School ball winding down, Summer Starting up

[hcpatmom]

I think it really depends on the level of play you have in each. I know that playing for your school and representing your community adds a component that some travel ball may not have. I and my son take pride in playing for his high school...that is all he has looked forward to since he began playing baseball. I also know that a travel team that plays together continuously, wins state and goes to world series is also a very prideful experience. The only way to accurately measure it is only if you have the same experience at each level. Some travel teams have been playing together since they were 8-9 years old...and some counties do not have school systems that have baseball until 9th grade, so they have not developed the family ties as with their travel teams. I know that I will never forget the pride I had in our travel team winning state and going to our world series and I know I would have that same pride if we went to state in high school, but we don't have that to compare to. My son would tell you that there are positives and negatives to both..he just finished high school ball and in 2 weeks starts his travel season. There are many scarifices that go into travel ball and it can be very draining, timewise and financially, but if your child wants to play at the next level I think both venues are important to play. I do agree, to a degree, with whomever said that travel is more of a player exposure event but that is what it should be on some level, because geography does play a role in exposure, and if you live somewhere that you are less likely to get exposure, travel ball is a venue for that exposure. That is not to say that the players are not concened with the team because that is not true.

[MountainTroll]

Maybe include ethics training, too.

 

 

[ksgovols]

Good points can be made for both sides.

 

I think travel ball is too vague a distinction. I would say teams that play a regional or national schedule going out of state to premier tournaments have better competition than those that stay in state and that level is probably better than high school ball. How many 'state' tournaments are there? I agree with WCHS grad that it's tougher for A and some AA teams to get alot out of a summer schedule. They don't always have the numbers. Those guys combining to play AAA teams and Legion teams are getting better in the summer which is the way I always treated it. Getting better for..........the high school season.

 

High school ball is just better defined for most of kids. They know who the rivals are, they are playing in front of their peers. Every district game means something. I liked high school ball better when I was playing. Summer was more relaxed and guys were in and out of the lineup for work or vacations.

 

That said, the best decision my son ever made was to try out for summer teams where he didn't really know anybody. He had to prove himself, made alot of new friends and got better than he would have otherwise. The 3 years he spent with the cross county rival playing summer ball 13-15 were alot of fun. The one year of Legion ball was educational but our high school coach duplicated that by getting the high school guys to commit to a summer schedule and scheduling games with good teams. Summer ball is what you put into it and what you expect out of it. The high school players not playing summer ball are not getting better.

[haebvols]

Good points can be made for both sides.

 

I think travel ball is too vague a distinction. I would say teams that play a regional or national schedule going out of state to premier tournaments have better competition than those that stay in state and that level is probably better than high school ball. How many 'state' tournaments are there? I agree with WCHS grad that it's tougher for A and some AA teams to get alot out of a summer schedule. They don't always have the numbers. Those guys combining to play AAA teams and Legion teams are getting better in the summer which is the way I always treated it. Getting better for..........the high school season.

 

High school ball is just better defined for most of kids. They know who the rivals are, they are playing in front of their peers. Every district game means something. I liked high school ball better when I was playing. Summer was more relaxed and guys were in and out of the lineup for work or vacations.

 

That said, the best decision my son ever made was to try out for summer teams where he didn't really know anybody. He had to prove himself, made alot of new friends and got better than he would have otherwise. The 3 years he spent with the cross county rival playing summer ball 13-15 were alot of fun. The one year of Legion ball was educational but our high school coach duplicated that by getting the high school guys to commit to a summer schedule and scheduling games with good teams. Summer ball is what you put into it and what you expect out of it. The high school players not playing summer ball are not getting better.

Agreed, it's all about seeing the better competition and getting better. Most HS summer teams don't have that on their agenda as yet.

[FightinIllini]

Agreed, it's all about seeing the better competition and getting better. Most HS summer teams don't have that on their agenda as yet.

 

 

Well, I really summer ball, showcases etc...but right now I'm liking some school ball as well.

[ksgovols]

I'll say this. It meant more, I think, when I was 15 and went to state and there was Babe Ruth ball or Dixie Youth ball or nothing. Same for American Legion ball in those days. There were Legion teams everywhere and the Shoetiques or Huffine's Electric, but very few travel teams like you see today. In fact, it's a watered down version today. On the other hand, our high school coach couldn't have contact with us during the summer. We had to have Legion ball to have a team or Sr. Babe Ruth to play.