ASA Softball: Not everyone is happy!

The link below takes you to a thread on the Softball Forum. While ASA is growing in NC there appears to be some criticism of the organization on the national level. I have NO opinion on this so please don't assume these opinions are mine. Just thought some on this board might be interested:

http://www.websitetoolbox.com/tool/post/robocoach/vpost?id=2877247

 

That was an interesting read. Bear with me because of my lack of knowledge on how Softball Showcase/TB works, but here is my question.

I would assume that most "signed or committed" players in NC go to a school in our region: Is this a correct assumption? If it is, why do families spend exorbitant amount of money to travel all over the US. If most won't be recruited out of our region, why not save your money and play at widely recruited tournaments in and around NC?

I just never understood the "National" tournament mentality unless your DD is a national type player looking to play at a D1 school in Western or Middlewestern USA.

Aren't there quality local tournaments that the schools in our region attend?

 

Having gone to Boulder this year there are any of a number of NC players who I would say have the talent to play anywhere in the USA.

The question becomes: are the parents and the player interested in chasing this? My experience in talking to others in the NC TB community is an overwhleming no... The Carolinas and Virginia is where 99% of the college interest lies.

There are other facets to this however, I did notice "local" colleges seemed to flock to watch NC teams in CO... to me it reminded me of going to a party and only hanging out with people you know... lol. Of course the logical explanation is to watch a prospect compete against what is perceived as national level talent. NC teams enjoying success at that level ups the cache' of our players and debunks the myth of west coast supremecy. If we sent no one to those tournaments the perception would continue to be that we cannot compete. This coupled with local coaches dealing with recruiting west coast kids and whether they can adjust to the weather here and investing in these players only to have them return to the west coast after a year or two are all items which are turning the tide of perception about the quality of our athletes.

It is nonetheless an interesting dichotomy. Going to these tournaments helps you get recruited by "local" colleges.. but it remains insufficent exposure for an athlete to go to basically one national showcase tournament if they have dreams of playing for a team in another part of the country... because at this point even the best showcase tournaments in the Carolinas are regional in terms of the colleges and universities that attend.

 

I agree with you

From a recruiting perspective I think it's very hard to justify the trips to Boulder or competition in nationals. I think there was time when even our local D1 coaches didn't trust the level of competition at the Dynamites or Ray's showcases. They still wanted to see if the local girls could "cut it" in Boulder or at nationals. I think we're past that. If a kid wants to go to State or Carolina and is capable she will be "found" without having to play Golds or go to Boulder. Now, if she wants to play at LSU, Texas or UCLA Golds and Boulder is probably a good investment.

 

Thanks BSD. I wasn't trying to stir the pot. I was just asking to be better informed. Thank you for your response.

It is kinda funny, in the age of worrisome athletic budgets, that the regional recruiters spend their recruiting money to watch regional players in a West Coast event.

I agree that the more success that NC has in competing in these events, the better reputation our state garners.

 

Keep in mind, I would think that the last time that truely everyone was happy, was when the Dove returned with a twig from an olive branch.

 

Yep, I suspect that you are right. At least, that is the opinion on the baseball side.

Also, I'm including VA, SC, Ga and Tenn as teams in our region.

 

It's more than the weather

West coast kids are risk for a ton of reasons. Culture and homesickness are the biggest issues. At the mid-major level there's also the "talent risk". My DD's coaches have repeatedly brought in West Coasters who simply couldn't play. Most ended up being "one and done" kids who returned home. The talent level in VA and the Carolinas has been really high the last few years and the local coaches are recognizing this.

 

Better coaching? Better competition? Better commitment to get better?

 

Recruiting budgets $$$!!!

Not softball-specific but gives some perspective. These numbers were before recent fuel-related price hikes:

http://chronicle.com/weekly/v54/i47/47a00102.htm

Scroll to the bottom to see women's sports recruiting budgets.