How do decide which team

[RVerde]

Which tryouts are you going to and what questions are you asking the coaches.  Picking the right team is very important. Its the set up to help your kid achieve their dreams. When you try out are you asking the coaches the questions you should ask to make sure your child is in the right spot.  Do you make sure their answers parallel their history or is it something new.

      How do you practice

      How much do you practice

      What do you teach ( get specific and see if they can answer )

      What tournaments are you playing in

      What are you doing to get kids recruited

      What are you doing to further your education

      Do you have or does someone on your staff have good knowledge in all phases of thegame          (who helps the pitcher in the middle of the game)

      Where have the kids in your program signed

Make sure their answers match the needs of you child. Some may want to much and some expect to little. Don't be afraid to go to a place you have heard bad things about and find out for yourself and remember just because some people love it doesn't mean its for you.

[trout]

Which tryouts are you going to and what questions are you asking the coaches.  Picking the right team is very important. Its the set up to help your kid achieve their dreams. When you try out are you asking the coaches the questions you should ask to make sure your child is in the right spot.  Do you make sure their answers parallel their history or is it something new.

      How do you practice

      How much do you practice

      What do you teach ( get specific and see if they can answer )

      What tournaments are you playing in

      What are you doing to get kids recruited

      What are you doing to further your education

      Do you have or does someone on your staff have good knowledge in all phases of thegame          (who helps the pitcher in the middle of the game)

      Where have the kids in your program signed

Make sure their answers match the needs of you child. Some may want to much and some expect to little. Don't be afraid to go to a place you have heard bad things about and find out for yourself and remember just because some people love it doesn't mean its for you.

The GT Shockers Gold we practice 2 days during the week and either play or practice every weekend until our last tournament November 14 then we stop so the kids have some time to recharge for HS.  We are playing in the Ronald McDonald and are the only area team that can get in, we also play in 2 Easton Elite tournaments in Dallas and both Stars over Texas. We have Jimmy Weise being our team recruiter and we have had a 100% signing. We have a large video collection and discussions with various college coaches and Jessica knowledge of what colleges are doing now and access to current college players. I am the pitching coach and work with the outfielders. Jessica Lemoine works with the catchers and infielders and Robert Verde works with the hitters. At times we all help each other in all phases of the game to make the team the best it can be.We are proven winners as coaches and the only coaches who have ever qualified a team for ASA Gold Nationals in the local area. We work our kids hard and our practices are intense so they are prepared for college when they get there and get them to the exposure tournaments they need to be able to live there dreams. This is what we do and some of what we have accomplished. Lets hear from everyone else.

[Guest mchm]

We took that huge step just a month ago and have not regretted it.  Granted, my DD is still young, but we knew it was time to move on for a while.  When she was at a stale mate and not learning anything new -then we felt like a change was necessary.  However, it took HER realizing it before we could actually take action.  After having played with the same group for several years we did go through a kind of feeling lost period but the team we found made all the difference in the world.  My DD had never even spoken to the girls on the "new" team as they are from other towns but from the moment she stepped foot in the dugout at one of their practices they treated her like she was one of their own.  They were all so "honored" to even have her there and that was the best and most humbling feeling in the world because we definitely didn't and don't feel better than any of those girls.  While we came from a team that had loads of talent, we did not feel like it was a team to take her to that next level.  The team we are with now may not be as talented as what we came from, but we have so much belief in those girls and OUR DD, individually, has stepped up HER game to a level we knew was there but had not seen for a long time.  She is a changed girl as far as her drive and passion for the game go and she is actually working much harder and being MORE challenged than she ever has been before.  And while she has no problem going to sleep at night now because of the hard core practices, neither can she wait until the next practice, which is also something new.  This team is completely focused on team work, conditioning, agility, skill building, confidence building and whatever it takes to get the girls ready for their high school debut and the coaches have more credentials than any other group in this area in their particular age group.  It's not about trophy hunting for them.  It's about teaching the girls those vital life skills that others have talked about.  Not sitting in the dugout texting on cell phones or standing around socializing while one other girl is batting.  We have never before seen a practice where everyone is busy doing SOMETHING from the minute they get there and NO ONE has idle time.  It took 2 full weeks of practice before our DD could even run a triangle without the urge to throw up because she was so out of shape from lack of conditioning or exercising with her other team.  These girls do not walk out onto the field, they run, hold their heads up and are HAPPY to be there.  Every time.  I have been absolutely amazed at the respect, discipline, confidence and total lack of attitude that this group has and we definitely knew that we had done the right thing for our DD.  I listened to one of the coaches talk in the dugout to all of the girls not about the game, but about respect.  For themselves, each other, the coaches and ESPECIALLY the parents.  I was completely speechless and so impressed. 

