They want to stay together early, and with Little League, if they re from different towns, they can t do that. Little League enrollment has been suffering in the past decade (down approximately 16% between 1997-2010) and while travel ball isn t fully to blame, it s definitely a major culprit. Our children assume that Sunday morning is time to worship with our church. You may be betting on the kid getting a scholarship. sacrifice your sons childhood on the altar of the hope, each team is allowed a maximum of 11.7 scholarships, Dont Play Travel Ball: Stay in the Rec League | For His Renown | Pastor John Reading List, http://kristenanneglover.com/my-kids-dont-play-sports/#comment-6411, 6-String Salvo, February 12, 2016 Mike Lee, The Daily Discovery (February 12, 2016) - Entreating Favor, More Great Reading | Second Chance Pastor, Todays Links // 4 Free Kindle Books, Worship Songs, Socialist Millennials, Buy a Friend App, Freedom from Anxiety | Word + Life | KevinHalloran.net. Josh McDowells The Last Christian Generation Do I think you are sinning if your kid plays travel ball? By your argument, we should never have church services because, if were in church and the lost people arent, how are we going to win them? The sport came natural to him, and he loved it. I do offer the opportunity to advertise your league and ask that you share it here and anywhere possible. Id bet if you polled the MLB players the vast majority of them would agree. Fun for all, talent levels not seen before. Dads get into it for a little better competition not meaning for it to take over their lives, and the next thing they know their schedule and wallet are dominated by travel ball. I have a feeling you may not describe yourself as so Dr. Hamilton (humble?) For additional information please contact Glenna Sandel at 615-403-6938 . And I hope all who read my question realize that there is no 1 correct answer for everyone. In Pony baseball, players are put into divisions by age groups of two years. Though parents are well-intentioned, often children are tired of pursuing what was once fun but has become a stressful climb to the next level of competition at the expense of other parts of their lives, or at the expense of joints injured by overuse. Your email address will not be published. This mentally effects the kids also with so much pressure to do well. We pretty much know that were not ready to commit to a large amount of travel and that will be a consideration as our daughter gets older. Northern Virginia Travel Baseball League. 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. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Sabathia and the Upton Brothers have become big league players. And does Travel Ball have any impact for pitchers that's any different from more "traditional" organized baseball? Its not the uniforms, its not bat flips or the lack thereof, its not the shift, its not the pace of play. Without a worldwide draft, teams are free to throw money at international prospects, Teams spend more money building academies in the Dominican Republic than they invest in their own backyard, where at minimum the next generation of fans live. My Kids Dont Play Sports The Reno Mustangs Travel Ball organization provides an opportunity to our Northern Nevada/Truckee/Tahoe youth athletes to play . Very good and same principles work for hockey too. Baseball should be a fun game for him not a demanding job. It always seems to happen with those families that God is really working with. 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. And at best a professional athlete might play into his late 30s or early 40s, then what? re: Travel Ball/ Little League Coaches leaving work Posted on 8/20/22 at 6:32 pm to philly444. Thats commendable, but I suspect that those tournaments dont always start the Sunday games at times that make finding a worship service possible. 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. To make matters worse, I learned his old Little League team did incorporate kid pitch mid-way through the season. Travel with extended families and make bonds with good people. 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. Baseball exists not just because of the community's love of the game. They also have T-ball divisions. What guides me is Paul in 1Cor9:22-23 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. On each weekend, a team will participate in at least four games or even more if its a three-day weekend. If you are traveling every weekend, or most of them, for a Friday, Saturday, Sunday tournament, what happens to non-sport family time? More important than that, you and your family dont need a summer long break from the life and fellowship of your local church. Jim, I found a local travel ball organization that was offering tryouts for several 10-U teams. Is there a solution to all of this? This is great information, but unfortunately rec ballaka little leagueis a political nightmare where I am from and for many others. My arm hurt all the time, and I wasnt a pitcher. Besides traveling to tournaments, this baseball format also includes harder and more frequent practices. I also when I was kid play at lyndon and never traveled and loved it and still played college baseball myself for 4 yrs. My daughter loves the game more now than ever before. That the glory of the Lord might cover the dry land as the waters cover the sea. Our league is like the one you described. vs. travel. As a long-term pastor Ive watched parents who were convinced their sons would benefit by travel ball deeply regret their decisions a decade later. Tha KS alot for all your insight!!! 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. In my experience as a recreation coach, I found the rec league filled with as much politics and drama and team stacking as travel ball leagues. League will play at Municipal Park or Thompson Park. I was excited not just for him to face pitchers his size and age, but for him to also have a chance on the mound. But I say be wise. My 10 year old tried out for a travel team for over 2 months. It was time for him to play real baseball! If anything, there are more youth sports options for people to pick what works best for them, even though there are. Dont get me wrong there are alot of rec leagues that are great but if you live in the middle of no where lile wr do that was out only option to make her the best that she could be and to teach her to challenge herself and not settle for just good enough. This is a straw man argument that has nothing to do with the very valid points the author makes. 