I think my favorite is team lunches at the fields. Everyone has an assignment, we all drag our chairs to some shade, set up a folding table and lay everything out. The players get a chance to eat healthy food (instead of fast food) and relax especially with a shorter break. The team dinners are fun every once in a while but with our last one we waited 1.5 hours for our table (even with a reservation) and then another 1.5 hours for the meal. Just too long after a 3 game day...
Team meals...what could go wrong? :)
- Thread starter redbirdone
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When possible, I will check to see if there is a Buffalo Wild Wings in the town where we will be playing. Then I call ahead to set it up as a fundraising dinner. We're all going to go out to eat anyway, so we might as well get some $ back to the team from it!
We like to do this too. DH ADORES his Big Green Egg and likes to use his fancy temperature-control gizmo to cook a pork shoulder all night the night before a tournament. He'll get it off the grill around 6 AM, wrap it in tin foil and a towel, place in a cooler to stay warm, and off we go. He'll pull the pork at lunchtime and everyone else brings sides and drinks. Bingo, bango, instant barbecue. Always a big hit with the girls and the families!
Not a fan of this, either.
Not unless it's just every now and then. Not every weekend.My daughter, now 16, was 13 when she joined a team that had this set up. First time we'd experienced that. Initially, I liked it and wished I'd thought of it when I was a head coach, for some of the reasons you point out.
But by mid-season, I found that I, my wife and even DD wished it would go away. Too controlling. Let families do what they want for lunch. Most of the time, they will drag their chairs to some shade and eat together. That's fine. But don't schedule it and assign pretzels and make it a planned activity. It's suffocating for some kids and families to feel that every minute of their tournament weekend is on a schedule planned by somebody else.
Our team has always done a pretty good job of getting lunch and food planned out. We have spent the fall Saturdays watching football over multiple crockpots of different chili, cheese dip, or soups. One mom makes a killer shrimp bisque that you would never expect at a ball park. With the TV on college football it feels more like a tailgate that is broken up by an hour of softball here and there.
During the summer the grill comes out and we will cook burgers or hot dogs or anything anyone wants to bring. There is plenty of variety for everyone and it does make it easy not having to leave the park.
The after tourney dinners tend to be at Buffalo Wild Wings and they seem to do a better job with the crowd than anyone.
During the summer the grill comes out and we will cook burgers or hot dogs or anything anyone wants to bring. There is plenty of variety for everyone and it does make it easy not having to leave the park.
The after tourney dinners tend to be at Buffalo Wild Wings and they seem to do a better job with the crowd than anyone.
We were making a run at the LL world series, asked for the check, owner came over and said it was covered and wished our Team good luck in our next game.
Some of the best times have been at those impromptu Saturday night dinners. Team lore includes the time we went to Buffalo Wild Wings and one of the moms ordered boneless wings with ghost pepper sauce. Every girl one at a time tried a piece. It was recorded. And it was epic. Fun times.
Are you always negative or is this isolated?
That's hilarious.
I like the team meal as long as the checks are separate. I have "fond" memories of paying $40 for a burger and Coke because some of the team dads drink like fishes and order steak and lobster at a diner.
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