Bit of Dilema - Could use opinions!

[stephanie]

Irishluck, paragraphs are your friend.

OMG! I thought the exact same thing!!!

 

[stephanie]

And to address the OP:
I make it a habit to never apologize for doing what is best for my kid. If you aren't looking out for her, who the heck will?

Trust me, the ones that are left will be wishing they had gone with you...

Have fun with the new team!!

 

[SoftballMomof2]

Thanks Stephanie I appreciate it, and you are right! We have to advocate for our children, no one else will!

 

[jacketsfan]

Jacketsfan -

1) Coach has repeatedly lied to both my daughters and multiple times. UNACCEPTABLE

2) We feel he singles our youngest DD out. He would argue otherwise, but I started paying attention to it more when another mom mentioned it. UNACCEPTABLE

3) Yeah it is good to learn to lose, however when you are losing 90% of your games it gets old and QUICK! GETTING MIRED IN A CULTURE OF LOSING IS DEFINITELY A BAD THING. DON'T WANT TO MAKE A HABIT OF IT

4) There is MAJOR "Daddy Ball" going on. UNACCEPTABLE

His DD back talks all the other coaches(assistants) etc. She rolls her eyes, gets mouthy and gets away with it.DISGUSTING. MY DD LEFT HER SUMMER TEAM FOR THE SAME REASON, ON AN 18U EXPOSURE TEAM NO LESS.

With that being said, I know it can be hard coaching your kids, but you cannot let this stuff happen, and when it does nip it in the rear.I'VE COACHED MINE FOR YEARS. SHE WOULDN'T DARE DO THE ABOVE. SHE EARNS HER FIEDL TIME, AND SHE KNOWS IT. SHE IS ONE OF MY 12 KIDS - NOTHING MORE, NOTHING LESS. EXCEPT SHE GETS TO CHEW ON ME ON THE RIDE HOME ABOUT THE 1,000 WAYS I EMBARRASS HER IN SOME FORM OF FASHION. THAT'S HER ONLY PERK.

She pitches her butt off, and then when girls hit off her, her team cannont back her up or make plays, including catching and the drop 3rd strike. THE HARDEST PART OF BEING A PITCHER. YOU CAN'T STRIKE OUT EVERYONE, AND IT'S NOT FAIR TO ASK TO DO SO.

she wants to play on the new team. She likes the competiveness of it, that the other team mates are good players and she has to push herself harder. She is thrilled. I WON'T ADMIT IT TO MY DD, BIT THEY KNOW MORE THAN WE GIVE THEM CREDIT FOR. I THINK YOU HAVE YOUR REASON RIGHT HERE.

Jacketsfan, with all of my rambling I am curious as to if you think I am making the right decision. I don't want to make a decision for personal interests, or because the grass appears greener. But of course it's easier to see this situation from the outside in . IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU ARE HITTING A HOME RUN BY GETTING AWAY FROM THESE CLOWNS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE

Thanks,
SoftballMomof2

Sorry I've been away for a few days. Your DD is yours alone, and only you know what's best. One of my closest friends is a dad whose DD left my team. It was in her best interest to do so. I still love to get a hug from her, and I talk seek my friend's advice at least 3 times a week on softball issues. There is no reason for anyone to walk away mad.

I will tell you this - last week, we lost a 12 yr old former player (she still played, but not on my team). This girl was an absolute joy to be around, and she loved this game. She gave it everything she had. I have no answers for my 13 yr old, who was her teammate and friend, and is struggling to understand why. Tomorrow is her memorial service, and they don't think the church will be large enough to hold everyone - they expect upwards of 500 people. It will be the saddest day of my life to this point.

Carly Liptak

The point is this - this is a game, and it should be fun. It is hard to remember how blessed we are to be involved with it. You will meet lots of great people on your softball journey, and you will meet a few duds. Embrace the good people, and this experience will be an absolute joy. Let the crudballs fade away - life is too short to worry about them. My DD, who is entering her senior year in HS, and I always appreciate the fact that we have been doing this long enough to have made some very good friends with some very high quality people. My friend Carly, her parents, and her sister, are some of those great people we have gotten to know because of this game, and our lives have been made richer by it.

It sounds to me like you are on the right track. As a parent, your first priority is your DD's happiness and development.

As for me, I am redoubling my efforts to be the role model I know I should be to these young women, and to help my players reach their dreams of playing in college. I owe Carly that much.

 

[SoftballMomof2]

Jacketsfan -

Thanks very much for your input! It is greatly appreciated.

I am sorry to hear about the loss of your friend Carly.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

Prayers are going up from Tucson. We lost our young pitcher in a car accident, when we lived in Flagstaff. I see that Carly was having a routine tonsillectomy. Hopefully, the doctors can find out why this happened.

