Another day in trophy chasing

Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch

Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.

Jan 14, 2020
81
18
The year is coming to the end for the '09 class and it blows me away that parents will jump ship from an "A" class team to play in a closed "C" tournament for a $10 ring. After the tournament was over it was brought to our attention that our '10 girls battled against 2 pitchers that were on an "A" and an "B" roster until last week. It was a great teachable moment for our girls and parents.
 
Nov 30, 2018
359
43
Marikina, Philippines
The year is coming to the end for the '09 class and it blows me away that parents will jump ship from an "A" class team to play in a closed "C" tournament for a $10 ring. After the tournament was over it was brought to our attention that our '10 girls battled against 2 pitchers that were on an "A" and an "B" roster until last week. It was a great teachable moment for our girls and parents.

Over the years, my 46th this year in coaching, it has been apparent to me that there are more bad parents than bad kids. A generational phenomena from the '70's drop-out culture when kids no longer got punished for bad behavior, they got protected/defended by parents equivocating every malfeasance that a generation before would have demanded a willow branch! Wait, just wait, and the kids may someday match their morally delinquent parents. Back in 1986 I coached a Travel Ball team where my #1 and #2 hitters shop lifted in 5 stores while in their team uniforms. A smart parent saw them and told me. I kicked them off the team even though we were going to the State Tournament late that same week. Of the 15 sets of parents, only 2 supported my decision.

"When the Cambrian measures were forming, They promised perpetual peace.
They swore, if we gave them our weapons, that the wars of the tribes would cease.
But when we disarmed They sold us and delivered us bound to our foe,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "Stick to the Devil you know."

In the Carboniferous Epoch we were promised abundance for all,
By robbing selected Peter to pay for collective Paul;
But, though we had plenty of money, there was nothing our money could buy,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "If you don't work you die."

As it will be in the future, it was at the birth of Man
There are only four things certain since Social Progress began.
That the Dog returns to his Vomit and the Sow returns to her Mire,
And the burnt Fool's bandaged finger goes wobbling back to the Fire;

And that after this is accomplished, and the brave new world begins
When all men are paid for existing and no man must pay for his sins,
As surely as Water will wet us, as surely as Fire will burn,
The Gods of the Copybook Headings with terror and slaughter return!"
~ Rudyard Kipling, 1919

(Copybooks were propaganda books with strong political messages copied down the page in Britain)
 
Jan 14, 2020
81
18
I am sure they were just getting some reps in / needed to fill in for missing players.
That maybe true, but why would you go to a lower tournament and pitch? I would think you would like to test the waters w a 12" and 40' because in 2 weeks thats where you will be throwing from. We were 3 errors away from beating both, so it's two great building blocks for next year.
 
Jun 8, 2016
16,118
113
The year is coming to the end for the '09 class and it blows me away that parents will jump ship from an "A" class team to play in a closed "C" tournament for a $10 ring. After the tournament was over it was brought to our attention that our '10 girls battled against 2 pitchers that were on an "A" and an "B" roster until last week. It was a great teachable moment for our girls and parents.
You guys got to play against some good competition..sounds good to me.
 

radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
7,270
113
The year is coming to the end for the '09 class and it blows me away that parents will jump ship from an "A" class team to play in a closed "C" tournament for a $10 ring. After the tournament was over it was brought to our attention that our '10 girls battled against 2 pitchers that were on an "A" and an "B" roster until last week. It was a great teachable moment for our girls and parents.
That situation is only relevant to the assignment of labeling teams/players. ABC
How good is that system?

Do you think the teams assigned to a participation level are accurate?
If players themselves where assigned level a play ABC would it be accurate?

ABC is irrelevant in pretty much all venues in calif.
Anyone signs up. Play who you play.

Here pretty much teams only get separated is at Triple Crown tournaments. Where the first day is pool play and then they get assigned for tournament on Sunday based on win loss ...gold silver bronze aluminum copper tin.
*On saturday, Teams get a chance to compete against mixed levels of teams.

pgf = 2 brackets supposed to be qualify for. So again opportunity to play against a mixture of talent levels. Determined by win loss.
top bracket premier
lower bracket platinum...
Have listened to parents rave about winning pgf....
Really what team?
Team played platinum..
They had know idea there was a top bracket.

If there wasnt 'assigned' levels would it matter?
Would people want the chance to play up?
Think teams would want to!
 
Last edited:
I hope the teachable moment was that you and your team need to put in more work if you really want to compete with girls that are the same age but take it seriously.
A couple years back my DD picked up in a tournament to play with some of her friends I said ok I didn’t know it was a c class tournament until the games started. We had only been playing open tournaments for 1 year. The team she played with said that was the 1st ring they had ever won.
I told her I didn’t want her playing in any more C class tournament because it wasn’t fair.
However the team we played with and against we’re not coached well many kids didn’t know what to do with the ball when they got it, a lot of laziness from players they just looked like they were having fun playing softball. (Rec ball) .
We all have seen those pick up players that take it more seriously than us. Especially when they are older and playing down (yes it happens). Instead of getting mad let it motivate you and your team. Figure out how to beat those teams and make it happen.
 
Apr 28, 2014
2,316
113
The longer I'm around the sport the more I believe that there should be no "Classes" in travel ball. C teams sandbag (see it in my area all the time) A teams play down to trophy chase.
We haven't played a Utrip tournament in years and I don't miss it one bit.
We have an 18U team in our area that started out as a first year 12u C team. Today they are an 18U C team. Yes... they play in mostly B tournaments and get schalacked. 10 of 13 kids are there from day 1. I remember as some of these kids left Rec and wanted to one day play in college. I get C tournaments are a place for younger kids (09's etc) to play similar competition but the whole class thing doesn't support growth for some teams IMO
 
Dec 2, 2013
3,410
113
Texas
Back in the 10U All star days, we faced a team that destroyed every time we played except for 1 game when I pitched my younger slower pitcher. This team would be us and we worked our way back through the loser's bracket only to face that team again. They had this lefty pitcher that was lights out. 1, 2, 3 strikes you're OUT! The coach giving signals was signaling pitch and location. And she executed. Unheard of in the All star world. After the 3rd time we faced her the parents would clap and get excited when the kids fouled off a ball. We found out that she had been playing TB on a real team for some time already. That team did not lose a single game that summer. Fast forward 8 years that pitcher struck my DD out again! She is pitching for a college in Waco now. We were a little butt-hurt at first and I even asked the coach to throw in their 2nd pitcher to make it a real game. He declined!
 
Dec 2, 2013
3,410
113
Texas
The longer I'm around the sport the more I believe that there should be no "Classes" in travel ball. C teams sandbag (see it in my area all the time) A teams play down to trophy chase.
We haven't played a Utrip tournament in years and I don't miss it one bit.
We have an 18U team in our area that started out as a first year 12u C team. Today they are an 18U C team. Yes... they play in mostly B tournaments and get schalacked. 10 of 13 kids are there from day 1. I remember as some of these kids left Rec and wanted to one day play in college. I get C tournaments are a place for younger kids (09's etc) to play similar competition but the whole class thing doesn't support growth for some teams IMO
Once you hit 16u/18U, classes disappear and Power Pools appear.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
42,830
Messages
679,474
Members
21,443
Latest member
sstop28
Top