Our goals are bigger!

If I would have sat around and griped about the coaches decision, I’m sure it would have influenced her attitude negatively. Instead, I told her to suck it up and give everything you have in practice and assured her it would work out if she worked hard. Sophomore year caught every game on a team that finished second at state tournament. I’m glad I didn’t even think about discussing quitting HS ball because she didn’t get to play her spot as a freshman.

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Great attitude!

Here’s an anecdotal story.....when I was in HS I decided to run track my freshman year instead of tryout for softball (we only had varsity). I missed it tremendously and tried out my sophomore year - I was a pitcher who got stuck playing RF and LF, but hey, I got to play and learned positions I never really played before. I wound up pitching my junior year and did very well (helped lead the team to an 18-8 season) but was then replaced my senior year by a junior transfer student who was a flame thrower. I wound up starting in CF and then moved to catcher. Guess what happened - I was actually recruited to play college ball as an OF. I did all the talking with my bat and played as hard as I could no matter where they put me. Was I not happy about not pitching my senior year? Sure, probably disappointed was the better word but I wanted to do what would best help the team and I discovered new and untapped talents along the way. Btw - the flamethrower they started at pitcher over me? Never got recruited. It was her only position and she didn’t have a good bat.

ian said:

I think its fine to find another job if your boss sucks. Why would you work for someone who is unnecessarily an AH and incompetent? Find another job. If the boss is sharp and knows his trade yet comes off abrasive thats one thing, I worked 10 years for a man like that and respect him tremendously. If a boss has a D1 5 year full ride commit 3rd baseman but choses to start his uncommitted DD in her place.....

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Is this your DD’s coach? Anytime I try to have this conversation I get one of these crazy hypothetical questions. All I’m saying is give it a chance. At least a couple years before knocking school ball because it has become the cool thing to do. Deal with some adversity and try to overcome. There are too many kids not playing school ball without even trying it. It is after all, as close as you will get to the experience of playing college.

I’ve got a question for the board gurus...under the new recruiting rules, coaches cannot go to club ball events until after the WCWS. But they CAN go to H.S. games. The new rules would seem to me to put a potential new emphasis on HS ball. Will that happen?


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Jdaddy said:

Is this your DD’s coach? Anytime I try to have this conversation I get one of these crazy hypothetical questions. All I’m saying is give it a chance. At least a couple years before knocking school ball because it has become the cool thing to do. Deal with some adversity and try to overcome. There are too many kids not playing school ball without even trying it. It is after all, as close as you will get to the experience of playing college.

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Its crazy but its not hypothetical. Not my DDs coach. She gave the program another chance this year but the BS continued from last year. DD is still playing for her high school. She will get a patch for her lettermans jacket but she is swinging a 29oz bat and running 90' bases. My DD has bigger goals.

ian said:

Its crazy but its not hypothetical. Not my DDs coach. She gave the program another chance this year but the BS continued from last year. DD is still playing for her high school. She will get a patch for her lettermans jacket but she is swinging a 29oz bat and running 90' bases. My DD has bigger goals.

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Congratulations to your DD! So who is the P5 kid not playing because of the coaches DD?

Jdaddy said:

Congratulations to your DD! So who is the P5 kid not playing because of the coaches DD?

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She is playing just not at the position the D1 school wants her to play. Not a huge concern for me, just a real example of daddyball in high school softball. I understand your doubt, but throwing her name out here wont help.

ian said:

She is playing just not at the position the D1 school wants her to play. Not a huge concern for me, just a real example of daddyball in high school softball. I understand your doubt, but throwing her name out here wont help.

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I worded that poorly. I didn’t want a name just if you had direct knowledge of the situation. This leads me to my point that just because your not playing “your” position may be because it’s what’s best for a team in the coaches eyes. Is the coach finding a way to get the best 9 on the field? Was his DD not capable of playing the position this P5 kid played? There are situations in HS ball where not playing “your” position is best for the team. If a stud comes in behind this kid in college would she transfer, or play another position if it’s whats best? I’m not saying this is what happened in your situation, but if this is the case the solution is not quitting, IMO.

Jdaddy said:

I worded that poorly. I didn’t want a name just if you had direct knowledge of the situation. This leads me to my point that just because your not playing “your” position may be because it’s what’s best for a team in the coaches eyes. Is the coach finding a way to get the best 9 on the field? Was his DD not capable of playing the position this P5 kid played? There are situations in HS ball where not playing “your” position is best for the team. If a stud comes in behind this kid in college would she transfer, or play another position if it’s whats best? I’m not saying this is what happened in your situation, but if this is the case the solution is not quitting, IMO.

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Best 9 on the field please! I agree. If a stud comes in behind and earns a position, college caliber coaches will give them their due. Sometimes players transfer. Lots of possible solutions.

go play your best. It will work out.

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Unfortunately, not in my universe. I live in a world where a Senior who loved the game, batted .450 previous year, sat on the bench and played behind a mediocre player who was captain of the Hockey team (so she has to be a good athlete, right? Wrong). She didn't even get to play on Senior Day. She was the only senior on that team who went on to play ball in college.

.My DDs goals are bigger as well.

To give her everything on the field for her community/city.

To get the program to state for the first time ever. 1 win short her freshman year last year.

To add more all area, and all conference patches to her lettermens jacket.

It drives me crazy all these posts about high school ball this, and that. Get your asses out there and do it for your school. Go put on a show for your friends, for your friends parents, for all the teachers and others in the community that love to watch. My DD plays in only one or two local tourney's for TB per year, the rest are out of state. Its cool that the rest of her family can watch her play during school ball.

My two cents.

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While I don't entirely disagree with the sentiment, Not everyone is fortunate enough to have a "real" team at their HS. Not every school and/or community is behind their HS softball team. Some teams play in a vacuum, with no support, bad fields, coaches who are not good and don't care to be, and teams full of players who play other sports and are just there to say they play (3) sports.

On another note- quitting a team doesn't say quit your job if you don't like your boss, it says you don't have to accept a bad situation that is bad for you. A"TEAM" is made up of more than just a coach. When things are going the way they are supposed to, it's easy to be positive. When they are not, it gets more complicated and sometimes a change is in order.

I notice that those who are the biggest proponents of HS Softball also seem to be successful there . As someone else noted, would you still be as positive about the experience if the team wasn't successful and could care less (and your DD was the only one looking to play in college)? If the coach's idea of a successful season was to just make it to the first round of your league's playoffs?

If you're DD is successful in HS, that's Great! Enjoy the ride! Where you are asking that the whiners just suck it up and play, I would ask that you recognize your good fortune and be thankful for it. not all of us are so lucky.