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• Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/fact-checking-warnings-from-democrats-about-project-2025-and-donald-trump

Fact-checking warnings from Democrats about Project 2025 and Donald Trump

This fact check originally appeared on PolitiFact .

Project 2025 has a starring role in this week’s Democratic National Convention.

And it was front and center on Night 1.

WATCH: Hauling large copy of Project 2025, Michigan state Sen. McMorrow speaks at 2024 DNC

“This is Project 2025,” Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, D-Royal Oak, said as she laid a hardbound copy of the 900-page document on the lectern. “Over the next four nights, you are going to hear a lot about what is in this 900-page document. Why? Because this is the Republican blueprint for a second Trump term.”

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, has warned Americans about “Trump’s Project 2025” agenda — even though former President Donald Trump doesn’t claim the conservative presidential transition document.

“Donald Trump wants to take our country backward,” Harris said July 23 in Milwaukee. “He and his extreme Project 2025 agenda will weaken the middle class. Like, we know we got to take this seriously, and can you believe they put that thing in writing?”

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris’ running mate, has joined in on the talking point.

“Don’t believe (Trump) when he’s playing dumb about this Project 2025. He knows exactly what it’ll do,” Walz said Aug. 9 in Glendale, Arizona.

Trump’s campaign has worked to build distance from the project, which the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, led with contributions from dozens of conservative groups.

Much of the plan calls for extensive executive-branch overhauls and draws on both long-standing conservative principles, such as tax cuts, and more recent culture war issues. It lays out recommendations for disbanding the Commerce and Education departments, eliminating certain climate protections and consolidating more power to the president.

Project 2025 offers a sweeping vision for a Republican-led executive branch, and some of its policies mirror Trump’s 2024 agenda, But Harris and her presidential campaign have at times gone too far in describing what the project calls for and how closely the plans overlap with Trump’s campaign.

PolitiFact researched Harris’ warnings about how the plan would affect reproductive rights, federal entitlement programs and education, just as we did for President Joe Biden’s Project 2025 rhetoric. Here’s what the project does and doesn’t call for, and how it squares with Trump’s positions.

Are Trump and Project 2025 connected?

To distance himself from Project 2025 amid the Democratic attacks, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he “knows nothing” about it and has “no idea” who is in charge of it. (CNN identified at least 140 former advisers from the Trump administration who have been involved.)

The Heritage Foundation sought contributions from more than 100 conservative organizations for its policy vision for the next Republican presidency, which was published in 2023.

Project 2025 is now winding down some of its policy operations, and director Paul Dans, a former Trump administration official, is stepping down, The Washington Post reported July 30. Trump campaign managers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita denounced the document.

WATCH: A look at the Project 2025 plan to reshape government and Trump’s links to its authors

However, Project 2025 contributors include a number of high-ranking officials from Trump’s first administration, including former White House adviser Peter Navarro and former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson.

A recently released recording of Russell Vought, a Project 2025 author and the former director of Trump’s Office of Management and Budget, showed Vought saying Trump’s “very supportive of what we do.” He said Trump was only distancing himself because Democrats were making a bogeyman out of the document.

Project 2025 wouldn’t ban abortion outright, but would curtail access

The Harris campaign shared a graphic on X that claimed “Trump’s Project 2025 plan for workers” would “go after birth control and ban abortion nationwide.”

The plan doesn’t call to ban abortion nationwide, though its recommendations could curtail some contraceptives and limit abortion access.

What’s known about Trump’s abortion agenda neither lines up with Harris’ description nor Project 2025’s wish list.

Project 2025 says the Department of Health and Human Services Department should “return to being known as the Department of Life by explicitly rejecting the notion that abortion is health care.”

It recommends that the Food and Drug Administration reverse its 2000 approval of mifepristone, the first pill taken in a two-drug regimen for a medication abortion. Medication is the most common form of abortion in the U.S. — accounting for around 63 percent in 2023.

If mifepristone were to remain approved, Project 2025 recommends new rules, such as cutting its use from 10 weeks into pregnancy to seven. It would have to be provided to patients in person — part of the group’s efforts to limit access to the drug by mail. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a legal challenge to mifepristone’s FDA approval over procedural grounds.

WATCH: Trump’s plans for health care and reproductive rights if he returns to White House The manual also calls for the Justice Department to enforce the 1873 Comstock Act on mifepristone, which bans the mailing of “obscene” materials. Abortion access supporters fear that a strict interpretation of the law could go further to ban mailing the materials used in procedural abortions, such as surgical instruments and equipment.

The plan proposes withholding federal money from states that don’t report to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention how many abortions take place within their borders. The plan also would prohibit abortion providers, such as Planned Parenthood, from receiving Medicaid funds. It also calls for the Department of Health and Human Services to ensure that the training of medical professionals, including doctors and nurses, omits abortion training.

The document says some forms of emergency contraception — particularly Ella, a pill that can be taken within five days of unprotected sex to prevent pregnancy — should be excluded from no-cost coverage. The Affordable Care Act requires most private health insurers to cover recommended preventive services, which involves a range of birth control methods, including emergency contraception.

Trump has recently said states should decide abortion regulations and that he wouldn’t block access to contraceptives. Trump said during his June 27 debate with Biden that he wouldn’t ban mifepristone after the Supreme Court “approved” it. But the court rejected the lawsuit based on standing, not the case’s merits. He has not weighed in on the Comstock Act or said whether he supports it being used to block abortion medication, or other kinds of abortions.

Project 2025 doesn’t call for cutting Social Security, but proposes some changes to Medicare

“When you read (Project 2025),” Harris told a crowd July 23 in Wisconsin, “you will see, Donald Trump intends to cut Social Security and Medicare.”

