New Jersey Thunder

By Angie Alberti Few phrases in youth sports are used more frequently or more casually than the term "daddy ball." It appears in parking lot conversations, social media threads, team group chats, and tournament sidelines. Increasingly it's used as a knock on any parent who assumes the role of coaching a team his own child is also on. It is used lightly and disparagingly. It’s often used by another parent in frustration. And sometimes it describes a real problem. What Is Daddy Ball? Before we...

This has been one of the most exciting and rewarding years our organization has ever had. For the first time, we had a large group of players fully come through our system and then move directly into successful high school softball careers. We have had older teams before, but many of those players joined Thunder later in their development. This year was different. Many of these athletes started with Thunder at 11 or 12 years old and have now become impact high school players. Quite honestly,...

It is that time of year again. The weather gets nicer. The schedules get crazier. The emotions get higher. Players are balancing club ball, rec ball, middle school ball, high school ball, lessons, practices, tournaments, homework, social lives, and trying to still be kids somewhere in between. Parents are basically functioning as full-time Uber drivers, financial advisors, chefs, mental coaches, travel coordinators, and sometimes professional laundry services. We completely understand it....