Wow what a trip down memory lane...I played at Dreams Park 25 years ago and it's 100% a memory I'll never forget. I also vividly recall the multiple dingers I gave up (probably gone with any porch)...There's nothing quite like staying in the village. I'll be thanking Mom + Dad again!
We went to Cooperstown for my son’s 12u summer. He played in the Little League World Series at 11 in Williamsport. I write extensively about Cooperstown in my book. It’s the “paid for” version of Williamsport. The kids will have a blast. The competition is iffy. That doesn’t matter. The kids enjoy the dorm for the week, the wiffle ball, and the games. If you can afford it, do it. If you can’t afford it, try to fundraiser for it. If you still can’t afford it, don’t break the bank, but you might want to try practicing with them more. In any athletic activity, the better your kid is, the less they pay for. Practice and grit beat once a week private lessons time after time.
There is A LOT about youth athletics that is nothing more than a money grab, yet at the same time those money grabs offer families a chance at making memories. My son is entering his senior year of high school and there are things we have done that we later regretted because it was obvious that it was a money grab once everything was said and done, then there were other events that we knew were money grabs, but we enjoyed them. I guess it is all in how you look at it. I think the key to it all is figuring out what you absolutely do not have to do in order to play "next level" or to be recruited once your kid gets to that age so you don't fall for those ploys and schemes.
We went to Dreams in 2022. I was skeptical because that seemed like a lot of money to pay for a baseball tournament.
Ask me now and here is what I will tell you. Some people say that, at the end of your life, you get to choose one day to re-live. If that is true, I’d have to think for a while which day to choose, but one of the Cooperstown days would definitely be in the running.
One of my best memories is when, after a game against a Hawaiian team, two groundskeepers who had been working on another field came hustling over. They saw both teams milling about at home plate and parents climbing out of the seating area and running toward the players. The groundskeepers thought it was a fight.
What was happening, though, was that the Hawaiian team had brought shell necklaces to give all of their opponents. And the parents were running out there to get photos.
This is incredible. Thank you for sharing it. The groundskeepers running over thinking it was a fight and finding shell necklaces instead. That's Cooperstown. Perfectly summed up in one story about two teams who didn't know each other before that game began.
A few yrs ago, my middle son's team participated in the Cooperstown Backyard Classic. This is a scaled down, far less expensive, low stress tourney held at fields in the Greater Cooperstown area. We stayed on the lake, went to the HoF, saw older kids we knew play at Doubleday, went in the downtown shops, and had great time together that week.
No fundraising, no glitz. Just me and my son and some baseball. Was more than sufficient for us. He was eleven then (this event has several tourneys for ages 10u - 17u. All wood bats). He played one more year.
This year he'll be on the HS football team with his older brother. Friday Night Lights is a far superior experience than DP or ASV - and I will die on that hill.
The Backyard Classic sounds like a great fit for a lot of families. Staying on the lake, the Hall of Fame, Doubleday Field, no fundraising pressure. That's a great week. And Friday Night Lights under the lights with two brothers on the same team? That's good stuff for sure. Thanks for sharing this.
Wow what a trip down memory lane...I played at Dreams Park 25 years ago and it's 100% a memory I'll never forget. I also vividly recall the multiple dingers I gave up (probably gone with any porch)...There's nothing quite like staying in the village. I'll be thanking Mom + Dad again!
We went to Cooperstown for my son’s 12u summer. He played in the Little League World Series at 11 in Williamsport. I write extensively about Cooperstown in my book. It’s the “paid for” version of Williamsport. The kids will have a blast. The competition is iffy. That doesn’t matter. The kids enjoy the dorm for the week, the wiffle ball, and the games. If you can afford it, do it. If you can’t afford it, try to fundraiser for it. If you still can’t afford it, don’t break the bank, but you might want to try practicing with them more. In any athletic activity, the better your kid is, the less they pay for. Practice and grit beat once a week private lessons time after time.
There is A LOT about youth athletics that is nothing more than a money grab, yet at the same time those money grabs offer families a chance at making memories. My son is entering his senior year of high school and there are things we have done that we later regretted because it was obvious that it was a money grab once everything was said and done, then there were other events that we knew were money grabs, but we enjoyed them. I guess it is all in how you look at it. I think the key to it all is figuring out what you absolutely do not have to do in order to play "next level" or to be recruited once your kid gets to that age so you don't fall for those ploys and schemes.
Well said and there’s so much out there for players and parents to navigate and a lot of us too get caught up in the comparison trap.
We went to Dreams in 2022. I was skeptical because that seemed like a lot of money to pay for a baseball tournament.
Ask me now and here is what I will tell you. Some people say that, at the end of your life, you get to choose one day to re-live. If that is true, I’d have to think for a while which day to choose, but one of the Cooperstown days would definitely be in the running.
One of my best memories is when, after a game against a Hawaiian team, two groundskeepers who had been working on another field came hustling over. They saw both teams milling about at home plate and parents climbing out of the seating area and running toward the players. The groundskeepers thought it was a fight.
What was happening, though, was that the Hawaiian team had brought shell necklaces to give all of their opponents. And the parents were running out there to get photos.
Dang. Now I’ve got something in my eye.
This is incredible. Thank you for sharing it. The groundskeepers running over thinking it was a fight and finding shell necklaces instead. That's Cooperstown. Perfectly summed up in one story about two teams who didn't know each other before that game began.
A few yrs ago, my middle son's team participated in the Cooperstown Backyard Classic. This is a scaled down, far less expensive, low stress tourney held at fields in the Greater Cooperstown area. We stayed on the lake, went to the HoF, saw older kids we knew play at Doubleday, went in the downtown shops, and had great time together that week.
No fundraising, no glitz. Just me and my son and some baseball. Was more than sufficient for us. He was eleven then (this event has several tourneys for ages 10u - 17u. All wood bats). He played one more year.
This year he'll be on the HS football team with his older brother. Friday Night Lights is a far superior experience than DP or ASV - and I will die on that hill.
The Backyard Classic sounds like a great fit for a lot of families. Staying on the lake, the Hall of Fame, Doubleday Field, no fundraising pressure. That's a great week. And Friday Night Lights under the lights with two brothers on the same team? That's good stuff for sure. Thanks for sharing this.