The Project 2025 document does not call for Social Security cuts. None of its 10 references to Social Security addresses plans for cutting the program.

Harris also misleads about Trump’s Social Security views.

In his earlier campaigns and before he was a politician, Trump said about a half-dozen times that he’s open to major overhauls of Social Security, including cuts and privatization. More recently, in a March 2024 CNBC interview, Trump said of entitlement programs such as Social Security, “There’s a lot you can do in terms of entitlements, in terms of cutting.” However, he quickly walked that statement back, and his CNBC comment stands at odds with essentially everything else Trump has said during the 2024 presidential campaign.

Trump’s campaign website says that not “a single penny” should be cut from Social Security. We rated Harris’ claim that Trump intends to cut Social Security Mostly False.

Project 2025 does propose changes to Medicare, including making Medicare Advantage, the private insurance offering in Medicare, the “default” enrollment option. Unlike Original Medicare, Medicare Advantage plans have provider networks and can also require prior authorization, meaning that the plan can approve or deny certain services. Original Medicare plans don’t have prior authorization requirements.

The manual also calls for repealing health policies enacted under Biden, such as the Inflation Reduction Act. The law enabled Medicare to negotiate with drugmakers for the first time in history, and recently resulted in an agreement with drug companies to lower the prices of 10 expensive prescriptions for Medicare enrollees.

Trump, however, has said repeatedly during the 2024 presidential campaign that he will not cut Medicare.

Project 2025 would eliminate the Education Department, which Trump supports

The Harris campaign said Project 2025 would “eliminate the U.S. Department of Education” — and that’s accurate. Project 2025 says federal education policy “should be limited and, ultimately, the federal Department of Education should be eliminated.” The plan scales back the federal government’s role in education policy and devolves the functions that remain to other agencies.

Aside from eliminating the department, the project also proposes scrapping the Biden administration’s Title IX revision, which prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. It also would let states opt out of federal education programs and calls for passing a federal parents’ bill of rights similar to ones passed in some Republican-led state legislatures.

Republicans, including Trump, have pledged to close the department, which gained its status in 1979 within Democratic President Jimmy Carter’s presidential Cabinet.

In one of his Agenda 47 policy videos, Trump promised to close the department and “to send all education work and needs back to the states.” Eliminating the department would have to go through Congress.

What Project 2025, Trump would do on overtime pay

In the graphic, the Harris campaign says Project 2025 allows “employers to stop paying workers for overtime work.”

The plan doesn’t call for banning overtime wages. It recommends changes to some Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, regulations and to overtime rules. Some changes, if enacted, could result in some people losing overtime protections, experts told us.

The document proposes that the Labor Department maintain an overtime threshold “that does not punish businesses in lower-cost regions (e.g., the southeast United States).” This threshold is the amount of money executive, administrative or professional employees need to make for an employer to exempt them from overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

In 2019, the Trump’s administration finalized a rule that expanded overtime pay eligibility to most salaried workers earning less than about $35,568, which it said made about 1.3 million more workers eligible for overtime pay. The Trump-era threshold is high enough to cover most line workers in lower-cost regions, Project 2025 said.

The Biden administration raised that threshold to $43,888 beginning July 1, and that will rise to $58,656 on Jan. 1, 2025. That would grant overtime eligibility to about 4 million workers, the Labor Department said.

It’s unclear how many workers Project 2025’s proposal to return to the Trump-era overtime threshold in some parts of the country would affect, but experts said some would presumably lose the right to overtime wages.

Other overtime proposals in Project 2025’s plan include allowing some workers to choose to accumulate paid time off instead of overtime pay, or to work more hours in one week and fewer in the next, rather than receive overtime.

Trump’s past with overtime pay is complicated. In 2016, the Obama administration said it would raise the overtime to salaried workers earning less than $47,476 a year, about double the exemption level set in 2004 of $23,660 a year.

But when a judge blocked the Obama rule, the Trump administration didn’t challenge the court ruling. Instead it set its own overtime threshold, which raised the amount, but by less than Obama.

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12U Second Place at the Summer River Bash Tournament

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Coach Keleigh Myers

Keleigh is a current WSU student studying Kinesiology and is a current player and executive officer for the WSU Fastpitch Club. Before playing at WSU, she played six seasons of competitive travel ball on local and Spokane based teams. She was also a 4 year varsity starter at Pullman High School, so she knows the importance of a competitive travel ball scene on the Palouse! Her love for softball and her want to spread that love led her to help as a coach of Havoc during the 2024 summer season. She is excited to continue with the association and develop confidence, competitiveness, and a fun atmosphere. 

Coach Kinsey Kallaher

Born and raised in Pullman, Kinsey is no stranger to the world of softball on the Palouse. Growing up, she played on various teams ranging in levels from parks and recreation to club softball, high school, and now is a member of the Washington State University Club Softball team. Currently a student at Washington State University, she is entering her final year of study pursuing a degree in Sport Management. Kinsey has a wide variety of coaching experience. She has coached a variety of sports for Pullman Parks and Recreation and joined Havoc this summer. She is looking forward to working with the girls some more and sharing her love of the sport with the next generation!

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Thank You Carpet Mill for your support of Havoc Summer 2024 Season

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Thank You Sharon for your continued support of Havoc Fastpitch!

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Phone: 209-954-2788

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THANK YOU MAD HATTER TECHS FOR YOUR SPONSORSHIP OF HAVOC 12U FOR THE 2023 SEASON!

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THANK YOU LES SCHWAB COLFAX FOR SPONSORING HAVOC 10U FOR THE 2023 SEASON

Thank you Sharon Mack, Realtor, Moscow Realty for Sponsoring Havoc 12U for the 2023 Season

Palouse Havoc Fastpitch Inc. is registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law, tax identification number 86-1249628.

