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Any Fastpitch Dads/Coaches here (1 Viewer)

OK... Still WOW..... This whole thing was just a slap in the face, once I realized 9yo girls were leaving Rec for Travel and Full time jobs as Softball players I was like WTF??????

I'll take it a game at a time and just enjoy it.... 

I'm kinda regretting the whole pitching thing already b/c I can see even with a top coach we go to, it's going to be way intense where she could have aced fielding and hitting instead....lol
My daughter wanted to pitch starting about 9 yr old.  We worked in the back yard (I have no idea how to pitch underhand) without a pitching coach.  She was always a secondary pitcher on most of her teams but was good enough to throw strikes (most of the time).  She worked on it in travel ball a bit and would pitch a few innings every tournament but was never the primary pitcher on any team she was on......until her sophomore year in high school.  Then she pitched almost every inning of every game for the JV.  She played Varsity as a junior but played CF as they had a senior pitcher.  She pitched the odd game or finished up games that were out of hand one way or the other.

This year as a senior she is the only pitcher they have.  She has never had a true pitching coach and just learned along the way.  She isn't a stud at all and needs a good defense behind her because balls get put in play but she is holding her own. 

All this to say you can pitch and play other positions if the kid wants to.  My daughter had fun playing and worked hard-ish (she didn't have the work ethic to be a top player) but has held her own at every level and did other things along the way.  Enjoy the journey and just keep asking your daughter if she is still having fun and back off if it becomes too much to the point she is starting to hate it. 

ETA:  However, be clear that in order to be one of the best she will have to work harder than everyone else and if she likes it and wants it then that can be fun too.  My son is this way.  He works hard and wants to be the best so he puts in the time.  I never press but will help him along the way.  My daughter didn't want to put in that time and effort.  She is good enough to be a solid player but could have been much better (all the physical tools) if she had the mindset to push harder.  Each one is different and you have to figure out what it will take to get your kid where they want to go.  There is no one correct way.

 
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My daughter doesn't wear sliding pads. She did when she was younger but she doesn't like them. 

OMG - we just had our first middle school game.  It sucked.  4 out fielder's? At 7th and 8th grade?  I was told to lower all expectations but it was bad.  At least our girls did well....

 
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I have two daughters playing.  one 15 one 13.  15 year old is in her second year of 16a ball.  She plays all infield spots but 2nd.  Mostly first this year.  She has great power, hit her first over the fence grand slam this year.  She's on a team assembled to play exposure tournaments and has started the college recruiting process.  She has D1 talent but NAIA rules on compensation are interesting.  Her current coach plays for a NAIA school and gets more than tuition from the school.   It is starting to get interesting for her.  And they play a very high level of play, fun to watch. 

13 year old is doing a scrimmage as I type this.  She is on a 14b team, her first year in 14s.  She is a pitcher.  Throws low 50s.  Right now she throws a drop a screwball and a changeup.  Her team has another good pitcher on their team and they have taken a 2nd and 3rd place in their two tournaments so far this year. Highlight so far this year daughter pitched seven innings in a semi final game.  had a no hitter thru 5.  Pitched 120 pitches and struck out their number 3 hitter in the bottom of the 7th with three pitches with two on for a one run win.  Lost in the final but it was such an emotional win it felt like we won the tournament. 

We spend all our free time at a field of some sort.  it's going to be a fun spring and summer.  

 
Damn, you guys are all about it. I was just happy that none of my girls cried after practice tonight.

P.S. at what age do lefties start getting pigeonholed into positions. How long can they last as catchers?

 
We spend all our free time at a field of some sort.  it's going to be a fun spring and summer.  
Great story. Your girls will remember these stories and that you were there to cherish/experience the moment with them for the rest of their lives. 

 
Damn, you guys are all about it. I was just happy that none of my girls cried after practice tonight.

P.S. at what age do lefties start getting pigeonholed into positions. How long can they last as catchers?
Softball it doesn't seem to matter as much. There are more than one big D1 schools with left catchers

 
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Damn, you guys are all about it. I was just happy that none of my girls cried after practice tonight.

P.S. at what age do lefties start getting pigeonholed into positions. How long can they last as catchers?
Don't believe the hype there is lots of crying in softball.

