FWIW An Observation

[BobInMadison]

I cannot even watch bike races on TV. I mean, c'mon, HELMETS? I prefer bikers who are not scared to stop concrete with their faces.

 

[Bill Bollinger]

One thing I don't understand is: We talk about balls being hit, but we never talk about the level of protection a mask provides when colliding with an offensive player who is wearing a Football Helmet... Ooops I mean a softball helmet. Running full speed down the line with a football helmet on and the opposing player doesn't even have a mask on. Which one will "Flinch" then?

I could care less who wears a "Mask" or protection. Are we now going to say the lefty slappers who all wear the Evoshield stuff is now less of a player? If a coach thinks less of a player because they wear some level of protection, I call them stupid and they are not evolving within the sport and sooner or later the sport will leave them behind and they will be sitting by themselves wondering what happend.

 

[riseball]

One thing I don't understand is: We talk about balls being hit, but we never talk about the level of protection a mask provides when colliding with an offensive player who is wearing a Football Helmet... Ooops I mean a softball helmet. Running full speed down the line with a football helmet on and the opposing player doesn't even have a mask on. Which one will "Flinch" then?

I could care less who wears a "Mask" or protection. Are we now going to say the lefty slappers who all wear the Evoshield stuff is now less of a player? If a coach thinks less of a player because they wear some level of protection, I call them stupid and they are not evolving within the sport and sooner or later the sport will leave them behind and they will be sitting by themselves wondering what happend.

Obviously the hitters for the Gators are incompetent wimps.

 

[BobInMadison]

I think the fact everyone needs to face is that the VAST majority of 10, 12, and 14U fastpitch players will never sniff a DI softball scholarship, so the point about advancing a softball career is moot. Stop trying to change the world and just wear the face mask. No one makes her play without it, and if they do, you are welcome to find a TB team with a coach more to your liking.

Softball is not a pyramid, with the national team on top and 8u rec league on the bottom, but more of a collection of mountains, hills and valleys. There are a number of factors other than her abilities that affect her possible softball future.

I have already accepted the fact that living in Wisconsin cuts DD#3 off from a lot of softball opportunities. No outdoor games in January, for some reason.

I have accepted the fact that there are no A travel teams within an hour's drive from Madison. There are some a little further, but nothing within an hour's drive.

I have accepted the fact that our home's location has a big effect on where she can play HS ball (although she could go to a school other than the one in her district, under state law. There IS a HS with a better softball program closer to our home than the HS for which we are districted, but she may not WANT to go to a different HS).

I have accepted the fact that our family's finances and her academic standing may limit where she can attend college, which has a huge influence as to whether and where she would play college ball.

I have even accepted the fact that some coaches may feel she doesn't "look" like a softball player. Although a lot of folks are pleasantly surprised when a girl who seems to have no meat on her bones whatsoever can play the way she plays.

It is difficult for me to accept that her prospects may be limited by some coaches' prejudice against girls who wear protective equipment. It had never occurred to me that, for example, as part of the college recruiting process I would need to ask coaches about their policy on student athlete safety.

However, it appears that the attitudes of LAS are not outside the mainstream of high-level softball.

So, that is what I meant when I said I would have to face that facts that DD #3 may someday have to choose between facing the risk of disfigurement or limiting her softball career.

 

[parrot]

In all honesty, I am probably underestimating the number of girls I've seen play in games with a mask on and take grounders at practice without one because her parents weren't around to make her put it on.

So if "hundreds" is underestimating, you must have seen thousands?

And these girls are so scared of the ball that they regularly flinch off practice ground balls, but they don't wear said mask - which they are apparently totally dependent on to be a competent fielder - unless their parents are there to force them? And you're able to track all these players between practice and games and cross-correlate whether they normally wear a mask or not?

No offense, but I'm calling BS on all this. I think you've seen a relative few of these girls and use that as confirmation for your ingrained bias against girls who wear masks.

 

[RetiredCoach]

My DDs may or may not play college softball. Either way, I don't care what the college coaches say or think. My DDs wear their face masks while on the mound. It is an issue of safety; not of insanity!