Truly Love Softball?

[BaldNBeautiful]

And I agree with you, and it was not my intention to divert the thread. Judging someone's love of the game is EXTREMELY difficult, and for that reason I don't try to.
But, in this case, these are NEW incoming players and we have not had the opportunity to do anything (good or bad) to influence them. The girl in question was coached by her dad in tb (both softball and basketball) and they I have found out that they intend to play travel basketball during our school season.
If she (or dad) wants to do something else more than softball then they should do so. We don't ask for a longterm commitment, only 13 weeks.

 

[Momo'sDad]

You see, I think we can focus too much on judging players' "love of the game," even to the point of veering further away from the team's overall performance.

Maybe I do not understand your question, but I cannot imagine many - if any - coaches of truly competitive and successful TB teams agreeing with your hypothesis. I think almost all of those coaches are concerned with how a player's skills, desire to compete, and attitude/coachability fit in with the needs, goals, and culture of the team.

Having said that, we have an organization in our area called "Love The Game" and they put some pretty good teams out on the field. I suppose it's possible that they evaluate and quantify players' love of the game during the tryout process, but someone else would have to ask the coaches whether that's a factor for them.

 

[chinamigarden]

I modified the question.

Should a coach simply cut a player because he/she (the coach) doesn't think the player loves the sport enough? Isn't it a can of worms to put too much weight of whether or not a player "loves" the sport?

What comes to mind are those situations when you hear someone say, "Oh, she didn't love softball enough." What the #(*))@ does that mean?

This is what I have found that to mean. The kid who plays other sports or is in band or choir and who is also better then the coaches dd, is cut because she doesn't love the game as much. The reason is explained as, well she isn't as dedicated to the sport, and is letting her team down by not working harder at it.

 

[chinamigarden]

There are a great many girls who love the game for the social aspect of it, even at the HS, college, and yes, PRO level. Softball is part of the player's social life, not an exception to it.



Try to explain to me how the love of the game can preclude a girl from having a social life, without sounding extreme.

Because in Doug's example the coach gets to decide what is acceptable social and what is not acceptable.

 

[chinamigarden]

There is a spot in this sport for every girl. However the beginning question is to open to interpretation. I don't think a girl that doesn't love the game should be cut, I just think if her commitment level is that of a "C" player she should be on a "C" team and if that means cutting her for a "A" or "B" player that is more committed then so be it.

If love for the game and commitment are the same thing here then yes girls should be cut based on their love for the game.

As far as social life, people usually friend people with similar interests. It's quite rare to find my DD talking with a non sport playing girl and still rare if that girl doesn't play softball. So the social aspect usually revolves around softball.

define commitment? What about the kid who does a ton of activities and puts her glove away for several months during the winter. Yet when practice begins they are there all the time, ever miss a game and is one of the better players. Is she not committed enough because she is busy with other things?

 

[riseball]

define commitment? What about the kid who does a ton of activities and puts her glove away for several months during the winter. Yet when practice begins they are there all the time, ever miss a game and is one of the better players. Is she not committed enough because she is busy with other things?

How much time you spend playing varies significantly by location. Up North it is normal even expected to take several months off as it is difficult if not impossible to play year round. Down here it would be hard to compete were to you to put it on a shelf for several months at a time.

 

[chinamigarden]

How much time you spend playing varies significantly by location. Up North it is normal even expected to take several months off as it is difficult if not impossible to play year round. Down here it would be hard to compete were to you to put it on a shelf for several months at a time.

I agree. But hat should be decided on the field. If Jennie Finch was cut because she played basketball and volleyball in season for her HS that would have been ridiculous. But if we force kids out of other activities at 11 and all the best softbLl players are only playing softball. Do we really know how much of their ability comes naturally and how much came as a result of repetition?

 

[riseball]

I agree. But hat should be decided on the field. If Jennie Finch was cut because she played basketball and volleyball in season for her HS that would have been ridiculous. But if we force kids out of other activities at 11 and all the best softbLl players are only playing softball. Do we really know how much of their ability comes naturally and how much came as a result of repetition?

Yes it would have been ridiculous, but it never happened and usually does not. IMO the number of kids forced into specialization at any age is greatly overstated. My youngest only played one sport since age 7 but she loved softball and wasn't very good at other sports. Certainly was not forced into playing one sport.

 

[YOCOACH]

Do we really know how much of their ability comes naturally and how much came as a result of repetition?

Hypothetically there are two players. One players is outstanding due to repetition; the other has a huge amount of natural ability. Both are outstanding players in their own right. Does it matter how they got there if they're happy either way? I'd venture to say that the one that had to work harder at it to accomplish the level they have achieved will find it even more rewarding.

Edit: No I don't believe anyone should be forced to specialize in a sport unless they want to.

 

[JAD]

I agree 100% with this statement !! The game loses too many girls because of the emphasis put on playing college softball !!

There are not a lot of inexpensive options for a high level softball. Players and parents are caught in a "Catch-22". Do they pay a lot of money and participate on a high level team where most players and their parents are chasing college scholarships, or do they play locally in a REC league or lower level TB team where the competition will not be as good? At 16U I am not sure how interested I would be in paying for batting and pitching lessons if my DD was not trying to make it to the next level, not to mention the expense of overnight tournaments, and PGF/ASA Nationals.