young players that there is a cost. So my advice would be to strive for some sort of balance if possible.

 

Also to consider- we watched these young players grow up. Some played the most intense level of ball available (even flying cross country for tournaments), some played more recreationally, others did a mix. There seems to be very little bearing on outcome where kids played before high school. Some of the kids given all the advantages as younger players never panned out while other kids that were successful didn't play seriously until high school. So- strive for balance for your family without the constant worry of falling behind the other kids.

 

Just my view from the other side. Good luck to you!

[LucyStoner]

I think the biggest reason for us NOT to do a tournament team is his sisters. I'm not sure how fair it is for them. Of course, one of us could stay back with them, but then that person doesn't get to see him play. And we all miss out on "all of us together" time.

If they are bored all weekend it's not really all of us together time though.

 

In your shoes if he was going tournament only, I would alternate parents between your son/baseball and the girls, having the girls come for just the first game and/or the last game. You'd still get some games you watch together but the girls would also get to do something they enjoyed each of those weekends. If they are local, you could alternate days or even half days, meeting up for lunch at the park midday and then switching who stays at the tournament and who drives off with the girls. I'm definitely not saying don't do tournament play but it's going to need to be something that fits into the family life and not something that takes over the lives of siblings uninterested in the sport. Also, once the girls get older they may want to be playing their own sports or doing their own activities on the weekends, be that softball, soccer or whatever. Parenting more than one child with weekend activities is like playing Tetris.

 

I pack a cooler to cut the cost of being out all day or weekend (which in our case is usually because of back to back games for 3-4 different kids- my son and my nieces and nephew). It saves not only money but the quality of our diet, lol. Since my husband almost always works Saturdays, I have to have it all down to a science to make it through in one piece without a second adult.

[Jan in SC]

Tournament ball has become rec ball, so while some teams and games might be better, most won't. Ask if league play includes weekends, if not, you might like that schedule better. However, if you're playing tournament ball in your town, it's not too bad. You don't have to stay there between games, and depending on the ages of your other dc, they can stay home. I never required my other dc to go watch.

Some tournament teams become close friends. If you want to avoid big conflicts, choose a team based on your child's position. If the coach has a child that plays shortstop, your child won't. If every parent realizes this at the beginning of the season, the team will get along a lot better. Do not believe it when a coach says that the best player will get the position. I have seen a parent move his child from a position to give it to a better player exactly one time.
Tournament, or travel ball, can be a lot of fun, but it can also be daddy ball. Know that going into it. Be prepared to bite your tongue- a lot.

Edited July 14, 2016 by Jan in SC

[lgliser]

Thanks for all of the insight!!  I really appreciate it.

[K&Rs Mom]

. Parenting more than one child with weekend activities is like playing Tetris.

 

Yes.  I take it as a challenge, but some people hate it.

 

We don't do baseball here, but competitive soccer & dance (which takes surprising amounts of time & money for a 4-minute routine).  My answer has been to not let them play at that level until past age 10.  My 11yo just made the tournament soccer team for the first time this summer, and oldest wasn't allowed to join dance team until this past fall at age 13.  Before that, it's just not worth the commitment.  They try out tons of things when they're little, and it keeps them (us) plenty busy, and once they decide what they are really passionate about then it's finally worth rearranging everybody else's lives around it.   My 2yo pretty much has known nothing different than watching her sisters' activities most weekends, and driving them to practices every evening - it's very different than when the others were that age and we could do things focused on toddler interests.  Not better or worse, but different.  

 

The OP's triplets are big enough to have some say in the decision too.  If the other two hate going to games, together time isn't going to happen (and pushing it will make you all miserable).  But how much of the year is it?  I know for us, dance practices all year but only competes in the spring; soccer is spring/fall, but this team is only July-October.  So if tournaments happen every week for 3 months, that leaves you 9 other months to do family stuff.  I'm thankful for homeschooling because they have that time together.  If they were away from each other all day, then did their activities every night/weekend, how can they get to know their family?

Edited July 15, 2016 by K&Rs Mom

[lgliser]

 

 

The OP's triplets are big enough to have some say in the decision too.  If the other two hate going to games, together time isn't going to happen (and pushing it will make you all miserable).  But how much of the year is it?  I know for us, dance practices all year but only competes in the spring; soccer is spring/fall, but this team is only July-October.  So if tournaments happen every week for 3 months, that leaves you 9 other months to do family stuff.  I'm thankful for homeschooling because they have that time together.  If they were away from each other all day, then did their activities every night/weekend, how can they get to know their family?

