Commitment: Team & Player

Hit a nerve...

Sorry for the long post but this thread hit a nerve...

<RANT>
Our DD had the unfortunate opportunity to be on a team where the coach kept looking for the 'next superstar' to help him win. He would put them on the team at any time in any position and most of the time would not get any money from them. Whoever was at that position before, who had already paid, just rode the pine. When the superstar wasn't what she or her parents said she was, he would get another and the previous one would ride the pine. Needless to say turnover on this team was very high. We didn't sign a contract (I have never seen one) but we used it as a learning lesson for our DDs. We told them the we (all of us, parents and DDs) committed to the team at the beginning of the season and even though we didn't like what he was doing, we were going to stick to our committment and leave at the end of the season which we did.

Now I agree that the situation can also get so bad that you have no other choice but to leave for your DDs sake. We were also in this situation once and had to leave in the middle of the season. At the time it happened, the last thing we were thinking about was money and it wouldn't have mattered if we had signed a contract. Our only concern was our DD. We had every intention of finishing our committment and stuck it out as long as we could. If you ask our DD, she will tell you that we did everything we could but they left us no choice.

IMO, parents and DDs who constantly jump from team to team and coaches who take them (yes coaches talk to each other and know who the girls are that are constantly jumping) are setting a very bad example. We didn't want our DDs going into the real world thinking that if they didn't like something (like college) they should just quit right in the middle. Finish what you started and go from there.

Now for the good part (for our youngest). We learned a lot, sometimes at the expense of our oldest DD, so when our youngest was moving up, we relied on friends and coaches to help us find the right fit which we did. Our DD loves the team she is on now and we are very happy to say that this is the last TB team she will play for!

To sum it up, I hate to think a contract is needed for TB. Parents, coaches, and DDs should do their homework as others have said to find the right fit.

Besides we all know that when it comes right down to it, no contract in the world is worth paper it is printed on. Recently hear of several college coaches who recently signed multi-year contracts or extensions just to bail the next year when a better job opens up??? What about the ones who had contracts and were railroaded out???
</RANT>

Thanks for letting me vent! This Board Rocks!

 

Javlin - Your right on target!! This is exactly what I'm talking about. A coach is expecting a commitment from both dd & parent but is only willing to do the same until he/she has found what he/she thinks will be better. I believe you should honor any commitment good, bad or indifferent and teach your kids to do the same but it is unfortunate that all people don't subscribe to the same theory. Let me pose this question. If you pay for services or goods and don't receive them, aren't you entitled to reimbursement for goods or services not redered. The answer to that question is ......... YES!!!!!!!!!!

If you have to leave a team early this doesn't constitute or justify a team keeping your money. Money should be returned for the future games not played.

 

Player fees or Team fees

Great conversation....

Every parent and player should start every season with the intent of finishing it with the team they started with... Monies paid should be reasonable and verifiable. A budget should be produced and distributed prior to the season, which clearly defines where the money goes.

Pre-paid tournament fees are not reimbursable... They are team oriented,
and when paid, your were committed to that process. Additional fees, and this can be another thread, which are player related, should be returned.

There are many reasons to leave a team. Lack of playing time, poor team performance, coaching issues, problems between players or parents, different goals of team and player, etc. As girls get older, level of play and recruitment opportunities will also be a reason.

Leave with class.....

Once you know you are leaving, communicate with the coaching staff. Focus on facts, not drama. Be truthful, leave the emotion out of it. Make sure the coaches are the first to know, don't let them be the last.

Leave after the big tournaments...usually late summer, as to not disrupt the experience of the other team members.

Keep your problems between you and the coach. People are gonna ask why, don't bad mouth your coaches or old team. Word will travel.. If your team has problems, most likely people all ready know about it.

Let your old teammates know you appreciated the time you spent with them. There were some good times. Stay positive. When it is over, it's over. Don't make your next meeting into a "grudge match" Not fair to your new teammates.

Return everything that belongs to the team, Uniforms, equipment, etc..

Keys to a successful travel ball parent
1. Stop... think before you speak
2. Stay Positive
3. Don't believe or trust all the gossip you are gonna hear or the people who repeat it.

 

WndMillR......

I agree with what you are saying with the exception of the fees. I might be the only one who feels this way about team fees and that's ok. When I started the thread I wasn't sure what of replies the were going to show up. I didn't want any of the tb coaches think that an angry parent was just on a rant trying to bash them as a whole. I know that there a good/great coaches out there but just the same, there are also some out there that shouldn't be coaching. Just wanted to what other people thoughts were.

One thing that I have learned in life, business & relationships is communication is vital to sucess. Once commumication has broke down, you are guaranteed to fail at whatever the task is at hand.

 

Thanks for the kind words cheeze! I am much more relaxed after being outside playing in the snow (we got ~5" here in Raleigh) with the DD, dog, and some neighborhood kids for a couple hours. I think I need a nap!

Looking back, while some of the situations we have been in were no fun at the time, I truely believe that it taught both our DDs some good lessons that will benefit them in the future. We as adults know all too well what the real world is all about and I am glad that our DDs could see some of it when we were there to help them understand and deal with it with class.

We also met some great families and still keep in touch with many families who were on that same team and also stuck it out. We now sit around and laugh about the whole thing.


One other thing completely off topic... Why is it so hard for folks to see the 2010 tryouts sticky thread and post their tryouts there instead of creating new threads? Just wondering...