And yes, winning those championship games are great and fun, but are high school or college coaches really going to care what tournaments those girls won in 10U, 12U and 14U?  I would be willing to bet they are going to be more concerned with their knowledge of the game, their fundamentals and skills and what they, as individual players, will bring to the table.  And from our personal experience,  having a coach who knows what they are doing, whether from coaching high school, college or even a former player themselves (which seems to be the best), speaks volumes and should be the first question asked when considering ANY team.  This team is also determined NOT to skip the 16U age group as so many teams want to do.  We took a great piece of advice and applied it and that advice was to go where the coaching was because if they were really good enough then the players would follow. 

[trout]

Which tryouts are you going to and what questions are you asking the coaches.  Picking the right team is very important. Its the set up to help your kid achieve their dreams. When you try out are you asking the coaches the questions you should ask to make sure your child is in the right spot.  Do you make sure their answers parallel their history or is it something new.

      How do you practice

      How much do you practice

      What do you teach ( get specific and see if they can answer )

      What tournaments are you playing in

      What are you doing to get kids recruited

      What are you doing to further your education

      Do you have or does someone on your staff have good knowledge in all phases of thegame          (who helps the pitcher in the middle of the game)

      Where have the kids in your program signed

Make sure their answers match the needs of you child. Some may want to much and some expect to little. Don't be afraid to go to a place you have heard bad things about and find out for yourself and remember just because some people love it doesn't mean its for you.

The GT Shockers Gold we practice 2 days during the week and either play or practice every weekend until our last tournament November 14 then we stop so the kids have some time to recharge for HS.   We are playing in the Ronald McDonald and are the only area team that can get in, we also play in 2 Easton Elite tournaments in Dallas and both Stars over Texas. We have Jimmy Weise being our team recruiter and we have had a 100% signing. We have a large video collection and discussions with various college coaches and Jessica knowledge of what colleges are doing now and access to current college players. I am the pitching coach and work with the outfielders. Jessica Lemoine works with the catchers and infielders and Robert Verde works with the hitters. At times we all help each other in all phases of the game to make the team the best it can be.We are proven winners as coaches and the only coaches who have ever qualified a team for ASA Gold Nationals in the local area. We work our kids hard and our practices are intense so they are prepared for college when they get there and get them to the exposure tournaments they need to be able to live there dreams. This is what we do and some of what we have accomplished. Lets hear from everyone else.

    I guess no one else has an answer for this question?

[Guest Sports Reporter]

  I guess no one else has an answer for this question?

We all have answers but like Momx2 said one time "sometimes all you can do is smile".  It has become routine around this website that if you don't want to agree with a couple of teams philosophies then it is "wrong".  You try and force your philosophy down someones throat and then when someone disagrees all h3ll breaks loose on this site.

Better sometimes for you not to know our "answers".

[RVerde]

Sports Reporter, I understand your point but respectfully disagree that it's one sided that you get attacked if you disagree with a programs philosophy. Those programs have been attacked for having a philosophy different from others. Does the sensitivity on these topics come from people defending their position or being defensive about it. There seems to be a lot of emotion involved from all concerned when being defensive and that's where the feeling of attack comes from. Lets lose the emotion and have some quality discussions. I have read some quality post defending the Nederland program and its decisions, but have also heard a lot that have been nothing more than people being defensive. I am close to Trout and Jess and have a lot of respect for what they are doing but don't always agree. I believe sometimes Trout's responses have seemed defensive and just like others on here I believe that comes from frustration. People make assumptions about what programs do and don't do. The post was intended to stimulate some conversation about what people expected and give the teams a chance to correct any misconceptions about their programs.  I don't believe most on here have any bad intentions but if we can't get past some of these emotions we will never grow softball in this area.  Taking from a quote by Colin Powell I would say the disagreement and discussion stimulates me. It's how I learn.