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The Ultimate Parent’s Guide to Travel Softball Teams | Everything You Need to Know

March 14, 2023

48 min read

If your young daughter plays fastpitch, at some point you’ll hear the debate around travel softball. 

Certain parents will tell you that your child should start playing travel ball as soon as possible. Others will tell you to avoid it completely. 

The decision to join a club softball team is a big one for your daughter and for the rest of your family, with many factors to consider. 

If you have questions about travel ball, you’ll find answers in this comprehensive guide, which covers:

•  How travel ball differs from recreational softball
• How travel ball works
• The pros and cons of both travel and recreational softball
• What to consider when making the switch
• How to find and tryout for a fastpitch travel team
• How much does travel softball really cost?

# How Does Rec Ball Differ from Travel Softball?

Fastpitch softball competition is split between recreational leagues and travel ball. 

Recreational, commonly referred to as “rec ball” is usually run by Little League Softball or other local organizations. 

The focus of rec ball is on having fun and teaching players the fundamentals of the game. 

The tryouts in rec ball are to ensure that talent is as evenly distributed amongst the league’s teams as possible in the name of fairness – and everyone makes a team if they register for the league. 

The rec season runs in the spring, from March to May, and games take place locally at a predetermined set of fields during the regular season.  

As a parent, you can usually expect a commitment of two games per week and maybe one or two practices. 

Typically, the cost is around $100, and teams are organized around age-based divisions for players ranging from 4 to 16 years old. 

# Travel Softball

Travel softball differs from rec ball in a few important ways. 

A big one is that club teams hold pass-fail tryouts, selecting and organizing players based on skill. Players without the requisite skills will not be offered a spot on the team. 

Such teams usually also travel to other cities or out of state to compete, hence the name “travel ball.” 

Organizations like the USSSA, the American Softball Association (ASA), Triple Crown, and the North American Fastpitch Association (NAFA) host tournaments all across the country for travel ball teams year-round. 

While not every team plays all year long, travel ball still lets your child play a lot more softball than they would in rec ball. 

Club softball costs significantly more than rec ball as well, ranging from $500 to $5000 for yearly player fees. 

# How Travel Softball Teams Work

The structure of a travel softball season differs quite a bit from rec ball. 

In rec ball, you play against the same teams throughout the season, at the same local parks, often practice 1-2 days per week, and play a single game on the weekend. 

In addition to being year-round, travel softball includes tournaments, more weekly practices, possible expectations that they’ll procure weekly 1:1 training sessions, along with attending weekend friendlies, scrimmages, or league play. 

Let’s break a few of these things down individually.

# Fastpitch Travel Tournaments

Fastpitch travel teams usually play in tournaments, as many as every weekend in the summer. Some teams play in fall and spring tournaments as well. 

Weekend tournaments guarantee between 5-10 games total, depending on how well your team performs. 

They start either Friday night or Saturday morning with “seed” play or pool play. After 3-4 games of seed play to determine your rank, bracket play starts. 

Most tournaments are double-elimination in bracket play. 

And winners of the tournament usually get a prize like small trophies or medals – but they can also earn teams so-called “berths” to compete in larger national championship tournaments. 

Berths are like special invitation tickets that grant travel softball teams admission to the biggest and most competitive stages in the game. 

That said, instead of weekend affairs, some tournaments are weeklong onslaughts with 1-5 games per day. 

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# Practices and Training Sessions for Travel Softball

Travel softball requires more time both on and off the field. 

Your daughter will play in more games, but she’ll also spend more time at practices and might even be expected to have individual private lessons, group clinics, or training sessions. 

If she’s playing at an elite level, then putting in extra work will feel essential to keep up with her teammates and competition. 

Practices can become fewer during tournament season, but training ramps up in the winter season. 

To be a high-level competitor in travel ball, most parents and coaches these days would lament the reality that there's no real break from the game. 

# Travel ball League Play

Finally, your travel team might sign up for a league. 

Essentially, some large cities host weeknight games or double-headers for club teams in the area to compete in. 

These leagues differ from rec softball because the teams are more competitive. They’re also more common in large urban centers where more teams are likely to be based. 

If your club team is from a small town, then you may not play in one of these leagues. Or you might travel further to play in one. 

To be clear, these league games are usually in addition to the weekend tournaments previously explained. 

# What Are You Committing To with Travel Softball?

One of the biggest differences between rec ball and travel ball is the time commitment. 

You and your daughter should be ready to spend a great deal of your time on softball once you sign up for a travel team. 

As you can see by now, travel ball encompasses more than just some tournaments. When people say it’s a lifestyle, you should take them at their word. 

Not condoning or condemning here – these are just the current realities on the ground. 

And if she’s serious about playing softball and dreams of competing in college ball, these are sacrifices she’ll almost inevitably be expected to make. 

Travel softball teams also bring a financial burden. 

If you’re spending more money on fees, equipment, uniforms, travel, or other softball-related expenses, that’s less you can spend on your daughter’s other activities. 

It might also mean less material things like video games, new smartphones, or new street clothes. 

So unless you are very well-off, both you and your daughter must be willing to accept some trade-offs to play club softball at an elite level. 

Of course, these realities can affect the financial decisions of your entire family. 

Let’s detail the pros and cons of both rec and travel softball, so you can more easily make an informed decision about signing your daughter up for club ball or not.

