I have a situation...need input. DD plays 14U TB. Primarily played 2B most of her softball career, then some SS, and very little OF. We left a team and came to the team and org she plays for now because we were sold on "she would get the development she needs to play HS and college ball."
So the season comes along and she starts at SS and does ok. Coach moves her back to her natural spot at 2nd and she does ok. Has a bad game in a tourney so he puts her in LF. DD did get a little mopey about the move - her fault and he says her attitude stinks at that time. So she accepts the move, but our OF gets little to no reps in practice. We spent one practice where she stood at 2nd at caught balls for other IF for 1.5 hours then they go ful field and she gets put in left. Gets hit one ball the rest of the practice. Hardly not the kind of reps a kid who has never played out there should get. So she gets frustrated because if she is going to play there then she wants to learn to do it right, but gives it her all regardless. She decides she wants to practice more so I find a couple of teams she can practice with on the days her team doesn't practice (usually once a week, sometimes two). So she practice twice a week with two other teams (one is a solid A and one is an above average B) and she gets lots of reps and 2nd and OF and as a result progresses. I send her to some camps at D-1 programs (where she won a line drive contest and a bunting contest with 75 other girls from grades 9-12). She gets in a lot of extra work. So today, they have a camp with a D1 team that came in to work with the girls in the org only and somehow manages to get put at 2nd and lights it up. 3 double plays, almost got a triple play against other TB teams in the org. She missed one ball with a really nasty hop, but the D1 coaches are cheering, slapping her high fives, and complimenting her a lot. So here lies the problem.
Her coach walks up to her and says, where has that been and can I get it in a tournament? Then proceeds to harp about her attitude the last weekend. She was in right and did not get any balls, but she played hard and was always in postions for her back ups, etc. She wasn't super smiles while she was out there, but she did her job even though she may have saw one ball. On top of that, her coach invited a rec ball player to come pitch (her dad's pitch was quite convincing, but not what was delivered) and he starts pick up rec player in the OF and has DD sit the bench for a game while rec girl is standing around chasing butterflies and missing everything hit her way. So DD took it like a big girl and does her duty, but ain't sunshine and butterflies. In the mean time, we had a second baseman melt down in tears and argue with the coach for three innings and had a pitcher meltdown with tears. However, no attitudinal issues there. I will be the first to say DD had issues for a few week stretch, but she pulled out of it and has been a total team player since. He still has her pegged for the attitude problem (and boy his DD certainly has one, but that's neither her nor there).
To make a short story long, I know he is going to ask where that player was all season. That player was there if he had bother to work with her and develop her like the other coaches (who have no vested interest) did. Now all of a sudden, he wants to start playing her back at 2nd. Ironically she likes playing in the outfield now. I am not going to be able to sit there and have him talk about where that player was without telling him it was his lack of coaching and developing.
What would you say?
So the season comes along and she starts at SS and does ok. Coach moves her back to her natural spot at 2nd and she does ok. Has a bad game in a tourney so he puts her in LF. DD did get a little mopey about the move - her fault and he says her attitude stinks at that time. So she accepts the move, but our OF gets little to no reps in practice. We spent one practice where she stood at 2nd at caught balls for other IF for 1.5 hours then they go ful field and she gets put in left. Gets hit one ball the rest of the practice. Hardly not the kind of reps a kid who has never played out there should get. So she gets frustrated because if she is going to play there then she wants to learn to do it right, but gives it her all regardless. She decides she wants to practice more so I find a couple of teams she can practice with on the days her team doesn't practice (usually once a week, sometimes two). So she practice twice a week with two other teams (one is a solid A and one is an above average B) and she gets lots of reps and 2nd and OF and as a result progresses. I send her to some camps at D-1 programs (where she won a line drive contest and a bunting contest with 75 other girls from grades 9-12). She gets in a lot of extra work. So today, they have a camp with a D1 team that came in to work with the girls in the org only and somehow manages to get put at 2nd and lights it up. 3 double plays, almost got a triple play against other TB teams in the org. She missed one ball with a really nasty hop, but the D1 coaches are cheering, slapping her high fives, and complimenting her a lot. So here lies the problem.
Her coach walks up to her and says, where has that been and can I get it in a tournament? Then proceeds to harp about her attitude the last weekend. She was in right and did not get any balls, but she played hard and was always in postions for her back ups, etc. She wasn't super smiles while she was out there, but she did her job even though she may have saw one ball. On top of that, her coach invited a rec ball player to come pitch (her dad's pitch was quite convincing, but not what was delivered) and he starts pick up rec player in the OF and has DD sit the bench for a game while rec girl is standing around chasing butterflies and missing everything hit her way. So DD took it like a big girl and does her duty, but ain't sunshine and butterflies. In the mean time, we had a second baseman melt down in tears and argue with the coach for three innings and had a pitcher meltdown with tears. However, no attitudinal issues there. I will be the first to say DD had issues for a few week stretch, but she pulled out of it and has been a total team player since. He still has her pegged for the attitude problem (and boy his DD certainly has one, but that's neither her nor there).
To make a short story long, I know he is going to ask where that player was all season. That player was there if he had bother to work with her and develop her like the other coaches (who have no vested interest) did. Now all of a sudden, he wants to start playing her back at 2nd. Ironically she likes playing in the outfield now. I am not going to be able to sit there and have him talk about where that player was without telling him it was his lack of coaching and developing.
What would you say?
