So we have a pretty strong rec All Star program in my city. A buddy and I have coached before and did very well. We both have work conflicts that kept us from managing the team this year, but the guy who took the team asked us to coach. This is a 10u team and both our daughters are stronger 10's and pitchers. When we were still planning on taking the team, we were going to take 11 girls. We figured we would take the 11 best and maximize playing time. We have 5 tournaments (4-5 days long). The new manager took 15 girls on his roster some of which are way below others in ability. He left our B team without enough talent to do much or make it worth playing. Parents are already in a frenzy because they think their daughters are not gonna get any play time, or gonna give up play time to a much lower skilled girl. The manager doesn't communicate well and I'm not sure of his intentions. If he plans on using certain girls to pinch run all the time, I think we are in for a rough ride. We have always had a committed group. What should we do at this point? Ask if he will grant voluntary transfers to the B team? Some parents already expressed interest in that, as their kid would get constant playing time. I just think 15 is way too many and we will have 6 on the bench at all times. Any advice would be appreciated.
15 on a roster?
- Thread starter Red504
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- Jun 24, 2013
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Was forced to carry 15 on an all-star roster once. It was a disaster. 6 girls sitting = at least 12 pissed off parents, more if their relatives show up. Also forced to carry some girls that shouldn't have been there (sure they were better than some of the other rec girls, but not all-star material). That meant that they sat more, but they were on the all-star team so they expected to play. Rec parents expected the all-star team to win, even those whose DD's really shouldn't have been on the team. Throw in a biased ump in the final elimination game (which ended at midnight) and there was almost a riot on our team from those 12 angry parents.
Fight that number as hard as you can. The org forced that on all age groups and the same scenario happened on all 3 all-star teams. Many upset parents and girls.
Fight that number as hard as you can. The org forced that on all age groups and the same scenario happened on all 3 all-star teams. Many upset parents and girls.
Very unfortunate that someone decided to go with 15. Especially when there is a B team. Big mistake, IMO.
I'd also suggest that the fact that your DD is one of the top players now makes it hard for you to be objective in how to handle the 15. Parents of the top five players likely will have a very different idea on managing the roster than the parents of the bottom five. Very hard not to be biased if you're in those positions. Human nature.
Tough call here, but if it were me, I'd rotate them equally and do the best you can with a ''no girl left behind'' approach. These are 10-year-olds, and their desire to win doesn't exceed their desire to play. Roster should not have been 15, but that isn't their fault. They were invited on the all-star team expecting to play. Too late to tell them they're not good enough. Be accountable to the kids and don't rationalize by saying you're teaching them life lessons and motivating them by sitting them on the bench, IMHO. Coach blew it. Not the kids.
I'd also suggest that the fact that your DD is one of the top players now makes it hard for you to be objective in how to handle the 15. Parents of the top five players likely will have a very different idea on managing the roster than the parents of the bottom five. Very hard not to be biased if you're in those positions. Human nature.
Tough call here, but if it were me, I'd rotate them equally and do the best you can with a ''no girl left behind'' approach. These are 10-year-olds, and their desire to win doesn't exceed their desire to play. Roster should not have been 15, but that isn't their fault. They were invited on the all-star team expecting to play. Too late to tell them they're not good enough. Be accountable to the kids and don't rationalize by saying you're teaching them life lessons and motivating them by sitting them on the bench, IMHO. Coach blew it. Not the kids.
I would NOT want to manage a roster of 15 players at 10U. You will NEVER make everyone happy, and most will end up unhappy.
Parents need to realize that the best way for their DD to improve is for her to play. A player is much better off starting for a B-team vs. riding the bench on an A-team.
Parents need to realize that the best way for their DD to improve is for her to play. A player is much better off starting for a B-team vs. riding the bench on an A-team.
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IME you could carry a roster of 12 during the summer months, and struggle to get 9-10 of them to show up.
He evidently respects you and your buddy since he asked you both to coach, so you two are likely in the best position to fix this. I'd request a meeting with him before accepting or declining his offer. You should start by finding out why he took 15 players and how he envisions using them. You can then offer your take on it and see how he responds. If you and/or your buddy are considering being coaches, you could use that as leverage to get the situation fixed.
There are usually debatable choices on the last 2-3 players selected for all-star teams. Expanding the roster creates more problems than it fixes.
We have a hard limit of 12 per team. We had a goof-up in coaches' selections that left one very-talented girl un-picked. Despite appeals to expand one of the teams to 13, it was denied. Unfortunately, I think the parents took it far more personally than it actually was, and may leave the league.
Our league also had a limit of 12 with a tight procedure for selecting them. The coaches in the age group (2 per team) voted the first 10 and then the all-star HC selected the last 2 to fill the roster. After the first 10 were selected, we remarked to him there was only 1 catcher. He went into the next room to discuss it with a couple guys and comes back with 2 players that weren't catchers. The league president wouldn't let him change his selections or add another player. We were very lucky the one catcher we had didn't get injured because the reserve we trained was understandably not nearly as good.
This would be my suggestion as well. If things are not final, it may not be too late to get 2 or 3 moved to the b team. You should also verify the commitment of the 12 you keep. Just to make sure you dont end up with 9 at a tournament. If the commitment is questionable, try to keep a larger roster. Perhaps that is what this coach was doing anyway. He may know something you dont.
