what should be priority?

background, LL minors softball coach here (10u basically, mostly 8s and 9s, most 10s are in majors). Our softball admin runs a TB team, and has a neice playing. local TB softball and baseball teams use our LL fields on sundays, and they pay for this, but pay lower fee if 80% (or something like that) of their players are registered in LL as well, so TB coaches really push to have girls play LL as well.

in our draft, I draft softball admins niece in first round, I picked last, she was only known pitcher left at that point (3 teams). softball admin went to districts a week ago, came back with schedule, all my LL teams home games will be Thurs evenings. a week or so later, about 8 practices in, 10 days before OD, he informs me that neither he nor his niece will be at most of our thursday games (knowing full well that I was depending on her as my #1 pitcher). Wont specify why, I suspect because his TB team practices then. I even offered to arrange a ride for her if this was the issue.

It seems entire softball LL was set up around his TB consisting of mostly 10/11s. virtually all 12s (like 14 out of 18) got moved from majors to juniors, including anyone with any ability at all, so they are now all ineligible for majors AS team, so guess who the best players in majors are, yep, all his TB team (only two majors teams), and since two majors coaches are parents of TB players, you know the AS will be the TB team, regardless of actual ability. all 10s with any talent got moved up, I feel so he could minimize any strife on his team (ie some players are majors, some are minors). All except his neice, she is still LA9, so she is in minors, on my team (minors only has 10 per team).

if a girl plays both LL/rec and TB, should TB practice be more a priority than a LL/rec game, or the reverse? I would think an actual game should be priority. My DD plays travel soccer as well as softball, and I know if there is socceer practice and a softball game, she is going to softball game rather than soccer practice.

You really get better in practice so I guess I understand what they are doing but it is not what we would do.

I would cut her.

LL, cannot cut a player. besides, don't want to punish the girl, not her decision, it is her uncle's. Also, will need her as much as possible, most developed pitcher on my team (hence why she was my first draft pick). My DD is developing, and getting better, but still expect to walk 50-% of batters (unless they get swing happy).

I understand you develop in practice, and if she skipped our practice for TB practice I would be fine with it, higher level of practice, etc. but to me, if you sign up for a team, that teams games should be first priority over another team's practices. cherry on top is he is the one who decided our team would play home games thursday evenings.

Well, we're probably going to put ours in 12U rec next year. She's a 10U pitcher (1st year) and we want her to get to spend a little low pressure time in the circle with the bigger ball and farther distance before our travel team moves up. And if there are conflicts, TB will win out. We'll definitely tell our coach up front though probably my husband will end up coaching so it won't piss anyone off. Regardless though I think most parents & players are going to prioritize travel over rec most of the time.

Here's what we do. Travel practice over rec practice. Rec game over travel practice. Travel game over rec game.

I would take my chances with the players whon showup, you need to be careful of you might lose the team.

Travel ball should be a 100% priority 100% of the time.

Little Angels Softball said:

Travel ball should be a 100% priority 100% of the time.

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Then don't sign up for rec!!




If you are going to sign up for Rec this is the answer...this goes for travel soccer and club volleyball too

@DC73Nova "Here's what we do. Travel practice over rec practice. Rec game over travel practice. Travel game over rec game."

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IF this was me I would get a straight answer from the Adult/Parent and find out the REAL reason she can't make it. If all home games are on Thursday and you can't make Thursday there is no reason to be on the team, sorry and if you are I can't give you priority over the other girls who are committed to the team you will get your mandatory two innings in the field and one at bat and that is it because it would simply not be fair to the other girls, end of conversation.

I have made exceptions but you have to tell me the TRUTH, one was a girl caught in a custody battle between mom and dad, and only dad was supportive and mom did not always follow through, I was not about to penalize her for something 100% beyond her control and I wanted softball to be a positive experience while she was going through tough time, other parents caught on and nobody complained...I've made exceptions for church activities too but in the end you have to communicate "I can't make it to half the games" just does not cut it....and I've had the "we have to go out of town this week we are visiting Grandma" well turns out the family including Grandma was at the beach all weekend (social media makes lying really hard these days) things like that don't go over well; just tell me I have a timeshare I pay lots of money for and this is one of my weekends and I don't want to waste the money I've already spent, I might not like it but I'll respect you a lot more and so will the other parents.

Travel takes priority over rec for most kids and families. Unfortunately you had a situation where the admin could have made life easier for you to reduce conflicts, but he chose not to or he couldn't arrange it.

Regardless, rec is about development and fun. Focus your efforts on the kids who are there and develop them to the best of their abilities... and have fun. It's a 3 team league, does it matter who wins? In 5 years(probably less), none of these girls are going to remember the scores of any of these games. But they WILL remember the friends they made and to good times they had, and they WILL remember their coach. Be the kind of coach you want to be remembered for and forget everything else.

my whole issue is everything this guy does seems to try to revolve our LL softball around his TB team. moving all 12s out of his TB players way for AS (all 12s with ability to juniors, now ineligible for 12u All Stars), all 10s out of minors (who could have used a few of the LA10 pitchers) to majors, so he has no conflicts on his team regarding who plays majors/minors in LL, etc. now his niece is going to miss half our games for TB practice (channelling my inner Iverson, talking about practice man, practice), and he is the one who decided to set this teams home games to thursdays, the night he and his neice cannot make.