 
Pitchers parents are definitely the wackiest in my experience  :oldunsure:  Lots of video taping, pacing back and fourth and coaching from behind the backstop. 
guilty, although I don't coach.  it is very difficult when your kid pitches well and then an infielder let's a dribbler go though the wickets.  ?.   my daughter pitched a game in 12u where her team committed 17 errors over 2 innings.  Gotta admit it was hard to bite my tongue when some of the other parents then give you advice on how she could pitch better.  How about you teach your daughter to stop something smaller than a beach ball or charge a slow roller or throw to first with something other than a one hopper?  You sign up for this when you become a pitcher parent but not many outside the fraternity know the heartache.  My daughter's been pitching since she was 9 and the newbie pitching parents almost always come to admit the ratcheted up intensity.  Had one dad admit he went from get it next time guy to dive for that every time guy the second his daughter pitched her first game.  

 
For the first two years of my daughters pitching development she was never told to "throw strikes".  Myself and her coaches always instructed her to throw hard and not to worry about where the ball went.  There were many games where we would lose 13-12 and the other team wouldn't get a hit.  But in the long run it really paid off.  
This.  Practice the form at top speed.  Had lots of parents and coaches tell my daughter to slow down to throw more strikes.  Do not do that even if you have to confront people and tell them to shut the heck up.  These boring games is the price other parents pay for later when their kids can't field.

 
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This.  Practice the form at top speed.  Had lots of parents and coaches tell my daughter to slow down to throw more strikes.  Do not do that even if you have to confront people and tell them to shut the heck up.  These boring games is the price other parents pay for later when their kids can't field.
These boring game are part of the reason why kids can't field later and have no concept of the game.  Walk fests suck and are terrible for all aspects of the game.  Hitters learn they don't ever have to swing because pitchers can't throw 3 out of 7 pitches for a strike.  Fielders don't learn how to field live off the bat because nobody ever hits the ball.  Teams don't know where to go when balls are put in play because the last time one was put in play was 45 minutes ago.  Not throwing strikes sucks the entire life out of the game. 

I am also the parent of a pitcher but if you can't throw strikes everything suffers.  I am by no means advocating changing your mechanics just so you throw strikes but throwing strikes should be the primary goal of teaching pitching.  Typically that happens when mechanics are done properly.  Hit your spots with your fastball (yes throw as hard as you can by using the proper mechanics) and get to a point where you can throw the ball consistently to the same spot. 

 
Daughter had her first JV HS game yesterday. She has dabbled with catching throughout youth softball, mainly because we didn't have anyone else who could catch. It was never her primary position in Club though. Well she made the switch to catcher this year in HS. It was mainly due to the recommendation of the varsity coach, guess the catching pipeline is thin. She threw out her first HS baserunner trying to steal second yesterday and was very proud. She caught the whole game but did say she hopes to get to play other positions, catching can be exhausting.

Regarding position flexibility, versatility in the field is something I have always preached. So many kids(and parents) get caught up in playing infield. There are so few girls that know how to track and catch a fly ball in the outfield it's crazy. I know it's tough when they are little, outfield doesn't get a ton of action but when they get older and stronger OF is really important. Don't be afraid to get your girls some time in the outfield, it's NOT a punishment. 

 
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My 8 year old daughter is still playing 8u coach pitch. She played 4 seasons of t-ball and this is her 5th season of coach pitch. She'll be moving up to 10u fast pitch this fall. She loves playing and one of my favorite things to do is watching and cheering her on. 

 
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Daughter had her first JV HS game yesterday. She has dabbled with catching throughout youth softball, mainly because we didn't have anyone else who could catch. It was never her primary position in Club though. Well she made the switch to catcher this year in HS. It was mainly due to the recommendation of the varsity coach, guess the catching pipeline is thin. She threw out her first HS baserunner trying to steal second yesterday and was very proud. She caught the whole game but did say she hopes to get to play other positions, catching can be exhausting.

Regarding position flexibility, versatility in the field is something I have always preached. So many kids(and parents) get caught up in playing infield. There are so few girls that know how to track and catch a fly ball in the outfield it's crazy. I know it's tough when they are little, outfield doesn't get a ton of action but when they get older and stronger OF is really important. Don't be afraid to get your girls some time in the outfield, it's NOT a punishment. 
I agree. This is why I'm trying to make sure my daughter is well rounded. Even on club team she plays many positions (CF/C/P) in that order and in a pinch INF.  At 10u she was SS.  I'm trying to make her well rounded until she get a bit older.   She sees time at all of her positions but CF/C are her best. Shes one of 2 girls we have confidence that can catch with no issue.  It very noticeable between kids that can and can't.  We use our pitching machine to throw fly balls and also hit them.   