True... it's only for about 3 months I guess.  And I TOTALLY agree about being glad that we homeschool.  That gives us so much more time together!

[purplejackmama]

True... it's only for about 3 months I guess. And I TOTALLY agree about being glad that we homeschool. That gives us so much more time together!

Travel baseball around here is much longer than 3 months. Most coaches want you to play in both Fall and Spring seasons.

[lgliser]

 

 

Travel baseball around here is much longer than 3 months. Most coaches want you to play in both Fall and Spring seasons. 

I don't think it's necessarily travel... it's mostly just local tournaments.  And I think they plan to do league play in the fall... at least they do this fall.  

[msrift]

Around here, baseball is roughly divided into house league/rec ball through the various suburban organizations (play other teams within the organization, 1-2 tournaments, pretty low key), and then select/travel ball (though how much travel the teams do really depends on each team's competitive level). A/AA teams rarely travel, play other teams at that division and the number of tournaments really just depends on how much money the teams have to spend. AAA ball tends to travel more and often will play almost exclusively tournaments. Major teams almost exclusively travel to national ranked tournaments.

My son has now had 4 years of select ball at the AAA level. It's time consuming, but we enjoy it as a family. The tag-a-long kids have all learned to bring entertainment but are also really good at finding new friends amongst the other tag-a-longs. My husband keeps book for the team, so I am in charge of getting the other three to whatever activities they have going on. (Game Changer is a life saver for 'watching' games when you can't be there.) 

Around here at least, coaches flat out tell incoming freshman that they don't have a chance of making the high school team if they aren't playing AAA/Major ball by the time they are 14.

[LLMom]

We are just about to start a travel team (called select baseball) after being in Little League ball ( recreational). He was asked to join when he was 10 ,but we said no. He is 13 now and our youngest is 11. There is no overnight/far travel so I'm hoping it's not too bad. We didn't do this for our older son because there were so many little ones under him. I don't think I could handle it well if I had to haul kids with me.

[teachermom2834]

I don't think it's necessarily travel... it's mostly just local tournaments.  And I think they plan to do league play in the fall... at least they do this fall.  

 

Just chiming in- you mentioned up above 10 local tournaments plus one out of town and a world series thing.  Twelve tournaments really is alot.  Around here our travel ball at that age started in February (played in snow a couple times) and wrapped up in July and we probably played 12 tournaments in that time.  Then fall tournaments/ league were more laid back but still started right up in Aug/ Sept.  In fact that time in july/august between summer and fall was for tryouts for travel teams for the next spring.  Once the boys get to high school their travel season is shorter.  We usually played in late May-through mid July for a total of six or so.

 

Twelve tournaments sounds like a big commitment to me.  Not just three months of busy.  But I know it is different everywhere. In our situation it seemed we never could figure out how to make it work best for everyone.  We just did our best like we do in all things.  Good luck!

[LucyStoner]

It's also more and more tournaments as he gets older. If that what he wants his life to be, I can admire that (I played softball and generally adore baseball at all levels). But I don't think his sisters need to make it their lives too just on the altar of family time. It's ok to do different things for different family members on the same day.

 

I missed they are the same age as him before since I don't often read the boards on a device that shows signatures. I would be extra careful to make sure they don't come to, in time, resent baseball being their life and time commitment by default. Personally, I think 12 tourneys sounds like a lot to bored bystanders.

[purplejackmama]

Just chiming in- you mentioned up above 10 local tournaments plus one out of town and a world series thing. Twelve tournaments really is alot. Around here our travel ball at that age started in February (played in snow a couple times) and wrapped up in July and we probably played 12 tournaments in that time. Then fall tournaments/ league were more laid back but still started right up in Aug/ Sept. In fact that time in july/august between summer and fall was for tryouts for travel teams for the next spring. Once the boys get to high school their travel season is shorter. We usually played in late May-through mid July for a total of six or so.

 

Twelve tournaments sounds like a big commitment to me. Not just three months of busy. But I know it is different everywhere. In our situation it seemed we never could figure out how to make it work best for everyone. We just did our best like we do in all things. Good luck!

Exactly. You said it better than I was thinking it. :)