Seniors on JV

[ShoshoneMom]

Hi. I'm extremely new to any types of forums, I don't even own a facebook account.

I haven't been able to sleep.. hoping anyone could give me some advice on this. I will give you a run down as to what the concern is.. sorry if lengthy..

I have a Snr who is playing in the off season on JV team with 3 other Snrs.

My daughter is going to a highly competitive high school. When she tried out for the team her freshman year she had only played recreations softball. She is considered utility, so can play all positions except pitching. Along with 2 other girls on the team they were the only ones who had never played on a travel ball team. She was asked to play on a few travel ball teams however bacuse of church I wouldn't allow her to. Unfortunately she has a mom who knows nothing about sports and a single mom for some years. As I considered possibly allowing her to I didn't realize the cost and expense and couldnt afford.

Freshman year - she played all positions and got a lot of playing time. Received most inspirational award and most improved. She has a great heart and determination. Not a complainer and will look out for others.

Summer played all stars recreation ball.

Soph - made JV Team, two players from frosh soph moved up and she was one of them. She was catching for JV, Frosh Soph catcher quit so my daughter played catcher for both frosh.soph and JV.. she had always been a great hitter until soph year. for some reason she just couldn't hit. She started hitting lessons and nothing improved. End of season after a frosh . soph game she was sent over to JV game to fill in and the used her to be a runner. Well low and behold she went to slide and slid wrong into 3rd and tore her meniscus in two areas. That took her out for remainder of season. We have a PPO went immediately to obtain care and Ortho was going to surgery however representative at insurance company provided in correct information and said we would have to pay for entire because he was out of network. So went to another sports ortho in Downtown LA and he suggested that we go to therapy because it would take her out of playing her Jr. year and if she could take motrin and get through season and we would sch surgery in June of 2013 so she's ready to go in Sept. for training. Well coach wouldn't play her.. she lost out in a lot of playing time her Jr year.

Summer - July 17th completed. She had surgery two tears in her meni. and she broke her left ring finger during Jr. Snr. football game. (18 stiches)

Oct 22 -released to condition.

First day on the 23rd she was excited and coach (who really enjoys Rabecka) yelled at her.. and she didn't know why. "he told her don't start bad habits" she actually thought he was talking to someone else at first. She is the type of kid who will do whatever her elders tell her and has a lot of respect. She didn't know where this was coming from. And last year her hitting coach which was her Jv coach.. got upset at due to a missed appt. Missed about was due to her re-scheduling.. and telling my daughter one thing and telling me something different that was already set up between her and I. I confirmed schedules at batting cages where they meet and she said not to follow their scheudle. What bothered me however I did not tell my daughter nor confronted her coach was when I called in to confirm the lesson and guess she got a new phone.. well cages called her and I had called her she cancelled lesson with me and took lesson with cages. The lesson the cages confirmed was me.. she called me at different number and said oh she was confused come on down. I know long confusing.. bottom line she was taking someone over our already scheduled time and thought it was someone "more worthy" of her time.. I guess.

Well now.. it's her Snr. year and they put the girls on JV. the other two girls are good friends of hers. She knows one of them is just there and the other one does try but doesn't have heart, the two actually told coach they weren't going back. My daughter however never said she wasn't going back.. not sure if he is grouping her with them.. or just wants her to quit. My daughter is in n IEP she can't go to a four year but looking at going to a community.

We are LDS... and I always tell her.. do your best don't allow them to take your spirit keep trying... and not being on a travel ball team or not being able to go to a 4 year makes you any less than the other girls.. do you best. this is really heart breaking.. because she is trying and was so excited and now last years freshman a practicing and playing fall season on Varisity and other Snrs on Varisty can't understand why either.. he would keep her on JV. not just let her play with Snr.

Well she say last nights line up and they didn't even have any of the Snr. on liine up just new freshman and Sophm. she ended up getting to play end of game.. it was sad because last Frid. she said any chance I get I have to show the new Jv coaches.. they don't even give her a chance or other girls.. this is repeat of last year.

