Team falling apart

[JJsqueeze]

In the end, it may not be the best possible outcome for your daughter, but there is a huge life lesson about commitment, loyalty and integrity to be learned in this situation

I would say that true integrity is believing in your own decision making enough that you can effectively choose when to buckle down and ride out stormy weather in a situation and when to cut bait because no good is going to come and time is just going to be wasted. If the coach can correct the practice situation, get a schedule out and follow through on it then great, crisis averted, but if practices continue to be spotty and games are sparse then the team is on life support and you GTFO while the GTFOuting is good.

 

[JoeKC]

I would say that true integrity is believing in your own decision making enough that you can effectively choose when to buckle down and ride out stormy weather in a situation and when to cut bait because no good is going to come and time is just going to be wasted. If the coach can correct the practice situation, get a schedule out and follow through on it then great, crisis averted, but if practices continue to be spotty and games are sparse then the team is on life support and you GTFO while the GTFOuting is good.

Agreed, but we (or maybe just I) don't know all the details yet. The idea that we immediately bail out when things get dicey, or when unsubstantiated facts start "leaking" has a very bad habit of making certain the team does go under because people start bailing on their commitment. I can think of several examples locally were that kind of nonsense took place and the "rumors" were never substantiated, but a few "bettered" themselves at the expense of all others. "Me-first" is not what team sports are about.

 

[Me_and_my_big_mouth]

Fwiw, this is probably the 6th or 7th post like this where someone has been conflicted about leaving a team (including my own), and it seems to me that once you post about it, you've probably already decided what you're going to do. Not once have I read a follow-up where the OP decided to stay and it turned out well.

 

[djcarter1966]

I think I would go to the coach of the current team and see if he is willing to go independent with the whole team as soon as practical. I would have a team meeting with all the parents and let them know what is going on and that he plans to keep the team together with or without the organization. As long as the team stays together you are OK, you can ride with the organization for as long as it stays afloat but when it sinks the whole teams jumps ship at once. Then set up team rules for interacting with the organization first one being they don't get a single penny from anyone on the team, if they want to sign up for a tournament they can fill out the paperwork but your team will write a check to the tournament for any expenses not the organization, if they get new fields your team will write a check to parks and rec for their time slot, etc. If the organization won't play along the team is leaving. If the parents of the current team are not willing to sign up to sticking it out as a TEAM with or without the organization then I would not wait and see I would leave.

I think what some people are worried about is using this organizational trouble as an excuse to team jump on your part since your DD is not as high in the pecking order on current team. NOW if you just want to change teams for that reason that is 100% OK but then you leave with the understanding that you switched team for that reason not because of organizational issues.

 

[Little Angels Softball]

Sorry - have to throw the BS flag on this - this kind of thinking is true Old Boy Network. Your responsibility and loyalty is for your family - first, foremost and always. If you care more about what Coach Whoziwahtzitz thinks about your DD leaving for another team, you have bigger issues.

I've seen many teams implode and it had nothing to do with one particular player - even a #1 pitcher - leaving for expected greener pastures. Usually the cause was new coaches being brought in that completely disrupted the flow of a team and its chemistry because "they come from XYZ organization - one of the premier blah blah blah".

What is BS? I am just stating things the OP needs to think about before making a rather big move like this. I didn't say anything will happen but gave my neutral comments based on experience.

I have done this a long time and have seen it all.

I know girls who are currently active who are on teams well below their talent level because they have left teams in the middle of the season as few as two times. I know the OP is thinking of doing it for the first time, but what if they find themselves in a similar situation next year or the year after?

I know a girl who isn't on any team because her family left a team they thought was going to implode, and talked another family into going with them who in turn talked one more family into going with them, the snowball effect indeed causing the team to fold. Afterward, the original girl who left was vilified on social media for "breaking up the team" which really had no intention of disbanding ... and now, virtually no team will look at her.

I have also seen many teams fold where everything went fine and the teams should have folded.

There is a lot to consider for the OP when thinking of jumping ship mid-season and it didn't seem to me like he/she had looked at all the angles. I simply pointed out a few that I've seen, none of which are BS. I imposed no editorial or opinion on which I thought might be the case here and what he/she should do, because I simply do not have enough information to form a recommendation.

 

[87'sFan]

Thanks everyone for the input.My DD had the first practice with current team since the situation happened. Kids were in good spirits parents are still confused we don't know where the money is. So forget the money we lost it, it's over. Reading all the comments I think I might just spell it out for DD (she's in the dark only knew she was guest playing not knowing it was a tryout as well) tell her what the consequences of each decision COULD be then let her make the choice.

 

[87'sFan]

Let's not argue here either no one is right or wrong I wanted different opinions to help me. The argument's are why I barely post stuff just read.

 

[Me_and_my_big_mouth]

Let's not argue here either no one is right or wrong I wanted different opinions to help me. The argument's are why I barely post stuff just read.

Don't worry about it; everyone will have a coke and a smile and settle down after a bit. ? The very nature of the boards is to express differing opinions, points-of-view, and experiences so you can learn from others and (hopefully) make a more informed decision. There wouldn't be a need for discussion if we all agreed or had the concrete answers - so don't let any disagreement push you back into lurking. You have valuable experiences to offer, and that makes the discussion better because it adds depth. I love the good ol' boys (and girls) but the newbies gotta step up and participate to really make things interesting and useful.

Good luck to your family and DD. I remember tears during our team change. It sure isn't easy, no matter what you decide.

 

[BobInMadison]

I like the idea of involving your DD in the decision. It seems to me that the more input my DDs have in the decision, the better it works out.

 

[Sweet Lou]

Sorry if this has been asked before. The team my DD is on looks like they will break up because the organization is going thru legal trouble! The team is still trying to have practice at local parks (they had their own field which the locks have been changed and equipment locked up) still going to tournaments ( I think the number that they do will be greatly reduced). My DD guest played for another team and they love her! This past weekend is the most she ever pitched in a tournament. Should my DD join the other team or stay with the sinking ship? If we leave the first team we are out quite a bit of money. The other team will greatly reduce our fees for the season but still it's a good amount. Just curios on people's opinions.

It sounds like you are going to be out that money one way or the other and I suspect that they have not yet paid for most tournaments and probably won't be able to.

I'd say jump and consider it a lesson learned, though possibly an expensive one.