Finally Back, I hope!!!

[mkral]

After a month of not being able to do much of anything with a thigh injury my DD Chelsea is finally playing again. We had a tough Saturday dropping both games and going into the lower bracket for Sunday. We won our first game on Sunday jumping us back into the Championship bracket for the time being if we can win the second game and get us to a third and Championship game.

Well we fight real hard in an up and down game. We stay ahead for most of the game but the other team is getting onto our pitcher and they start a come back. We are up by 3 heading into the 6th and they load it up and keep scoring one at a time. All tied up with two outs full count. Dang I hate those!!!! We get out of it with a strike out and go to extra innings.

We score 2 in the top of the 7th.
My DD is begging me to put her in. I told her she has not pitched in a month but she is begging me. We have a team meeting for a minute. Everyone agrees they want Chelsea to throw. I told her I would let her throw but if she looks rusty she is out right away. We did practice a little on Saturday and she looked pretty good. I have never seen her as focused as she was on Sunday. She grunted with every pitch and they were all coming in hard and hitting her spots like crazy. Fanned the first two. She walked the third on a questionable change up call but that was OK since it was their power hitter. Fanned the fourth and we were done. I was a proud PAPA.

She needs to practice more now but I think she is back for good now and we have things to work with and her focus is back.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

Yep, she could have pitched on a broken leg at that point. Adrenaline is a powerful thing.

Is she wrapping the thigh? Icing it or anything else to protect it?

 

[sluggers]

Are you the team coach also?

 

[mkral]

Amy,
Yeah we ice every night that she does any activity as per her PT. We still go back once a week for evaluation but he has lifted all restrictions now. She is getting stronger but her left leg is weaker from lack of use, it is obvious when she runs. PT is working her hard and we have exercises that she is doing every day to help get her back to full strength slowly and safely without a setback again, we hope. We thought we were good to go once and she blew it out again at a track meet. Ran hard in the 4x2 and in her last 50 feet lost all feeling in her leg then full pain in her thigh/hip. Back to the drawing board at that point. But we are way ahead of that now. She has ran in 2 more track meets now and she has done pretty well even with a weak wheel.

Slugger,
I am. So not just a Crazy Daddy too but a Crazy Team Coach as well. There are times that I think it is a journey that I or DD does not want to take but she is the one pushing all the time and I am the one asking if she is sure.

 

[Poseidon]

Congrats to Chelsea

Who were you guys playing?

Michel

 

[sluggers]

mkral--you need to think about the dilemma you were in. You were pulled between your responsibilities of a coach (we need to win this game) versus the responsibilities as a parent (is this good for my DD's long term welfare?).

The better your DD gets as a pitcher, the more you need to step away from team coaching and be your DD's *personal* coach.

 

[mkral]

Wise words for sure Slugger and point well taken!! I am sure you at one time or another have been there. You are right I might have gotten lucky this time and for what?? We will keep practicing hard to get back to full strength and then get back into games, it is the right road to take. Her long term health is much more important than a win today.

Michel,
It was at the big Jag's Tourney. We beat Regina in the first, Davenport in the second, and lost to Kevin's Jag team in the Silver Championship Game. Kevin's team really played well and we did not. We forgot how to hit the ball in the last game. I think the drama of the second game really took a lot out of our kids. No excuses though we simply got beat by a better team for sure. Kevin's team is a well put together squad and they showed it in their last game as a team. It was a good way for them to go out and we have fun playing them.

Best regards,
Mike