Getting dropped might be the best thing that could have happened for my daughter

[Eric F]

It's great when they're motivated to improve their own game with hard work, isn't it?

 

[dbronstein]

Yup, it is very cool. Now I need to get her this motiviated to work on her hitting.

 

[SoCalASABlue]

Db:

I coach a lot of kids at camps, and I worry about the expectations you have. It is not a bunch of negatives, errors, not being ready and comparisons or "getting dropped." It is 10u for goodness sakes. It is about learning new things. Why do we expect new players to NOT have disastrous innings? They do; they're learning. Just don't notice it for goodness sakes. It will be a lot easier. And why a coach of a kid is acting like he has top pull players for an error at 10u is beyond me. Who cares about studs? They won't be in a bit.

Just read an article in the latest NFCA newsletter written by the Santa Clara assistant coach Matt Lisle, which said he's been seeing 5th graders at showcases...so don't kid yourself...the old days of "it's 10U for goodness sakes" are being squeezed out by psycho coaches and parents...pretty soon they'll be verballing kids out of the womb...

 

[MsDinosaur]

Warning: Playing catcher can be highly addictive for some kids, and their lives will never be the same. These kids have been known to take pride in large, red welts on their arms, and often do not display a prudent amount of caution regarding putting their body in front of projectiles. Also, the amount of gear you haul around will increase dramatically. Good luck.

Sincerely,
- A catcher's dad

Hehehe, so true. It's a wonderful spot for an action junkie...and a nerve-wracking spot for her parents.

We spent a few hours in the ER this week after a foul tip bent back her glove thumb (and knocked her mitt clean off). No broken bones, no torn ligaments, just a bad bruise.

Funny thing is, we left before the second game started and after getting out of the hospital, headed over to the school to wait for the team bus so we could get her stuff. We're sitting at the last traffic light before the school, talking in the car and wondering how long we'll have to wait at the school, etc, when I looked into the rearview mirror and saw...a school bus behind us. :-D

 

[dbronstein]

To give some more background on when the coach pulled her from first. We were playing a comp team that we had beaten the week before, and their coaches had acted like jerks during that game and prior to and during this game. So the coaches really wanted to win, as did the parents. The play was a grounder between the first and second basemen and my daughter thought the second baseman was going to get it, so she went to the bag. The ball went through to right for a single. The HC is a good guy, the assistant is a bit more intense, and he seemed to push the HC to pull her. I think the HC would have left her there if it wasn't for the AC. The HC sent me a very nice e-mail the next day to apologize, saying they felt the other coaches were disrespecting our players and they got a caught up in it a bit too much and really wanted to beat them.

They have some really good players and should be playing comp, and I had the feeling that was the plan for the spring when they moved up to 12U. I was concerned that my daughter might get dropped then because there are a few players who had to move up this year that they were counting on having back. They really didn't have anything left to accomplish at the rec level, so moving up now made a lot of sense.

As I said, this all turned out to be great for my daughter. She never would have pitched on the other team - they have three pitchers plus one of the 12U girls they'll get back is a pitcher. And she likes playing with less pressure to be perfect and not focusing on winning. I'm not sure what the coach's plans are for next season, but hopefully he'll keep the team together and she can move up with them.

 

[John Kelly]

Great story. No question, particularly for young female athletes, your daughter's environment is more comfortable now and more conducive to her focus and being able to play more relaxed and confident. She may also get along better with her new teammates, and girls being social creatures team chemistry is huge for them.

Sounds like she's got a good coach who supports her, which is extremely important. At her age the most important thing is for her to keep enjoying the game enough to do the work to get better!

Good luck!

 

[dbronstein]

Catching didn't work out - she just doesn't like it. But that's okay, she gave it a shot.

 

[Eric F]

Catching didn't work out - she just doesn't like it. But that's okay, she gave it a shot.

Props to her for trying. Some thrive on it. Some don't. If she loves pitching, keep at it.

 

[guero_gordo]

Catching didn't work out - she just doesn't like it. But that's okay, she gave it a shot.

The few, the proud, the defective....

 

[Sweet Lou]

The few, the proud, the defective....

LOL that's awesome.