High School Softball

There have been many threads on this board bashing high school softball and how it is not good for your daughter. The talent level is bad, coaching is bad and some even saying they do not want their daughter even playing high school softball because it is not worth it, it is a waste of time and it will not get them a scholarship in college. While I agree not many high school coaches have a lot to do with your daughter getting recruited and signed I disagree that it is a waste of time. My daughter played travel ball ever since she was 9 years old and we loved every minute of it and yes that is where she was seen and signed from not high school BUT I was reading through the roster of her college team and each player stated their favorite time playing softball. Here is what my daughter wrote and you tell me high school softball does not produce great memories that will last well beyond the 4 years your daughter gets to play in college before she has to put the glove down.

Quote: Best memory of playing softball: Basically my entire High School Senior year was the best time I have ever had playing softball, due to my fellow teammate. My best memory within that time was the Easter Tournament and receiving the MVP of the tournament.

Our daughters are lucky and fortunate to play 4 more years of college softball and we are lucky and fortunate to be able to watch them for 4 more years but do not tell me high school softball is a waste of time. Talk to my daughter.

Here are a few more quotes from another players on her team. Tell me it doesnt mean something to her to.

Quote: Winning the District Championship game my senior year in high school, beating Elmwood 4-0, and striking out 15 Winning the District Championship game my senior year in high school, beating Elmwood 4-0, and striking out 15

Quote: Being the first freshman to make Varsity at my high school. And going to State my Junior year in Raleigh.

Quote: Winning Conference every year and beating our biggest rivals every time we played them!

Quote: My senior night in high school when I saw how many of the players lives I had touched over my time playing. I always wanted to be a role model, and this proved that I was.

 

It is interesting that three out of the five quotes were from girls that played on winning teams and from reading between the lines I'm guessing that if your daughter received the MVP of the tournament she was also on a winning team. It obviously makes a difference in what kind of experience a player has. Unfortunately for some all memories last a lifetime, not just the good ones. Congratulations to these young ladies who obviously played for good programs.

 

Still untrue

Freshman Year: Won 5 conference games (lost about 15)
Sophomore Year: Won 6 conference games (lost about 15 again)
Junior Year: Won all but 1 conference game, Conference Champs, District Champs

I asked my daughter what her 3 favorite memories of softball are:

1) When the coach dropped the bus in a ditch at another high school, and we had to be towed out (freshman year) and then the assistant coach ran over a fence at the same high school the next year (sophomore year), popped the tires and we had to be towed out;

2) The hail storm where we hid under bleachers and the score stand, then collected the hail by the handfuls (sophomore year);

3) When I drove in the only 3 runs scored against X high school, annnnddddddd pulled off a diving double play in the same game, getting out "x" (her arch nemesis) even though we lost 11-3 (junior year)


Things that she never mentioned:

1) Conference Champions and District Champions
2) NSA State Champions
3) USSSA State Champions
4) MVP of World Series
5) Any of her homeruns, MVPs, TB wins, TB trips, selections to prestigious events, etc.

All those memories surrounding huge "winning" moments and her BEST memories come from years and games where losses didn't just happen, but were often HUGE losses.

If all you are focused on is the score at the end of the game, then you never learned the most valuable thing to be learned: the little moments that make up your life's fondest memories.

 

Still True for some

Every individual is different. I realize that playing on a bad team with a bad "coach" doesn't matter to some, but to some it does matter. Glad your daughter had an enjoyable experience.

 

It is a nice perspective to think about. My daughter will be in middle school next year. Playing states and nationals now are memorable. The rest will be just as memorable. HS or Travel.

 

It is wonderful, enjoy the next several years!

 

This may tell you something.

Go to any college softball web page, click on "roster" and randomly look at what the players state in their bios about their pre-college softball days. While you will sometimes see travel ball mentioned, they all focus very heavily on listing their high school softball accomplishments.

 

Would be nice

I would love to get feedback from the players about HS experience instead of parents and or fans. Ladies give us your thoughts. You know it should be fun to play the "game" and to store memories to discuss with friends, teammates, family, and your future kids. If it isn't fun, it just ain't worth the time and sacrifice needed to be a ball player.
There is room for HS and travel ball as has been stated many times on this board.