Does he just want them to quit... they have put in as much effort, fundraising and I only missed on parent meeting due to her drs appt. I have paid all fees donations.. and supported organization..

It's heartbreaking. Any responses are appreciated. Sorry for mispelling.. rushing before I have to run to an appt..

 

[JJsqueeze]

This sounds like a tough situation and must be hard on your daughter. The one question I have is how is her skill level relative to the varsity players? I wouldn't expect a senior to get a lot of JV playing time, JV is developmental for Varsity so you want to give the younger girls a chance to develop. A senior on JV probably means that she is a good kid, the coaches don't want to cut her but they can't justify moving her up so she is caught in limbo. Now all of that changes if she is obviously Varsity material and is being held back for some other reason....hence the question about her skill level.

 

[Slappers]

There are many reasons that coaches do things. Some right, some not so right. In my opinion, being a senior doesn't guarantee anything other than you are a senior. I saw a game last year where the opposing coach pulled a senior in the regional finals when they had no chance at winning. Would I do that? No but I also don't know the rest of the story. I do know that the rest of the seniors on that team walked out of the dugout and didn't come back. Doesn't speak well for the coach.

No one knows except for the coaches why they are doing whatever it is they are doing. I would suggest talking to them.

 

[abbygale]

Be proud of your daughter ( as I am sure you are). I know I would be proud of her if she was mine. Don't sweat what you cannot change.

 

[Rocketech1]

No one knows except for the coaches why they are doing whatever it is they are doing. I would suggest talking to them.

And I would suggest its your DD that talks to them. She is almost an adult and needs to feel comfortable having a heart to heart with the head coach without mom there. Since she is rehapping from summer surgery and a broken finger her softball skills may be rusty to say the least but with hard work she may be able to get more playing time? We don't know, but I think she made a commitment to the team and if she can put in the hard work, maybe the coaches see the effort and give her more playing time or the other option is she can coast through the season and make the most of it. It's really is up to her.

What I don't understand is that she is not getting much playing time on JV, and yet you want her to be on the Varsity team just because she is a senior, where she would get even less or no playing time?

 

[JAD]

HS coaches typically want to win, so they play the girls that give them the best chance to win - regardless of grade. We had a couple of juniors and seniors on JV this season because they preferred to play JV vs. being bench players on varsity.

 

[CoachKevin]

Interesting, at our school Seniors cannot play on JV, they either make Varsity or get cut. It will be interesting this year as several incoming Freshmen are pretty darn good ball players, and several Seniors have played 3 years of JV... wondering what the coach will do.

This is a tough situation for you and your DD. In a highly competitive HS not playing TB will hurt in the long run. I understand your religious beliefs, but financially... I haven't met a coach that will cut or not take a kid just about $$$.

 

[SCDad]

In our school Seniors & Juniors cannot play JV softball.

Many JV coaches, who have upper class players, will sit a Senior and play a Freshman. How they explain it is not always right, some yell and call out the Seniors, maybe to make them quit. It is not right.

In a competitive HS program, it is pretty important to be good enough to make Varsity as a Sophomore. That puts you in the rotation to be a starting Varsity player as an upper-class-men.

It is not unusual for a first time Junior to make Varsity for the coaches to talk to them in advance of making the team. Explain to them that the coaches are taking them as back-ups. They will see little playing time. And if that is OK with the player. Team chemistry is so very important, this has to be explained in advance, and let the player decide if they want to sit the bench their Junior year, and not play. But don't accept this role as a player and start stirring up trouble with negativity.

As hard as it is to tell this OP player, she probably would have washed out after her Sophomore year here. Never made Varsity as a Junior.

In virtually all the cases when trying to make Varsity. The coaches have seen these players since 7th grade. At the beginning of each year 7 of the starting slots are already earned. These 7 get full playing priviledges and opportunity to work through slumps. The remaining 3 or 4 playing slots are battled over with the new players.

