Just general ranting - I hate shopping for teams

[Perfect Circle]

Nothing...? I have a Coach, wanting DD to play on His team for next year, and coming to her games, and working out with her, to help prep her for his team next year...and of course he has the map to the national's charted, for next year. This is what the one's you are talking about should have been doing, instead of something like "Johnny come lately" ... Why don't they just wait, and invite as guest players ? I'll be looking for an invite. Sounds better than "I Spy" but not as much drama.

 

[99&beyond]

I always referred to DD as homeless as we were searching for a team.

We tried out with a team last Sept. Practiced with them. Coach basically said you are decent, you can come play with us, but I am holding out for my "stud" catcher to finish up basketball season. DD played a tourney with him. She caught the first 3 pitches and he pulled her and the pitcher. She got 1 at bat and she laid down a perfect bunt. Double elim tourney, 2 games and they were done. He wanted to practice the next day. DD told me she didn't like him. He never even called her to check. Oh well!

In Oct, we found another team to practice with. Practiced with them for 2 weeks. Coach said they would have a meeting the next week. He never called. DD said she didn't like him either. LOL

In the meantime, I kept posting on our local board looking for a team. This one coach kept responding, but I wasn't sure about him. We had played against him before and I wasn't too sure what I thought about him, plus I had heard things from parents that had played with him. Hmmmm? I kept ignoring his msgs as I kept searching.

February rolls around and I am getting desperate, there are not very many teams left looking for players. And I refused to just sign her up for rec ball. She needs better than that if she wants to make her goals.

Early february we had 2 try outs scheduled in the same week. Location is key for me. I have 2 other kids that play and I can't drive an hour one way for a practice. The second tryout was with the coach that kept contacting me, I was getting desperate. We went to the first tryout. Most of the girls were a year younger, but they only had 1 catcher (who was fabulous), head coach asks to see all the girls back at the batting cages in a few days. Next day I get a message from the asst coach who said thanks for trying out, but our roster is full, good luck. I shrug it off. Oh well, it was probably for the best, we would have been looking for another team in the fall. We go try out for the last coach in a pretty much private tryout. He works with her, offers her a few suggestions, then interviews her and asks her goals and what she can bring to the team. I call him back the next day and ask several more questions and then take the last spot on his roster. The very next day the asst coach from the tryouts a few days before sends me a msg about cancelling the batting cages. I send him one back that said you cut us from the team. He calls and then I read the msg that was mistakenly sent to us. I then apologized and told him we already took a spot on another team. He sounded like he had been punched.

It was a long process to find her a team, but I really really like the head coach. We are struggling to fit in and find our spot with the players and parents. And DD is having to earn the coach's trust to earn playing time. And some days seem frustrating and unfair, but she is liking her new team and is having a blast learning from some great coaches. He has his plan in place for the next 3+ years for our team. And I know he has gotten a lot of girls to college.

 

[RubberBiscuit]

I don't want to sound goofy here (at least more than usual but I truly believe that the match of a TB team and a DD is one that is "magical". I see it like marriage these days where so often one party or another finds some little-to-big "thing" that makes the marriage split. There is no commitment from either side so I think there are many folks (guess a third of all the DD's) of the TB community always searching around for the right "TB-mate" for the DD to thrive. (I really feel for you TB-A coaches with the job you got with having to deal with princesses and their helicopter parents/managers)

DD here fortunately/unfortunately has had three "divorces" from TB teams to date. Spanning 12U to 16U now. Some have split well on both sides. Some have both parties giving sneers to each other at tourneys.

Bottom line though is that DD here has what appears to be a perfect TB "marriage", ...finally, and I hope they both work at it to make it last.

 

[maksoftball]

We finally committed. We are with a 2nd 12U team (which is where she should be...she's a 99). We have known the team for a while, and the core group of girls have played together for 7 years!!! Which should say something for the coaches, right?? Anyway, DD really likes it a lot, and there isn't a lot of "clique-y-ness" at all. I think that DD will relax and grow here, which is what she needs. Just praying we still stay with them come tryouts in August!! We play our first full tournament this weekend. DD is so close to going the yard (she has hit the pitching machine balls out of the park 3 times in the last week)...hope it happens soon for her...she needs the confidence booster!

Anyway, thanks for hearing me whine. LOL.