As a high school softball coach that has coached rec and travel ball as well as other sports, I find the assumption all HS coaches are old gym teachers that just do it for the money humorous. I also feel the thoughts of some of the parents and TB coaches on this forum demeaning. I agree that some HS coaches are not qualified and I have coached against them. I have also seen TB coaches that were not qualified to babysit let alone coach. There is a story I would like to share that shows the other side of this great all knowing opinion that we all are incompetent.
My first year as the coach at a new school we had a travel ball player in our program that was a freshman. We were able to practice for a week and a half before our first game with a week of spring break that we could not practice. After the first game that we did lose 5-3 to a conference rival her parents meet me the next day after practice because she did not play. The person in front of her was better than her and I was giving a senior a chance to gain playing time at another position. We as a staff had already decided we would give her a chance to play in the next game. Dad is livid after one game. Says that her goal was to be all conference all four years and now she can not do that because she missed one game. (Nice priorities of a TB player to put individual before team.) He also informed us that she had a letter from Michigan and other D1 coaches on his phone.
We make is through her freshman season with a couple more "ME" incidents. Then sophomore year we bench her and a teammate for telling other players not to listen to the coaches. So this all knowing TB player and her parents decide she will quit HS softball. The teammate did as well then later returned to admit she was wrong and that she would like another chance, which we gave her. Before leaving the team TB mom had to make sure the whole coaching staff knew how good her daughter was and that she was going to be great. She continued to play TB (her team was a local team that never left the 5 state area.) Mom and dad also made the "always advised" trip to the AD to tell them how incompetent we are. (The AD later added me to his coaching staff for a different sport the next season.) The AD listened and then thanked them for their opinion. When asked what he was going to do about it he told them "nothing." It sound like you have a personal issue and he was not getting taking sides. Told them our staff was doing a great job with the talent we had.
Said player does go to a small college that was in their third year of softball exitance two states away. Earlier this year I was told how she went there and bad mouthed the coach to other players they relayed that info to coach and this player never made it through fall season. She now a proud student at our local state college.
Sorry for this being long winded but wanted to show one situation that was caused by a TB player with a big ego and parents with bigger rose colored glasses. Not all HS coaches are bad coaches, just saying.
My first year as the coach at a new school we had a travel ball player in our program that was a freshman. We were able to practice for a week and a half before our first game with a week of spring break that we could not practice. After the first game that we did lose 5-3 to a conference rival her parents meet me the next day after practice because she did not play. The person in front of her was better than her and I was giving a senior a chance to gain playing time at another position. We as a staff had already decided we would give her a chance to play in the next game. Dad is livid after one game. Says that her goal was to be all conference all four years and now she can not do that because she missed one game. (Nice priorities of a TB player to put individual before team.) He also informed us that she had a letter from Michigan and other D1 coaches on his phone.
We make is through her freshman season with a couple more "ME" incidents. Then sophomore year we bench her and a teammate for telling other players not to listen to the coaches. So this all knowing TB player and her parents decide she will quit HS softball. The teammate did as well then later returned to admit she was wrong and that she would like another chance, which we gave her. Before leaving the team TB mom had to make sure the whole coaching staff knew how good her daughter was and that she was going to be great. She continued to play TB (her team was a local team that never left the 5 state area.) Mom and dad also made the "always advised" trip to the AD to tell them how incompetent we are. (The AD later added me to his coaching staff for a different sport the next season.) The AD listened and then thanked them for their opinion. When asked what he was going to do about it he told them "nothing." It sound like you have a personal issue and he was not getting taking sides. Told them our staff was doing a great job with the talent we had.
Said player does go to a small college that was in their third year of softball exitance two states away. Earlier this year I was told how she went there and bad mouthed the coach to other players they relayed that info to coach and this player never made it through fall season. She now a proud student at our local state college.
Sorry for this being long winded but wanted to show one situation that was caused by a TB player with a big ego and parents with bigger rose colored glasses. Not all HS coaches are bad coaches, just saying.
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