JV or Varsity?

[MadBandit22]

That’s not done in our school

That’s not done in our school

Not done? Really? Can’t imagine why. Good opportunity to develop talent and expose girls to higher level of play.
It’s the best of both worlds. She can get plenty of PT at JV level and watch and learn and hopefully get some PT at V level.
If she plays 16U TB I would expect her to get more time on V unless the V team is full of talented Jr/Sr TB players.

 

[Chaz McNulty]

My vote is for JV.

What experience will she have the most fun from. Leading the JV and playing with her friends or sitting on the bench, with a smile, and playing with girls that she probably doesn't really hang with. I'm a firm believer that nothing rounds you out as an athlete more than in-game playing time.

 

[KPower]

At DD's high school no one but the head coach (and certainly not a parent) has any say about where a player will be rostered. DD's HS team is very good - she would happily leave her TB team to play with the girls on her HS Team - but unfortunately that won't happen.

Last year (we play HS softball in the fall here) DD was initially placed on JV. As she was getting off the bus at the first game the coach told her "you're playing Varsity today". And she never went back to JV. She played the field (LF) about 60% of the time but batted 2nd the entire season as a Freshman. She was the only freshman on Varsity with 5 juniors and 5 seniors (and no sophomores). All her friends were on JV. It was tricky being the only freshman - but DD learned so much and grew as a player more than ever before. Maybe that's because she didn't have her friends holding her hands so to speak. She had a lot to prove and she rose to the occasion.

This year (sophomore year) she was starting CF and batted lead off. She had confidence that she wouldn't have had if she hadn't played Varsity (by herself) the year before. It taught her to love the game for the game, not just for the social part.

All that to say - if your DD has the opportunity to play (or even practice) with Varsity I would tell her to take it - regardless of where her friends wind up.

 

[mudrunner]

So I have mixed feelings about the situation. DD was a freshman last spring and in the exact situation. Generally she would split time and played 3 innings of JV then would scamper over to the Varsity game and mostly sit. She had 3 varsity at bats (1 hit, 1 walk, 2 RBI) and did not play the field at all. She did run every game. The Varsity team already had 16 girls so didn’t really need my DD. As much as it stinks to miss out on playing time she was proud to be there with the Varsity girls. In the end I just decided to stay out of it and let her handle the situation however she decided.

 

[CoachJD]

I have thought a lot about your situation from my perspective as a coach (unfortunately, I move players around all the time, and it sounds like that doesn't happen at your DD's school). I've kept better players (as in "better than some bench players, but not going to take the starter's job") on varsity for extra playing time/to develop leadership skills. I've put worse players on varsity because they fit a specific roll. I've put some players on varsity because they earned it, but with the expectation that they would still play in JV games at times so they could get more playing time. I don't necessarily believe that putting my best X number of players n varsity is the best way to build a team, develop the players, etc.

You say you are pretty sure she will make varsity. Why do you think that?

If the coaches want her on varsity, I'm going to assume they have a plan for her. It sounds like she's a good player who they should be interested in developing to take over for one of those two seniors next year, but maybe they think she can do something right now to help the team.

While I don't think there's anything inherently wrong in your DD talking to the coach about staying on JV to get more playing time, my advice is to not do that. They want her on the varsity team for a reason, and you never know when the 2B or RF are going to get hurt, get in trouble at school, not have passing grades, etc. Maybe they think your DD can convert to another position and they want to see if she can take someone else's job. Unless you have good reason to not trust the coaches' decision-making, I say roll with playing on varsity.

 

[flash277]

My DD is a good player, she could hold her own on Varsity. Some people have a story about a player busting her rear and gets a starting spot. But we all know that for every player who busts her rear and gets a starting spot, there is another player who equally busts her rear and stays on the bench. My DD is like most DD"s here, she wants to play, not sit on a bench.

 

[newnin]

I went through this exact situation a long time ago, albeit with baseball. I ended up on varsity my sophmore year, but I wasn't playing. I asked to be moved down to JV about halfway through the season. It was definitely the correct decision for me, and I was brought back up as soon as the JV season ended.

You only get so many at-bats in life. Don't waste them on the bench.

 

[seeballhitball]

In our area, the pitching at JV level was woeful and of no benefit. Having at bats against pitching with no movement, no accuracy and no pace will not allow any growth at all in my opinion. I've never actually seen a JV game and am only relying on info from my kids but they are who would know.

It is far better off to practice with the varsity, getting to face the primary pitchers in practice and if you are able to get some in season at bats, tremendous.

 

[MNDad]

My DD is a good player, she could hold her own on Varsity. Some people have a story about a player busting her rear and gets a starting spot. But we all know that for every player who busts her rear and gets a starting spot, there is another player who equally busts her rear and stays on the bench. My DD is like most DD"s here, she wants to play, not sit on a bench.

Most of the responses here actually seem to go against opting for more playing time vs bench time on varsity. I’ve got two kids who spent a lot of time on JV in various sports. The overwhelming majority of kids on JV are there because they’re not busting their asses. Very few are stuck if they’re truly giving it their all.

A lot depends on the kids goals and competitiveness. If they want to continue after HS passing on a chance to play varsity wouldn’t even be a consideration. Some kids would rather approach it more casually. That’s ok and JV is perfect place for them. It’s. hard for a competitive kid to be on a team where most families aren’t as invested. I’d also wonder how the HS coach would feel about a kid opting out when given a chance to play varsity. The following year they might overlook her for others that want it more.

 

[_MIA_]

My DD is like most DD"s here, she wants to play, not sit on a bench.

Nobody should be happy about sitting the bench, and if handled correctly it should serve as additional motivation, but sometimes players are just better and you need to learn how to handle it. I never sat the bench until my freshmen year in college, I don't ever remember even sitting a single inning from 7 years old through HS. I didn't handle it very well...