1st day of HS ball

She will be better off playing travel ball in Georgia. Not worth spending the high school season unhappy. She will play against better competition which will result in her becoming a better player.

 

I wish her the best.

 

I have heard " what happens to just playing the game and having fun". In our area the girls are very caddy, some think they are the best thing since sliced bread. They look at each other as competition not team mates to play with and have fun with. It is pretty bad when several of your teammates won't speak to you just because they think they are better than you. Maybe this is something only a mother would see and understand. High school ball is very disappointing to my dd because she was expecting it to be more competitive and not glorified rec ball.

 

Double Drive by
How goes it Grid?

 

Its all about character.

I don’t believe this is limited to girl’s sports. All one needs to do is look to the NFL, NBA, etc. to see examples of very talented individuals, but very poor teammates. Look at what the GB Packers did this year after losing 6 starters during the season and a couple more in the first half of the super bowl. To win a championship, it almost always comes down to team chemistry, a team which truly cares for and pulls for each other. The coaches that can bring this out in their players, while also developing talent, are the coaches that are most successful.

“The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.” – Babe Ruth

“The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team.” - John Wooden

“Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.” – John Wooden

 

"The only thing worse than a bad teammate is snow-blindness in cats." - Norwood Bouton

 

Couple comments on here caught my eye.

I don't know this pitcher being spoken of, at all. She could be a pitcher pitching JV that should be JV and the parents are wearing rose colored glasses, or she could be the next Monica Abbot. Who knows.

I would like to say, however, last year there was a young lady named by the NCHSAA as State Pitcher of the Year. This young lately pitched JV Fr, Soph and Jr years and could not break into Varsity. If you listened to gossip, it was she couldn't get past the coach's favorites. I think it was rather along the lines of the coach already had a couple of the best pitchers in the state on Varsity, with seniority over this young lady, so she ended up having to wait her turn. In the meantime, if you can have two championships teams by sharing the pitching talent - which they did for many years - then why not go that route?

BTW,this young lady did sign and is playing at the next level.

We cannot make assumptions that "things have changed" because it may simply be there are factors involved of which we are unaware.

There are a few issues with this: If, indeed, the girls are being 'catty', why is the coach permitting this behavior? By competition do you mean they are attempting to outplay the next, or they feel threatened by new players? If it is the latter, what is the coach doing or not doing, that would make these girls feel threatened?

A major component to the success of a team is team chemistry. Central to this chemistry is not only the players' attitudes but the coach's attitude.

Competition with each other, in and of itself, can be extremely healthy and can, in fact, build a great team. If the girls are stepping up their game to be the best and beat the best, then the team will only improve.

Finally, is there any possibility that these girls are getting signals from the ostracized player that would cause them to react in a negative manner? IE is she skittish around them because of her perception of them? Given the commentary "they feel threatened" by others, I have to wonder if they feel they are getting the same attitude from your daughter that she feels she is getting from them.

Girls can be catty simply by nature and it does not take much to get their hackles up.

 

My dd got her first start as a Varsity Pitcher today in a scrimmage tournament. She is a Junior and has pitched for the JV team her freshmen year and moved up to varsity her sophmore year with very little playing time with no time in the circle. She was very discouraged last year as was I. She was given an opportunity today and made the most of it. Up to this point, I haven't been a big fan of HS softball but it is important to her so that is important to me. Both she and I are well aware that HS ball isn't the same as TB but it gives her a since of pride putting on that uniform with the school name across her chest.

By the way, seeing my dd starting in the circle today was one of the best days I have ever had at the ball park. I am EXTREMLY proud of her even if she never starts in the circle again. She will always have today and no one can ever take that away from her. So all the parent who are discouraged, be patient, your dd's time will come.

And her team won 6-2. I'm am truely my dd's BIGGEST FAN!

 

Good post.

 

Just remember

Things that are given to us are not as special as the things that take hard work and patience.
In our lives we all have success, failure, disappointment, and thrills! Let your kids experience all these emotions and just be there for them. They will achieve what they truly work for in most cases!
Some great post on this subject.