# The Pros and Cons of Rec Softball

• Emphasis on learning – With Little League/recreational leagues, everyone who signs up gets to play on a team. The focus is on learning the game and developing values like sportsmanship and leadership. Coaches will also let girls play at different positions so they can figure out what they’re good at and what they like best. 
• Stay local – If your daughter plays on a rec team, you won’t have to travel more than 30 miles from your town. Even in small cities, they try to organize leagues so that travel is minimal.  If you’d rather allocate your budget to family vacations than to transportation and hotels for softball, then rec ball may be more suited to your family.
• Less expensive – Rec ball is significantly less expensive than club softball. Although fees vary by region, the average is around $100 for a season, which includes a uniform.  Sometimes, coaches will even provide all the necessary equipment for their players.  In most cases, though, you might have to buy your child the right softball gear, which will increase the yearly spend to between $100-500 – depending on exactly what you decide to buy and how well her equipment held up the year before.
• Lower competition – Since anyone that wants to is allowed to play, there’s no filter for competition. Coaches and umpires are usually volunteers, who may have little experience within the game. Many players who want to improve and hone their softball skills to an elite level won’t be able to do so if they continue playing rec ball into high school.
• Less organization – Although not the case for all recreational leagues, some tend to be poorly organized. The entire league might be run by volunteers or city employees with no background administering youth sports. Poor organization can lead to fewer opportunities for your daughter to play, like if games get double-booked or canceled unexpectedly.
• Fewer games – You play fewer games in a season of rec softball than with a club team. The total is about 20 games, not counting weather cancellations. Fewer games mean less exposure and slower rates of skill development. If your kid loves softball and wants to play as much as possible, it might be time to move up to the more involved club teams. 

# The Pros and Cons of Travel Softball

• Better competition – For players who want to improve to an elite level, challenge themselves, and be part of a hard-working team, travel ball may be the way to go. With travel ball, kids learn the importance of bettering oneself for the sake of greater team success. They also face other elite players, making them more prepared to play at the collegiate level.
• More games – If your child can’t get enough of softball, then travel ball might be perfect for her. Travel softball affords many more opportunities to play and develop, even if you have to sit on the bench sometimes. And for the amount of money you invest in club softball, you can expect a decent number of games.
• Opportunity to travel – Some might view the travel aspect as a hindrance, but it can also be an opportunity. For some kids, the chance to venture outside their city or state could be a great way for them to become inspired. 
• Costly – We’ll get into the details of these costs below, but after reading this.  Suffice it to say, you will want to make sure that both you and your daughter clearly understand the commitment you’re making to playing travel softball.
• Missing out – In addition to costing money, travel will cost you valuable time. Your kid could miss out on social or school events. You, too, could miss out on work or extended family events by spending all your free time driving your daughter to tournaments and practices.  Many of the parents who can cover the financial curveballs that travel softball hurls at them, will be tempted to breeze past this warning. But it is worth serious consideration. 
• Difficulty level – Although your child might want to play travel ball, you should be realistic about her current skill level.  Travel softball teams are full of elite, competitive players who are often targeting college softball and its scholarships.  If your kid doesn’t have the same abilities but ends up on a highly competitive team, she may quickly fall behind, see less playing time, and become discouraged with the sport.  But the good news is that within travel ball, there is an entire spectrum of teams with varying levels of skill and expectations.  So part of the team or organizational selection on your end is being realistic as to where your daughter is now, while creating a plan and setting goals to help get her where she wants to be in a year, 2 years, or 5 years from now.  

# A Middle Ground Between Rec Ball and Elite Travel Ball

It’s worth mentioning that travel softball teams are split up into categories based on both age and skill level. 

For age brackets, there’s 8U, 10U, 12U, 14U, 16U, and 18U. 

Additionally, there are often “A,” “B,” and “C” levels for each age group. The “A” teams are the most competitive, the “C” teams are playing more for fun, and “B” teams fall somewhere in the middle.

So it’s possible for your daughter to play travel ball without facing steep levels of competition. Many “B” and “C” teams form to give kids a chance to play more softball than they would with a rec league. 

These teams focus less on college recruiting outreach and chasing softball scholarships and more on building character. 

Teams like these might play only in summer tournaments instead of year-round. And since they play fewer games, they require less time commitment, and there are fewer associated fees. 

Although these lower-tier teams are still considered “travel” softball teams, they might only or mostly play in local tournaments. 

Less serious club teams are a great middle-ground for girls who want more competition and playing time than rec ball offers, but who don’t want to commit to continuing to play in college softball. 

They’re also ideal for parents who’d rather invest less time and money in their child’s softball – so your daughter and your family can focus on other meaningful endeavors – but want more organized structure than rec ball.

# Should You Switch from Rec Ball to Travel Ball?

Whether or not you switch from rec ball to travel ball is up to you and your daughter. 

It’s truly an entire family decision. No blanket solution exists to suit everyone. And there’s also no particular best age for switching. 

The smartest thing you can do is continue on the path of research that led you to this article. 

Reading other parents’ experiences with travel ball versus rec ball on message boards and forums can be particularly enlightening. Their impressions might give you an insight into the sport you hadn’t thought of. 

Another great way to research travel softball is by word-of-mouth. 

Are there teams in your area? Can you get in contact with that team’s parents and ask them for advice? 

Sometimes the decision to try out for a club team is based on availability. 

If there are no travel teams in your area, you could join one out of town. This practice is actually much more common than you might think. 

For example, many elite, Hawaii-residing softball players will fly in and play for travel teams in places like California or Texas during tournament season. But, for most, doing so means driving or flying long distances for both practices and tournaments. 

Indeed, many softball parents will tell you that their decision about travel ball is based on circumstances. The location, budget, and presence of teams will all be factors in this decision-calculus. 

The most important factor, however, is your daughter’s interest in playing travel ball. 

If she’s willing to set aside other parts of her life for softball and wants a challenging environment to improve her game, then she should play some form of travel ball. 

Make sure both you and your daughter understand the time and effort that go into travel softball. Go over the pros and cons of club ball together, so you’re both informed. 

