- Aug 12, 2013
- 3
- 0
I have been coaching softball for over 15 years. I started as an assistant in 10U, and have been in 18U for the last 10years. In the last decade I was an assistant with a Nationally ranked team for four years, took one season off, with the remainder and currently as head coach at the 18U level.
This is how our season went this summer. We kept a small squad from last fall, 12 players, (most all of the parents were concerned about playing time with larger roster), so I obliged them, big mistake!!!
Five of our players had signed and or would sign in the spring at the college level.
I keep in constant contact with players between fall and summer seasons and do not practice much during this time. I asked and received commitments from all twelve players in January for the up-coming summer season. Two weeks prior to our first showcase tournament two players quit the team, one decided that another sport was her calling, (probably was and that was fine), the other had family and logistics problems, (newly single mom with two sport travel family), understandable. The night before the first tournament our starting SS and also one of our five college bound players, decides to take the summer off to be with her mom in another state, (divorced parents), she wanted to spend time with her mother. I can understand how she felt, but her timing stunk.
So the season has started and I'm continually having to bring in guest players to fill our roster. Now compound this problem with our four college bound in the fall having high school graduation and beach trips with class mates and I'm short more players for the next two tournaments. Somehow, I got enough guest players to fill our roster for the entire summer, mostly college players that were still age eligible. And It gets better, one of my starting pitchers, original roster player , breaks her fingers, yes pitching hand, in a car accident and is out for all but the last tournament of the summer.
Initially we did ok, we were a .750 team last season, however the chemistry was not there, my signed players got complacent, were not there in the beginning of the season and performed like they were already gone most of the rest of the season. Naturally, we started losing games, players and parents, those who were the remaining core began to wonder about the teams viability and future existence.
At mid-summer a recruiting campaign began for the fall season, over twenty prospects came to tryout, however it might have been a little too late. One core player parent was discussing his concerns to all the others and even made a statement to a college coach that he thought the team was done.
What happened next was nothing short of a mass exit by most all of the core players. Three core players did remain to play in the final summer tournament, in body only as their mind, heart and talent was not present. Needless to say we got our heads handed to us all weekend, as these core players were mentally gone and the new recruits have not had time to get their feet under them or even gel. At the end of the second day of the tournament one of the remaining core player's parent tossed her DD's uniform to me and said "were done", another did the same after our last game on Sunday.
The best part about this mass exit is that we are rid of all the "Me" players. The new squad consisting of mostly real young players, (some talent suspect), and the only remaining core player ("a team player"), got a heavy dose of this me before team attitude and a reality check as to what it takes to compete at the A-18U level.
Honestly, I'm not so sure I want to continue to coach. The ramped "me before team" attitude and entitlement nature of this cycle of players/parents, seems too much to overcome for a volunteer coach.
The current players and parents do not show signs of this problem, but who can be sure.
How do we fix it, and at what point is it not worth the effort, or am I the problem and need to give it up?
This is how our season went this summer. We kept a small squad from last fall, 12 players, (most all of the parents were concerned about playing time with larger roster), so I obliged them, big mistake!!!
Five of our players had signed and or would sign in the spring at the college level.
I keep in constant contact with players between fall and summer seasons and do not practice much during this time. I asked and received commitments from all twelve players in January for the up-coming summer season. Two weeks prior to our first showcase tournament two players quit the team, one decided that another sport was her calling, (probably was and that was fine), the other had family and logistics problems, (newly single mom with two sport travel family), understandable. The night before the first tournament our starting SS and also one of our five college bound players, decides to take the summer off to be with her mom in another state, (divorced parents), she wanted to spend time with her mother. I can understand how she felt, but her timing stunk.
So the season has started and I'm continually having to bring in guest players to fill our roster. Now compound this problem with our four college bound in the fall having high school graduation and beach trips with class mates and I'm short more players for the next two tournaments. Somehow, I got enough guest players to fill our roster for the entire summer, mostly college players that were still age eligible. And It gets better, one of my starting pitchers, original roster player , breaks her fingers, yes pitching hand, in a car accident and is out for all but the last tournament of the summer.
Initially we did ok, we were a .750 team last season, however the chemistry was not there, my signed players got complacent, were not there in the beginning of the season and performed like they were already gone most of the rest of the season. Naturally, we started losing games, players and parents, those who were the remaining core began to wonder about the teams viability and future existence.
At mid-summer a recruiting campaign began for the fall season, over twenty prospects came to tryout, however it might have been a little too late. One core player parent was discussing his concerns to all the others and even made a statement to a college coach that he thought the team was done.
What happened next was nothing short of a mass exit by most all of the core players. Three core players did remain to play in the final summer tournament, in body only as their mind, heart and talent was not present. Needless to say we got our heads handed to us all weekend, as these core players were mentally gone and the new recruits have not had time to get their feet under them or even gel. At the end of the second day of the tournament one of the remaining core player's parent tossed her DD's uniform to me and said "were done", another did the same after our last game on Sunday.
The best part about this mass exit is that we are rid of all the "Me" players. The new squad consisting of mostly real young players, (some talent suspect), and the only remaining core player ("a team player"), got a heavy dose of this me before team attitude and a reality check as to what it takes to compete at the A-18U level.
Honestly, I'm not so sure I want to continue to coach. The ramped "me before team" attitude and entitlement nature of this cycle of players/parents, seems too much to overcome for a volunteer coach.
The current players and parents do not show signs of this problem, but who can be sure.
How do we fix it, and at what point is it not worth the effort, or am I the problem and need to give it up?
