Would love to know more about it from someone who has been there. I was contacted about a spot on a team for this summer's tournament and am very interested, but there are some things in the way and need to know if it's worth the time lost from my travel team and the cost,etc...

Catch...Went with a team of 15 year olds in 2001 and then coached a team of 16 year olds in Tucson in 2002.

Experience of a lifetime.

If you want to play with the big boys, go. Simple as that.

Get a chance to play some Arizona and California teams and some Texas teams, too.

Lots of special kids that can really play.

They couldn't keep me from the ballpark from morning 'til night. Took a 45 minute break for supper and went back to the park for "scouting".

Catch...Listen to "Been". Our son played with "Been's" as a 16 yo. Even a kid who had played with the big guy's for years it was an eye-opener. He found out that there were players outside of Southern California. The top guys you see there are the same guys you'll be hearing about, and competing against for years to come.

So you guys are saying it is deffinatly worth it to leave my travel team for about 10-12 days to play for this team?

Catch...ABSOLUTELY, YES.

If mom or dad can make it to share the memories with you, ask them to make it happen.

USA Baseball will select players from Tucson and the Florida site to be invited for the USA Junior National Team Trials (for about a week) and from the 40 or so players invited, about 23-25 will make up the USA Junior National Team.

Give it your best shot. Go ready to play.

Good things can happen.

Correction, Beenthere.

USA Baseball selects 18 players from the JO's East in Jupiter, FL, and 18 more from JO's west in Phoenix, AZ, to head directly to Phoenix at the end of the tournaments for a week of trials for the Youth National Team. At the end of trials week, the 36 players are cut down to an 18-man roster. They then are flown home for a few weeks, and they regroup later to work out as a team in preparation for the international tourney. This year, the YNT will play in Venezuela in August.

The Junior National team is the 18u team and it is selected through a different process, involving individual player invitations to a tryout process.

Still your main point was on the mark, this is a top-notch tourney played on MLB spring training fields against some of the toughest teams you'll ever see (even though in FL half the teams are from FL and only half are from other states).

Just come prepared for the heat and some T-storms. I don't remember ever having to play more than two games per day, and sometimes only 1, plus I think we got one day off completely. But it's still a dehydrating and thus, literally draining week. A good test of your conditioning!

I am only 15. Is this the same tournament?

I would imagine it is the same tournament, since you mentioned it is 10-12 days. Click on
http://www.usabaseball.com/ot/usab-joly-home.html and then click on the link toward the top of the page titled "2006-Field West" or "2006-Field East" to see if the team who contacted you is listed as a participant. There is a maximum age to play (born no earlier than May 1, 1989) but I'm not aware of any minimum age. At age 15, you'll be eligible for consideration for the Youth National Team, whereas my son, who will be there but was born before Jan. 1, 1990, will be considered too "old" for the YNT.

Catcher's....

Yes, 15 and 16 year old's play in this tournament.

USA Baseball Youth National Team...Midlo is right re the correct name.

Son Paul was on the 1990 USA Baseball Junior National Team that played in Havana.

The international age groupings use the calendar year, not Aug. 1 or the new May 1 date. So, you'll have some players there who are 16u but who are "too old" for YNT consideration. You have to have been born in 1990 or later.

There is no minimum age if you can play. We had a 14 on our team last year, though he was no ordinary 14!

They have usually taken a few 15's to the YNT trials. I don't know if any have actually made it, but some have made it on their second try the next year. Just being invited is a major door opener. Making the team and wearing the USA jersey is an experience of a lifetime.

Well, decided not to go... felt we needed to be loyal to our son's travel team... we would miss too many games and a tournament in Connecticut over the 4th of July... and it was $$$. We hope we didn't make a huge mistake not going, but....there it is. Thanks for the feedback, everyone.

Catch...If your son is truly a "player", you definitely made a mistake.

Unbelievable baseball atmosphere with some of the top 15-16 year olds in America on the field!

Together with players from the Florida site, they (USA Baseball) will select the USA Youth National Team to represent America.

As someone who is taking a team to Arizona for the third consecutive year, I can assure you that if you have a chance to send your son next year, don't think twice - DO IT! The JO's are a special opportunity to play against the best 16 year old competition in the country, bar none; and in great venues.

Good things can happen if your son is a very good player, both in terms of youth national team opportunities, and more importantly, it can be beneficial towards college baseball opportunities. A number of the student athletes I've taken are going on to play college baseball this fall, and playing in the JO's was an important step along the road of their development and exposed them to college recruiting opportunities they may not have otherwise enjoyed.

We were so torn! The coach we had heard from had never seen Corey play, but sounded like a good guy... just felt bad at the thought of leaving our son's new travel coach short a player. Never even mentioned it to him... hope we didn't miss a good opportunity, cuz now we doubt if the same usa baseball coach would ask us again next year. Oh well... can't clone the boy!