HS softball

hey cheeze! we had 15 freshmen come to the preseason meeting for softball. For the first time, the Coach will probably be making cuts at the jv level... beyond the "cut 'em so they won't get hurt" type. Also told the upperclassmen that spots on the varsity would be very competitive. Ten returning letter winners, with seven returning starters who won both the regular season and tournament conference championships last season.
This is at a 2-A school that not too long ago struggled to field a team, much less a competitive one.

 

chacha, no it's not required/mandatory but if DD is a player the coach doesn't know yet then she should try to attend the workouts. First, try to reschedule the private stuff to work around the school stuff. If there are still conflicts then your daughter should meet with her high school coach and let him or her know what she is doing to prepare for the season. Most coaches will be fine with that.
We have always curtailed private lessons during the school season, mainly because of the time factor, but also because a kid's brain can only absorb so much information! You do want to leave some room for the academic stuff!
The most pissed off I ever saw a high school coach get was when he was working with a kid who was struggling at the plate and the kid said "My hitting instructor said to do it this way, not the way you're saying do it." Talk about getting the "stinky eye"!

 

You may not be able to hold anything against a kid but you sure can develop an impression about those that are their and working hard.

It may not be a reflection on the kid who is absent but it is a reflection on the kid who is present.

 

>>It may not be a reflection on the kid who is absent but it is a reflection on the kid who is present.<<

I can live with that.

 

thats really it in a nutshell isnt it.

 

At our hs, conditioning started about two weeks after school started, these conditioning drills were done immediately after school and were completed by four fifteen.
No not mandority and were done with the baseball team, the girls worked hard and really made physical improvements, and I promise that no private trainer would have worked them any harder or gotten any more accomplished.

Nothing is gained without a little sweat...

 

So you are saying the average HS softball coach knows more about working out the right muscles for softball than a certified personal trainer....I just beg to differ. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. If a coach wants to cut someone for not attending unofficial/out of season practices then by all means do so.

 

There is much more that is accomplished than just conditioning at this activity. Team building. True, some girls will not be able to make it due to in-season sports. But if a girl wants to be part of a team, then she should participate in the team activities. Her schedule could be adjusted to allow her to participate in the team activities.

 

Unofficial/ out of season activities should not be held against any kid. They have other sports they play, they have school work, they have other school activities such as DECA, FFA,..etc. Travel ball players start in Feburary with high school and some do not quit until November...a very long season. Again, just my humble opinion. I feel that HS coaches should become more flexible not less flexible.

 

Not picking on you but this whole thing of out-of-season practice having a bearing on making the team is clearly in violation of the INTENT and SPIRIT of the rules.... so what does that teach a team member - that rules dont matter?

It is understood that your condition at the beginning of the official school season would and could have an impact on making the team. How you arrive at that condition should be up to the athlete.