Last night head coach wasn't at practice so it was just me and the other AC. To start practice the other AC told the team to go outside and run two laps around the facility as a team and to stick together. A few minutes later 3 of the girls come back. When we asked where the other girls were they said they didn't know. I walked all the way across the facility, about 60 yards to the front door. When I stick my head out I find the rest of the team congregated in the far end of the parking lot. I holler down to them and they come to me and try to come in the front door. I tell them no. I ask what they were doing and they don't have an answer. I tell them to run the two laps again. A half minute later or so I look across the practice facility and the back door is opening and the girls are coming through. It made me very angry. I started yelling, "No! No! No! Go back and finish your laps!". Which they did.
I'm completely frustrated with this team. There are several kids who are not coachable. I knew going in this team wasn't going to be that good; I can tolerate that, but the attitude, lack of effort and unwillingness to be coached is giving me fits. I thought maybe it was me. Maybe the girls just don't respect me, which is obvious, but we have a player from the UW who comes in and leads practice and they don't really listen to her either. It's shocking. I can tell she's frustrated at times too. Bewildered might be a better word. They don't listen to the head coach or other AC either. I'm finding myself in the position of always asking the girls to quite down and listen to coach, because the coach or other AC won't. I'm the one who always has to ride players to do what they're supposed to be doing and I don't like it.
The only positive out of all of this is my DD was one of the three that did the jog and came back in. In general she's been working hard even when others haven't. I haven't had to get on her at all.
Anyway, this team is making me into something I don't want to be, a yeller. I'm not sure if I should stick it out or not. I'm not sure I should keep my DD on the team. I floated the notion of changing teams to her and she did not say anything, but she did not protest.
Is this just how a first year 14U team is?
I could have written this post for the most part, word for word, except our coach does come to all practices and is involved.
The quickest way to find that out is to find the absolute best/Gold/ Elite team in the area and ask for a scrimmage. Once they get their butts handed to them, you tell them if you want to be that good, then this is what it's going to take and then, you layout the plan and what's necessary to achieve that, i.e. hard work, practicing at home 5-6 hours a week, hitting 650 balls into the Bownet every week, etc. etc. If they don't want to do it, then tell them to quit or find another team. Losing 30-0 usually makes the point rather easily as to what's required and separates the wheat from the chaff by 14U. JMO
We did just that as well. We were down 14-0 before we finally hit the ball a few times to score 6. But it was too late.
It really made me question my desire to continue coaching them. Biggest issue for us is we are in a small market and not many players to choose from. We just joined an org in the fall and it has brought us a few players that are better but we are dying for pitching. The org has futures, gold and national teams (multiple of each actually) with about 5 pitchers on each team and we have 1. 2 total but 1 combined and some days neither can throw a strike to at least get the ball in play. Hoping we can get some players to join in the spring because as it is, there is no threat from the bench.
Sorry, nothing to add really except empathy.