Once you and your child are clear about what you want, then you can make an informed decision.

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# how to find a fastpitch softball travel team.

Say you’ve weighed your options and discussed it with your child. You’ve both decided she should play travel ball. 

Now how do you go about finding a team? 

And what things should you look for in a travel softball team?

# Where to Look for Travel Softball Organizations

As mentioned, word-of-mouth is a great way to start your search for teams. Ask parents you know about travel teams in your area. 

If you live somewhere with a high concentration of softball clubs, like southern California, personal recommendations can come especially in handy. 

If you don’t know anyone involved in travel softball, then you can look online. Big organizations in your area will likely come up in a search engine, and this is a great way to find teams. 

But not every team has a website – or one that’s really optimized for search – so many won’t show up in search results. 

However, all teams that play in USSSA, ASA, Triple Crown, and NAFA must register with the organization. As a result, these websites might have directories of teams in your area. 

USSSA is a particularly great resource for this. You can use these online searches as a jumping-off point for finding a team, especially if there are a lot of them in your area. 

For cities and towns less inundated with travel teams, joining Facebook groups dedicated to travel softball is a great way to find recommendations. 

You could also search for a given team or travel organization’s Facebook page or Instagram profile, as nearly all will have these updated regularly even if they don’t have an official website. 

And social media posts from such accounts will often have the most accurate and real-time information about tryouts and team openings – such as, “Looking for a 2025 catcher”.

A final resource worth checking out is HeyBucket . There you will find tryout postings for most of the travel softball organizations around the country, along with a robust forum filled with parents and coaches discussing all things travel ball.

# Travel Softball Team Tryouts

If you want to join a travel softball team, you can expect to go through tryouts first. For teams that want to play in summer tournaments, tryouts can be held as early as the preceding August. 

At this time of the year, players are still fresh from their summer season, so ideally, they’ll perform their best at tryouts. Fall tryouts also give teams a chance to work out over the winter and coordinate fundraising efforts. 

# What Can You Expect at Travel Softball Tryouts

At tryouts, you can expect a 2-4 hour session similar to a practice. The coaches will introduce themselves and ask your daughter to do so as well. 

Travel coaches do this partly because they want to gauge your daughter’s confidence and maturity levels. 

This is especially important for teams focused on college recruiting, because these experienced coaches know that these same traits can make a player more or less attractive to college scouts. 

And their job as competitive travel coaches, aside from guiding her performance development, is convincing such scouts – who will eventually interact with your daughter – that she’s a great fit for their program.  

After introductions, the athletes will go through static stretches, movement-prep drills, and throw. 

Next, they’ll either start with offensive or defensive drills or live situations. 

Coaches will also want to assess your daughter’s baserunning. If she’s a pitcher or catcher, she will be asked to showcase these skills. 

Typically, tryouts are structured as stations, with girls moving from one station to the another. 

Encourage your daughter to always do her best at tryouts and hustle continuously without pause. 

Coaches at these tryouts are evaluating her attitude and work ethic as much as her softball abilities. If she makes a mistake, tell her – beforehand, not during – to just shrug it off and move on to the next rep.

# Warning to Parents During Fastpitch Travel Tryouts

You might have caught that less-than-subtle recommendation not to call out to your daughter in any way during a travel ball tryout. 

That’s because the truth is that for competitive travel ball teams, you as parents are also trying out in a way. Again, this is most true for college recruitment-age teams.

Coaches are always on the lookout for red flags from parents. 

Professional coaches also notice if your daughter looks to you in the stands directly after making a mistake during a tryout.

To them, this bad habit hints at both a lack of confidence on her part and a potentially toxic sports parent relationship, where she’s only doing this to please you and not because she herself loves the sport. 

For many travel ball coaches, such observed behaviors can lead to your daughter not making the team. 

In the interest of blunt honesty, if your daughter truly has top-percentile talent, such parent red flags may be willfully ignored at the younger levels of travel ball play. 

However, no matter how much potential your daughter possesses, these issues will become more of a problem at the older, recruitable 14U-18U ages, for reasons alluded to earlier. 

After asking about your daughter’s Rapsodo analytics metrics, GPA, SAT, and attitude tendencies, the very next question that all college coaches will ask your travel coach is “How are the parents?”

The travel ball coach has to tell the whole truth at this moment or risk losing their trusted reputation earned by years of hard work and relationship-building. 

Travel coaches know the truth will come out eventually – college coaches are often even more conscious, observant, and disqualifying in response to the red flags we listed – and not many travel coaches are going to be willing to lose face by lying.  

If your daughter is still within that 8U to 12U age range, this section is still worth heeding early. Stop bad habits on both your parts before they start. 

# How to Choose the Right Travel Softball Team for Your Daughter

There are eight major things you should keep in mind during your travel ball team selection:

# 1. Coaching style

How does the coach relate to the players and parents? Does the coach have experience playing or coaching softball, and at what level?

Do the coaches emphasize instruction, winning, or a combination of both?

The coaching style will have a big impact on your daughter’s experience with a travel ball team, so choose wisely.

As we’ve already discussed, cost is an unignorable factor in travel softball. Ask about a breakdown of fees up front.

Coaches should know how much everything on their side will cost before the season starts, so you’ll have a good idea of what you’re paying.

Look at what you get for your money – are uniforms and equipment or additional training opportunities included? Are tournament fees extra?

Keep in mind also that you’ll have to pay your own travel expenses in addition to whatever fees the team requires.

# 3. Structure

How is their season structured? Does the team play tournaments year-round or only in the summer? Which tournaments will the team play in?

At younger ages, staying closer to home for tournaments is ideal – your daughter can still learn and compete and you can save your money for when she’s more serious about softball, closer to college-age.

