Difficult decisions

[Pitchermom28]

I have two DD both playing 12u. One is pitcher and the other is catcher. I'm going to be one of the bragging parents for a moment. The pitcher at 11 is throwing in the mid 50's. Both girls have strong bats and play at a more dedicated level than others that we seem to find on teams. They are the top players in our area. Their pitching, hitting and catching coaches all say they need to move up and play A ball at 14U. Therein lies our dilema. There is a deficiency in our area of A level teams.

We have found a team that is 14U that they tried out for and blew the coaches away. This 14U team is an A level team. We are currently on a 12u team which we are lucky if half the team shows up at practice and are not taking any lessons. The 14u team wants them badly, but we hate to up and just leave the 12u team. Without our girls he will have to fold the team.

We are trying to work out something with the 14u team that will allow them to be part of the team, but they will only be able to play maybe half of the games they have scheduled.

anyone else find themselves in this dilema?

 

[Country Boy]

I can respect your feelings for the 12U team. But you do have to do what's best for your girls. The stress from trying to keep 2 teams happy is not worth it.

I am guessing that the 14U team doesn't really want your girls part time. I wouldn't. No matter how good they are. It's too much work to keep a roster of part-timers.

 

[CoachKevin]

Well I typically say if you have made a committment you stick by it, but if only 1/2 the team shows up to practice then it might just be time to leave. What do your DD's want to do?

 

[Pitchermom28]

They like the girls on the team but get very frustrated when the others are not there. We had experience this weekend where our dd catcher was trying to call a play and first and second had no clue. They made horrible errors which caused us to lose to a team which is a C or Rec type team. It was so embarassing and frustrating for our girls. During our first game our DD pitcher, had 6 strike outs, no walks, no runs and to get another pitcher some time he pulled her which was fine, the other girls needs all the practice she can get, but we came close to losing that game due to the hits off her and errors made by first and second. The girls really liked the coaches from the 14u team but have mixed feelings about leaving the team since they get along with the most of them.

 

[starsnuffer]

I would strongly encourage my daughters that they should consider making the change if they are more committed then the team that they are on. Better to do this now before the summer season starts.

My experience is that most girls will only play just "good enough" beyond the players next to them to be "the best", but will not push themselves to extremes. When the players are in an environment that fosters external and internal competition, the players will truly bloom. This isn't just about making better softball players, it's also about your daughters happiness. More often then not, girls with competitive motivation are more happy in competitive environments.

-W

 

[softballphreak]

Move up or stay down. You can't serve two masters. In addition, the commitment level for the older team would cause the same problems as the lack of commitment that the younger team causes now.

 

[MandM]

Has your daughter pitched much at 43ft? If not, she may get hit by bigger more experienced hitters at 14U. Also, if she is still developing her pitches, a year where she could be dominant as a pitcher may be good for her overall. That being said, having a team where half the players do not come to practice is going to get old quickly, and as one of the posts above mentioned, demonstrates a lack of commitment to the team and from the coach for not enforcing the rules- that fact would make it easier to leave the team if this issue is not corrected.

 

[RubberBiscuit]

Ya got to provide your girls with what they need to excel. If ya dont you'll look back and kick yourself for the lost year.

 

[ms244]

My advice is to provide your daughters with the best chance to play at their best level. Provide them with a team (coaches and players) who take the game as serious as they do.

We just recently left our team because of the reasons you stated in your OP. Most of the time we only had half the players showing up, the other time some of the coaches weren't there and when they were nobody took themselves serious. So.... we left. A mistake? Not sure yet, but I can sleep good tonight knowing that I am giving my DD the best chance at being a better player.

 

[coach james]

IMO this decision to leave will seem like a no brainer in retrospect. You will NEVER regret doing whats best for your dd's. Remember, if your daughters arent challenged by their peers they will loose the drive to improve. Staying with an unmotivated team is not really helping anyone in the long run.