Switching Teams Early?

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Jun 21, 2010
481
0
The Spring season is around the corner for us. We played two round robin type tourneys, but won't be playing any trophy tourneys for about a month. Some issues have surfaced and DD is having a hard time with her current coach. More of a personality conflict than anything. She had a horrible season last year ( different team and coach ) and we don't want to see her go through that again. Basically, she was set back a year development wise and lost a lot of confidence in her abilities. Current coach said he wouldn't be like and we are holding him to that.

Would it be a really bad idea to switch teams this early in the season? There is time to "fix" what we can and hope for the best, but I hate to think about what might have been--either ways.

14U A second year team. DD is a month and a half away from 15 yo.
 
Jan 27, 2010
1,871
83
NJ
You run the risk of this being the answer when ever things don't go the way you want. I'd try to figure out a way to make this work for you. Have a sit down with the coach and see if it's not something simple that just needs to be addressed.
 
Jun 24, 2013
1,059
36
If you do switch I am sure you can find a Team but there usually a not so good reason Teams have openings this time of year. Like your DD, maybe someone moved to a different Team because of Issues.

You might be better of trying to survive the year. It might be long year though.
 
Jul 16, 2013
4,659
113
Pennsylvania
If you do switch I am sure you can find a Team but there usually a not so good reason Teams have openings this time of year. Like your DD, maybe someone moved to a different Team because of Issues.

You might be better of trying to survive the year. It might be long year though.

This is good advice. I know of a team in my area that is looking for players. They had 12 on their roster last year and lost all but 3. Those 3 are the coaches daughters. They were able to rebuild but two of the new girls have moved on already. So there are openings but I would be careful.
 
Sep 24, 2013
696
0
Midwest
If the only issue is a personality conflict then your in good shape. If you play this game for a few more years noting DD age youll have much worse issues that youll have to work thru so learn to do it now.

I guarantee quitting in college because you don't quite like your coaches style will not be an option.

Focus on the root cause not the symptom./
 
Sep 18, 2011
1,411
0
I guess i'm old school. When we commit to a team, we commit for the season. Obviously if there was abuse or bullying that would be different, but in general I really believe that players need to honor their commitments. Does she really want to let her teammates and coaches down just before the season is about to begin? Obviously do what you think is best. But I think switching now for the reasons you stated is poor form.
 

JAD

Feb 20, 2012
8,231
38
Georgia
The grass is not always greener on the other side. If this is the second situation your DD has gotten into where she is not happy, you might want to ask for an unbaised opinion from someone who is knowledgeable about your DD, her abilities, and the teams she is playing for.

I have seen several cases of parents pushing their DD to play on the best A-level team they can, when she is really a B-level player. Everything is fine when the team is playing "friendly" tournaments - batting everyone and free defensive substitutions. But when the team starts playing to win (ASA Qualifiers) everything changes and suddenly girls who are not one of the best 9 players end up with a lot more time on the bench than on the field - and mom, dad and the DD are suddenly unhappy.
 
Apr 14, 2014
33
0
Kansas City
This is a tough one. You always have to do what is best for your daughter. If you don't feel that she is being treated properly you have to go with your gut and make the move.

If the issue has more to do with a personality conflict, such as coaching style, or pushing the girls really hard, or he is a yeller, or there is an issue with playing time these are all things that you should discuss with him directly.

The last thing you want to happen is to be labeled team jumpers. Because one thing is clear, when you leave a team, coaches do their due diligence to find out both sides of the story, and if there is any hint of this, it could be tough to land with a long-term team.
I've seen this happen to players before, not a good label to carry.

Hope this helps!
 

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