She actually had a diving catch in the gap recently.  I think that was her first one :)

 
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 we had a mom coach come to our clinics last night and was like I notice they don't teach elbow up anymore and thats how i played for 17 years.   it was neat talking changes over the years with how things are taught etc
There are a lot of ways to swing a bat.  There are far fewer ways to properly throw a ball.  If I only recommend one drill here, it's the Wasserman bottle drill.

 
 Don't be afraid to get your girls some time in the outfield, it's NOT a punishment. 
A roster is often 12.  3 pitchers, 2 catchers and a primary at every other position.  Just one SS, one 3B, one 2B, but THREE OFs.  One of my daughters was a 3B until 12, the other a SS until 12.  Both went on to play CF.  Best 1B I ever saw plays D1 RF now and was B10 freshman of the year.

 
My daughter doesn't wear sliding pads. She did when she was younger but she doesn't like them.
If your daughter continues to play at a high level, she may decide to gear up.  A sliding knee pad. Elbow protector when hitting. Ankle braces.

 
If your daughter continues to play at a high level, she may decide to gear up.  A sliding knee pad. Elbow protector when hitting. Ankle braces.
She uses a elbow protector  and has a sliding knee pad she doesn't like..lol

She didn't like the sliding pants

She also wears the Evo shield moldable chest guard.  :)

 
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These boring game are part of the reason why kids can't field later and have no concept of the game.  Walk fests suck and are terrible for all aspects of the game.  Hitters learn they don't ever have to swing because pitchers can't throw 3 out of 7 pitches for a strike.  Fielders don't learn how to field live off the bat because nobody ever hits the ball.  Teams don't know where to go when balls are put in play because the last time one was put in play was 45 minutes ago.  Not throwing strikes sucks the entire life out of the game. 

I am also the parent of a pitcher but if you can't throw strikes everything suffers.  I am by no means advocating changing your mechanics just so you throw strikes but throwing strikes should be the primary goal of teaching pitching.  Typically that happens when mechanics are done properly.  Hit your spots with your fastball (yes throw as hard as you can by using the proper mechanics) and get to a point where you can throw the ball consistently to the same spot. 
I think you misinterpreted by back handed acknowledgement that my daughter has probably inflicted as much pain on other parents as their kids have inflicted on me.  

As to your second point I get it but sans the prodigies their aren't a lot of girls that are going to be able to throw strikes to batters on demand in their first year or year and a half of pitching. they are going to have good innings and they are going to have bad innings.  I think this is part of the reason a lot of non parent coaches only do 14s and up, at least in my experience.  Anyway it's part of the learning curve for the game and I'm sure you don't appreciate other parents coaching your daughter when she is having an off day / game/inning.  Certainly when they have no clue what they are talking about.

 
I think you misinterpreted by back handed acknowledgement that my daughter has probably inflicted as much pain on other parents as their kids have inflicted on me.  

As to your second point I get it but sans the prodigies their aren't a lot of girls that are going to be able to throw strikes to batters on demand in their first year or year and a half of pitching. they are going to have good innings and they are going to have bad innings.  I think this is part of the reason a lot of non parent coaches only do 14s and up, at least in my experience.  Anyway it's part of the learning curve for the game and I'm sure you don't appreciate other parents coaching your daughter when she is having an off day / game/inning.  Certainly when they have no clue what they are talking about.
Baseball/Softball is extremely difficult and boring at younger ages.  Pitchers do struggle with learning how to throw strikes and it take a lot of time and practice to get to the point of being able to throw consistent strikes.  I may have misunderstood your intention on the "don't worry about throwing strikes just throw as hard as you can" aspect of your comment.  I don't think that helps matters if you aren't working on proper mechanics. 

The game breaks down when pitchers cannot throw strikes and it really pushes many kids away from the game early because it is so boring.  It's part of the reason I have always pushed using a Tee if a batter walks instead of just walking at early ages.  That at least gets the ball put in play, helps develop players swings, and gets the defense involved.  I think that has a huge benefit even up to ages 10/11 at the rec level.  Unfortunately, many people think that using the tee in those instances slows the game too much or isn't fair to the batter who walked who now may get out because they can't hit off a tee.  Unfortunately when pitchers don't throw strikes the game comes to a complete halt and nobody wins.  All aspects of development in the game are stopped.  It's a big reason many kids are going away from the game.

