Pulled my DD off her second year 10u travel ball team.

[Julian93]

So yesterday we made the decision to pull my daughter off her travel ball team that we've been on since 8u. The team she was on was no doubt a talented team. a lot of stacked players on the team, unfortunately my daughter was one of the ones who always sat the bench. now i have always preached to my daughter that you have to earn your playing time, but this past year i have felt that the decision the coaches were making were not justifiable. Yesterday was the pushing point. We played a total of 5 games this past weekend and my daughter only played 1 full game. on the car ride home my daughter finally told me she is not happy on the team and wants to play somewhere else. i have reached out multiple time to the HC to have a conversation but i never get a reply. So i sent my coach a message last night letting him know we will not be returning to the team, and still have yet to receive a reply. i rather take my daughter somewhere else where she can be used then to have her sitting on the bench. you can see it in her face that she was falling out of love for the game. her team won came in second in this past tournament and the only thing she can say to me was "i don't deserve this ring, i didn't do anything but sit on the bench" as a father that hurts.

 

[Lobster Birch]

If she’s not having fun you probably made the right decision.

You say she only played one full game; did she play any innings in the other four games?

 

[Bullseye]

There is no easy way for a coach to say you're not as desired as the other players. They either say it or they show it in playing time. Finding a good fit may have nothing to do with the team's abilities. But don't be mad when the team's abilities close the door.

 

[guyonabuffalo]

As a parent who's been there, it sucks. I think you're doing the right thing pulling her from the team, especially if she's starting to lose that passion. Winning is only great to them if they've been involved or helped out in some way. I will say it's pretty lousy for a coach to not reply to your messages but maybe you should confront him/her after practice one day. That way they can't avoid you.

 

[El Oso]

So yesterday we made the decision to pull my daughter off her travel ball team that we've been on since 8u. The team she was on was no doubt a talented team. a lot of stacked players on the team, unfortunately my daughter was one of the ones who always sat the bench. now i have always preached to my daughter that you have to earn your playing time, but this past year i have felt that the decision the coaches were making were not justifiable. Yesterday was the pushing point. We played a total of 5 games this past weekend and my daughter only played 1 full game. on the car ride home my daughter finally told me she is not happy on the team and wants to play somewhere else. i have reached out multiple time to the HC to have a conversation but i never get a reply. So i sent my coach a message last night letting him know we will not be returning to the team, and still have yet to receive a reply. i rather take my daughter somewhere else where she can be used then to have her sitting on the bench. you can see it in her face that she was falling out of love for the game. her team won came in second in this past tournament and the only thing she can say to me was "i don't deserve this ring, i didn't do anything but sit on the bench" as a father that hurts.

Right call was made. Anything below 16u is for development and if they aren't playing they aren't developing. She needs to play in the games.

 

[Strike2]

A bump in the road.

There are different teams for different playing levels, and that applies all the way up to college. Nothing wrong with making a change when your kid isn't moving forward. Find where your DD fits and work from there. This game rewards work and persistence, and puberty is often a game-changer. Early over-achievers plateau and "late bloomers" can catch up in a hurry. You'll likely be surprised at how many 10U "studs" are very average or even out of the game by HS.

 

[dbronstein]

Right call was made. Anything below 16u is for development and if they aren't playing they aren't developing. She needs to play in the games.

Yup. There is no substitute for game experience for development. And per my comment in the "why play softball?" thread, if she's not enjoying herself then she's just wasting her time (and yours).

 

[guyonabuffalo]

This game rewards work and persistence

This.
My daughter was not gifted with natural ability and worked extremely hard to get where she is now. The love, passion, and fun playing the game is what got her through the tough times.

 

[sluggers]

You are right to pull your DD from the the team.

i rather take my daughter somewhere else where she can be used then to have her sitting on the bench. you can see it in her face that she was falling out of love for the game.

You absolutely did the right thing. You are correct that your DD needs playing time in order to love the game.

The coach is a weasel. Good riddance. No one knows if any girl will be "D1 Good" until 16U ball. Up to then, the emphasis should be on developing the kids and letting them have fun.

 

[Eric F]

Two things should be happening, at every level...

1. Have fun - This doesn't mean joyfulness in all moments, but a love of playing the game, and motivation to do the work to get better. Which leads to...
2. Get better - If your daughter isn't improving due to a lack of coaching, a lack of playing time, or a lack of motivation, things aren't good.

If either one is missing - especially at the younger ages - it's time to make a change. It sounds like you made a change for the right reason. If the coach doesn't respond, let it go.

Up through 12u, and even into 14U, skill development is WAY more important than any number of plastic trophies. If your player goes on to play college ball, zero college coaches will give a damn that Sally won the 10U National Championship, even if she was the best player in the tournament.