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 was recently Contemplating to start travel ball from my son recently and for some reason Ive been holding back . Cookie Notice Thank you for writing this. God will open doors to tell others about Christ as we are faithful to follow Him. However, players who do participate in any non-Little League activity, and miss games or practices because of such participation, may be suspended or dismissed from their Little League team by action of the local Little League Board of Directors. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. The league originally included boys age 8 to 12. 2 were here. 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. If youre not ready to make certain sacrifices, then this form of baseball is probably not for you. They will actually improve more at each sport because a variety of new skills enhances old ones in ways that cant be quantified. No one should expect to make the show. I disagree with the idea that the sport is entirely a white elitist sport. After all, scores of players are of Latin American descent, including some of the games top superstars. I do wonder though as a parent of a child who did play travel ball and also ended up as a D1 athlete if we arent typically just exchanging one pursuit of excellence for another. Dont let one child be turned away because they cant afford registration or equipment. Jesus is God not baseball. The team brings the kids together and provides a common ground upon which they can build lasting friendships. Now think about NASCAR. In addition to a spring season, PSLL offers a summer league, summer camps, fall ball, and a winter skills clinic. Privacy Policy. Because COVID, America sold out Little League through the widespread adoption of high-dollar travel baseball, Major League Baseball has its RBI Program, providing year-round instruction in the game, I wrote about this for Camden Chat in 2016. Consider D1 baseball: each team is allowed a maximum of 11.7 scholarships, and those scholarships can be divided up between players. With this comes the COOPERSTOWN TICKET. 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. . #momof3boys. No player evaluations are required for the Fall season. And teams may invite players from anywhere in the region. The gods of baseball punished me for my lack of devotion. Little League. In raising our children in a world where developing a one-sport athlete is pushed to the extreme, we both were counter-culture, and we have happy, well-adjusted kids now, all of whom continue to pursue fitness as a lifestyle. Travel ball is expensive but studying for class is free, and an SAT book is like 20 bucks. Confused! 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. It was good for us a s a family although the wallet didnt think so. Kids need to see that Jesus and his church are more important to their parents even than baseball. NASCAR started as bootleggers in the 1940s and 1950s trying to see who had the fastest car. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. The goal of this program is to provide additional playing opportunity for those baseball and softball players interested. Our hope as parents is that they think of themselves first as members of Gods family and then our family, and then perhaps as an athlete, etc., after that. Well, the genie of privatized baseball cannot be put back in the bottle. Perfect! It is other worldly, it is unlike anything the Non Christian can imagine, to deny ourselves something the world says is a must and do something the world sees as foolish. I think the key is finding the right team and families. Maybe families should pray over the decision that best suits each individual child. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Despite not playing travel ball until high school, he got several offers and ended up playing for a highly regarded D1 program. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. But most of them still play, in one way or another. Too many surgeries, other arm problems, leg issues and other health issues that kids at that age shouldnt have to endure. Today, that role has been mainly overtaken by travel baseball which has become the basis for young players looking to build a baseball career. Having coached both my sons in travel an rec ball, and being on the board of our local rec league, serving as president for several years. Those two sports may not seem very similar. It was excellent, by the way. But, the worst part of it all was that my son was clearly not having the same amount of fun he had in Little League last year. Our daughter played travel softball for 9 years. Is the travel ball opportunity your 714 year old kid has more important than Friday nights and Saturday mornings at home with the family? While I wasnt thrilled hed be hitting off a tee because he could already hit a pitched ball, I figured we had to start somewhere, and Tee Ball was all that was available. Its not a coincidence that two of the most iconic golfers of the last thirty years, John Daly and Tiger Woods, were nothing like their peers in their own ways. Little League Internationals rules, regulations, and policies have been formulated over more than seven decades to ensure a safe, fun, and healthy environment for children. Little League International respects the rights of a parent(s), or legal guardian(s), to allow a child to participate in any Little League activity. 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. 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. Elitist sport their decisions a decade later bootleggers in the region them would agree be betting on the getting! Professional athlete might play into his late 30s or early 40s, then form! 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travel ball killing little league