Coach undermining face mask use

[quincy]

Who is Eric Dickerson? Need to ask DD but I am leaning to no clue.

She has been playing fantasy football with us, I think she is in 4 in a 12 team league.

 

[radness]

Eric Dickerson was estimated to wear almost nine pounds of equipment every time he went on the field. That included over-sized elbow guards, a lineman's face mask and thick eye goggles. He said that if someone made a piece of safety equipment, it was made for a reason, and he would wear it. Another great running back of that era was Marcus Allen who wore the minimum required padding because he didn't want to be hindered. Basically, this should be a player/family choice, not a coach choice. I've suggested that if anyone ever questions DD about why she is wearing a piece of safety equipment she ask that person if they know who Eric Dickerson is.

When i was recruited for college the coach said
"Oh by the way you wont be wearing those shinguards in college they will slow you down"
i replied
"Then i will be the fastest catcher in the nation and i will be wearing them"
( when the college year began that coach ended up not coaching and was replaced)

Also
it was not a requirement for the catcher to wear a helmet.
Never wore one.
Caught all the way through1995 think it was.

 

[FP26]

I might be in the minority. But, I think making masks mandatory is a parents way of not being the bad guy. If you think your DD needs to wear a mask, it shouldn’t matter if the RF or the SS is wearing one as well. It’s your house, your dd, your rules. If your dd doesn’t like it, well that’s too bad. Forcing the org to enforce it is just a way around having to have a tough conversation with your dd.

And for full disclosure my dd stopped wearing a mask to pitch when she was 14u. We had a long discussion about it and in the end I decided to let her decide.

I agree with this. In our case, we insisted on her wearing one until she turned 18. She actually continue wearing one through her freshman year in college. She has decided to take it off now going into her junior year.

 

[efastball]

I think it's a good idea for 1B, 3B and pitcher to wear a mask. The others don't need one.

And slow pitch pitchers need to wear this

 

[JOHNN]

A lady posted this picture two days ago saying her daughter always wore a mask but on this particular day she didnt for whatever reason. I realize fluke accidents happen, but is it really worth it in the long run?

BTW, from what I know this girl isnt a real life ninja. I edited the picture very poorly haha.

 

[quincy]

DD always wore a mask, the C destroyed her one game. Ump called time out when she was laying on her back unconscious with blood coming out of her nose.

DD is not going to were a madilen suit.

 

[Cagman]

We stopped wearing them at 12U in the outfield. At 14u I want pitcher and 3B wearing one. I play 1B back, so that’s up to them. Don’t care if middle IF does or not. Pitcher will always wear one at any age i coach.

During IF drills I want them wearing them.

Parents seems to be ok with that. I prefer them to make the call with their daughter at 14U.

i did like how they began to realize at 12-14 that most of the older/better teams weren’t wearing them at some positions. And they want to be like them.

 

[osagedr]

My DD's team (2nd year 14U) has always worn face masks. The girls have been conditioned since elementary to wear them. All the parents are on board. The whole team has them on when they play. New coach last year and she's AMAZING but.... earlier this summer we added a SS and 2B to the team that don't wear masks. At some point it was pointed out and the coach made the comment to the girls "if I had my way none of you would wear masks, we didn't when I was growing up and playing in college". sigh... Sure enough the outfielders stopped wearing them. Ok, you aren't going to take a line drive to the nose. Then 2 more of our infielders stopped wearing their mask at games (the original SS and 2B). More and more girls are not wearing them in practice. B/c of covid parents are not allowed to the indoor practices. DD said she nearly took one to the nose, I said good thing for your mask and you guessed it, she wasn't wearing it. DD plays 1B and coach has the corners play in like any hit (even with 2 strikes) could be a bunt "because you never know". I have FORBIDDEN her to play without it but I see more and more peer pressure to not wear it at practices and already told her next spring/summer there will be no softball or your will find a new team if you can't find the strength to go against the growing tide. Am I just ranting? I think so b/c I don't think I would tell the program director but am pissed that all those years getting our girls to wear the masks is gone with one flippant remark.

Girls wanna wear masks...wear 'em. 14U OF wearing masks...that's worth a giggle. I agree with the coach, but also have zero problem with players who want to wear them, or parents who insist their own daughters wear them.

 

[MNDad]

A lady posted this picture two days ago saying her daughter always wore a mask but on this particular day she didnt for whatever reason. I realize fluke accidents happen, but is it really worth it in the long run?

BTW, from what I know this girl isnt a real life ninja. I edited the picture very poorly haha.

I think I saw that. If it’s the same one she was a 14U outfielder who lost track of the ball during a pop fly drill.

 

[Ksphenom]

It was required for all teams under 12u. Required for 14u up at practice (excluding OF). Pitching 100% no matter the age. Told them in college they can decide.

I believe in all those years only had one kid refuse to wear a mask while playing/pitching. Yes she was hit in the face.
Still didn't matter to her as she still refused and we couldn't get parents to support a mask as that child was the one in charge.

I see older, more old school players that had the NO MASK coaching carry that torch and NO MASK mandate onto teams they coach conditioning the next generation of players.

I believe at a certain point or level of play all IF players can be good enough to play without masks it's different for every player. Pitching is different. I don't want to see someone die in the circle.
$400+ bats/$20 mask. If masks were $100 every org. would mandate masks!