Is Travel Ball for Us?

Here's the scenario.  Practices, games, and playoffs.  You have somehow gotten your player through the regular season of rec ball and nearly injury free.  Wait...now there is the all star season.  More intense practices and tournaments.  But wait...now your player has been invited to play with a travel ball team.  Are you ready?  Is your player?

As parents of a sprouting baseball athlete, we are just beginning to enter this "season" of our lives.  In the past rec ball has been fun.  A learning experience.  Getting your feet wet type of ball.  This year has stepped it up a notch or ten.  The practices, games, and players are now serious, intense, and extremely well played.  This is no longer T-Ball.

Now, your player has been invited to play travel ball.  So how do you know if your player and your family are ready for this type of commitment?  The following is a list of questions I asked myself when presented with the invitation to play travel ball.  This list is from a family point of view.  Take from it what you will.

•  Skill
• If your player has been invited to a team, there must be a level of skill there that they are looking for or can develop.  However, think about your players skill level before making a commitment.  Is your player use to being athletic for more than one typical season?  (i.e. more than one rec ball season a year) Some travel ball season can last as many as 6-8 months. 
• Maturity
• Is your player mentally and physically ready for travel ball?  Are they ready to handle this type of commitment?  Do they understand that this type of ball will require a great deal from them?  Is your player capable of intense focus and retaining information that will be demanded of them?
• Time
• Travel ball teams are extremely dedicated to practices.  Committing to a team should be taken seriously.  Practices are frequent, long, and intense.  Is your family ready for that kind of time commitment? 
• Expense
• The name itself should be an indication that your family will be traveling around to play in games and tournaments.  Often overnights or weekends are involved.  Not to mention the cost of new uniforms and equipment.  Be sure your family budget has room for this new adventure.
• Intensity
• As mentioned before.  This is not T-Ball.  There will be much more expected of your player.  They will be coached much more intensely.  Their mental and physical skills will be continually tested.  There will be yelling and screaming.  This will be the time where the "think on your feet" skill will be won or lost.

There are many advantages to joining a travel ball team:

• The intense training and athletic development will only help your player as they move along into high school and even college.  Perhaps, a college scholarship will be in their future?
• The commitment to a team and all that the team will demand is a life lesson within itself.  Your player will learn what it means to commit, play as a vital member of the team, take direction, and self discipline. 
• The maturity that will happen on the field will crossover into home and school life.
• This is a fantastic opportunity for us as parents to fully commit and show our support to our players and be amazed at what they are capable of.

In my opinion, travel ball teams are a wonderful group of families that have a very unique bond.  Even off the fields I have watched several travel ball "pods" out in the community together and there is a sense of a micro family that is palpable. 

This family is fully ready to start this "season" of our lives.  We are excited about the now and the future and are basking in every second of it.

Why not try something new?

Did you know that May is national physical fitness and sports month?

Why don't you step out of the box and try a new sport this month.  Now is the perfect time to try something new and see if it sticks. 

Don't be intimidated by the cost of investing in new equipment.  Almega Sports has you covered with new and gently used sporting goods.  We have a wide selections of used sports equipment including:  golf, catchers gear, baseball and softball gloves, tennis, water skis, skim boards, fitness equipment and even gymnastics balance beams. 

Go ahead, try one out.  Try two or three.  At the prices we have you can afford it!

Almega Sports has your weekend warriors covered!   

Sports Camp Advice



It happens every year.  There is one week left in school and you have no idea how to keep the kids entertained during the summer.  There are always summer camps available but how do you know if summer sports camps are worth the time and expense?

Here are a few key questions you should ask yourself before choosing a camp.

1. What am I looking for my player to get out of a sports summer program?

• Are you looking at  polishing ball skills, improving technique and physical conditioning? Or... Are you looking for entertainment and team building?
• When looking for an improvement camp, check to see that the skill training sessions are split up into sections to avoid player burn out or boredom.

    2.  How much am I willing to spend?

• Advanced camps will be more intense, technical and organized than "entertaining" camps.  Therefore, they will cost more.  In many occasions, these camps will include a collegiate or even professional player that will make a guest appearance or give live demonstrations.  This is a huge bonus to give your player motivation and drive to achieve the same status.
• If you are looking for an "entertaining" camp then go with the cheapest camp and perhaps go for more than one camp in the summer.

   3.  Look for camps that are taught by "real life" coaches.

• You want what you pay for.  Read the small print.  Make sure if you are paying for a camp to advance your players skills, they are being taught by an actual coach. 
• Often less expensive camps will be monitored by a coach but the players are being instructed by more advanced players or students.  This is not necessarily a bad thing but if you are paying top dollar then you want coaching experience to lead the way.

   4.  Lastly, does this camp have a good reputation?

• Ask around and ask questions!
•  Has the camp had good success rate?  Does the coach have a good reputation?  Are the facilities clean, safe and well maintained?  Is there a safety protocol in place?  What is included in the camp?  How many return "camper" are there?

Of course, there are many other questions that could be asked but in our opinion these are the most important.  As with any sport or physical, make sure your athlete has had a proper medical evaluation before attending any training.  Better safe than sorry is ALWAYS the best motto!

 

Don't forget...Almega Sports has the largest selection of new and used sports and fitness equipment in the region.  We have you covered from the beginner to the experience.  One stop does it all!

 

 

Local Legend in the Making

Who says major talent can't come from a small town?  Panama City has traditionally been know for its football and baseball rich talent.  Mosley High School graduate, Zach Primavera, is changing that. 

Today, Zach announced that he will become a professional golfer in August.  Primavera is a current collegiate golfer at the University of Mississippi.  He will play as the defending champion in the 83rd Annual Sherman Invitational on Friday and then move ahead with his professional plans.  Primavera has qualifying for the U.S. Amateur and the Florida State Amateur in his sights.

Almega Sports wishes Zach all the best with his professional endeavor.  Local pride!  Almega Sports has you covered!

Don't forget, Almega Sports has the largest selection of used golf equipment in Panama City.



BBCOR Blitz: What you need to know

The BBCOR  Standard

Just like the real estate boom, composite bats hit a grand slam and are now ejected from the game.  There are new rules coming your way in 2012 and Almega Sports has you covered for what you need to know about the new BBCOR standard.

Batted Ball Coefficient of Restitution or (BBCOR) is the response of the NFHS to the problem that the original BESR testing proposed.  Simply put, it gives a constant measurement of the bats flexibility as opposed to the original format that strictly tested the balls exit speed. 

January 1, 2012, The NFHS will require that all non-wood bats meet the BBCOR performance standard.  See NFHS press release.

What does this change in rules mean to you?  It means that in 2012 any bat used in middle school, high school, and college play must have a BBCOR approval stamp. A BESR stamp is no longer acceptable.  The BBCOR stamp must be labeled “a minimum of a half-inch on each side and located on the barrel of the bat in any contrasting color.”





Here are just a few BBCOR bats on the approved list for 2012:

DeMarini 2011 Voodoo -3
DeMarini 2011 Vexxum -3
The 2011 Rawlings 5150 -3
Rawlings 2011 5150 -3
Anderson 2011 NanoTek XS -3
Louisville 2011 Omaha -3

*Stop by Almega Sports for a detailed list of the available products for 2012*

The market has been wiped clean.  Do your homework and don't make a rushed decision.  Almega Sports has you covered for all your baseball equipment needs.