Daughter feels betrayed but travel ball coach...

[Cowdogz]

We are not demanding parents and as parents don't have blinders on in regards to our DD ability to play her positions......DD is always respectful to her coach and players......By the way.....did I mention he plays daddy ball?....She loves the game and is now has issues with her confidence......DD stayed with this organization because it is well respected.

Here's an alternative perspective for you: You may think you are reasonable compared to the other parents and/or players, but are you positive that you aren't the "least bad" of the group? Is the organization "well respected" in part because of their ability to work with and/or develop "difficult" people and players? One person's "request" is another's "demand." Adjectives like "dedicated" and "respectful" are meaningless, because our definitions may differ and you provide no examples or evidence. Are you sure that you and your DD aren't overconfident, and that she doesn't actually need a reality check? Do you realize that some coaches' kids can actually play, because they have been coached all their lives by fathers who know the game better than most?

 

[YOCOACH]

As coaches, especially in a showcase setting, I would think that they would want to foster the relationship of all college coach's. If I, as the coach, were in that situation, I would be moving the girls around so that the college coaches would be able to see them in their primary spots throughout the game at one point or another for a couple of innings. If a college coach asked me to replace a girl that had already committed and had played several innings at that position with another, I would have no problem doing so. IMO, this also gives the other college coach who offered an opportunity to see what their committed player can do in other positions and may give them a better idea of her capabilities in order to utilize her talents to the fullest. Again IMO, the more girls on the team that I got recruited would enhance the reputation of the organization as a whole, my reputation as a coach and further the relationship with all of the college coaches by garnering their goodwill.

In your situation, I would think that you'd want to make a move to a team that will give your DD, and the college coaches looking to recruit her, the best opportunity to see her play.

Edit to add: Although I have no experience in the showcase setting and am only the AC for our team, HC and I discussed this since we will be entering the showcases next year and this is how we agreed to handle it.

 

[cuzmail]

My DD had two absolute CRAP seasons in TB-A from 8th grade through Senior in HS and still her D1 dream is fulfilled. So there is urgency but there IS time to do the right thing for your DD.

That's good to hear. DD didn't have her best spring/summer this year. Not bad, just not up to her usual potential.

 

[RubberBiscuit]

That's good to hear. DD didn't have her best spring/summer this year. Not bad, just not up to her usual potential.

Note that I was responding in fashion with the OP here and really confirming that you can get involved with organizations that just don't mesh with your DD and still make the move and fix the bad organization alignment for the following year. DD had one bad daddy-ball experience with not enough play time and a "hired gun" that came in and took her time away and then the other was a bad situation where the HC decided he was going to "redo" my daughters pitches right at the start of the TB season. Both these situations made DD feel not worthy of the game and questioned her existence in the sport and her D1 goals.

In the end I am sooooo happy that DD chose to "give it another year" each time she had these bad team alignments. If by chance she would have had back-to-back bad experiences like this I am sure SB would have been over.

 

[Sparky Guy]

On top of that, teams advertise about college but then don't do anything but sign up for the tourneys. That does not get kids on college teams. A respected team will have connections to college coaches and offer academic resources so the kids are ready.

The travel teams sign up the tournaments the coaches are most likely to attend. It is the job of the parents and players to get in contact with the college coaches. They must give the college coaches the team tournament schedule so a coach knows if there are multiple kids they want to look at on the same recruiting day. The players and parents need to update the college coaches with pool play schedules.

It helps if the travel coaches have a long-standing relationship with multiple college coaches, but don't depend on them to do all the work for your daughter. If a college coach has a specific need and trusts a travel coach they may take look at a player on the travel coaches suggestion.

 

[Jeff Gamesman]

Sounds like a really frustrating situation made further so by the feeling of helplessness one would have being in it. No way of being totally fair to the coach/team reading just your side, but it does seem that there was either some poor choices/behavior on the coach/teams part or at least some very poor communication.Even if you are misguided and your coach was right and DD earned her demotions and fall back, some sensitivity and straight talk should have come prior as to make all that happened no surprise.As you describe after 5years service and hanging in when her team was bleeding players she at the very least deserved that.And after 5 years you would think they would have some idea of how important this was to her/you and again communicate instead of fester drama.

Sure wish there was some sort of naughty list of coaches/teams/parents to be forewarned of, so that such dramas can be minimized if not avoided.These days most products/services you buy have places online you can go to read up on the reviews/comparisons and see if that great buy is really such a great deal after all.