How do we "peak interest" in fastpitch?

In another thread folks are chompin at the bit to sling snot about all-district, all-state.
If you're not up to speed on where I'm going here then drop down a few threads and you will catch up real fast.
Look folks, how in the hell and half of Georgia are we as softball enthusiasts gonna keep our most valuable assets interested in this game when PURE negative posts like 294-294 crap is posted?
If you don't have anything to say positive, then don't post!
Marlinfan1

 

first of all it wasn't 294-294. each district made the cut off on who was to be considered for all state. less than half the schools nominated players. thats the coaches fault plain and simple. all coaches look at the internet and know whats going on. some think if they're not a member of the association they cannot nominate, which is something i believe. softball in this state is on the verge of becoming very special. but if continue to infight among ourselves, we will fall apart from within.

 

...thank you goon, very well put. we've got to stand by eachother and make this game fun for the kids.
Fish

 

Amen to that!! Funny how some of this stuff won't mean a hill of beans in a couple years for people to get so worked up over. I still keep up with this site to see how the younger girls my DD played with over the years are doing and love to see them doing well. Three years from now after DD graduates college, the most important thing will be the diploma!!! Softball has helped pay for her education!! She will help coach the little ones just getting into this wonderful sport.....that's what it's all about.....giving back and keeping alive the sport that she loves so much!! (While holding a job that pays real money)

 

I think in order to peak interest in the sport you need to have summer camps. There are a lot of young ladies playing college softball right now. You need to use these ladies to help coach these camps or work with the younger girls. There are NCAA regulations that they have to follow so you would need to check with them. In our area the YMCA is planning a camp and we have 2 ladies that have graduated from college after playing 4 years and neither have been asked to help with the camp. You need to use these college players since they were raised in the community and most of the girls playing know them. The college players knowledge is very valuable to let these young players know what to expect and to train them properly.

 

WE SHOULD ALL TAKE LESSONS FROM OUR KIDS!!

I JUST WANTED TO RELATE THIS ARTICLE FROM THE MT. AIRY NEWS. THIS IS HOW WE CAN PEAK INTEREST IN THE GAME OF FASTPITCH!!! I AM REALLY PROUD OF MY DAUGHTER AND HER TEAMMATES THAT TOOK THE TIME OFF TO DO THIS CLINIC!!

Cardinals player passes down the tradition
by Thomas Smith17 days ago | 501 views | 25 | |
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Image 1 of 2East Surry softball player Samantha Smith, right, works with Grace Kiser, far left, and Morgan Smith during a softball clinic held at Palmer Field Sunday.PILOT MOUNTAIN — Less than 24 hours after winning a state title, East Surry’s Samantha Smith, along with several of her teammates an coaches, were back on the field to help impart some softball wisdom to the “younger” generation.

Smith, a junior at East Surry, organized a softball clinic, held Sunday afternoon at Palmer Field, as part of her senior project.

Originally scheduled for last Saturday but forced to yesterday due to the Cardinals tournament obligations, the clinic was designed by Smith to help young girls learn the right way to play from players and people they look up to.

“I love softball, and watching little kids play softball is just so much fun,” Smith said. “They come out here and actually want to play. They don’t think of it as a job, like I do sometimes during the summer. I’ve learned so much and I really just wanted to show them what they need to work on so they don’t make the same mistakes I did.”

Smith and the other Cardinals on hand took the girls, age seven and upwards, through hitting techniques among other drills, offering one-on-one instruction.

East Surry coach Derrick Hill said the day is helpful to not only the girls who are learning softball skills, but to his players who are taking responsibility for their place as role models.

“To me it’s part of community service,” Hill said. “These kids are the future of our program and our family. I think my kids as they get older, especially juniors and seniors, understand that these younger kids look up to them. One of the mothers of the girls out on the field said her daughter listened to our games this weekend on the radio and wanted to know if the players were going to be here. It’s good for them to personally correspond with these younger kids and hopefully they learn something. ”

Smith, who had a strong weekend in Raleigh, said she is flattered to have girls looking up to her and her friends just as she did not so long ago.

“It makes me feel pretty good because I know I used to be that age and I used to look up to all the girls,” Smith said. “I always wanted to be like Karlie Love. I thought she was an amazing softball player. I always said, ‘I want to be like her, I want to go to college and play softball.’”

Smith, a junior, was required to write a research paper to go along with her project, which she completed on the history of softball and will finish the project with a presentation during her senior year.

With a smaller turnout than what she wanted, Smith said she hopes to put on another clinic this fall.

Smith’s father, Kevin, said he thinks the clinic helps to put a face on the East Surry team for younger girls who are aspiring softball players.

“They set such a high standard for these girls to follow,” Smith said. “They look at these girls after they win two state titles back-to-back and you’ve got senior leaders like Courtney Simmons and Paige Honeycutt, they have something to look forward to when they get to high school level. Samantha putting on the clinic hopefully will kind of help the younger kids see the correct way to play ball.”



SORRY I COULD NOT FIGURE OUT HOW TO LINK THE PAGE SO YOU COULD SEE THE PICTURES BUT I AM KINDA ELECTRONICS DISABLED!!! IF YOU WANTS TO SEE THE PICS JUST GO THE THE MOUNT AIRY NEWS

 

It Starts at the Top

Be careful Fish you're going to hit as nerve...I've said all along in order to help this sport it starts with good coaching. Camps. clinics, players giving back....it's there. But there are not enough GOOD coaches available, whether they be Daddy Ball coaches or teachers filling a void, etc. I don't see allot of coaching seminars out there for folks to get the kind of updated education they need. I could be missing it, but I know there are a few around in the WInter. There was in Myrtle Beach and one at ECU last Winter. How many TB and HS coaches actually go to those? I'm not writing a book here. Lots of guys coaching DD who played at some baseball level in the past think they can do...OK. But girls who have proper mechanics, etc. and work can tell if a coach knows what's going on, but you can not tell people anything. I'll leave it at that. The other thing that would be huge that someone mentioned on another thread is that along with coaching we could really use a GOOD Summer high school league for girls and families who do not want to go through the expense of travel ball. Either that or the REC leagues need a HUGE upgrade. I know the TB guys who make money on it will have issue's with it, but if they do maybe the competition of another league for good players will tighten up some of the problems with TB overall, and for those selling scholarships to every parent who goes to a tryout. Competition is a good thing, not just on the field. Last thing.....loosen up the rules at the HS level so HS coaches can work with their players year round. It would go along way in developing players and coaching staffs and allow coaches more time to see and work with what they have coming in. Options are out there. You guys who can do something about it need to do that and stop talking about it. Just get it done. If you do they will come. JMHO.

 

Respect

.....to you Cheeze105. I know how much you mean to these kids and our sport.
Fish

 

hit a nerve.......

.....might be good for us in "peaking interest" in fastpitch.
I'm 100% behind you on the "let the HS coaches work with ANY kid, especially their players anytime, anywhere.
Nice post.
Fishman