Am I wrong ??

[Snapperny]

Hi all...I just wanted to get some honest, unbiased opinions about whether I am justified in being pi**ed off.

My daughter played 8u for our town "travel" team last summer. It's a small thing...2 tourneys, but it's the first experience for these girls in "competitive" games where wins & losses count. Also, it gives the girls who really enjoy softball a chance to play with and against other girls who are into it also, as opposed to our rec league where half the girls like it and half aren't paying attention. Anyway, she did very well and she improved tremendously playing with the better players and the girls 1 yr. older. She loved it and was excited for her 2nd year of 8u eligibility this summer. Now it appears that there may not be enough girls to form an 8u team this summer. There will, however be enough (maybe a few too many) for the 10u team. I inquired about my daughter trying out for the 10u team & was told that she can't. The rule has always been that girls can't play up because it weakens their correct level team by "losing" the best players to the age above & it's not fair if they take the spot of a 10u girl who obviously can't play down to 8u...so they want everyone within their proper age bracket. That was fine & I can see their reasoning.

My problem is that, when it appears that there will be no 8u team, everything changes. In this case, neither the 8u girl or the 10u girl has an alternative to 10u, so why not just hold open tryouts? Objectively, my daughter is better than a fair amount of the girls that will be on the 10u team. She is probably the top girl in her year in our town. She wouldn't be the best on the 10u team, but without a doubt, if they held open tryouts, she would make it over many of the girls (of the proper age) who will be playing. The issue I have is that with no 8u team, why not let everyone try out for 10u...and an 8 yr. old is, in fact, under 10. By not letting everyone try out, they are essentially choosing the team based solely on age & my daughter may not get to play this summer because of it. My daughter loves to play & will be so upset if they won't even give her a chance to try out. If weaker players make the team while potentially stronger players sit out the summer, why even have tryouts? I honestly think that if they make her sit out this summer, I will find an independent 10u team for her to play with next year when the town league will be relying on her to be an important part of their 10u team.

So I ask you guys for your honest opinion...am I unreasonable for being annoyed ??

 

[CoogansBluff]

Is this an all-star team from a league?

Are the 8U and 10U rules different? In many leagues, 8U is coach pitch and 10U is player/coach pitch. Has your daughter played in the 10U environment before?

I don't think you are being unreasonable based on what I'm hearing. But if your daughter has played only in a coach-pitch league while the 10U girls have just played in a player-pitch league, I can see where a league might limit the 10U all-star team to those who played in a 10U league. But I don't know all the facts.

 

[Hit by the Pitch]

I am a little confused about the OP.

Do you want your DD to play up or is she being locked out of playing?

 

[Snapperny]

I want her to play up, but the league isn't allowing 8u aged girls to try out for the 10u team even though there won't be an 8u team.

 

[CoogansBluff]

I want her to play up, but the league isn't allowing 8u aged girls to try out for the 10u team even though there won't be an 8u team.

There were three questions. You answered only one.

 

[Osric]

Push for the 8u team. And then push some more. And then push some more. And then...well, you get the idea.

Ya, I understand you not liking the decision, but you are asking your girl to be on a team where she will be playing by different rulesets than she is used to (kid pitch, leadoff/stealing, dropped third strike, etc.). IF she were to make the team, she is effectively displacing a girl who should have been learning those rules during the year, who has the desire to play, and who deserves a chance to continue to play and learn AT HER APPROPRIATE AGE LEVEL.

You shouldn't be trying to do something that only benefits 1 girl (yours). You should be trying to do something that will benefit a dozen girls and will get them better for next year when they enter the 10u division.

 

[MTR]

Push for the 8u team. And then push some more. And then push some more. And then...well, you get the idea.

Ya, I understand you not liking the decision, but you are asking your girl to be on a team where she will be playing by different rulesets than she is used to (kid pitch, leadoff/stealing, dropped third strike, etc.). IF she were to make the team, she is effectively displacing a girl who should have been learning those rules during the year, who has the desire to play, and who deserves a chance to continue to play and learn AT HER APPROPRIATE AGE LEVEL.

You shouldn't be trying to do something that only benefits 1 girl (yours). You should be trying to do something that will benefit a dozen girls and will get them better for next year when they enter the 10u division.

That is all fine and dandy, but the point still remains there are not enough willing participants at the 8U age level. No matter how much "pushing" you do, you cannot have a dozen eggs if twelve haven't been laid.

My suggestion would be find another league, if there is any in the area. Maybe a TB org will take you in even if it may be just for a body and practice, she would still get a chance to improve her skills.

 

[BaldNBeautiful]

Yep, I think you have a right to be upset. If the local organization cannot field an 8u team, they should (IMHO) allow those girls to at the least tryout for the 10U team.
As for options, I agree with MTR, I would find a TB org. or another league to play in.
Another option would be to find out how many 8U you have, check with other localities and see if there are any there to field a team with.

 

[Coachmom]

Will there be enough leftover 10U girls combined with the 8U girls to form your own 10U "silver" team?
Maybe you can convince the league to go that way?

 

[Osric]

That is all fine and dandy, but the point still remains there are not enough willing participants at the 8U age level. No matter how much "pushing" you do, you cannot have a dozen eggs if twelve haven't been laid.

My suggestion would be find another league, if there is any in the area. Maybe a TB org will take you in even if it may be just for a body and practice, she would still get a chance to improve her skills.

Not sure how many kids started in the 8u level, but if you have 4 teams, that is close to 50 kids....and you can't find 11 to play in two tournaments? Highly unlikely. That is why I say push push push. Find the kids, find the coaches. Lots of times it isn't a matter of not finding the kids/coaches, but ASKING. At the 8u level, both the players and the parents may not be willing to volunteer. They just don't know the procedures yet and may not even be aware that there is an opportunity for them.

Push push push. Find a team. It may not be the team you like to field, but if you can't find 11 girls out of 50 that WANT to play a little more, then you have problems with your organization, not with the kids.