To tryout or not?
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JMHO ...It only puts the light on the character that has been build from 2 years old. What you explained is Medieval, and purely prison mentally.. (to Me) Its like the poor souls that think they can change someone by marrying them.
Starting as a Freshman on Varsity is the goal. It would build confidence...not character... the character was build and is what makes them practice to be at that level...If DD can't start varsity as a freshman..then she needs a year off with private instruction, and a school change... she don't need rehabilitation...I just got an 11yr old. If she is not able to do that, (make Varsity as Freshman) and still wants to play, then its time for going the walk on route. There are plenty (98%+)of College Coaches... big programs as well as little ones who would lose their jobs with this approach you explained. JMHO
Starting as a Freshman on Varsity is the goal. It would build confidence...not character... the character was build and is what makes them practice to be at that level...If DD can't start varsity as a freshman..then she needs a year off with private instruction, and a school change... she don't need rehabilitation...I just got an 11yr old. If she is not able to do that, (make Varsity as Freshman) and still wants to play, then its time for going the walk on route. There are plenty (98%+)of College Coaches... big programs as well as little ones who would lose their jobs with this approach you explained. JMHO
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First off, get ready to get your heart broken.
To win State Championships in high school, and get ranked in the top 25 teams in the nation, it is not done with Freshman. It is done with upper-class Juniors and Seniors period. So if you think at 11 your soon to be Freshman can come here and start, I would say categorically NO.
And if that is not good enough for you, you can stay at a lower level high school team, start in the 8th grade as many do, and never get considered as playing with and winning against the best.
It is not Medieval, it is called earning your stripes.
College coaches on the best schools rarely start freshman, if fact most all the freshman on them sit. You will be like I was. Going ballistic because my "great" DD with a holier than thou attitude was made to sit the bench in 7th on JV because she thought she was better than everyone else. Yeah, her talent was great, but her attitude sucked. The coaches took care of that real quick in one season, by sitting her on the bench and played lesser players in front. We learned the hard way, and now my DD works her butt off, appreciates all her playing time, and relished batting clean-up on a top 25 national high school team as a sophomore. Being a true Champion!
That is GREAT coaching !!!
And I cannot think of a single starter in the last few years who has not been offered a scholarship. Go figure.
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SCDad...thx for your time. I'm not wanting to debate, or change you, nor change myself. Your story has a history...that can never change. I related to your having gone ballistic. I think the key difference is your not packing a pitcher. Congratz on your path of accomplishments.
Better is not a moral thing, but a science. It is determined with a stop watch, radar guns, fences...ect.... in practice, and then being the gifted "gamer" in the games. Not sure how you can switch off to not being the best, and setting and watching, then switch on to having to be the best in the whole division, at a moments notice, and at the whim of someone who is losing the games. They rarely win state back to back...and the ones that do can be thankful for this unique year of being blessed with 2 Elite Pitchers. That's why the name of the game is Fastpitch, not Hard Hit.
Better is the hours sent practicing. Which means not being 1/2 as involved in all the other distractions...even the athletic ones. To think you can play 2 or three other games, then drop in on the softball season, and be as refined as a Fastpich Pitcher is preposterous. You would have to think that you are "better" and I mean ... more connected by that.
Heart Break is just the norm... It will inevitably comes as she prepares to leave, and probably even go further away because of all your helps...
Better is not a moral thing, but a science. It is determined with a stop watch, radar guns, fences...ect.... in practice, and then being the gifted "gamer" in the games. Not sure how you can switch off to not being the best, and setting and watching, then switch on to having to be the best in the whole division, at a moments notice, and at the whim of someone who is losing the games. They rarely win state back to back...and the ones that do can be thankful for this unique year of being blessed with 2 Elite Pitchers. That's why the name of the game is Fastpitch, not Hard Hit.
Better is the hours sent practicing. Which means not being 1/2 as involved in all the other distractions...even the athletic ones. To think you can play 2 or three other games, then drop in on the softball season, and be as refined as a Fastpich Pitcher is preposterous. You would have to think that you are "better" and I mean ... more connected by that.
Heart Break is just the norm... It will inevitably comes as she prepares to leave, and probably even go further away because of all your helps...
