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What would you do?

Discussion in 'Softball Forum' started by stitches, Mar 14, 2009.

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  1. Mar 15, 2009 at 10:23 AM #11
    JavelinCatcher

    JavelinCatcher Full Access Member

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    Too much...

    My DD plays for her HS team and is on a TB team. The TB team practices every Sunday but they will not play any tournaments until June after the HS season has ended. We are very happy with that and appreciate the TB coach for doing that as doing both would be too much. She is already playing pretty much year round and needs some down time (she has slept a LOT this weekend since everything was rained out!) as well as time to get her school work done and hang out with her friends.

    Ever heard of getting burned out? It is a very real concern even if they say they love playing and always want to play. There will come a time where there is something else they really want to do but can't because they have to go to a tournament and they will question if playing softball year round is really worth it.

    We are very aware of that and take full advantage of the down times.

    JMO
     
  2. Mar 15, 2009 at 10:27 AM #12
    cheeze105

    cheeze105 Moderator Staff Member

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    its real simple, i dont interfere during their season and they dont interfere during mine. some coaches dont even allow their girls to even practice with a tb team during the hs season and will go to said practices to make sure their players are abiding by their rules. in my mind, it has nothing to do with tb being a better level of competition than hs, i dont disagree with that thought, its a matter of respect and the fact that most quality tb tournaments for 16/18u dont start until hs is over anyway...as far as getting hurt, that has something to do with it also. your realize that most hs teams only have one good pitcher and catcher, while a tb team has a varity. if i lose my stud pitcher/catcher to an injury occuring during a tb tournament, it could and probably would destroy my hs season and would let down 14 or so other girls who counted on this player to be there. so in my mind, the selfishment isnt on the hs team, its on the tb team for even considering playing during the hs year. most of the quality tb teams dont interfere with hs ball, 99% dont schedule a tournament until the memorial day weekend when most teams are already out of it. I will allow practicing with your tb team in an effort for them to be ready when the season starts, but my players know the risks involved with playing and i have put it to them as i have to you. they choose not to take a chance of letting their teammates down. it didnt used to be this way, but in the last six or seven years, we've all come an informal agreement about not interfering with each other and its working quite nicely.


     
  3. Mar 15, 2009 at 10:39 AM #13
    cheeze105

    cheeze105 Moderator Staff Member

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    stitches, there are many reasons for a player to "ride the pine" and i wouldnt venture a guess as to why you dd is doing so. some coaches are into the seniority system (seniors and juniors play) and some are into the talent level (dont care how old you are, best play) and some dont have a clue. as far as practice, i have girls who practice very well, but choke during a game, and those who practice horrible, but are "jam-up" during a game, you just have to know your players. BUT, as far as leaving during a season because you're not starting????? good luck coming back!!!!! we had this discussion some years ago, and 90% of the hs coaches would not let a player return after leaving for this reason during the season. finish your committment and get better during the summer, if that is the case.

    case in point - i had a girl who played jv last year, and played some varsity. her parents didnt understand why she didnt play varsity and raised holy hell about it....i simply stated, she needed to learn to hit more consistantly, get a stronger arm and quicker feet in defense.....she came back this year on fire, knocking the ball at will, much stronger arm and faster feet. had she quit, she wouldnt have been given a chance to try out for the softball team period, as this is the rule at our hs and many more.

    and stitches, i coached tb for almost ten years and never interfered with a hs coach. i gave him my stats after our season and he gave me his after his season and we worked together...

     
  4. Mar 15, 2009 at 11:06 AM #14
    stitches

    stitches Junior Member

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    Cheese - thanks for the input. I am not trying to sound harsh. I have a lot of respect for coaches. I guess this whole thing just boils down to what folks think is best for their DD. I'm not going to battle a HS coach over philosophy. I'm going to take my DD where she can play. That is the bottom line. And if a coach has a problem with committment, that coach needs to look at it from all angles and not just from one side. Funny though how that JV player you mentioned had to go elsewhere and then came back on fire. If that JV player had left to get better and then came back to you hot, you'd turn that down? A DD can not get better riding the pine. They have to play. Oh....there are lots of teams at the 14U and 16U level playing tournaments during HSB.
     
  5. Mar 15, 2009 at 11:22 AM #15
    cheeze105

    cheeze105 Moderator Staff Member

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    you're right, you have to do whats right for your dd, first and foremost....as far as the jv player, hs is limited to a very short period of time, two weeks of practice and on to your first games, three games a week leaves only two days of practice and you cant get a lot of personal attention when your coaches are trying to teach 29 other girls in a two or three hour session. we are limited to 20 or so games a year, and you can play that in three weekends in travel ball. if this player would of left during the season, it would of been out of my hands, as that is the school rule. she played 60+ games during the summer/fall and took hitting lessons to boot. oh, just to answer a pm, our hs team is judged on TALENT, not seniority, i have a starting freshman who plays second base (but isnt allowed to hit just yet, not ready). true about the 14/16u teams, but all five of my tb players play 18u. good luck!!!!

