The Commish needs help

Another good thing about staying on the same team. We will do spirit wear for the parents. We use it as a small fundraiser for the league, but we will sell t-shirts, hats and visors for the teams. Since the players play for the same team multiple years, the parents are all about buying some stuff to wear for games. We keep the profit small, think we make like a buck off each item. Its something though.

Our age groups go by the age of the player on Dec 31 of the previous year. So, take my oldest for example. She was born early January. Last season ('14) she played 12u, but turned 13 in January. Her first season (with this league) she played 12u, but was 10u eligible, so she was on the same team, with the same manager, for 3 years. It was great. Now, the only reason she played her 3rd year down was because of the coach who is excellent, but it happens.

Mocoso said:

I dont get some parents! Softball is a TEAM sport and part of what it teaches the kids is how to socialize and interact with their teammates. For parents to equate FUN with playing with their "friends" and not with girls they dont know and complain about it is shortsighted. How did this kid get her current "friends" to begin with? Is there a quota on how many "friends" a kid can make? Its only fun if you play with your current friends? Then they wonder why their kids get "clicky" and have total inability to socialize outside of their comfort zone! great job parent you're on your way to making your kid into a social misfit!

Why rob kids of a great opportunity to learn social skills and learn how to make new friends.. I dont get it... sounds to me its the parents that are the ones that want to make sure they play with "their friends"... having that parent you cant stand in your OWN team is one great way to keep the peace in leagues!

Are you allowed to have A/B style teams in your league? Dont think ASA lets you do this for rec (but thats just my guess)

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Keep in mind that this is rec, and a lot of kids probably are playing more as a social activity than because they are big into softball. That was how my DD first got into it. We told her she had to pick a sport for the fall and she didn't want to do anything. Finally she said she'd play softball if she could be on her friend's team. And she played basketball this winter because her friends were playing, not because she has a big.love of basketball.

I'm sure it's similar in this league that a lot of girls play because it's something to do with their friends. And if they can't be on the same team, then they'll find another activity.

dbronstein said:

Keep in mind that this is rec, and a lot of kids probably are playing more as a social activity than because they are big into softball. That was how my DD first got into it. We told her she had to pick a sport for the fall and she didn't want to do anything. Finally she said she'd play softball if she could be on her friend's team. And she played basketball this winter because her friends were playing, not because she has a big.love of basketball.

I'm sure it's similar in this league that a lot of girls play because it's something to do with their friends. And if they can't be on the same team, then they'll find another activity.

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Exactly that. But I agree with Mocoso - I have never requested my DD play with anyone in particular (except me), and she's had a few seasons where all the girls were new to her and each other. She's still pretty shy, but she's definitely better at meeting new people than she was.

Anyway, it's a pretty minor issue so far, only 3 emails pissing about it, and a ton of girls being marked as at least interested.

I agree that playing with people they don't know and learning to get along is one of the great lessons of sports. My DD, after grudgingly playing her first season, willingly joined a team last fall where she didn't know anyone.

Reading your original e-mail, I didn't get "oh my god, they aren't going to put friends on the same team anymore!" out of it, so if that was a big concern to me, I wouldn't have been bothered by it.

You've pointed out a couple issues that stand out to me...
1. Keeping quality players in the league
2. The lack of quality coaches

Please, for the sake of keeping both, allow the coaches to start with a group of girls, and remain with that group of girls until he is done. One of the most frustrating things as a coach is practicing hard and teaching skills and finally getting girls to a certain level, and then the following year having to start all over because parents on another team are mad because the other team was kicking everyone's butts the end of the season. You will certainly run off the few quality coaches you have if you make them start over every year. They will just go travel where they can keep the same kids and build upon fundamentals as they grow up.

I always liked the evaluations we did. Have 2 stations. One, a hitting, and the other, a fielding and throwing. Have 3 observers (not coaches or parents. Possibly the umpires) at each one rating each girl on the skill level. Average those scores out. Assign a points rating for each girl. Say, 5 max, 1 least. Try to assign each team same number of points. If a team has 8 girls returning that score highly, they get a lower ranked girl. Eliminate the draft. As commish, place the girls blindly on the teams based on points. Do the same for pitchers and catchers, but assign them more points separately. Maybe 10 points max for each. In rec, a strong pitcher is worth an infield full of 5* fielders.

Just whatever you do, try to retain your good coaches by allowing them to see the benefits of the hard work that the girls put in year after year.

CJ D said:

You've pointed out a couple issues that stand out to me...
1. Keeping quality players in the league
2. The lack of quality coaches

Please, for the sake of keeping both, allow the coaches to start with a group of girls, and remain with that group of girls until he is done. One of the most frustrating things as a coach is practicing hard and teaching skills and finally getting girls to a certain level, and then the following year having to start all over because parents on another team are mad because the other team was kicking everyone's butts the end of the season. You will certainly run off the few quality coaches you have if you make them start over every year. They will just go travel where they can keep the same kids and build upon fundamentals as they grow up.

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Understand that nearly all the coaches are bucket dads. For the most part, the returning girls request their coach from the year before, which we honor before all other requests, and which made it relatively easy to get rosters together. My 12U team this year shouldn't lose a game: almost every girl requested me, I've had most of them for 5 years or so, and they're all 12. But the league really is more social than competitive:

Right now we're at 10 12U teams of 12-13 each, but one team has 15. Every family requested that coach, they live in the same neighborhood, they all take turns carpooling, and they even vacation together. If I didn't put them on that team, they probably wouldn't play. And I know these girls - they're noting special athletically, it's no ringer team.

CJ D said:

I always liked the evaluations we did. Have 2 stations. One, a hitting, and the other, a fielding and throwing. Have 3 observers (not coaches or parents. Possibly the umpires) at each one rating each girl on the skill level. Average those scores out. Assign a points rating for each girl. Say, 5 max, 1 least. Try to assign each team same number of points. If a team has 8 girls returning that score highly, they get a lower ranked girl. Eliminate the draft. As commish, place the girls blindly on the teams based on points. Do the same for pitchers and catchers, but assign them more points separately. Maybe 10 points max for each. In rec, a strong pitcher is worth an infield full of 5* fielders.

Just whatever you do, try to retain your good coaches by allowing them to see the benefits of the hard work that the girls put in year after year.

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I like the idea of the evals, I was thinking along very similar lines. Next season.

And if the coaches tell their parents to request him, we're all for it.

Sounds like you are doing a great job and keeping most everyone happy....which is next to impossible!

Gotta vent: "Whaaaaaaaaa!!!! My daughter has to make new friendsssssss!!!! Whaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!" and "We registered on the VERY LAST DAY, why was our request not met???????" and "We made NO requests, why can you read my mind and put DD on the team I want for her????"

Only about 7 so far, out of 700 - so not too bad I guess.

I'd say that's pretty damn good to have that few complaints.

BuckeyeGuy said:

Gotta vent: "Whaaaaaaaaa!!!! My daughter has to make new friendsssssss!!!! Whaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!" and "We registered on the VERY LAST DAY, why was our request not met???????" and "We made NO requests, why can you read my mind and put DD on the team I want for her????"

Only about 7 so far, out of 700 - so not too bad I guess.

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That is a 1% whaaa rate for a rec ball program. That rocks!!!