It is how you keep continuity. It is not always fair. It as not as simple as a coach "pretending to see" all the players for the first time at tryouts, and going by a few weeks of looks, and filling in a blank sheet of paper. When, my gosh, they have been watching the same players for years.

PS ... our softball team is not allowed to participate in HS powderpuff football games.

 

[ShoshoneMom]

Wow.. thank your for all the responses.

Most of all the players on last year's Varisty team are great players!! My daughter again struggles with her hitting and my husband and her old coaches think a lot have to do with her mentally being there and her esteem after all of this.. skill level she isn't at the level of the starters on Varisty but she is up there. I'm not the type of parent to interfere and she is aware and says mom I know what I need to work on.. works on it, trys hard. I am extremely proud of her, all the girls just love her to death she wants all the girls to well. My heart just breaks, I'm proud she went out there last night and was in the game with a smile..Whats horrible is that I don't know much about softball (she likes it that way because I don't put a lot of pressure.. as long as she's happy and trying her best out there I'm good), not knowing I couldn't say exactly what she is lacking.

I reminded her to go talk to coaches ask what she can do to get some playing time or what she needs to develop.. she said she will be doing that.. it was already said to players that they can't ask their coaches (JV) they have to ask head. She has a good relationship with him and he likes me.. we never had an issue.

I can really understand the if he is torn.. but I worry about her and the other girls self esteem, if he doesn't think they are material just politely cut them or at this point I think yes she would be happy to be on the Varsity just to be apart.. ugh.. this is such an awful feeling.

She is really a good kid.. good heart. And honestly knows she not at level of starters but she knows she has skills.. she does. She's learned a lot from other girls.. and girls always say they learn from her.. she's such a sweetheart.

She came home on the 23rd (her bday) & told me immediately she had a bad day and even cried, i just listened.. she said she tried holding it in and she understands its her first day back from being released..as they were doing sit ups tears rolled down and her friend saw and said "you need to stop don't let it bring you down thats not you". My girl doesn't express her own emotions often..she'll put others before her and rarely cries and for her to come home in tell me it breaks my heart.. of course I said I'll go talk to coach..she said no I'm old enough and need to handle this myself.. so I'm crossing my fingers she talks to him today.

My husband won't go watch.. after last year's fall ball season they didn't even play her once he couldn't go back or else he'd approach. (this is her step father).

This is a tough situation. Another situation happened earlier last year. It was the first year coach had about 12 colleges come out to their practice. Most girls had a profile, I had no idea what they were, so he came over and gave a me a guideline the night before. She was so excited, well right before they went out to practice one of the Snr. who was already signed to Tennesse said "any of you girls not planning on going to a 4 year don't go out and waste their time" of course my kid didn't go out. I found this out later.. she said it was okay and her coach then (JV) said well now you know you need to go find a travel ball team.

I'm really torn.. part of me just wants to go over and confront.. and part of me is proud she is trying.. regardless. I have an older daughter who went to another high school and he just played all the girls... different areas of course but so different. My oldest would've quit by now.

This school is all about sports.. it's really a great district. We live about 30 miles from on inter-district transfer and she's been in district for since 3rd grade. The district prides themself in all areas. She's proud of her school team etc..

I have asked her if I need to get "mad" at her if she misses a hit? or doesn't do something right.. she said no.. that will make it bad. What do I do. My "evil" inside me.. wants to give coach a peace of my mind.. just put the kid on varisty.. I know I know I sound crazy.. but I hate to see her torn.. thank you everyone for responses.

If I knew her grade of skill or game I would state but I don't.. omg I had to have her aunt sit with us on phone interview with recruit because they asked what was her strongest strength.. and I said she can throw hard everyone says wow.. her arm is amazing. I really suck as a softball mom. I wish I didn't.. maybe that's the problem..

This is hard!!! Crossing fingers she talks to them or request time to discuss.

 

[ShoshoneMom]

Wow didn't realize how long that was.. I'm a mess today. Can you tell? oh wow.. lol.

On my way to travel cross country to pick her up.. hope today was better.