High School vs Travel Ball - my kids aint thinkin

Well said

Very well put and handled greatly! It should be about respect ALWAYS. My DD respects her new hs coach as much as her tb coach and will do anything for either one. Unfortunatly, she has to be a leader for both teams and set an example. In our case, if it wasn't for the changing of dates for a non-manditory function, we would be there no questions asked. The coach said she understood and there would be no penalties......so I must let her play or practice instead of just "hanging out and eating hotdogs". Nice comments by all on this subject! Our new coach is even talking about watching some tournaments in the future.

 

Conflicts?

There are always going to be conflicts with scheduling. I myself posted last year, my lack of understanding, when the HS State games were socked right into the middle 1/2 of my TB season. I understand it will happen again this year. Ain't much I can do about it. If the girl wants to miss the Dynamites Showcase or the Pride Showcase for the HS All Star games, that's their decision. I personally think it's a "no brainer" as to which she would receive more benefit, but it's still her decision.
As a TB coach and a HS coach, I don't see why HS and TB can't work together and not against each other. It always seems to be the "us against them" mentality, when in all circumstances they compliment each other. I would like to see all parties try to work with each other and quit condemning each other for trying to make their respective teams better. Recognize each other as vital parts of a young ladies life and work together. I am practicing my HS team on Saturdays and my TB team on Sundays. Not hard, just time consuming.

 

Has anyone asked any of the players what they think?

 

Let's ask

All softball players that read TBR, what do U think about travel ball/HS ball and how they should interact or not? Do the coaches put pressure on you on either side? Do they take away the fun? Do U worry about injury, playing and or practicing 7 days a week? Would U have to work 7 days a week in college? Where to U have the most fun travel or HS? Would it be better if TB and HS coaches worked together? Do the State Games put additional pressure on you as a player given the time they are held? Is it tough to say no to either TB or HS?

Perfect world: What would U as a player do if U were able to create what you desire?

Most players maybe afraid to answer as they worry about how the coaches and some parents would take their answers. At least, we put it out there for the other side of the story which I agree is very important! Our kids are sometimes much smarter than we think! LOL

 

cardcoach

You really have my respect. The hours you, and those like you, put in are daunting. THANK YOU. As a hs coach, I want to tell you and the other tb coaches how much I appreciate your work. I have fall work outs, winter work outs, and my season. Even with that, my team wouldn't be near as good as they are if it weren't for y'all. Someone stated earlier that hs messes up swings or throwing motions. I agree with the statement 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'. But if a player isn't as successful as they could be, don't I owe it to them to help? Isn't that part of 'my' job too? I really hate this 'us against them' attitude some have.

When I played, a coupla centuries ago, I was in a different town or state every week end of the summer. I loved it ! This past Summer and Fall, I got the opportunity to go and watch some of 'my' girls play some tournaments. I had forgotten how much fun that atmosphere was. I would love to see every player on my team experience it. What I think some are forgetting is, in hs, we have a finite number of student/athletes to chose from and work with. We don't recruit (I think LOL). It's hard to teach someone how to defend a 1st and 3rd situation if their fundamentals aren't built yet. If they only play from Feb till May, they're probably not going to experience enough situations to learn as well. I enjoy every tb player I have, but, like you I want them to focus on hs when we're the one's playing. I want them to bring their tb experience and abilities and help make the hs team better.

 

Excellent

Excellent Post! Rick is one of the truly good guys in our sport! He works hard for his players and cares about all the kids! That is why he coaches year round and also does the ASA thing! What a MAN!
Sounds like you are a good coach as well and care about your kids and school!

 

just let you know cheeze105 tb was not mandatory our tb girls have always been told hs comes first i dont think your right on your practice would have been more beneficial seeing how they are with batting coaches and their pitching coach and trust me there are lots of qualified coaches out there not just the ones around you so before making a judgement maybe you should see where your players dedication come in or maybe should make sure of ther is no communication errors before you start putting people down or making judgement because as long as they are learning no matter who from you should give credit and not judgement if your not sure where the problem lies

 

Punctuation please. JK