Ponte Vedra Baseball

[trchala]

Originally Posted by snuffybear

trchala, any comments on the youth sports climate in general in Ponte Vedra? Are parents generally appropriate/supportive and not overly competitive? I do like the professional coaching aspect. Thanks! (feel free to direct mail also)

I can't really comment on other PV sports as my boys only play baseball. From a baseball perspective, I'd say that parents are generally supportive and not overly competitive. I haven't heard any of the parents get out of line at any games. On some teams, the parents all seem to get along and there's friendly rapport. On others, there seems to be clique of 5-7 groups of parents that can be hard for a newcomer to crack.

That said, I think that the teams could be a bit more competitive - at least from a positive perspective (I'm not advocating crazy coaches/parents). For example, IMO, the PV teams have a lot of good kids who play baseball (and some can play it well), but aren't necessarily baseball players. There's a distinction. Many just seem to lack a certain spark/drive that I see from other kids on other teams at tournaments. There are plenty of kids who probably shouldn't be playing travel ball as they lack the heart/drive necessary to compete against kids who are really into the game. That's not a bad thing, but if they're playing then they should have a passion for the game (certainly older kids more so than younger kids). If not, which is fine, then they should probably play rec ball. IMO, some parents push their kids into travel ball more for the "cache" rather than considering what's in the best interest of the kid. The end result is that some of the teams get watered down in terms of talent and especially motivation/drive.

Just my unsolicited 2 cents and certainly not just a PVAA issue. We lived in SC and NJ (for a short while) and saw some of the same issues in the towns where we lived.

[famrelo]

Trchala thanks for the background on PV baseball. I will reach out to CBC and see if we can find a home for my kiddo. Thanks again!!

[snuffybear]

Thanks trchala. Very helpful insights! I agree with your observations based on what I've seen in travel sports as well.