As far as the bolded part, good coaches understand that by the time kids get to be 14+ if they haven't had good coaching by then the habits that will need to be broken are very difficult to do.  Most good coaches want to get kids as soon as possible so they can mold them properly.  The basics need to be properly taught from the earliest of ages because by the time they are 14 they are generally too set in their ways.  To break bad habits/mechanics that a kid has managed to do ok with at that time is extremely difficult because usually there is a period of getting a lot worse before getting better. 

 
As to your second point I get it but sans the prodigies their aren't a lot of girls that are going to be able to throw strikes to batters on demand in their first year or year and a half of pitching. they are going to have good innings and they are going to have bad innings.  I think this is part of the reason a lot of non parent coaches only do 14s and up, at least in my experience.  Anyway it's part of the learning curve for the game and I'm sure you don't appreciate other parents coaching your daughter when she is having an off day / game/inning.  Certainly when they have no clue what they are talking about.
The best programs offer free pitching and catching clinics ages 6-10.  With great encouragement and technique everybody wins. If you're a parent with any opportunity to join a board meeting, get this in front of them. 

Seperate but related, we offer t-shirts, such as "1,000 swing club" and free access to indoor heated cages with balls, tees, group instruction, etc.  

And inevitably, I train 2-3 other dad's on proper swing fundamentals AND how to coach. 

 
Re: 'by the time kids are 14'. I don't want to offend anyone. I apologize if what I write next seems insensitive. Of course it's just a game. And recreational activities or extra curricular activities are for enjoyment. 

That said, dad's of 8-10s need to understand that their daughters 'career' (bracing myself) needs to be tracking by 11s.  YMMV.  Travel starts in earnest at 12U. 11s is first year 12s. You're on the A team, with better teammates, better coaching, maybe/probably more reps, vs better competition, or you're not. Every practice, game or tourney or certainly at least every season you're not, you're falling behind. 

14s are joining some college clinics. 15s get scouted. 16s start 'dating' coaches and making visits and sign NLIs. (Disclaimer, my daughters, like about half their class, were 17 as seniors). 

In MN Fastpitch is a HS spring season. Seniors apply to colleges in Sep-Oct and get acceptance letters in Jan. Senior year is meaningless. Junior HS year and the following summer 16/17s is your year. 

It would be a rare and exceptional talent that learns to swing a bat, see pitches and play this game at a high level with a serious start at 14s. In part because she's on the B/C team, isn't on a top club team in the state (coaching, competition, conditioning, etc), doesn't have a year-round situation, isn't starting varsity as a 9th grader, etc. 

 
Wish we had an indoor facility.  We have to pay to go to one of the local places
Belljr's Xmas list:

1. An unfinished basement or a heated garage stall with a net, rubber plate and tee.

2. A boom box with daughters music and volume set to 11.  Let the good times roll. 

 
Belljr's Xmas list:

1. An unfinished basement or a heated garage stall with a net, rubber plate and tee.

2. A boom box with daughters music and volume set to 11.  Let the good times roll. 
LOL - like I don't own all that already.....   We do tee work in the garage.  I don't have enough space for anything else (pitching, catching).  We block light flight balls in the living room  ...

I may have a problem

HS is going to be a tough animal.  They have a freshman only team policy.  THey don't allow freshman to play JV or V.   Every year there is a fight with one kid who should be moved up.   Here it feels - Colleges take club ball here more seriously than HS unfortunately.

 
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Re: 'by the time kids are 14'. I don't want to offend anyone. I apologize if what I write next seems insensitive. Of course it's just a game. And recreational activities or extra curricular activities are for enjoyment. 

That said, dad's of 8-10s need to understand that their daughters 'career' (bracing myself) needs to be tracking by 11s.  YMMV.  Travel starts in earnest at 12U. 11s is first year 12s. You're on the A team, with better teammates, better coaching, maybe/probably more reps, vs better competition, or you're not. Every practice, game or tourney or certainly at least every season you're not, you're falling behind. 

14s are joining some college clinics. 15s get scouted. 16s start 'dating' coaches and making visits and sign NLIs. (Disclaimer, my daughters, like about half their class, were 17 as seniors). 

In MN Fastpitch is a HS spring season. Seniors apply to colleges in Sep-Oct and get acceptance letters in Jan. Senior year is meaningless. Junior HS year and the following summer 16/17s is your year. 

