Making a 'Convincing' Argument

[Rocketech1]

If players are playing travel ball does varsity really need a JV team as a feeder system? I can kinda see the V coaches point that is there really a need for 3 school softball teams? Seems like the V program is doing pretty well without JV?

 

[djcarter1966]

Gonna be hard to force any kind of change with everything working great for the current set up and Varsity program.

Sounds like you basically have a no cut 7-9th grade team and then the girls that make the cut get to go to Varsity...its not a terrible system.

Basically the coach just needs 2-3 9th graders that are good enough to go straight to varsity then 2-3 10th graders ready to go up obviously some years might be fat while others are lean but you would keep a team around 12-14 girls. Obviously things get harder if there is a big class of studs and easier if the last two classes were duds but that's the way it goes.

 

[gdc03120]

Sounds like you basically have a no cut 7-9th grade team and then the girls that make the cut get to go to Varsity...its not a terrible system.

The problem is, and I know this from coaching this winter - MANY of the girls in grades 7-8 are VERY, VERY weak athletes, and so by not having a JV team the Varsity program won't need to worry about being good 2-3 years' out. These girls are the type who are playing just to be with friends instead of having ANY inkling how to play the game or to learn. This AD is the Varsity Girls' Basketball coach - he pulled the plug on a JV team because the girls were going to be "miserable" in terms of ability. About half the girls cut went to Modified (forcing 2 teams) and the other half quit, which I HATE seeing happening. If there were a JV team, whether they sucked or not, they could gain more experience and potentially turn things around. I'd rather hedge my bets on the potential than to not even try. I have the same logic with the JV Softball idea, because these 7th/8th grade girls will need a JV team (i.e. 2 years of practice extra) to become better. If my team goes 0-20 but the girls say, "Wow, I really learned something and am anxious for next year. How can I work out on the offseason?" - to me, that's better than a 20-0 team full of egos who will act like prima donnas at the Varsity level and cause their self-righteousness to be their downfall.

 

[gdc03120]

If players are playing travel ball does varsity really need a JV team as a feeder system?

I don't know the exact numbers, but I don't believe (from what I've heard) that more than 2 or 3 girls play travel/summer ball. I know one girl who does do summer ball only does it for the summer, because she was on Varsity Soccer this past Fall, and is on Varsity Basketball this winter (she's a 9th grader and the starting P this coming spring for Varsity).

 

[BobInMadison]

From what you said, it doesn't look like this AD really wants a JV team. You and he have different philosophies on the matter. I am a little confused. Did you say he pulled the plug on a basketball JV team already? If that is the case, then he really doesn't like JV teams. As long as he has this attitude, he won't agree to a JV team.

 

[gdc03120]

He pulled the plug on the JV Girls' Basketball team about 3 days into practices because he already knew who he was keeping, and if the remaining girls formed the JV squad (there WERE enough numbers to have a team), they were going to be "miserable, horrible, terrible" (were the adjectives he said). As for soccer in the fall, it only came down to numbers why there wasn't JV teams (both boys and girls).

 

[Rocketech1]

My honest opinion is you have unrealistic expectations about how many softball teams your school can handle. You state that your school population is only 500 (K-12). My HS graduating senior class was 400 an we only had a Varsity soccer team (no JV). In fact I got cut my junior year but didn't quit the sport. I played Rec and a couple of years of club soccer which wasn't year round like it is now. My senior year, I made the Varsity team. Not having a JV, didn't dissuade me from eventually competing on V.

Another example, next year my DD enters HS, 9th - 12th grades. The school has over 2000 students. We live in Los Angeles county with lots of softball talent and the school will barely be able to field both JV abd V softball programs. Highly unlikely that we would have enough players for a modified softball team.

 

[gdc03120]

I respectfully disagree with your assertion that this school couldn't handle 3 softball teams, largely because I know right now in talks with some students that there are many girls interested in playing softball. However, they have said "I'll only play if there's a JV team because I won't make Varsity and I don't want to sit if I do", and I applaud their intensity for play but intelligence of their abilities. They recognize they need work and won't get it by benchwarming all year and not getting game time compared to seniors/juniors if they're freshmen or even 8th graders.

In talks with the Modified coach (who coaches Mod. Girls' Basketball opposite myself), she feels the AD/VC is worried about the "slump" teams face after championship runs. How can you have those teams without building up some athletes? That's our opinion. The Mod. GS coach has priority over me if there was a JV team, and I personally don't care which team I would coach. I want to help these athletes discover their potential, but we can't if we don't allow it.