How do we make the move?

First year travel ball parent, 2004 DD. it has become obvious that the hc doesnt have alot of experience and we have had little success during tournament play and friendlies. my question is : would it be inappropriate to seek another team in the same organization(same age group but different team, more experienced HC)? of course i would have to run it by club president, but just wanted know if anyone had any advice for a travel ball noob. thanks in advance.

You are a noobie...so:

Rule 1: Teach by example. Your DD is watching you.
Rule 2: Softball is a silly little game.
Rule 3: Life lessons learned from softball are not silly, they are extremely important.
Rule 4: Integrity is more important than short term gains.

So:

Your DD made a commitment to this team. Right or wrong, you are stuck with that commitment *for this season*. You shouldn't quit the team unless the coach is not playing your DD or might hurt your DD, either physically or mentally.

This teaches your DD that you keep your promises. Perhaps you made a mistake...but, nevertheless, a promise is a promise.

Get ready for *NEXT* season. Teach your DD how to research a situation. Go around and look at other teams. Talk to other parents.

Scout out the other teams inside and outside your organization. Find out everything you can. Share this with your DD. Teach her how to handle these situations--it is a common enough situation.

Make a good decision for next season.

Then, move on and don't look back.

thanks for the response and good advice however i should have clarified- we plan on finishing out the season, the tryouts for all the teams are in a month(the same day in fact,at the same place) i just dont know how to even bring it up without offending anyone but i think going with a different team would be a better fit. Dont know much about the new coach either but we would really like to stay in the org. for they have a good reputation and have had alot of success with other teams. Also there are a few AC's on the current team that are quite frankly-knuckleheads and seem equally inexperienced. we never quit on anything and our commitment to the org. is intact. just dont know if i can stand another season of the same practices. current team has alot of local interest at stake from what i gather(half of the girls are from the same town)where as some of the other girls seem like outsiders. i hope this explains the situation a little better. Is it wrong for me to want something better for my DD or is this typical after an .200 season playing C level ball?

as long as you fulfill your commitments for this year I don't think you should feel bad about switching teams in search of better guidance and coaching for your DD.

If it is a big organization then the president will understand there are times when families and coaches don't click. Explain that you like the organization but you want to try for a better fit.

I was told a long time ago in 10's and 12's shop coaches not organizations. A lot of people think if the organization is bigger then they must have better coaches. NOT SO! Big organizations help greatly with recruiting when and if your DD wants to play in college, but that won't be needed until 14, 16 or 18. The number of quality coaches tends to increase each division you move up (especially here in So Cal). The problem is there is not enough quality coaching in the 10U division to go around, and I am of the opinion that if I am going to get rec ball coaching I may as well stay in rec ball and get the enjoyment of all stars. It is very tough to replace the all star experiences at the younger ages! Especially if you play in a league that is competitive at the all star level.

So, picking the better coaching over the bigger organization should hopefully give your DD the tools to step into a big organization when and if she is ready at 14U and above. If you can find both however it is a win win.

Sometimes new teams grow as a whole. Including coaches.

arkmay said:

it has become obvious that the hc doesnt have alot of experience and we have had little success during tournament play and friendlies.

Click to expand...

Define "success." You mean you aren't winning, your kid isn't improving or learning anything, what? If she gets on a better team will she wind up on the bench? What are you hoping to get out of the whole experience?

If she's on an all 04 team, and only winning 20% of their games in C ball, I'd say it is time to look around. That's the "old" group for 10U, assuming they are still in 10U and not playing up. However, here's the kicker, and what no one else wants to say, and I don't mean to offend you at all....but there is a distinct possibility that if no one has approached you or your DD about playing for another team, the C level team that doesn't win much may be exactly where she needs to be. Very generally speaking, if a girl is an exceptional talent, and wasting away on lower teams with little success, coaches will reach out to "save" them. Not saying that she isn't, but consider the possibility that she can go to several other tryouts and not make a team, and you are right back where you are now. I'd reach out to the other coach or coaches that she may be interested in and feel them out on the possibility of your DD playing for them.