     
  6. Mar 15, 2009 at 2:14 PM #16
    for the girls

    for the girls Full Access Member

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    You don't think your DD is getting any better practicing every day with a HS team vs a couple hours on Sunday during TB? Our HS has mostly underclassmen last year (only 1 senior) and most of those girls were playing 18U ball or 16U ball that didn't play tournaments until after HS season was over. Is it you or your DD that is more upset with playing time? Not trying to raise any feathers, but sometimes the girls want to stay with their teammates even if they are not playing because they are just that, TEAMMATES. Also, if she's serious about playing in college, she and you will be humbled by a DD sitting the bench because believe me she WILL at some point in college!
     
  7. Mar 15, 2009 at 2:26 PM #17
    fastpitchdad1994

    fastpitchdad1994 Where is the GURU???

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    Cheeze,
    I am not a TB or HS coach just a parent. I just don't agree with a coach who wants to penalize a girl for practicing & playing with her TB team during a HS season. It is selfish for a HS coach to do this. If a coach is truly trying to teach the game to a student then allowing them to not practicing or play unless it is with the HS team is selfish no matter how you try and explain any situation. My DD has not been told by her TB coach that she could not play HS so why should I let a HS coach tell my DD she can't play TB during their season??? Why would a HS coach think he has the right to ask this of anyone?
     
  8. Mar 15, 2009 at 2:47 PM #18
    stitches

    stitches Junior Member

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    You are not raising any feathers. Neither myself or my DD thinks anyone can get better practicing and not playing. Practice's are where you learn. Playing in a game is where you apply what you learn. Especially at the SB and TB levels. The two go hand in hand. Like a ball and glove, or bat if you prefer. School ball has games three days a week and practices twice. Like Cheese said earlier, with 20 or so DD's there is only so much you can do. So I would say a DD would learn more at the TB level because the competition is better. So YES to TB. Teammates? They love you until you sit one of them on the bench. Been there and done that. College? If said college is willing to pay for her education while she rides the pine, she can sit all they want her to.
     
  9. Mar 15, 2009 at 3:34 PM #19
    Letemplay

    Letemplay Junior Member

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    agree to disagree

    I've watched these threads year after year about HS vs TB and finally felt compelled to post this time. I will say that I have coached at a school, a travel team and I have a daughter that plays. I can personally tell you that I encouraged the girls I coached at school to find a travel team and play as often as they could. Especially the ones that were not the team all-star. Nothing, I repeat Nothing makes up for game time experience.

    Cheeze you know me and know that last spring we played TB during the HS season. While no one on my team played for you, you did know a couple of the girls on my team. You even came to watch a tournament close to your home. We won that tournament, by the way. One of the young ladies playing for her HS came to me a few weeks prior and asked if she could come back early because she was not getting what she needed at her HS. Of course I welcomed her with open arms. While some may say this was wrong I had 5 other girls on the team that were freshman and played varsity for their school. I did not make it mandatory but I think all but one HS coach encouraged it because it was helping their program. 2 of the freshman made it to all but a few of my weeknite practices during the spring. One player was the starting pitcher for her HS varsity squad and the want-to-be coach thought she knew how to be a pitching instructor and totally destroyed her as a pitcher for us until we got her back to normal in late July early August.

    This year we decided as a team because the entire team was playing HS ball, that we would not play any tournaments until late May. I firmly believe that one of the HS programs was significantly improved because of our playing during the HS season. While I know that you know the game very well and their are several others around the state that are great coaches at their HS too. There are more that are not as astute at coaching as you and the other great ones. I know of a school right now that has some great talent but can't get it together, in my opinion, because of a lack of game knowledge and experience by the coach. I firmy believe this coach wants to be a good coach, but lacks the experience, motivation, and knowledge of the game. I also know of a freshman that she has sitting the bench just because she is a freshman and has told her so. This player could probably start at 95+% of the HS's in the state. The girls on the team have even asked the coach to let her play, but because an upperclassmen wants to play she sits her. Two of these upperclassmen don't play TB and have made numerous errors in the 4 games they have played. This young lady plays on my TB team so I am a bit prejudiced, but she hit over .400 last year and only made 6 errors in 107 games. It's just frustrating to some of the girls that have put in hours upon hours to be the best they can be, because we tell them that they will be rewarded for their hard work. Then some want-to-be coach comes up with a politically motivated reason to put the most senior team on the field not the best team on the field!!

    Well, I guess I should get down from the soap box and get ready for the flame throwing, because I'm sure there are some headed my way.
     
  10. Mar 15, 2009 at 3:49 PM #20
    cheeze105

    cheeze105 Moderator Staff Member

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    ok then, let me ask you this: how selfish would it be for a tb coach to play in a tournament during hs and have the hs's leading hitter/pitcher/catcher have a season ending injury??? to me this would be totally selfish, because there are no big tournaments held during the hs season for a reason, its time for hs ball....the allstar, showcase and other "look at me" tournaments are held AFTER hs ball is over.

    and a hs coach has every right to set the rules for HIS team, including playing tb during hs season. its just like everything else, if you dont want to follow the rules, dont play the game. if you coach hasnt said anything about it, why worry about it????
     
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