Ask a question on this board and you get very little response. Answer the question and as you say you get attacked. What I try to do is not take it personally because when I do it seems that I become defensive. The list of people involved in softball in this area is long. The amount of time and effort is incredible. The question is are we getting the most of that time and effort for the benefit of our kids. I don't think so and don't believe it is even close. If we have 10 programs around here and everyone does their own thing this is what you get. An occasional National Championship or tournament win. By the way I think the first one was by CC.  I am in no way making light of those Championships but after the good job that is given we need to ask if those championships bring respect and a reputation to us that brings in college coaches and gets us in quality tournaments. Is it the result of our area's philosophy or just a team that got put together. Is it benefiting a lot or just a few.

What is my agenda. Nothing more than sharing with people my knowledge and experiences and hearing theirs. Discussing the differences and learning or developing better ways to help the girls in our area live their dream, whatever that is.(I got an email from someone wanting to do what we are talking about on the boys side). I recently got a call from a young lady that I used to coach and she asked me for some help with her team. She is coaching to give back to the community that had given to her. I know that is all Trout and Jess want too and believe most on here feel the same way. All we have to do is get past the emotion of it.

By the way not only to we want to hear your answers but we need to hear them and discuss them.

[JohnnyT60]

I remember the Blast organization used to be the only game in town, and they did a lot to bring softball along in this community. They hosted several camps and clinics that were open to all girls. Maybe what we ought to shoot for is an organization that allows for all individual teams but has the strength in numbers to get folks to come in and give camps and clinics. If at some point it is acceptable to all then a more formal organization could be drafted with expectations and standards agreed upon by all.

BTW, I believe there is a place for all teams from Gold Organizations seeking to place everyone of their girls in D1 to Daddy Ball and all levels between as long as the player goals and dreams match that of her team. This is not a witch hunt but an attempt to make SB stronger across the whole GT.

Probably time for a face to face meeting and time to stop debating over the internet. That way we can find some common ground and move forward.

Everyone knows how I feel about Trout , Jess, Verde, but I also think John has done a lot for softball in this area and lord knows how many hours he has put in as well a all of the guys in the Crush Organization. My daughter would not be where she is without the Crush Organization or Blast Gold.

So let's get together.

[Guest Sports Reporter]

Sports Reporter, I understand your point but respectfully disagree that it's one sided that you get attacked if you disagree with a programs philosophy. Those programs have been attacked for having a philosophy different from others. Does the sensitivity on these topics come from people defending their position or being defensive about it.

By the way not only to we want to hear your answers but we need to hear them and discuss them.

Mr. Verde my earlier comments were not directed at you or your post, they were directed at Mr. Armentrout and others who keep needling people to open up a discussion on this subject through this forum.  You have been in the background and have participated in a limited manner over the last 2 years on this site while your DD was finishing her college career.  Great career at that.

This site has changed during your absence.

There are some very emotional and stubborn participants on this site.  Instead of just letting people blow off steam and say what they need to say to toot their own horn, people have to respond usually in a negative manner to these board participants, stirring up more trouble. Often times tearing down what others have accomplished, further polarizing the GT.  Please, I have seen enough of denying this happens.  Citing specific examples will only fan the flames more.

Hope your tryout went well today.

[BAG FAN]

Number one, find a team that the coach is in it for the kids ,not for his personal stats and look at me I am a Guru mentality .Played for a guy   who had every book, every video, every coaching clinic and yet had little to no sucsess.  The bigger the program doesnt mean the better. I have seen small run programs be much more sucsessful than some of the big boys. A coach that will take the time to work on a individual childs strengths and weaknesses is a coach who will go a long way . Truth is most of the kids we see at the 16 to 18 year range have been molded long before the 18u team takes them over . My daughter is the player she is due to her young years in Nederland Softball,Blast and RR with Terror and her never ending desire to get better and try to be the hardest worker on the field .So to the GUrus out there coaching 18u who think you are the reason a child is so sucsessful, well wake up ...they did the work they put the time in and most of there skills were developed long before we came along . Will also add this ,if your child is the best player by far on a team and has the gola to play at the next level, it's time for a change. Also just because a team has players going d1 or d2  ,it doesnt mean they got them there or even that softball got them there . 

[Guest Sports Reporter]

I have seen small run programs be much more sucsessful than some of the big boys.

Gotta disagree on this one BAG, doesn't happen that often