Recruiting

....go to the college camps would be my first answer. My second answer to your ? of what a 7th grader, who wants to play ball someday in college, is.....make sure she is having fun playing as a kid.
Don't screw this opportunity up for your kids folks.
The time to get serious about recruiting will come soon enough.
3rd answer.....play travel ball for a team in your area.
Get your feet wet in the ins and outs of the entire scenario.
You'll see what we call the silly season, which is when kids/parents up and leave one team for another.
Sometimes moving on to another team is in the best interest of a child. That move is up to you as the parent. But don't ever forget that there might be a negative connotation attached to jumping from team to team.
Lastly, and this is for you mom and dad, stay out of your kids ear when she's on the field. we, who have been there KNOW that its tough to keep your mouth shut, but believe me, its for the best.
Marlin

 

A wise man.......good advice Marlin.

Teach her to work and how to work but make certain she wants it and you don't burn her out.

 

Agreed!!

 

Excellent advice in the last paragraph Marlin!! Along with many others I've learned the hard way at times to not exceed my role as a fan. The coaches and players have a full time job doing what they do. They don't need the extra burden of bleacher coaches.

What I have observed over the years: It takes players and coaches 4 or 5 years to develop their expertise; it takes only 4 or 5 games for fans to develop that same expertise!!

 

Great Advice

Great advice Cheeze. One addition to this would be when you go to these camps go with a great " I love this game attitude". Don't be afraid to ask for extra work during long lunches or in the afternoon after camp has been dismissed for the day. Be willing to play any position they want put you during the games. Constantly cheer and enjoy your new temporary team mates. I am very fortunate that my dd will be playing at the next level because of camps. We had absolutly No help from a TB coach whatsoever and got at least one "call back" after every camp. I have had the opportunity to talk with several coaches on this topic and the conclussion was that Coaches get to see you more at camp than they would ever see you at any tourny. At camp they can watch attitudes along with skills and responsiveness of your team mates to you. I had a coach tell me that she had a couple of young ladies attend her camp that were high on her list of recruits and by the time camp was over she didn't tell them good bye because their attitude stunk! This is a great game and as Marlin stated Have Fun! Hope this helps, and Good Luck.