It would be a rare and exceptional talent that learns to swing a bat, see pitches and play this game at a high level with a serious start at 14s. In part because she's on the B/C team, isn't on a top club team in the state (coaching, competition, conditioning, etc), doesn't have a year-round situation, isn't starting varsity as a 9th grader, etc. 
This is specifically geared towards someone that wants to be serious players and sell out for top level competition......this is not the path for everyone and not necessarily the path to be a solid high school player. 

I live in California and my daughter played softball from 6 yrs old.  She played rec until about 12 and then branched out to some travel ball playing about half the year (other half was spent playing soccer). This continued until 9th grade where injuries (bad concussion and hip labrum tear - both from soccer) ended her soccer career so she focused more on softball.  Played for the high school and travel team after high school season ended.  She started and played almost every inning on the JV high school team as a 9th/10th grader and was the starting CF/back up pitcher her junior year of high school.  She is now her high school teams only pitcher.  She by no means is an elite player but holds her own and is middle of the pack.  She doesn't know if she wants to try and play in college (going to Sonoma St) but she would do that as a walk on.  She has had quite a few scholarship offers from NAIA and Div III small schools in the mid west and east.  Most are smaller schools and are not the school/area she wants to go to college so she never gave them much thought.  She was responsive and let each of the coaches know it just wasn't what she wanted to do.

She has enjoyed her time and it was never a job for her.  You don't have to go the path outlined by Zerp and quite frankly that is only for the top 5-10% of players but if you want a shot (and that's all it is - a shot) at D1 opportunities that path is most likely a must.  I just don't think most kids are going to get D1 scholarships (even spending every waking moment playing the game) so making that sacrifice is a huge commitment.  So unless the kid really enjoys all the work/missing other opportunities/etc it probably isn't worth it as it will burn most kids out. 

You can play a solid high school career without needing it be a job.

 
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As I said I can only reference my own experience.   I live in Colorado and sometimes I forget we are a softball wasteland.  Both my daughters have played since 10u  and both have been on a different team every year.  Daddy ball is dominant.  Organizations have an extremely hard time getting and keeping competent coaches.  I  could count on two hands the number of serious teams that have had a stable roster since 10u.  They are typically the strongest teams.  I stopped coaching my younger daughter's team so I could devote my coaching time to my daughter's alone.  This is the first year I felt like my older daughter has gotten good coaching since first year of 12s.  Even her team is a nightmare of parents and having to deal with them trying to coach players during games etc. I'm not sure how our coaches haven't lost their minds already.  Anyway I get the ideal it just doesn't happen in my neck of the woods very often unless you have time and ability to build it yourself or lucky to have it near you. I don't have 3 or 4 hours a day for drive time for each kid to get them to the ideal situation.

 
belljr, respectfully, you don't have a problem. If there's a problem, it's that it all goes by so fast [I know, everyone says that, I didn't understand what it meant when they said it to me when the girsl were 6 and 8, wish I did, take more pics!]

3. 2 Frisbees; 4. colored wiffles; 5. an old volleyball; 6. a short bat; 7. golf wiffles, 8. a hammer, 9. a long-handled spatula with finger grip; 10. a bag of 10 old wooden bats; etc etc etc

 
HS is going to be a tough animal.  They have a freshman only team policy.  THey don't allow freshman to play JV or V.   Every year there is a fight with one kid who should be moved up.   Here it feels - Colleges take club ball here more seriously than HS unfortunately.
HS is becoming secondary for a variety of reasons and one of the main ones is that season is the same as the college season so it is harder for the coaches to scout.  Also, travel tourneys are easier to see a bunch of top talent all in one place so it minimizes scouting. 

As far as keeping freshmen down there is some merit to that by focusing on fundamentals more and getting a proper foundation for the future levels.  However, if there is a kid that is being brought down by the competition then they should be moved up to be challenged accordingly. 

 
 I live in Colorado  I don't have 3 or 4 hours a day for drive time for each kid to get them to the ideal situation.
I quoted a little.  I agree with everything you wrote.  And CO has gorgeous facilities.  My girls played in the Sparkler, Fireworks tourneys and were selected to play in the Rockies stadium for games on ESPN3. I'm very fortunate to live surrounded by maybe 40 fields and 4 domes (heated winters) in a 15 mile radius.  

 
As far as keeping freshmen down there is some merit to that by focusing on fundamentals more and getting a proper foundation for the future levels. 
Around here players politely share club drills and practice plans with HS coaches and are instructed to nod politely when the HS coach offers instruction, then do what you do.  Then after HS ball we spend the first 2 weeks repairing them.

