- May 25, 2010
- 1,070
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There are between 11-13 players on t-ball teams here and all the girls play every inning. They get only 2 innings and 2 at-bats per game and some girls might not have a ball hit in their direction all season because of how crowded it is in the field.
By the time they move up to 8u, most of the girls still interested in playing at all are performing at a t-ball level (there is no 6u here). I know that 9YOs are allowed to play 8u because of when their birthdays are, but we actually had a couple of 10YOs in the 8u division this year.
Conversely, we come from an area where t-ball rosters are small and there's no catcher. Having the catcher position in t-ball just seems like a waste. The games are 4 innings, so a typical t-baller gets twice as many at-bats in that league and a lot more reps in the field. They're making plays on defense (such as throwing it to 2nd if there's someone already on 1st, even though 'outs' aren't counted) and getting comfortable with the idea of not just holding a ball that is hit to them.
I think our league would have much better retention after t-ball if the girls weren't standing around so much and surely after 8u, if the games weren't so difficult for the parents to watch. There's no expectation for every girl to be a natural in the field, but when 3rd- and 4th-year players - counting the 2 seasons of t-ball - aren't ever able to make the simplest plays (e.g. field the slow grounder and throw it towards the pitcher if there's chance to get the runner at first), then most parents choose to pull their girls out of the league. While there are pretty good numbers in T-ball and 8u, there's a huge drop-off in 10u participation that does not mirror other programs in our region.
Parents whose girls aren't very proficient and not having much fun after 3-4 seasons find other activities for those girls. Parents whose kids are performing above average take their kids out of the league to seek other opportunities elsewhere. We have board members whose daughters aren't even in the league, because the level of play is higher in nearby towns.
The question: In addition to adding pre-season clinics for prospective players (we had girls trying out for 8u who had never played catch), is it a good idea to eliminate the catcher position and decrease the roster sizes based on what I stated above about reps at the plate and in the field?
Are there any other basic things should we address? I'm not on the board, but I volunteer for everything and help sponsor the league. Although I know my daughter will be playing elsewhere, I am fully committed to helping the local organization for the next 4-5 years.
By the time they move up to 8u, most of the girls still interested in playing at all are performing at a t-ball level (there is no 6u here). I know that 9YOs are allowed to play 8u because of when their birthdays are, but we actually had a couple of 10YOs in the 8u division this year.
Conversely, we come from an area where t-ball rosters are small and there's no catcher. Having the catcher position in t-ball just seems like a waste. The games are 4 innings, so a typical t-baller gets twice as many at-bats in that league and a lot more reps in the field. They're making plays on defense (such as throwing it to 2nd if there's someone already on 1st, even though 'outs' aren't counted) and getting comfortable with the idea of not just holding a ball that is hit to them.
I think our league would have much better retention after t-ball if the girls weren't standing around so much and surely after 8u, if the games weren't so difficult for the parents to watch. There's no expectation for every girl to be a natural in the field, but when 3rd- and 4th-year players - counting the 2 seasons of t-ball - aren't ever able to make the simplest plays (e.g. field the slow grounder and throw it towards the pitcher if there's chance to get the runner at first), then most parents choose to pull their girls out of the league. While there are pretty good numbers in T-ball and 8u, there's a huge drop-off in 10u participation that does not mirror other programs in our region.
Parents whose girls aren't very proficient and not having much fun after 3-4 seasons find other activities for those girls. Parents whose kids are performing above average take their kids out of the league to seek other opportunities elsewhere. We have board members whose daughters aren't even in the league, because the level of play is higher in nearby towns.
The question: In addition to adding pre-season clinics for prospective players (we had girls trying out for 8u who had never played catch), is it a good idea to eliminate the catcher position and decrease the roster sizes based on what I stated above about reps at the plate and in the field?
Are there any other basic things should we address? I'm not on the board, but I volunteer for everything and help sponsor the league. Although I know my daughter will be playing elsewhere, I am fully committed to helping the local organization for the next 4-5 years.