Traveling long distances to the most elite travel ball tournaments in the country will eventually be necessary if she’s interested in playing D1, though.

When thinking about the organization of the team you should also look into their practice schedule and winter workouts.

Off-season training sessions are when your daughter will build upon her skills the most, so these practices are vital for her improvement.

# 4. Skill level

How good is the team? Do they finish each tournament by losing their first two bracket games in a row?

Competing, improving, and having fun can be more important than winning. But losing badly every weekend also isn’t much fun and it doesn’t facilitate skill improvement or confidence.

# 5. Playing time

When it comes to younger teams, players should be moving around positions and getting as much experience on the field as possible.

During tournament pool play, everyone should have about equal playing time. Once bracket play starts, though, the emphasis is often on competing at the highest level possible.

As players get older, their positions will become more fixed, and playing time should be based on performance.

Most elite travel ball coaches won’t give you a straight guarantee on your daughter’s playing time. Their priority will be putting together the best team that can compete at the level they’re playing at.

# 6. College

You shouldn’t worry too much about college recruiting until your daughter’s freshman year of high school.

But second-year 14U team coaches and up should know the rules around recruiting and work to educate you and your player on those rules.

They should also have contacts in college programs and be a proponent for your daughter in these programs.

# 7. Personal development

You should look for teams that foster character building in your kid. Improvement in the sport and college ball preparation is important, but you and their coaches should keep an eye on the bigger picture.

What kinds of values does this team instill in its players? Do they encourage a strong work ethic, respect for teammates, and good sportsmanship?

These are the types of skills players should learn in youth sports because they translate to adult and professional life.

Above all, the experience should be fun. Your daughter should enjoy playing on this club team and everything it involves. If it’s clear the other girls on the team aren’t having any fun, that’s a bad sign.

Travel ball players and coaches are a serious bunch, but they shouldn’t be so tightly wound that they make the experience miserable for everyone else.

# Wrapping Up on What You Need to Know

Deciding to join a travel softball team is, as you can see, a big decision. 

You and your daughter have many factors to consider which will significantly impact her experience playing softball. 

You want your child to do activities she finds rewarding and enjoyable, which promote her personal development. 

Travel softball can achieve all of these things for her. But that doesn’t mean it’s right for everyone. 

We did our best to not make this about how things should, could, or used to be in our game. This wasn’t an opinion piece. 

Instead, we sought to make a super practical and unfiltered guide for moms, dads, and up-and-coming athletes trying to make a major life choice today – in the current year.

Hopefully, after reading this guide, you have the information you need about travel softball to make the right decision for you and your daughter.

# Bonus Material: How Much Does Travel Softball Really Cost?

Below are some rough approximations of expenses. 

We do not recommend focusing too hard on the numbers listed.

And not just because we don’t want you to have a heart attack.

It’s mainly because this is mostly an exercise to inform you more about the different types of costs incurred in a given year of travel softball. 

This is by no means exhaustive, but it does give you a good place to start when considering this decision from a financial perspective. 

So, without further ado. 

# Gate Fees and Concessions for Travelball

Most complexes that host travel tournaments charge parents and other adult supporters, like your relatives or friends, who want to attend the games a gate fee. 

This gate fee is usually between $5-10 per person per day though some charge by the weekend or week. 

Also, you and your family will get hungry and thirsty, and most athletic complexes do not allow outside food on the premises. 

Gate Cost: $300-800 yearly

# Travel Expenses for Club Softball

At the younger ages of 8U-12U, there is less distance traveled, as teams mostly compete within their local state or even county. 

However, they usually play more tournaments in total, as there is no so-called “dark period” for these younger athletes. 

The dark period is the time that high school-aged softball players cannot play travel ball because it is high school season, and the regulations do not allow them to play both at the same time. This period is enforced in almost every US state. 

Besides the travel to actual games, you must consider the travel to practices, which occur 2-4 times per week – depending on the team and organization. 

And for all this travel you and your family will need to get some food and drinks, at least some of the time. 

Moreover, there is the wear and tear on your vehicle and its maintenance to consider. 

Lastly, you or your significant other may need unpaid time off in order to attend various games and tournaments throughout the year.

Travel Cost for younger ages: $700-3,000 yearly

At the older ages, 14U to 18U, the travel cost varies greatly. 

It depends on the competitiveness of the team and whether they are focused at the regional level or if they are chasing D1 scholarships at the national level. 

Travel Cost for older ages: $2,000-10,000

# Gear and Travel Team Events

You’ll also need to at least consider purchasing your daughter’s bats, cleats, batting gloves, extra uniforms, extra socks, athletic tape, eye-black, hair accessories, and sliding shorts. 

Some of these items may be included in your monthly or yearly dues to the travel organization or team that your daughter plays under. 

And you will be expected to contribute financially – usually in the form of bringing snacks or drinks or buying tickets – and time-wise to various team fundraisers and bonding events throughout the year. 

Gear and Special Event Costs: $500-1,500 yearly

# Additional Expenses for Elite Softball

Most travel softball players get private lessons or participate in group clinics for hitting, pitching, catching, or fielding. 

Some travel softball athletes also get additional training or help keep them optimized physically from strength and conditioning coaches, PT’s, and/or chiropractors. 

Additional Training Cost: $500-4,000

Once athletes are recruiting age – technically 8th grade to 12th grade, but here we mean high school – they may want to attend college softball clinics and camps to get additional exposure to particular college coaches, and help their chances of getting recruited. 

College Camps/Clinics Cost: $500-2,000 yearly

# Travelball Expense Totals

So, the approximate price range, depending on a ton of different variables – which is why the price gap is so massive – for participating in travel softball each year is between:

 $2,000* and $23,300.

