- Jun 18, 2013
- 322
- 18
I have a situation that I wasn't expecting that I could really use some advice on.
Background information first for a refresher. My DD is a 2004 that has not played travel softball yet. She had a very negative experience at the first tryout she ever attended before her first 10U year and it has taken until now for her to be ready to try it again. She is aging up to 12U now and it is time. She has completely outgrown rec ball. I have coached her rec softball teams for the last 6 years. Before that, I coached my son's baseball teams until he was middle school age and I have also coached her travel basketball team for the last 4 years.
Last night, I got a call from a coach that has put together an organization that is connected with one of the High Schools a few towns over because he needs a 12U coach. He coaches one of the 10U teams and currently has 2 10U, an 8U, and is putting a 14U team together in addition to having 5 girls that have committed to playing with his organization for 12U. His younger teams have all been very successful and the girls we talked about that would be on the 12U sound like a very solid base to start with. He shares my philosophy on coaching being more about teaching at practices and managing at games and was extremely positive during our discussion. All told, I was very excited about the prospect and so was my DD after she walked in on me and heard what I was talking about.
Today, I got a call from the largest organization in our hometown. She tried out Sunday and we didn't hear back from them like we were told to expect. They told me that she made the team their 2004 team, but they don't know who is going to coach it yet. This organization is much closer to home and has a proven record of getting girls scholarship money. This organization is also the one that almost shut her down from softball entirely 2 years ago at the bad tryout. She has struggled to find a team locally because she didn't play 10U so none of the travel coaches knew her and we have been going to tryouts blind then finding out that they only had 1 or 2 spots to fill. I have had two different coaches offer to try to help me find her a team, but so far nobody has had any open spots for new 12U players.
My choices are, do I jump in and coach a new 12U team with a new organization or do I hand over the reins to a known organization with an unknown coach?
Background information first for a refresher. My DD is a 2004 that has not played travel softball yet. She had a very negative experience at the first tryout she ever attended before her first 10U year and it has taken until now for her to be ready to try it again. She is aging up to 12U now and it is time. She has completely outgrown rec ball. I have coached her rec softball teams for the last 6 years. Before that, I coached my son's baseball teams until he was middle school age and I have also coached her travel basketball team for the last 4 years.
Last night, I got a call from a coach that has put together an organization that is connected with one of the High Schools a few towns over because he needs a 12U coach. He coaches one of the 10U teams and currently has 2 10U, an 8U, and is putting a 14U team together in addition to having 5 girls that have committed to playing with his organization for 12U. His younger teams have all been very successful and the girls we talked about that would be on the 12U sound like a very solid base to start with. He shares my philosophy on coaching being more about teaching at practices and managing at games and was extremely positive during our discussion. All told, I was very excited about the prospect and so was my DD after she walked in on me and heard what I was talking about.
Today, I got a call from the largest organization in our hometown. She tried out Sunday and we didn't hear back from them like we were told to expect. They told me that she made the team their 2004 team, but they don't know who is going to coach it yet. This organization is much closer to home and has a proven record of getting girls scholarship money. This organization is also the one that almost shut her down from softball entirely 2 years ago at the bad tryout. She has struggled to find a team locally because she didn't play 10U so none of the travel coaches knew her and we have been going to tryouts blind then finding out that they only had 1 or 2 spots to fill. I have had two different coaches offer to try to help me find her a team, but so far nobody has had any open spots for new 12U players.
My choices are, do I jump in and coach a new 12U team with a new organization or do I hand over the reins to a known organization with an unknown coach?
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