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I am embarrassed for getting so involved with this post. Now you get the ballistic part.
Most probably some local person is watching in, has figured out exactly who I am, and is laughing their butt off.
Want to delete it all, but will leave as a testament to a crazy parent who is involved with his DD's softball more than is probably healthy.
Thanks. There are lessons, but not sure if they all the right ones. We are off to the the field for "tryouts".
Hope she makes it ... ha, ha ... it is an inside tryout, though probably labeled "open" and a fitting end for me here.
Most probably some local person is watching in, has figured out exactly who I am, and is laughing their butt off.
Want to delete it all, but will leave as a testament to a crazy parent who is involved with his DD's softball more than is probably healthy.
Thanks. There are lessons, but not sure if they all the right ones. We are off to the the field for "tryouts".
Hope she makes it ... ha, ha ... it is an inside tryout, though probably labeled "open" and a fitting end for me here.
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Good conversation. My daughter has not yet played HS ball, but I have been around high school sports for many years as part of my job. I've known lots of coaches who have won state titles. Here are my thoughts.
If you've got a program that is winning or contending for state titles year in year out, and being recognized as one of the best nationally, then it's not a case of being carried by two or three superstars that you lucked into. You have to have a steady stream of top players coming in and out.
When you have that kind of talent, I agree w/ SCDad that you need to value seniority. By 'value' it, I don't mean that seniority trumps all. You can't play a .200-hitting senior over a .400-hitting freshman. But if they're close, there is good reason to play the girl who was on JV two seasons who finally gets a chance to start as a senior than a freshman who might be only a little bit better. If you don't reward loyalty, then you won't get loyalty. If kids who don't make the team as freshmen know that they can earn points by playing JV and sitting the bench, they'll do it.
And I also agree that the players learn something from this, especially travel players. In fact, TB players often need to be taught this. It doesn't come naturally. In school ball, you're playing for something bigger than yourself. In travel ball, you're playing for yourself. I know that TB players can put their hearts into their teams, but they're still looking out for themselves first. If you're not in the pitching rotation and you're a pitcher, then all bets are off. You're looking for another team. And that's fine. That's what travel ball is for - finding the right fit for yourself. High school sports are different. It's about having pride in the team you have and playing for your school, not yourself.
Seniority can be a way to teach that and to filter out those who don't care about that. It rewards and teaches players a loyalty and sacrifice that they don't need so much in travel ball.
But you can't go overboard with it. I don't agree w/ SCDad that top college programs don't play freshmen. There are freshmen playing big roles on most every team in the College World Series. But I do agree that there is value in rewarding seniority on a good high school program.
If you've got a program that is winning or contending for state titles year in year out, and being recognized as one of the best nationally, then it's not a case of being carried by two or three superstars that you lucked into. You have to have a steady stream of top players coming in and out.
When you have that kind of talent, I agree w/ SCDad that you need to value seniority. By 'value' it, I don't mean that seniority trumps all. You can't play a .200-hitting senior over a .400-hitting freshman. But if they're close, there is good reason to play the girl who was on JV two seasons who finally gets a chance to start as a senior than a freshman who might be only a little bit better. If you don't reward loyalty, then you won't get loyalty. If kids who don't make the team as freshmen know that they can earn points by playing JV and sitting the bench, they'll do it.
And I also agree that the players learn something from this, especially travel players. In fact, TB players often need to be taught this. It doesn't come naturally. In school ball, you're playing for something bigger than yourself. In travel ball, you're playing for yourself. I know that TB players can put their hearts into their teams, but they're still looking out for themselves first. If you're not in the pitching rotation and you're a pitcher, then all bets are off. You're looking for another team. And that's fine. That's what travel ball is for - finding the right fit for yourself. High school sports are different. It's about having pride in the team you have and playing for your school, not yourself.
Seniority can be a way to teach that and to filter out those who don't care about that. It rewards and teaches players a loyalty and sacrifice that they don't need so much in travel ball.
But you can't go overboard with it. I don't agree w/ SCDad that top college programs don't play freshmen. There are freshmen playing big roles on most every team in the College World Series. But I do agree that there is value in rewarding seniority on a good high school program.