To be honest, both of these numbers represent extremes on the low and the high sides of the spectrum. 

But we included this expense exercise to help parents like yourself begin to think about how serious a financial investment travel softball is. 

The only way to make decisions that are best for your daughter and for the rest of your family is to be informed about what such decisions might entail. 

Finally, it should be mentioned that the majority of softball athletes begin travel ball at the 10U or 12U level – between 9 and 12 years old. 

If your daughter competes in travel all the way until the 18U level at 17 to 18 years old, you can now get a rough idea, from these yearly approximations above, toward what an entire competitive career in travel softball might cost.

We’ll let you do that career-length extrapolation on your own though – this no-nonsense guide has likely stressed you out enough by this point. 

That said, hopefully this guide was a tiny brick on you and your daughter’s long road through this wonderful game that we call softball.  

*On the lower number, we did not include the “Additional Expenses” categories, because they might not be needed depending on the age and competitiveness-level.

About the Author

Courtney Withrow

Professional Writer

Originally from the U.S., Courtney is a Brussels-based freelance writer with a Master’s degree in International Relations. She grew up playing softball and still loves the game.

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Is Travel Softball Worth it? Here are the Pros and Cons

If you are thinking of considering enrolling your child in the unique and exciting experience of travel softball, or wondering if travel softball is worth it, you have landed in the right place because we want to help you make this huge decision.

Travel softball is one of the best ways for your child to improve her gameplay– but that’s not all that comes along with it. There are countless advantages softball players can reap from being a part of such an experience.

However, before you hastily sign up, you need to know what to expect for you, your family, and your child. We have created an extensive list of pros and cons of joining travel softball, including purchasing the expensive yet important gear, like youth softball bats , to the unequivocal camaraderie and emotional growth.

What is Travel Softball? Travel softball (often referred to as “club softball” as well) is a competitive softball league where teams from different areas compete against each other. This is considered the next “step up” from recreational softball. It is more intensive in skill level, amount of commitment, and amount of playtime.

There are varying distances teams travel along with age groups depending on the program. Some teams only travel to compete with nearby communities or across the country. The Pros and Cons

In order to best help you make this decision, we advise you to first not only rely on the words of parents who chose to or chose not to have their child join travel softball. Every child is different, as is every family, so you will need to base your decision on your own unique family and child.

Alongside this consideration, you should also be aware of the many pros and cons of your daughter joining club softball.

Pros of Travel Softball

● Camaraderie and Friendship The level of team-building and camaraderie in travel softball is unmatchable. This is because your daughter will spend a ton of time with her teammates during practices, games, traveling, and even hotel stays. Your daughter will learn some key social skills as well as potentially make life-long friends!

● Improved Emotional Intelligence Travel softball not only improves social skills but also emotional intelligence and self-awareness. Playing any sport is a means of balancing humility and confidence. Players experience moments of beaming self-pride along with more embarrassing moments.

During this experience, they will learn a lot about themselves, learn how to handle stress, make sacrifices for the good of their team, and overall gain some serious life experience.

●Learn Time Management Skills Travel ball requires a lot of free time but also teaches players how to properly balance it along with school, other extracurricular activities, family, and social life. Because of this, they learn valuable time management skills they can utilize throughout their lives.

● Physical Exercise Proper physical exercise is key for all people, including children and teenagers. When your child is involved in travel softball, they will be getting a lot of physical exercise, which will make their bodies significantly stronger and healthier.

● Improve Softball Skills Since travel ball players play the sport more often than they would in rec ball, they will vastly improve their gameplay!

● Experience New Places and Meet New People Traveling to new and exciting places can lead to a more well-rounded understanding of the world around us and to a more generally open mind.

The Cons of Travel Softball ●Quite Expensive One of the biggest drawbacks of travel softball is the hefty price tag. The price of paying for a year of travel softball could be anywhere from $500 to $5,000.

This price includes dues, uniform(s), and some pieces of equipment (if they are provided, which happens most times). However, this price may not include some pretty expensive items, like other important gear (like youth softball bats , which can cost about $300 roughly), hotel stays, gas, restaurant bills, sports drinks, and other miscellaneous purchases.

● Extremely Time-Demanding Playing in travel softball requires major sacrifices, including your time. There are varying amounts of practices per week, tournaments and games almost every weekend, a lot of traveling to both practices and games, and even time needed for private lessons.

● Added Stress to the Player and Player’s Family With any large change in a person’s life, tacking on travel softball could lead to a lot of stress– for both the player and the entire family. There is also the likelihood of not getting the experience you wanted, like not getting along with the players or coach, not as much game time and more bench time, etc.

● The “Travel” in “Travel Softball” Is No Joke There is a reason it is referred to as “travel” softball. There is indeed a lot of travel involved with playing and that can take a toll on a lot of people who don’t like traveling or already have a very busy schedule.

One of the biggest steps you need to take when joining a travel softball team is to get the right equipment if it isn’t supplied to you by the organization you choose. Be sure to browse our youth softball bats , helmets, apparel, and various other pieces of equipment to make the travel softball experience the best imaginable!

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• Tags: Resource Guides
• Apr 04, 2022

Teacher, 40 yrs., Sports official, 58 yrs. FB,BB, SB, VB., USA ump. I have always been aware of the youth who’s parents cannot afford the luxury of travel ball. Too expensive, l’ve encouraged students and youth to play Rec. ball for experience, team work, following directions, practicing skills to Improve, and try out for high school sports. These students need confidence and encourgement to try something new. I have umpired trailball. Yes better skills but coaches bark at players and demand performance. I rather work rec. ball where l can be more lenient with players and coaches. ,

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Differences Between Recreational And Travel Softball: What's Right For You?

