I feel like I've lost a dear friend ...

[CoogansBluff]

Yesterday, I coached my last game for a travel team that I formed four years ago out of a small rec league.

A month ago, my family moved to another state. Then last week, we played a week-long tournament in Florida, the final one of the season. It was our last time together. Great week. The families and the girls all grew closer. We managed to win more than we lost, but that was just a bonus.

Today, I'm back in my new house, a long way from Florida, and I'm feeling a deep sadness, one that I did not quite expect. I feel like I've lost an old friend. I'm in mourning. I've known some of those kids since they were 7-8. I'll miss being a part of their lives. It's the end of an era that brought a lot of joy for me.

Not sure why I'm posting this. Maybe someone else has experienced this. I knew that I'd miss the team, but I didn't expect to feel all of this today.

 

[GOINGDEEP]

This is my first year not being in some sort of capacity on DD's team. ( coach, AC, general manager ) And I've hit lows missing/being a direct part of "my" girls. It's just not the same on the other side of the fence.

Softball is a very large family, even though we can't replace the good times with a special team, we can make new friends and continue to stay in touch. I have a Facebook, I'm friends with about every girl I have coached. You don't have to message them, you can keep up with them and their softball by just their timeline and posts. Every now and then I'll comment on a good weekend, simply letting them know I care.

DD is done for the summer, so I'm not feeling too good today myself.

 

[Cannonball]

I feel it all of the time. I loved coaching both in the summer and high school ball. So much of my early high school coaching career was devoted to paying the price to become a head coach. For 12 years, I was an assistant coach. I was so blessed to have worked with great coaches. Then, I got a head coaching job. It was a dream come true. I love those guys and we had special times. I was also the head girl's basketball coach. I seemed to be coaching all of the time. Then, when my daughter was an incoming freshman, I realized that I was everything to everyone else's children and not mine. Don't get me wrong, she grew up in a gym and on a baseball field. But I knew I only had 4 years to watch her play high school softball. In our school back then, when softball was home, the baseball team was on the road and vice-versa. I called the boys in and told them that I had to resign. There were a lot of tears but everyone understood. I also resigned basketball although I was forced to continue coaching that sport but they allowed me to do the middle school since it didn't require all of the scouting during the season and the summer work. It was so depressing not doing what I truly love. Still, I never missed a game for my daughter. Then, her senior year, her softball coach resigned and I took the job. That was fun but, again, I had to resign since I wanted to follow my child in college. In the long run, I can always find a high school coaching job if I want one.

For my child's summer travel ball, I was always the assistant coach. On all of those teams, I gave free lessons to the hitters, ran practices and it was a lot of fun. At the age of 16, her team disbanded because she was playing "up" and many of those players were off to college. It was time to have her play for someone else where I was not a coach. We didnt' want her to experience her first year of me not being her coach when in college. We sought out a geat program. They made conditions that she had to play 18U which was fine. Some of the other girls from that 16U team also made the team and so, they were all playing together again. I continued to give free lessons and they did tremendous. Now, I sit around and type on message boards and miss coaching so much. I have a lot of "stuff" some of which I have shared with member here and other sites. My daughter is volunteering this weekend with tryouts for that last program's 10U, 12U and 14U programs. I think she too has the bug. All she wanted to do when she got home was talk about it and how it made her feel. I think she will made a great coach someday.

 

[newsoftballdad]

I coached my last game on July 3, 2012. I was an AC with a team I had been a part of in one form or another for the last 5 years. Some of the names had changed but the core was the same since 8U. This past season I was keeping the book so after our last game I simply packed up my stuff but I left my pen hanging in the dugout. I am a little apprehensive but I am looking forward to just being a spectator for the next several seasons. It will be nice just to be "dad" to my DD and not "Coach". Not sure how the wife will feel sitting next to me on the sidelines though!

 

[CoogansBluff]

Thanks for a lot of good comments. ...

I'll miss coaching a little, but what I'll really miss is being a part of the lives of that particular group. Not only am I no longer their coach, but I am now 6 hours away from them.

In the month we've been in the new state, my daughter picked up with a team to help her get ready for our finale in Florida. Sitting in a chair outside the fence with my wife was very enjoyable. My DD had a great time with her new adventure, also. So I don't dread the future, but I remain sentimental about the past.