11u division is extremely tight

If given a choice would the top players from Lake Shore, Mid Atlantic,Elkridge and Olney rather play on their current teams(often times with friends ) practice together and play somewhat of a local schedule with some overnight trips or form a team to compete regionally?
To me sounds like pushing an 11 year old into this is a parent ego issue.
Not really a coaching issue because if kids want to do this they are free to do so.
I don’t have an issue with Steve’s idea but if a one or 2 shot deal tough to organize ( given teams different schedules)

Is playing PG at 11 that big a deal?
Maybe at 13-14 and up but by the time we get there the top players then will not all be the same kids who are the better players now.

Judging by the way i have seen some of this web sites “top” 11u teams play and the gimmicks they use i highly recommend not heading to a high level tourney this year or next. That crap doesn’t work towards the tail end of 11u or at all at 12u. Coaches that teach kids to do this stuff you never see at the higher levels of baseball shouldn’t be coaching. How many LS teams are relevant past 11u?? Let me tell you. None. Do yourselves a favor and stay local and your style may work a while longer. Head to NJ for a PG and come back embarrbutted. Keep on teaching bunting more than 1 time a game and the base running gimmicks. It won’t work at 12u.

No issue with this at all if it could be worked out.
I just didn’t like the comment by the guy who said teams are watered down.
Just because we can’t keep up with tri state arsenal or east Cobb doesn’t mean we ( Maryland ) are weak.

I have a few thoughts on the topics here.

First, Steve, I love your idea. Myself and Paul and Jim (Lakeshore and Tide) discussed this last fall/winter but it was really hard to make it happen (time and money commitment from players and parents/families). I have a couple of players that probably fit that mold (with willing/able parents) and if this gets socialized again, please count us in in the discussion. It's for fun, development, reward to top players, etc. Nothing negative about these things at all! They are 11 years old yes, but sometimes we don't give kids enough credit in the proper areas. "that's too young" "they need to wait until x years old" Why? Too young to have fun and see what else is out there and play alongside of some very high end teammates once in a while in the off season? It's funny we let our kids have cell phones and social media accounts at elementary school ages now but we are complaining about some bunting and/or ideas to try more competitive things with them and dabble in something that might be a little bigger than what they are used to in a team/competitive atmosphere. That's a head scratcher for sure when you think about the potential damage of one versus the other.

Second, on the negativity, it's just not necessary. Bunting is a part of baseball and some coaches use that as well as stealing and baserunning extremely aggressively at this age. It makes it hard to defend in some cases but it's part of the game which will only make them stronger as they get older if they work on it. I have been seeing this since 9u. When playing teams from So California that traveled to South Carolina they explained to me that their kids play MLB rules starting at 8u out there...and they knew every small ball trick in the book at 9 years old. To them, they are still just playing a game. It's part of the game they play and it's not offensive or wrong to them. If our kids play whiffle ball in the yard they do this type of thing to each other and frankly they have a blast doing it trying to outsmart each other and take the extra base or sneak in a run to claim bragging rights. They are boys it's in their DNA. Just because it's in a controlled environment with umpires we want to limit them and say it's wrong. If it were wrong, it would be in the rule book as such. Give the kids credit. They can handle it.

Last, insulting an organizations relevance is just not necessary in any forum or format regardless of what is being discussed. I would say that LS and every other org who might still field teams that are not always top 10 after a certain age are very relevant. If they are supporting our youth and providing a place for them to play, continue to love the game, even if they are not top 100 players in the state by age 14 or 15, yet they still love the game and want to play it competitively, then yes, they are relevant. This is coming from a guy who grew up in that circuit in AA County, has nothing to do with it now, but it's where my love of the game started and developed which has thankfully allowed me to pbutt it along and share it with hundreds of kids in the last 13 years. I was never as good as a lot of these kids that we coach and play against now and I would have been left out in the cold if not for many of these types of programs when I was growing up.

We are talking about kids here and organizations that have been doing good things for kids for decades in many cases from the rec level to the local travel level to the state and regional level or beyond. Let's stay positive while being competitive and not throw around an organizations name like that.

First to the RBA coach- you’ve always been a stand up clbutt act, and well said sir.

I’ve never been to Cooperstown but I hear teams fly kids in just to pitch.

Oldtimer,
Relax.....the teams are watered down. It’s not a lack of talent it’s the fact of having dozens of teams within a small mile radius in Maryland.