Choosing what type of softball team is right for you or a loved one – recreational or travel (also called club) – can be a head-scratching decision..

You turned on the television earlier this year and saw the action of the Women’s College World Series, or maybe you caught a softball game going on at a local park. 

You or your child may be hooked on what you’re seeing – a fast-paced game with long-distance home runs, wicked pitches and teams (such as WCWS national champion Oklahoma) beyond belief.

♥️♥️♥️ pic.twitter.com/uO6HI6LBEB — Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) June 13, 2023

But in choosing what type of softball team is right for you or a loved one – recreational or travel (also called club) – it can be a head-scratching decision, especially for those new to the sport.

The demands and competition levels are different, but regardless of whether or not you want you or your child to be the next Jocelyn Alo or someone getting cheered for on the softball diamond across town by friends and family, there’s an opportunity out there for every type of player. 

The trick is finding what works and rolling with it, including by being adaptable, if it changes over time.

Stuck wondering what type of softball is best for you or your child? Here’s a guide that breaks down some of the main differences and may help you in making your decision.

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What Are Recreational And Travel Softball?

The major differences between recreational and travel softball teams are in the ways players are placed on rosters, the type of player they’re meant for, who they play and where they play. 

Many communities across the country have locally run recreational leagues (often tied to Little League Softball) featuring teams full of players from the area/region playing against each other with the intent to give all children who sign up – especially those younger in age – a fun, competitive environment to learn and play softball. There, talent is less emphasized. 

These types of leagues often are more loose, though major competitions between rec teams (even on an international scale, such as the Little League Softball World Series) do exist. 

Many coaches are volunteers, such as parents who are trying to help ensure players are having fun and enjoying themselves. 

In travel ball, talent level is much more important, as the competition levels are amped up, with teams often holding tryouts to decide their rosters, rather than allowing everyone who is interested to join. 

Coaches may include those who have more of a refined, professional background in the sport with high-level knowledge, and as the “travel ball” name implies, teams frequently will trek far away from their home bases (with trips several states away) to play in tournaments and various other events. 

Additionally, whereas rec softball may be limited to just a few months out of the year (mainly in summer), travel softball, with the various organizations across the country that are involved in setting up events, tournaments, etc., is a year-round affair with no true offseason, giving those who are looking for more game time more opportunities to find it.

What Are The Requirements To Join Each Team?

In rec softball, there is no requirement (other than any age limits set by the team/organization you’re joining) to possess a certain level of skills or talent. Simply put, if you want to play, you will by joining rec ball. 

Additionally, the costs associated with rec ball are almost always far lower than travel, helped by the obvious fact that the commitment is less strict and therefore requires less non-local travel, expenses for equipment and other various potential financial demands. 

For travel, you probably don’t just have to be good, you also know that you’re good and have the means and time to continue to grow your game, often with the idea that you can possibly use travel ball performances (especially at the high school level) to attract recruiting attention from college programs. 

Get ready to shell out much more money if you choose to go the travel ball route, too. 

While rec ball costs likely won’t burn a hole in your pocket, travel ball costs, all things considered, can quickly rack up into the thousands or even tens of thousands for those who opt for additional training, college camps and clinics, etc.

What Environment Can You Expect On Each Team?

Rec softball often features plenty of familiar faces around each league, and with a more laid-back atmosphere – friends from school, or elsewhere, often will play with, or against, each other in local organizations. 

They’re also frequently tight-knit, as the people associated in running or coaching the rec ball game aren’t in it for monetary reasons or personal gain, but often are rather good-standing members of the community who are just trying to make a difference and positive impact. 

Travel ball, meanwhile, often will siphon the best players from a given city, area or region, where names on the roster may or may not have played previously. 

Travel teams still can have great chemistry with plenty of fun, along with devoted leaders who are eager to help players get better, of course, but a faster tempo and more cutthroat climate than rec ball. Playing travel ball requires a serious, constant commitment to succeed and win.

What Types Of Games/Practices Will You Participate In For Each Team?

As mentioned previously, rec softball is more of a seasonal commitment than travel ball’s potentially year-long demands, meaning that naturally, rec ball will have less game time and opportunities for live game scenarios to help players get better at the sport. 

Practices and games may be infrequent, with only a few meeting times a week, which for those with busy schedules or those trying to figure out if they like the sport and want to continue it, may be a good thing. 

This is completely different from travel softball, which likely will require multiple practice sessions per week on top of games, which at tournaments can see a team play six, seven, eight or more games in a matter of days, depending on how far it advances. 

Plus, those on rosters for travel ball who are looking for even more practice time may schedule personalized training with instructors and/or private sessions in places such as batting cages to further improve their games on the side, making the potential time needed to hone the craft and that much more demanding – but perfect for those who can’t get enough of the sport and have the ability.

Which Team Should You Or Your Child Pursue?

If you or your child is trying to find out whether or not they like softball and/or have a knack for the sport, rec ball – especially at younger ages – probably is right for you. 

In a low-risk, low-cost environment with ample opportunities to see potential in the sport come out and to gauge enjoyment levels, there’s little harm in checking out if what you see in rec softball is perhaps an indicator of future success in the sport. 

At worst, you or your child broke a sweat and competed in a fun, engaging physical activity. 

If you already know that you or your child has talent above their peers and/or has a passion for the game, travel ball might be the call. 

It’s much more of a commitment, yes, but for those who are serious about getting noticed by next-level programs and receiving guidance from some of the top instructors and teachers in their area, there’s nothing better – and the rewards may be worth it down the line with a college scholarship or more. 

Ultimately, however, there is no wrong answer to which type of environment is right for you or your child. It comes down to preferences, time, financial capabilities and other personal factors, with great fun able to be had in each type of softball environment.

• Feature Story

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