catcher equipment costs

[fastpitch5]

this post relates (sorta) to rulemeister's post on the "who pays for the catchers' bags?" quetion...didnt want to hijack his/her post.

im taking over a new 12u travel team. the roster was 99% in place before i agreed to take over. some of the girls are straight out of rec (they do show some promise, tho). one of the straight-from-rec girls wants to "try catching" this year, and mom wants the team to buy the equipment so that anyone who wants to "try catching" will have the opportunity. i'm surprised my "you got to be kidding me look" didn't cause her to run for the hills!!

i am a firm believer that at the travel ball/select level, every player should provide their own equipment. period. i don't expect the team to buy my dd's bat or glove or share in the cost of her pitching coach. i don't expect my boss to buy my docker's. imo, you should pay for whatever is necessary for you to do the job you are choosing to do. the #1 and #2 catchers on the team both have their own equipment.

do any of you other coaches keep team catcher's equipment, or do you expect the catchers on the team to provide their own?

 

[team mom]

In our travel 10U, the team buys the catcher equipment and it belongs to the team. Players are still moving around, trying out positions, etc. I believe this may also be true for the 12U team, but not sure. Players are welcome to buy their own catcher's equipment, but it is not required. I think it makes sense for the organization to own the equipment since the girls are still growing. It will get more use by staying with the successive teams.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

No. A catcher arrives with her own equipment, whether the team owns a set or not.

That stuff is beyond yucky. "Here put Julie's helmet on. She has caught 3 games and is sick." No, thanks.

Beginning catching equipment is cheap. It would be like not owning a bat. How do you practice if you don't have equipment? I suppose the mom doesn't think that she needs a mitt, either?

 

[starsnuffer]

I helped out with a "B" team that was basically a rec org all-star thing this fall. Only one catcher had her own gear, the rest used some of the nicer gear from the rec organization they play for. Coming from A ball, it was weird for me to adjust, but I can understand why they expected to use league gear, they simply always have. Their fall fee was about the same price as a set of catchers gear. . . whereas in A ball, the monthly fee is usually more then a set of catchers gear so a set of gear isn't that big of a deal.

It's important to remember that parents/kids/coaches have different expectations depending on both the level of play they're at and where they are coming from. I always encourage the catchers to work towards getting their own set of gear for safety reasons if anything else.

-W

 

[Daddylawman]

My feeling is that unless others have said they want to "try" catching, this girl needs her own set. I'm betting a local 14U or 16U catcher has an old set lying around if mom doesn't want to pay foe new stuff.

 

[Bishop]

Any one who wants to try catching this year should get out on the internet retailers sites quick. It's clearance closeout season. The deals are the best they will see until next year this time. Dittos for christmas bats, gloves, cleats and just about anything else.

 

[fastpitch]

I guess it also depends on the type of team and financial situation of the family. For some people $200-$250 isn't that big a deal if that's what their DD wants to do. Our catcher's usually have their own gear... although one girl who was extremely talented came from a family who didn't really have the resources to get her own gear. Without saying anything to the family our organization bought matching gear with team colors for her to use and bring to games and just called it team gear. The other catcher's technically could use it but they all have their own gear so they don't.

So I guess the short answer is most girls who really want to catch really should have their own equipment. Just not everyone can afford it.

 

[MsDinosaur]

So far, my DD's teams have always had a set of team catcher's gear. Only dd was serious enough at the rec level to want her own/have a Mom crazy enough to get her some. On her competitive team, as soon as anyone decides to catch, they show up with their own. It gives me a warm fuzzy though, knowing there is spare gear there if it's needed.

If it were me, I'd probably try to pick up some used equipment or some stuff on clearance. It doesn't have to be pretty or match...

 

[sru]

We are lucky in that my DD's equipment is paid for by her association. We had 3 catchers on the team last year, and each had their own equipment given to them to use. If they stay with the association, they can use it until they outgrow it. The used equipment is then washed and distributed to the many rec teams we have.

 

[absdad]

In rec ball, i could understand the team providing equipment, that makes perfect sense. But in travel ball? In our neck of the woods, the orgs would provide catchers gear if the coach didn't have any (bats and gloves too, it IS rec after all). Travel ball is a whole other ball game.

I can understand a parent not wanting to lay out $200 for their daughter to "try it out"... that's what borrowing is for. But it's one of those things where you do it or you don't. We had a catcher this fall that didn't have ANY of her own equipment, except a glove. It wore on everyone's nerves a bit...