ProudBBMom,
Welcome to the HSBBW. Your first post was very informative and many will appreciate your sharing your experiences.

quote:

I am not bitter about either experience, I am just wiser now.

I think that snippet says a lot. It also reveals the importance of the HSBBW and the sharing of information to those following in your footsteps. It makes the process much “easier” to have the ability to learn from other’s experiences. Thanks and welcome!
Fungo

gamefan,
Are you around? You decided to send your son to the USA Baseball 16U Championship (nee Junior Olympics) with one of the Baseball Factory teams. How did it work out? Are you satisfied with the experience, and would you recommend it to others? Thanks.

3Fingers:

Yes, the baseball factory experience was a very good one. The biggest reason why is that the coaches(2 of them) gave good honest feedback to my son without any politics involved. I know the feedback was honest (his was positive) because some of the parents were surprised that their kid had gotten less than glowing reports. I guess for us the value came in our son learning that he had one practice and just a few innings to make an impression on his coach. That determined his position and playing time. And, since they were around their coaches 24/7, he quickly saw the value of displaying his best character on and off the field.

Now, in terms of scouting - don't think that made a difference - and didn't notice that there were any scouts other than USA baseball.

Was it expensive - yes. At this point, don't know how else he would have gotten such an honest perspective, view to the future and motivation to work harder on an already established team. It was the "showcase talent" nature of the team that forced him to show his best at all time.

Would we do it again? Need to start playing the lottery!!!

As a newcomer to this site and a Regional Director for a very reputable company (over 20 years in the business). I will throw it out there; go to www.cpoa.com .
Using College Prospects of America is the "proactive" approach for all parents to take in the recruiting process, and much more economical! Stop waiting for them to find you, you only have one chance to be recruited, don't waste it!