I need some advice from the experts.

[littlereddeer1]

My daughter is currently on a travel team. She is 1 of 3 pitchers and gets some time on the mound. We found a new travel team with a wonderful coaching staff that we both love and she has a friend on the team that we could car pool with. The new team is a year older and moving up to the next division in December. The coach has stated that he likes her attitude, but she is behind the other girls in regards to her ability, would not move up with them in December and would have little to no mound time.

So should I stay with the current team where she will get 1/4 of the mound time, but on the same ability level as the others on the team and not have the higher instruction level as the new team. Or the third option that the new team offered is that a new team a year younger is forming that he knows the coach and she would get almost all of the mound time.

HELP PLEASE I need advice. I am new to the travel ball scene and just don't know which direction to go. Thanks

 

[Bobby B]

If your daughter is going to improve as a pitcher she needs to pitch with a team that will give her that opportunity. A little bit of pitching or no pitching at all, she will fall behind the other girl's. You don't get better by not playing. I believe it's better to play with a lesser talented team to develop your position than a real good team where you can't develop that position.

Bobby B.

 

[absdad]

All the instruction in the world, will not be worth as much as mound time. You can buy instruction, but you can't buy mound time.

 

[sluggers]

You are contemplating leaving your current travel team--the one you are playing on now--and moving *now* to a new travel team? Have you made a commitment to stay with your current travel team? What age group are you with?

Anyway, lets' analyze exactly what the coach said:

he coach has stated that he likes her attitude,

I like your DD's attitude, also, and I've never met her. In fact, I bet Amy, CoachJV, halskinner and Ken like her attitude as well, and they've never met her either.

She is behind the other girls in regards to her ability

She isn't as good as his other players.

Would not move up with them in December

He doesn't want your DD on the team for more than a few months.

and would have little to no mound time.

And he won't play her.

So, you really want to go through tortures and torment of travel softball and your DD isn't going to play??? Are you out of your mind?

higher instruction level

You want better instruction, find a better personal pitching/hitting coach for your DD. You play on a better travel team to play better competition, not because of better instruction.

the third option that the new team offered is that a new team a year younger is forming that he knows the coach and she would get almost all of the mound time.

You are being wacky. There is a new team "forming"--so it may never finish forming and become a real team.

My advice is to play out the summer with the team you are on, and then in August, evaluate what your DD and you want to do in the future.

 

[Coach Al]

Here's something no one said yet, what does your daughter want?

 

[fastpitch]

If your DD wants to pitch she needs to be on a team that she can pitch on. To me it sounds like the coach of the older team wants to be nice and act like there's a spot for her... but telling her

"he likes her attitude, but she is behind the other girls in regards to her ability, would not move up with them in December and would have little to no mound time"...

means to me that there is no future for her on that team and he probably hopes you don't opt to try and join this team.

Also... not really sure of your entire situation but leaving mid season is not something you typically do to a team without a lot of consideration. It would have to be a very bad situation to move mid season.

 

[SoftSocDad]

I can't see leaving a team where she's playing to move to a team where she won't play.

I don't understand the rationale behind a parent even encouraging such a thing.

 

[andyh64000]

Unless it was a serious coaching or team issue I would never let my daughter quit

She made a commitment to a team. Unless there is a serious issue I think it is wrong to jump ship at this point. It is June...I think it would be wrong to leave it now. I would just stick it out for a few more months and then join the other team next season.

 

[littlereddeer1]

I do have an issue with one of the coaches. He yells and gets into arguments with the umpires during the tournaments. I really enjoy hearing everyones point of view and you have made me rethink some things.

 

[Coach JV]

The 'new team will be forming' is a big enough question mark that in reality she will not have a place to play
come December. I prefer to have girls that are loyal to the program. If they believe the grass is greener,
and make the switch then things don't work out, I do not take them back. Jumping from city to city with travel
will eventually leave you no place to play, or worse, you will find a place in travel ball hell with bad coaching
and lots of 'Daddy Ball'