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Jumpnship
2 Posts |
 Posted - 10/08/2013 : 11:06:58
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| Is it just me or is it wrong for a 5th grader to be taking a spot on a 6th grade feeder team? No, the kid is not a significantly better player than any of the other kids on the team or anyone who tried out previously. And , by the way, he did get a spot after the fact, without even trying out like all the other boys did. I just find it offensive to my sensibilities. What do you think? And what would you think/feel if your kid was on that team and could lose a playing spot to a 5 th grader. Or your kid didn't make the team, and this child comes along and a spot becomes available. It's called feeder for reason, right? Or am i wrong? I guess I have 2 problems with this: 5th grader on a 6th grade team, and a late addition to the team. Interested in opinions. Thanks. |
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TAZ980002
831 Posts |
Posted - 10/08/2013 : 11:42:50
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| Welcome to school ball ... |
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bballman
1432 Posts |
Posted - 10/08/2013 : 12:19:13
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| I don't see it as a big deal. As long as the kid is in the feeder district. If the 6th graders are better than him, they will play. If they are not, they may have to work harder to beat him out. All in all, it's really not a big deal. |
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ABC_Baseball
90 Posts |
Posted - 10/08/2013 : 13:46:05
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| I know with football, 5th graders can try out for the 6th grade team. I know in travel ball, kids can play up as long as they are good enough. I do agree that being added after the fact and not trying out like everyone else is not a good look. Then again, it's youth baseball, the politics and backroom deals don't surprise me. |
Edited by - ABC_Baseball on 10/08/2013 13:53:11 |
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in_the_know
985 Posts |
Posted - 10/08/2013 : 13:52:52
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It may have something to do with a specific positional need. Maybe this kid can pitch and some of the others can't? Is it a TRUE feeder team where only players in the school district can play? I've seen where players out of district with more talent were passed over for in district players with less.
Also, might very well be political. There's really no way to know since none of us (probably yourself included) knows the entire story.
On the surface, all things equal, if you have three kids who all bring the same talent, positional skill set, etc., and two are 6th graders and one is 5th grade, I would think the two 6th graders would be preferred. Of course, if there's a political element to it, all bets are off. |
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bballman
1432 Posts |
Posted - 10/08/2013 : 14:07:36
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quote:
Originally posted by Jumpnship
And , by the way, he did get a spot after the fact, without even trying out like all the other boys did.
Unless you specifically know that he didn't try out at all, consider maybe he couldn't make the "official" try out and had an individual workout with the coach. Or maybe the coach knows him from seeing him play previously. When I was coaching youth ball, we often worked out kids individually that couldn't make the regular try out for some reason.
Just because he wasn't at the tryout, doesn't necessarily make this a political issue.
As I said earlier, it really isn't a big deal. Maybe it will help prepare your son for when he gets to HS and has to compete against sophomores, juniors and seniors for play time. If anyone is worried about a younger kid taking your spot, maybe the kid is pretty good. Just have your son work hard to earn his spot and all will be fine. |
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sailor
18 Posts |
Posted - 10/08/2013 : 14:12:26
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| I wouldn't get too upset over it. In the end, if you don't like the way that particular team is being run the best thing to do is find a different team. There are plenty of them out there. My son and I decided a long time ago that we didn't like the smell of the way things were being run on the feeder team for his age group. They have a serious daddy-ball issue. They're playing 14u now, and all the talented players left long ago. Most of the team is now made up of kids who aren't even in the HS district the team is supposed to feed. My son has been playing on professionally coached teams with no parent meddling instead. He's grown much more as a player and had much more fun competing than he ever would have on that feeder team. |
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6th grade feeder