Death of girl in hospital prompts review - Poten & Partners

 

[jacketsfan]

I had not seen this article, but you are correct in waht happened. It was absolutely stunning. At the service, it really made me realize how many young lives we touch. There were about 150 current or ex-teammates of hers, and I've probably coached half of them at one time or another.

Life's too short to hang around situations or people that don't make you happy. This "if you leave my team I'll hate you metality" in travel ball kills me. These are kids, with parents trying to do the best thing for their kids. I don't know how we can hate on them for deciding to try something different. In another thread, the poster says her 10U coach "will lose his mind" if the player leaves his team.

My answer to that is leave, and let him lose his mind. The fact is, it's probably his loss.

 

[lkgrge17]

You owe your daughter, for all her hard work. You do not owe any coach anything. Wherever she chooses would be fine by me. It is for her to enjoy. If she is not enjoying the game she may get turned off and not want to play anymore.
Good Luck

 

[SoftballMomof2]

Thanks lkgrge17! We settled with the new team! Being more competitive, and competing for positions, and having to work harder and become a better player all together is what is FUN to her. She is no stranger to hard work. It would be one thing if she was not as into it, but she lives and breathes softball.

Thanks for your reply.

 

[changeupskill]

The point is this - this is a game, and it should be fun. It is hard to remember how blessed we are to be involved with it. You will meet lots of great people on your softball journey, and you will meet a few duds. Embrace the good people, and this experience will be an absolute joy. Let the crudballs fade away - life is too short to worry about them.

Life is short and it just sucks because some people want to make life hard for others. Let the kids train hard and play harder. Don't make THEIR TIME harder than it is. Losing young athletes is hard, but yet some people still can't enjoy whats in front of them and make a big deal about insignificant things. Read about our friends in Colorado.
Four in Douglas County family killed in Texas head-on crash - The Denver Post

Another tragic loss due to drunk driving.

Four in Parker Colorado killed in Texas head-on crash
By Carlos Illescas and Yesenia Robles
The Denver Post

Posted: 08/02/2010 12:42:06 PM MDTUpdated: 08/02/2010 01:06:40 PM MDT



Robert Behn, 45; his wife, Lisa, 48; son Jordan, 18; and daughter Morgan, 15. (via 9News | )
The Parker family killed early Sunday morning when their vehicle was hit head-on by a wrong-way driver on a Texas highway was on the way home from the Connie Mack South Plains Regional baseball tournament in Dallas.

The Wichita Falls, Texas, Times Record News identified the family as Robert Behn, 45; his wife, Lisa, 48; son Jordan, 18; and daughter Morgan, 15.

Jordan was a first baseman who played for Ponderosa High School and for the Connie Mack club team Hit Streak. He was recruited by Otero Junior College and by Lamar Community College. Otero baseball coach Chris Carrillo called Jordan a player with "good hands, good instincts." He had recently signed with Lamar, his friend Corey Miller said. Miller, who has known Jordan since they were in eighth grade, went to Chaparral and played against Jordan when he was a Ponderosa. "It was his dream — the dream like every kid — to be a pro player," Miller, 19, said. "But I guess he was drafted by the angels. He is going to heaven."

Jordan's sister, too, was a standout ball player at Ponderosa. About to enter her sophomore year, Morgan Behn made the varsity softball team as a freshman. Morgan played for 14UB Colorado Phoenix for the past 3 summers. "She had best smile ever," Miller said. Miller said he is still stunned by the news that his long-time friend and his family were killed. "I'm waiting for someone to say the joke is over," he said.

Friends said Lisa Behn worked at Bath and Body Works. Robert Behn was a vice president of marketing and product management for Arrow Electronics. The family attended church at Parker Evangelical Presbyterian Church.

Their 2006 Hummer H-3 was headed north on U.S. 287 about 13 miles east of Vernon, near the Texas-Oklahoma border, when it was hit by a southbound 1998 Chevrolet Tahoe driven by Spencer Joe Risinger, 38, of Wichita Falls. Risinger also died as both vehicles exploded, witnesses told the paper. Department of Public Safety Trooper Curtis West said alcohol may have been a factor in the cause of the wreck.

Witnesses said Risinger was headed north but made a U-turn and went the wrong way down the same lane of the divided four-lane highway. "When the vehicles hit, flames went sky high instantly," said Paul Koester, who said he was about a quarter of a mile away.

Tibbie Neal, a truck driver from Atlanta, said Risinger "was swerving all over the highway, driving at a high rate of speed. I had to swerve to miss him. "I looked in my rear view mirror and couldn't see anything but fire."

We are only here for a little while. Pick your battles. Sorry for your loss jacketsfan.