 
Zerp said:
Around here players politely share club drills and practice plans with HS coaches and are instructed to nod politely when the HS coach offers instruction, then do what you do.  Then after HS ball we spend the first 2 weeks repairing them.
Yep.  Same here.  However, some HS coaches run their own travel teams as well in the off season. 

 
Zerp said:
belljr, respectfully, you don't have a problem. If there's a problem, it's that it all goes by so fast [I know, everyone says that, I didn't understand what it meant when they said it to me when the girsl were 6 and 8, wish I did, take more pics!]

3. 2 Frisbees; 4. colored wiffles; 5. an old volleyball; 6. a short bat; 7. golf wiffles, 8. a hammer, 9. a long-handled spatula with finger grip; 10. a bag of 10 old wooden bats; etc etc etc
:lmao:   Yep

 
@Zerp......what should I expect to be paying for 16u teams? It seems it's something they don't really like to publish. I imagine it depends on how often they travel and where they go, but I'd like a ballpark price if possible. 

 
@Cjw_55106 We're both in MN. In the TCs, $2K club fees for a top club. Plus expenses. I can say more in a PM if you'd like. 

 
Beware clubs that have a 'money team'. Beware clubs that expect private lessons and full year costs go to $5K. 

 
Zerp said:
Around here players politely share club drills and practice plans with HS coaches and are instructed to nod politely when the HS coach offers instruction, then do what you do.  Then after HS ball we spend the first 2 weeks repairing them.
:yes:

 
@Cjw_55106 We're both in MN. In the TCs, $2K club fees for a top club. Plus expenses. I can say more in a PM if you'd like. 
I'm in MA and that is around what the good programs charge here, Daughter is still U14. This is what we get for that:

Team gear: uniforms, bat bag, cleats, warmup shirt

Spring
Optional Sunday Practices with team. Program is very town ball friendly in Spring. Plus some High Schools frown on Club during HS season. 

Summer(this is when Club is top priority)
Sunday Practices and one mid week practice with team. 
7 Summer Weekend Tournaments

Fall(other sports are encouraged, no penalty for missing practice)
Outdoor practices, once/twice a week with local college coaches/teams. They practiced with 3 different schools last fall, my daughter really enjoyed these. 
They also had a couple sessions at an indoor facility at a local College. 

Winter(other sports are encouraged, no penalty for missing practice)
3 hours Saturday Mornings with Club Coaches at Indoor facility. They bring the entire program together for these, broken out by age group. 
2 Hours Sunday Morning at Local College Facility with College coaches/team

They also offer consulting with a local recruiting service and financial aid consulting with a local financial institution. Both are included in Club fee. 

 
I’m guessing the high school coaches can point me in a positive direction? 
HS coaches will have their agendas.  It depends on what you are trying to accomplish.  If your kid is likely a HS player and probably not beyond it might be a benefit to contact the HS coach and see what they recommend and follow that.  It will put you in a good light with the coach which won't hurt your chances while playing for that coach.

It might not be the best overall instructionally for your kid but if your goal is a fine HS career it probably doesn't matter much in the long run.

 
HS coaches will have their agendas.  It depends on what you are trying to accomplish.  If your kid is likely a HS player and probably not beyond it might be a benefit to contact the HS coach and see what they recommend and follow that.  It will put you in a good light with the coach which won't hurt your chances while playing for that coach.

It might not be the best overall instructionally for your kid but if your goal is a fine HS career it probably doesn't matter much in the long run.
Don’t most players play for both the high school and club team? 

 
I quoted a little.  I agree with everything you wrote.  And CO has gorgeous facilities.  My girls played in the Sparkler, Fireworks tourneys and were selected to play in the Rockies stadium for games on ESPN3. I'm very fortunate to live surrounded by maybe 40 fields and 4 domes (heated winters) in a 15 mile radius.  
We have great locations not so sure the facilities.   I can only think of one indoor facility where you could set up an infield and throw the ball around. everything else is pretty much converted warehouse space.  

The sparkler is pretty awesome to have in town. 

 
Don’t most players play for both the high school and club team? 
In my experience, most or almost all club players play HS ball. Not all HS players play club ball. For some elite players, senior year is awesome. They're playing with their friends. In a few cases, the HS team is weak, the HS coach is a clown, the player has a scholly, she spends winter and spring conditioning then moves to campus mid-summer with fresh arms and legs to preseason train with college team. 

 

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