Is it a mistake?

[fastpitch]

I'm happy to hear your dd wants to do another sport. Her athletic career is so short, why limit her if she wants to do something else?

For recruiting purposes I would say it isn't a mistake. Most college coaches realize that except for a few HS programs the majority of HS ball is way below the level of travel ball anyway. It might actually help show her athleticism to coaches that she is playing another sport. I know one outstanding player who just runs track for the school instead of HS softball (her HS softball team has no pitching so its a nightmare) and she has a lot of attention from college coaches just from her showcase team. I think her not having the pressure of having to play for a HS team that isn't competitive and do something else she likes actually helps keep her from softball burn out and fresher for her summer/fall showcase team. She still hits and practices on her own during the spring of course.

Good luck!

 

[chinamigarden]

I saw a survey of college coaches. It was what they look for in a HS player, and playing more then one sport was one of the top items on the list.

 

[sluggers]

So, let's see:

1) Your DD wants to do X.
2) You want her to do Y.
3) X and Y are good experiences for her. Both help build character and discipline.
4) Your DD has talent for both X and Y.
5) Your DD is old enough to make some decisions about her life.

So, why would you force her to do something else? It doesn't make any sense.

I coached for 30+ years...the best athlete I ever saw didn't play sports in college. Her parents forced her to play soccer when she wanted to run track. So, she played soccer, was all-area, but her heart wasn't in it. She refused to play in college.

Also, to become truly "good" at a sport, she has to love the sport.

 

[cuzmail]

Was not going to reply but I have to throw the BS flag on this one.

We NEED a BS flag emoticon here on this forum !!!!!!!

 

[starsnuffer]

Our best HS catcher last year got a LAX scholarship to UC Monterey without ever setting foot on a LAX field. Just sayin.

Honestly though she should do what she wants. No, not playing HS ball will not hurt her. Hopefully she's playing for other reasons besides trying to get a scholarship. That never ends well.

-W

 

[Eric F]

The best player on my DD's HS varsity team is also the star of the varsity volleyball team. She loves both and is very good at both.

 

[Rocketech1]

Just looking at UCLA's roster, every player but 1, played high school softball for multiple years. With that said, my DD attended a UCLA softball summer camp where Coach I made it a point to say how her program looks for multi-sport athletes when recruiting and almost all of their players played two or more sports during high school.

If your DD doesn't play softball in high school for a couple of seasons, I would make sure she has a good reason why she didn't play? As a recruiter, I would be a little concerned that softball wasn't her primary sport that she loves.

 

[Catcher#17]

So, let's see:

1) Your DD wants to do X.
2) You want her to do Y.
3) X and Y are good experiences for her. Both help build character and discipline.
4) Your DD has talent for both X and Y.
5) Your DD is old enough to make some decisions about her life.

So, why would you force her to do something else? It doesn't make any sense.

I coached for 30+ years...the best athlete I ever saw didn't play sports in college. Her parents forced her to play soccer when she wanted to run track. So, she played soccer, was all-area, but her heart wasn't in it. She refused to play in college.

Also, to become truly "good" at a sport, she has to love the sport.

I am letting her make this decision herself. I am not forcing her to play softball, I was just concerned about potential ramifications regarding recruiting from this decision. Regardless, she was playing LAX no matter what we as parents, or other coaches wanted her to do.

I am really happy with the feed back on this. I do want her to be able to have fun and not be boxed into one sport. She would play 5 sports if she had the time. I agree with everything you are saying here sluggers except that I want her to do Y and am trying to force her. I just want to make sure this is an informed decision. She does love softball the most, just wants to try something different.

Thank you for all the feedback. It helps confirm/reassure that her decision is sound.

 

[sluggers]

I apologize for my assumption.

When my DD#3 was 15YOA, she gave up softball to concentrate on basketball. I was pretty upset about it, but she just really like playing hoops. Six years later, she is holding the NCAA D3 Championship Basketball Trophy.

The year after that she is graduating, so she applies for jobs in March. Because of her play and her activities around the campus, the college president writes her a glowing letter of recommendation. About two weeks later, she gets a call, and the woman says, "I see you won a championship. I played in college too. Can you start June 1?" My DD never met anyone from her employer face-to-face until she showed up for work.

I guess, all in all, she made the right choice.

 

[maddball44]

In my opinion, with the advent of TB showcases, HS ball is insignificant. Would a recruiter prefer to come to a HS and see 1 possibly 2 players or go to a showcase where every player, possibly, has the potential of playing for them. If you're not a state championship calipur team, what's the point. We have to pay $500.00 to play HS ball and with the cost of her TB team it's really a no brainer to me. Value for your buck. Now if we didn't pay to play, this would probably be a different story.