I bit my lip and turned away...

[InsidePitch]

LOL, it wasn't that bad but it did kind of take the wind out of my sails. DD just finished a grueling season playing 12 tourneys and finishing at the Pony Nats. She also played AAU travel BB till the end of June. Both had 2 practices a week. She doesn't want to play TB this fall. Opting to play Rec Fall ball so she can run Xcountry and play Volleyball. She excels at track and wants to run for her school in the spring. She couldn't do that last year because of the other two TB commitments.

I guess I brought this on myself over the summer telling her she'd have to pick one travel sport. I just assumed it would be SB. She is aging up to 14U and plays C, IN and OF.

Anybody have a kid do this and come back to TB?

 

[Greenmonsters]

Understand your disappointment, but its her ride! And look at it this way, it could've been worse, she could have dropped it for cheerleading

 

[SoftSocDad]

At least she's still playing softball. She's in good shape. I don't think that spells the end of her softball career at all, but if it does, at least you'll know that it helped to give her the confidence to become whatever she was meant to be.

 

[Sparky Guy]

Jack of all trades. Master of none.

She is over committed. Give her choices but within limitations.

 

[RookKev]

Keep her positive. Ask her to play catch without pushing it too much. One thing that you can lose and really have to work to get it back is arm strength. All of the other sports keep the rest of the body in shape, except for the throwing arm. I know with both of my kids, that is the one thing I ask them to do more than anything else, just keep playing catch. You don't even have to play the game, but throwing the ball around will keep it open to you in the future. Sure, you might lose a step on reading the ball come off the bat, but, you can make it up with a good throw... and if she's in all that other stuff, it sounds like she's got the one thing 'they' say you can't teach, speed. The other thing, is speed never has a bad day... (of which I strongly disagree, being a very fast guy, I can tell you on a sore hamstring day, speed has a very off day at times).

I feel your pain. And am sad for you...I had a close encounter with my daughter this year almost saying it was enough.

 

[CobraAssist]

Something that my father didn't stress to me, and looking back I was someone would've, is that you can either be good at a few things, or great at one. I played Football, Baseball, Basketball, and Golf in highschool. Golf coach wanted me to be his full-time, and I said no. Not saying I would've been giving Tiger a run for his money or anything, but probably could've gotten a free education. Was good at all of them, but not great. Hard to put that kind of pressure on a kid, but ask them what their future goals might be, and then help them make the best decision for them. Good luck. And hey, at least she's playing Rec Ball.

 

[Coach-n-Dad]

DD has 2 friends that are now 16. After last fall they both decided to take the summer off of tb; one played no sports at all and the other played a different sport for the summer. Yesterday one was at tryouts for DD's team and I texted the other's Dad to find out that she accepted a position on another 18U team.

As for my DD; at 12 years old she played softball, soccer, volleyball and basketball. We have always told her that we would support whatever choice she made in sports no matter what it was, and as long as she kept her grades above 3.5. At 13 as a freshman she dropped soccer because it was at the same time as fall softball and at 14 she dropped volleyball because it was too difficult to keep her grades up. As a Junior she plays softball in spring, summer and fall and plays basketball in winter.

We were truthful that we would support her in whatever decision she made about sports and were fortunate that she chose softball.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

Good for her! A track athlete is in better over all condition than a softball player, anyway. She has to live her life.

After DD was done, I played slow pitch. Go join a team. Coach some little girls. And go to track meets.

Now, it is your turn to do something.

 

[InsidePitch]

Hey I'm not unhappy, I just enjoyed working with her on the diamond. As for playing catch, we have done that for years and it's sort of a time for the two of us to talk and bond. Most weeks we throw 2-3 times and shoot hoops a couple of times. I don't see that changing anytime soon. Who knows by next spring she may have the bug and if she doesn't we can spend more time at the lake.

 

[sluggers]

DD just finished a grueling season playing 12 tourneys and finishing at the Pony Nats. She also played AAU travel BB till the end of June. Both had 2 practices a week. She doesn't want to play TB this fall. Opting to play Rec Fall ball so she can run Xcountry and play Volleyball. She excels at track and wants to run for her school in the spring. She couldn't do that last year because of the other two TB commitments.

Obviously, it is her life and she choose what she wants to do with her athletic talent.

But, since she is 14YOA, you and her are going to have to have a serious talk. She can't continue to go from sport to sport. She has to pick one sport to "specialize" in. Otherwise, she will be good, but not real good, in a bunch of sports.

She'll only get so far on natural talent, and at 14YOA, she is going to start seeing the limitations of her natural talent.