Might work, but might get messy. Kids sign up for high school softball to play and be part of the real team, not practice all the time with no uniform and no hope of seeing the field. So that's a hard sell, and then the player feels pressure to do it because it might affect whether she's on the team next year. And then let's say one of the varsity players that you thought was the 12th best player turns out to be the 18th best, and the 18th best who is an alternate suddenly looks like the 12th best. Awkward for coach and players.
Fairness Re: Injured Player at Tryouts
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Might work, but might get messy. Kids sign up for high school softball to play and be part of the real team, not practice all the time with no uniform and no hope of seeing the field. So that's a hard sell, and then the player feels pressure to do it because it might affect whether she's on the team next year. And then let's say one of the varsity players that you thought was the 12th best player turns out to be the 18th best, and the 18th best who is an alternate suddenly looks like the 12th best. Awkward for coach and players.
exactly, with no frosh or JV team, you may need that 16th (or any of the 16-20 girls) next year (I assume there are some seniors on the team). have them come practice and develop, advising them they are practice players only for now.
Disagree
I strongly disagree, this is NOT the Coaches team, the team should be for and about the girls, not the COACH! Glad my granddaughter is not part of an organization with such a mindset!
I strongly disagree, this is NOT the Coaches team, the team should be for and about the girls, not the COACH! Glad my granddaughter is not part of an organization with such a mindset!
DD was hurt and could not play in games or practice and maybe did dot express it well.
Pretty aggressive for 1st post.
Yeah, possibly messy. Was just throwing ideas out there for the OP. My thought for the "alternates" was to not even have them be a part of the practices or anything unless needed. I can see how girls/parents would not like the idea of their DD being one of the alternates, but at least it leaves them a chance to be on the team. The other way they are just not on the team at all. Again just throwing ideas out there. Good luck to the OP.
- Sep 29, 2014
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Step 1...Make 100% sure when the girl will be back that means a conversation with her, her parents and maybe even the doc or at least a doctors note, if she won't be there for the first half of the season or more I would select 15 girls and make her the manager...then just play it by ear the odds might be high that by the end of the year someone else is hurt or grades and discipline or whatever then if she is technically there and has been at least shagging balls and helping with drills once the doc clears her I don't see anything wrong with putting her in at that point.
Been reading for years without responding, but when I read "blank them all, it is your team" , got under my skin! How many post am I supposed to make before I say something negative???? Again, this attitude is what I personally think is wrong with amateur sports today! "My team, so just blank you all" WOW! What ever happened to this team is for /about the girls, not only to learn softball skills, but also life lessons in winning and losing, how to compete, how to become a member of a TEAM,how to handle adversity, etc???? Then I read " blank them all, it's your team" Again, WOW!
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Cannonball
Ex "Expert"
- Feb 25, 2009
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JD, on Monday, every girl that wants to play softball will tryout. We never guarantee anything. In fact, as I've said before, I've cut starters before when they were beat out by others. Keep 14. That number is workable all of the time and is a good number for practices. If the young lady makes it back, she gets a try out and is not guaranteed a position. When she makes the team, you have your 15 and you did not guarantee her anything but an opportunity to try out.
I think I'll do it this way, and if her injury keeps her from playing for the whole season, she can be around the team as a team manager, etc.
A lot have mentioned here that I can't make everybody happy, and I know that (but, I'll admit, I don't like the idea of cutting anybody). But as long as my decisions are fair, I can deal with people being upset. I think the fair way to handle this is to only keep 14, let the injured girl stay around the team as a team manager, and let her try out once healthy. If I find out a week from now she's out for the year, I can reach out to the last girl cut and see if she'd like to join as the 15th player. I know I don't need 15, but I want to give as many an opportunity to be part of the team as possible, and next year we may have a JV team so the more who get some experience this year the better.
- Nov 29, 2009
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Fair has nothing to do with it. It's about what's best for the team. Sometimes what's best for the team isn't what's fair to an individual.
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