Mask or No Mask

Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch

Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.

Mar 26, 2016
62
8
So my daughter has played Short stop her Softball days since she was 5 and now turning 13.Her hitting Infieding coach and MAIN HEAD COACH doesn't mind if she doesn't wear the mask in the infield and I'm ok with that because Imo it hinders you. Now yes for safety reasons it can save a tooth or a broken nose, but who doesn't mind if there daughter doesn't wear one and who does. I became a Coach this year and we got another new coach and he yelled at my daughter for not having her mask on she proceeded to tell him my dad doesn't mind if I don't wear one and this guy just went a little kookoo and went on and on how dare you not wear it,your parent should be making you wear it,Now I have to coach with this guy and already I think he is a nut. You take care of your daughter I will take care of mind how I want to. But to yell is absurd so I had to tell this gut listen she doesn't wear one end of story that's it
 
Oct 10, 2011
3,117
0
Peanut, there are quite a few threads on this subject if you just type in face mask in the search area. They get pretty heated sometimes.
 
Feb 7, 2013
3,188
48
What's the argument for NOT wearing a mask? As long as she can play SS well wearing one, why not use this extra level of safety equipment. I used to be anti-mask, but I have seen way too many injuries to the infielders to not let my DD use a mask playing P or 1B. These young girls need their faces and teeth long after they hang up the metal cleats.
 
Feb 13, 2015
164
18
Peanut, sorry, I'm with kookoo. I'd make her wear the mask.

Too many reasons to wear it. None for not wearing it. I've never seen a mask affect a players ability.
 
Jun 21, 2015
201
0
What's the argument for NOT wearing a mask? As long as she can play SS well wearing one, why not use this extra level of safety equipment. I used to be anti-mask, but I have seen way too many injuries to the infielders to not let my DD use a mask playing P or 1B. These young girls need their faces and teeth long after they hang up the metal cleats.

I don't understand why a girl wouldn't wear it, as long as it doesn't hinder her play. My DD hit a line drive and it hit the 1Bman square in the face and she WAS wearing a mask. She went off with a bloody nose but it could've been worse. Before you say anything this was one of the "elite" big name orgs. Safety before ego.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Aug 7, 2016
7
0
I have to agree with everyone else, better safe than sorry! For a very short time my DD gave us grief about wearing one in her first year of 12U. That was until she saw first hand for herself in a game her cousin was playing in. Line drive into the facemask of an infielder. My DD said "if she didn't have a mask she would be going to the hospital!" Don't you love it when you tell a kid something over and over again for their benefit? Even to the point of arguing with them, then the lightbulb comes on, like it was their idea! Now she wants to wear it. I think all girls from 8U to college and beyond should wear them! My question would be, why not wear it? How does it hinder their performance? Maybe for a game or two till they are used to wearing it.
 
Dec 19, 2012
1,428
0
So my daughter has played Short stop her Softball days since she was 5 and now turning 13.Her hitting Infieding coach and MAIN HEAD COACH doesn't mind if she doesn't wear the mask in the infield and I'm ok with that because Imo it hinders you. Now yes for safety reasons it can save a tooth or a broken nose, but who doesn't mind if there daughter doesn't wear one and who does. I became a Coach this year and we got another new coach and he yelled at my daughter for not having her mask on she proceeded to tell him my dad doesn't mind if I don't wear one and this guy just went a little kookoo and went on and on how dare you not wear it,your parent should be making you wear it,Now I have to coach with this guy and already I think he is a nut. You take care of your daughter I will take care of mind how I want to. But to yell is absurd so I had to tell this gut listen she doesn't wear one end of story that's it


I agree that the coach should not have yelled at your dd for not wearing something that is optional. It is not his place to tell her what you should do as her parent. It is not his business and should keep his opinion to himself.

That being said, please understand that a ball to the face can be much worse than a lost tooth or broken nose. I played slow pitch softball with a guy that had a ball THROWN into his face from about 50 feet away and it broke bones around his eye socket, nose, roof of his mouth, and he lost sight of the eye. He was a self-employed building contractor and it ruined his life.
 
Jun 12, 2015
3,848
83
If the coach actually yelled at your daughter then he was out of line. I think he's right, but still out of line to approach it that way. My DD is only 10U but the girls who don't wears masks around here are the exception. It's really almost 100% among the higher level teams. Most of the teams I've seen with girls not wearing masks are B and C, I assume because the odds of a line drive fired back at a close infielder in C level 10U are pretty low. In A ball it happens all the time though, even at 10U. The bats are insane and the girls are very talented. My DD took a line drive to the shin at pitcher in the spring. That was bad enough. I can't imagine if that had been her unprotected face. If she's on the field, she's in a mask. I wouldn't care if she skipped it when she plays outfield but it's so ingrained in her to wear it, she plays better with it on anyway.
 
Oct 21, 2015
69
6
To many reasons to wear one and none not to in my opinion ... if mine is in the dirt she's got one on ..
 
Oct 22, 2009
1,532
0
PA
If this was your son playing baseball and the coach yelled at him for not wearing a mask at SS, would you even ask this question? What would your response have been?
 

Forum statistics

Threads
42,830
Messages
679,478
Members
21,445
Latest member
Bmac81802
Top