It's still early in our softball journey. In two days we stop being a 12U family and become a 14U family, assuming tryouts go well.
One thing I would not do differently and have no regrets about is leaving our local team after 10U that was coached by a little man and leaving our local organization run by an even littler man.
When I questioned why the better players (including my daughter) could miss practice and not have to sit at tourneys while lesser players were punished, I was told it was so we can win.
When I questioned why we carried 16 players and the top six (including my daughter) never sat an inning, not even on Saturday, I was told it was so we can win.
There were other questions and other answers, but the main message was "So we can win."
My little baby girl isn't always going to win. She isn't always going to get away with skipping practices. Someday she'll have to learn what being on a team really means. I'd rather those lessons be learned early in her life before bad habits and/or attitudes take hold. I want her to gain things from playing softball that will guide her the rest of her life.
So we walked away from that team of "winners". I got kicked off the Organization Board. We both got called quitters publicly and loudly. I wanted to cry and did. With my daughter in the car where no one could see us.
My daughter is better person for the journey. She's in a better organization learning better life and softball lessons. She's becoming a good person that people want to be around and look up to. Me? I'm happy and close with my daughter. We've been through the fire together. And I get emails and texts from lots of the old 10U team parents asking when our new team tryouts are going to be...
One thing I would not do differently and have no regrets about is leaving our local team after 10U that was coached by a little man and leaving our local organization run by an even littler man.
When I questioned why the better players (including my daughter) could miss practice and not have to sit at tourneys while lesser players were punished, I was told it was so we can win.
When I questioned why we carried 16 players and the top six (including my daughter) never sat an inning, not even on Saturday, I was told it was so we can win.
There were other questions and other answers, but the main message was "So we can win."
My little baby girl isn't always going to win. She isn't always going to get away with skipping practices. Someday she'll have to learn what being on a team really means. I'd rather those lessons be learned early in her life before bad habits and/or attitudes take hold. I want her to gain things from playing softball that will guide her the rest of her life.
So we walked away from that team of "winners". I got kicked off the Organization Board. We both got called quitters publicly and loudly. I wanted to cry and did. With my daughter in the car where no one could see us.
My daughter is better person for the journey. She's in a better organization learning better life and softball lessons. She's becoming a good person that people want to be around and look up to. Me? I'm happy and close with my daughter. We've been through the fire together. And I get emails and texts from lots of the old 10U team parents asking when our new team tryouts are going to be...