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Maybe I am selfish, but I am trying to imagine a time when during the summer I had an extra weekend day to waste driving my dd to a tryout for a team she has no intention of playing for. Between the softball season, band camps, basketball camps and volleyball open gyms I am pretty sure my dd thinks the same as me. My free and clear saturdays and sundays are far and few between. To give one up just so my dd can see how she stacks up locally strikes me as a bit nuts.
But thats me. On the other hand as an ex coach I wouldn't want you to bring your kid to my tryout if you have absolutely no intention of playing with us. If you are on the fence, or even only 75% sure you are playing elsewhere, they sure come tryout. Otherwise you are clogging up my field and taking my attention from the kids who truly deserve it. The girls who are on the bubble for a team deserve the most fair opportunity to showcase their skills, to have extra kids there just isn't fair to those kids.
But thats me. On the other hand as an ex coach I wouldn't want you to bring your kid to my tryout if you have absolutely no intention of playing with us. If you are on the fence, or even only 75% sure you are playing elsewhere, they sure come tryout. Otherwise you are clogging up my field and taking my attention from the kids who truly deserve it. The girls who are on the bubble for a team deserve the most fair opportunity to showcase their skills, to have extra kids there just isn't fair to those kids.
Sorry but softball is just a game, if you get yourself so wrapped up in whether or not dd starts on varsity as a freshman so much to the point that you would consider switching schools. I think you need to take a fresh look at things.
In the grand scheme of things softball is very tiny on the whole picture of life, whether or not you started as a frosh is an even tinier blip. As a parent to over react on something like dd not starting on a HS softball team will be remembered. It is something your dd will be remembered for a whole lot longer then she will be remembered for starting.
I know, I know someone will say, that they are raising their dd to attain her goals and softball is a teaching tool for life.... Well if you want to teach your child about life and attaining her goals, let her do it. Don't move her around and adjust where she goes to school so you can insure she achieves her goal. Because if you do that, then she didn't reach her goal, you did. And the lesson she just learned is that when she doesn't achieve its someone else's fault and someone else should fix it. My focus on my kids HS experience has been 100% on the grades, the rest is frosting. I am sure most of the people here will agree. But remember softball, basketball and band are all great activities that will teach your kid about teamwork, sportsmanship... but they will learn those lessons from the starting lineup and from the bench, from the 1st chair trumpet or the kid who plays the bells.
My dd didn't start her freshman year, I was ticked off. I thought she should have. But after seeing that she was not as upset as I was, I realized it was my ego that was bruised, not her. It changed how I looked at a lot of things.
In the grand scheme of things softball is very tiny on the whole picture of life, whether or not you started as a frosh is an even tinier blip. As a parent to over react on something like dd not starting on a HS softball team will be remembered. It is something your dd will be remembered for a whole lot longer then she will be remembered for starting.
I know, I know someone will say, that they are raising their dd to attain her goals and softball is a teaching tool for life.... Well if you want to teach your child about life and attaining her goals, let her do it. Don't move her around and adjust where she goes to school so you can insure she achieves her goal. Because if you do that, then she didn't reach her goal, you did. And the lesson she just learned is that when she doesn't achieve its someone else's fault and someone else should fix it. My focus on my kids HS experience has been 100% on the grades, the rest is frosting. I am sure most of the people here will agree. But remember softball, basketball and band are all great activities that will teach your kid about teamwork, sportsmanship... but they will learn those lessons from the starting lineup and from the bench, from the 1st chair trumpet or the kid who plays the bells.
My dd didn't start her freshman year, I was ticked off. I thought she should have. But after seeing that she was not as upset as I was, I realized it was my ego that was bruised, not her. It changed how I looked at a lot of things.
Hi Coogan. We live in an area where A level TB is considered gold or premeir teams. In our area, no one is safe on these teams. Yes, you will have some "untouchables" but unless the player is a real "stud," that position is up for grabs to the best player at tryouts who will accept an offer or can be recruited from another team at the end of the year. On these teams winning is everything and they constantly are looking to replace their current rosters with even better players.
On the types of teams that you describe, I agree that they're run like pro teams. They're looking for the best players year in, year out, to reach certain lofty goals, like qualifying for nationals. I'm just afraid that people will get the wrong impression that this is the norm. Those are probably the upper 5 percent of all travel teams, IMO.
