high school softball season

[sluggers]

Just discouraging for a high school aged kid, and I must admit the parent too, to be made to feel guilty or lessor for not attending enough pre season open gyms.

Your DD should show up for one or two of the open gyms, and apologize profusely for not attending the others.

As Cannonball said, the amount of space available at most high schools is very limited.

When my DDs were in HS, open gyms were every day of the week. My DD is lucky to have them one day a week right now.

 

[gamommax3]

We play fall high school ball, and we used to have a coach that "strongly encouraged" the girls attend his weight training, crossfit, water aerobics, and field practices over the summer and we had to pay for each activity. Try-outs are held in May so making the team did not depend on these things, but we felt it did affect the girls' playing time. Every girl on our high school team plays TB at some level and many work, so it was a hard situation. He left last year and the new coach gave the girls the summer off since they all play ball. No "open gyms" or anything. And guess what...we won state. We had been close for a couple of years so you could say it had been a long time coming but regardless, they won this year. Practices started August 1 and they played their first game about 10 days later. The girls need to be working on their game on their own in the off season. But if they made the team, trust that they are still going to be the same player you saw in try outs when the season starts.

 

[Il softball fan]

Your DD should show up for one or two of the open gyms, and apologize profusely for not attending the others.

As Cannonball said, the amount of space available at most high schools is very limited.

When my DDs were in HS, open gyms were every day of the week. My DD is lucky to have them one day a week right now.

She has been to several already. The nights they are held currently, due to the limited space that you speak of, interfere with one of her jobs. Her employment trumps a voluntary practice. As far as her apologizing, I could not disagree with you more.

 

[quincy]

Our HS has weight training for multiple sports, nothing specific to SB.

 

[Cannonball]

I look at open gym as something we offer and if players want to take advantage of it great. If not, great. I don't have any way of knowing what they do otherwise but hope that they are getting ready. Still, that is up to them. We have cuts each year and so, the best make the team. It might be cruel but "the best" for some is how they do those 3 days of tryouts. We do hit the field running.

 

[sluggers]

As far as her apologizing, I could not disagree with you more.

Let me get this straight:

If your employer said, "I'm having a get together on Monday night. It is voluntary, but it would be great if you could make it." You would *not* say something like, "Sorry, boss. I have a family commitment that night." You would simply, "No, I'm not coming," and walk away?

Your DD is wants coach to put her on the team. Thus, she is trying to get the coach to do something for her. When a person tries to get another person to do a favor, generally, the person wanting the favor shows a great deal of politeness.

Your DD should say something as simple as, "Coach, I would love to be at all the practices, but I really have to work a second job. But, I'll be at every practice after the season starts."

 

[CoachJD]

I encourage my players (and especially new players) to attend. I really do mean encourage, too. I send out reminders. If I see them I ask if they're coming. I say they should bring a friend if they do come. But I don't hold it against anybody who doesn't come. It's possible someone else who does show up all the time gets better and takes a girl's spot, but that would be based entirely on merit and how that girl got better isn't factored in.

What I like most about open field, and why I do encourage the new players who have signed up/are thinking about signing up to come, is getting something of a free look at new players/Freshmen before tryouts. I'm not formally evaluating at all, but I'm watching and getting a general idea of who's athletic, who needs work, etc. We get a lot of girls playing for their first time (I have 14 Freshmen signed up this year; One has more than a year of experience and at least 8 have never played), so it not only helps them get comfortable, but it also helps me start to plan out the first week or so of practices.

We had 20 girls show up today. I think that's a record. And what I saw today tells me I need to brush up on my Wasserman because that first week of practices is going to be a lot of throwing instruction.

 

[Cannonball]

We had 16 last night. The best thing is that some players who take hitting lessons from me the majority of the year were helping some of the new girls out. I was/am pretty proud of them.

 

[Il softball fan]

Let me get this straight:

If your employer said, "I'm having a get together on Monday night. It is voluntary, but it would be great if you could make it." You would *not* say something like, "Sorry, boss. I have a family commitment that night." You would simply, "No, I'm not coming," and walk away?

Your DD is wants coach to put her on the team. Thus, she is trying to get the coach to do something for her. When a person tries to get another person to do a favor, generally, the person wanting the favor shows a great deal of politeness.

Your DD should say something as simple as, "Coach, I would love to be at all the practices, but I really have to work a second job. But, I'll be at every practice after the season starts."

I do not look at a boss/employee relationship as being anything close to a coach/player relationship. Especially a school coach. And I do not look at the coach putting a player on the team as a favor. They either are good enough or not. And she did pretty much say to them almost exactly what you said above. She will be at every practice/game once the season starts. That is a given. And her jobs have been informed of such, and the date when season starts.

 

[sluggers]

We are apparently in violent agreement.