Drama in this Sport

[Amy in AZ.]

Hi. Is she in other activities? I think that is the key. Many of the girls that I coach are enjoying girl scouts, VBS, swimming, etc. Age 8 is too young for just one sport, in my opinion. My own kids didn't start team sports until 10 - although we played ball a lot. But we traveled and were in every activity that we could find.

Since I am grandma, I don't intent to put up with any non-sense. It will be "seeya," I am certain. Bad mouthing a child, is unacceptable.

As a side, college camps are great for these little girls that want to play. I have 2 12yos at the Uof A softball camp, this week. It is awesome.

 

[Eric F]

We were with the same people her whole time in softball. Been with the new team for 2 months and it seems people on this team are upset with these coaches but for a different reason- about to "reorganize the team for 10 under" and get rid of the weak links. They are very serious and want a team full of D1 prospects. It seems there are just a lot of problems. Maybe it's where we are from, the South.

10U team full of D1 prospects...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Find another team. It's okay of the organization has a long-term goal of helping kids find a path to college through softball, but any 10U coach saying he/she is looking for "D1 prospects" now is delusional. As a first-year 10U team (9yos), college is as far away as those kids have been alive. I would bet that less than half - no matter how good they are now - are still playing in HS.

 

[PA SB Dad]

Drama occurs in youth sports when parents feel they need to actively advocate for their kids so that they don't get cheated or are made to feel bad. It is a natural reaction for parents of young children to try and protect their kids, so you see this kind of behavior on "competitive teams" at the younger age groups. It may or may not get better as you get older, as it is completely dependent on how the parent acts/reacts to perceived slights or "unfairness" towards their child. This happens in all sports, not just softball. Hang out at a hockey rink for chuckles - you will see some very bad behavior in the stands when the 6 year olds are playing.

 

[Softball scholar]

Most kids team sports have some aspect of drama. A lot of parents putting rose colored glasses on. Add in some Daddy ball and the coach who falls into the politics game, its a great recipe for drama. But at 8 years old thats really starting early for the negative crap in softball. Just let those kids have fun. I think the key should be all the kids have fun, no matter what the age. Focus on the process and not the result. This is a lot harder to do, and I've failed at this many a times.

I moved my DD to a higher level team this year. Some really good girls, but I still see some of the politics affecting coaches decisions and I think my DD is getting the short end of stick . I hear from other parents, and seems like they're not happy with this or that. Im taking the approach that this is part of the game and a life lesson. Things arent always fair. Thats what I tell her. Just do your best, and try to differentiate yourself in a good way. Things will work out.

I do regret we gave up Tennis. Thats the good thing about individual sports. There's less drama, and you get to prove yourself with the result that you're better than somebody else on the court or field. Its not up to a some coach's decision.

 

[JJsqueeze]

Seems too far fetched. I vote troll.

 

[WARRIORMIKE]

Drama in Football is worse........

 

[eddieq]

When my kids were on 8U teams, it was enough work getting all of them to stop filling their gloves with infield dirt much less getting them recruited by the Gators.

 

[BuckeyeGuy]

Seems too far fetched. I vote troll.

8. Years. Old.

Not buying "#3 team" nor bad mouthing an 8 year old. JJ gets my vote.

 

[Rambler34]

Seems too far fetched. I vote troll.

JJsqueeze it is sad but I have seen enough in our 5 years of travel to believe every word.

LilahKay, It is very rare to get an entire team with absolutely zero drama. I have come to learn it only takes one set of parents to really take it toll on the team. I learned after getting really upset a few times it was best to just sit back and ignore them. You will always run into "that" parent that thinks their child is the greatest and will be happy to tell anyone that. If they are not getting what they want they will whine about it and jump teams. The drama will take care of it self and if the coaches are strong they will help that process along.

The main thing is that your daughter enjoys playing and will enjoy it as she gets older. If she is having fun ignore the problem causers. It may take some effort and you may have to work hard to hold your tongue at times but it will all take care of its self. We have had our bad times but we have also had some of the closest groups of parents. I personally would put up with the drama for the friendships we have made.

 

[#10]

So, your DD has been playing since she was five, and you've encouraged her to quit when she's now only eight? And you're wondering why there is so much drama? One thing I didn't see mentioned - is she having fun?