Middle School Question ?

[justwannaplay]

Can anyone shed some light on this issue. My DD is playing for her middle school team. Its one team with 16 players 60% are 8th grade and the rest are 7th and one 6th grader. Some on the 7th graders including the 6th grader are better than the older girls but they are sitting on the bench.

The coach said to them during practice wow you guys are pretty good etc.. Come game time he still doesnt put them in at all .
He plays head games with them ..

Would you tell your daughter to stay or quit. I dont know what advice too give them......

 

[Amy in AZ.]

So, he is only playing 9 players and all are 8th graders? I suppose you could talk the other 7 girls into turning in their uniforms and making a scene. j/k

Do you know why he only plays the 8th graders? Is he being told to by the AD?

Some coaches just feel like the older girls have earned their spot. Or maybe he likes that group of girls better.

I have yet to see a coach that will sit a player that can hit the ball to the fence. I would suggest that the younger girls make the best of it and keep trying to earn a spot.

(I have been in your shoes before, but this too, shall pass.)

 

[GOINGDEEP]

We had 19 girls but had a jv team too. Do they not have jv in your area? Most of MS/HS is politics. And sometimes it sucks.

Also some coaches think they need to coach up the 6-7 graders to be ready for that 8th grade run.

I wouldn't quit. It might send the wrong message to your DD. Life is not always fair, and when it's not you don't just give up.

And I agree with Amy.

 

[justwannaplay]

Dont know why he choses not to play the girls? But I know for a fact its politics at its worst. I am afraid that it might get into her head that she is not good enough.
She comes home from middle school practice and wants me to take her outside to hit for another 1/2 hour. I am afraid that its going to get into her head and effect her travel play.

I hope he throws batting practice to her and she hits it right back at him .. LOL....... I would never ever tell her that

Thanks

 

[alexander58]

Sometimes coaches play older girls to make their parents happy. Maybe the coach is looking big picture. He will play the older girls to keep them interested. The younger girls need to keep working hard. Convince them their day will come (through hard work). Suppose it is politics. The only way to overcome politics is to be way better than the competition. There is a great life lesson here. But like all life lessons, there is some pain involved.

 

[bigblue]

My son had the same experience in High School. the coach was varsity football coach and would play all his kids from football. It got so bad parents started to complain but AD did nothing.

its a choice to make does the girl have a strong will if so tell while on the bench (smile and wave just like the penguins) eventually the cream rises to the top.

never show that a coach is getting too you I know it really sucks because with my kid I wanted to meet the coach in the parking lot and givem a piece of my mind but I did not want to hurt my son further.

Tough choice to sit and watch the girls on the bench my question is why take a kid on your team if you arent going too play them I would rather be cut..

SORRY BUT MIDDLE SCHOOL EVERY KID SHOULD PLAY NO ALLSTARS AT THIS LEVEL YET !!!!!!!

BIGBLUE

 

[GOINGDEEP]

Is this school a sanctioned NFHS middle school team? If not you should speak to your principle about joining. You should get into a larger division or district that would have jv teams by joining.
We have a few middle schools in the area who are not sanctioned and only field varsity.

But you would have to wait until next year to do so.

 

[SnocatzDad]

She comes home from middle school practice and wants me to take her outside to hit for another 1/2 hour. I am afraid that its going to get into her head and effect her travel play.

If she was starting every game it's unlikely she would feel the need to be getting in extra practice. Given that no one is ever going to remember what your kid did on a middle school ball team (except you) you might want to thank your coach for pushing your kid to the next level even if that was not his intent. Yes it may get into her head for travel ball. She may go into the travel ball season thinking "I better work a 1/2 hour a day every day longer than everyone else so that I never end up on the pine like I did in MS."

The hardest thing that happened to my daughter was going from the #1 team in our area at 12U to the #3 team at 14U. She hovered as one of the top 15 kids at her age when she was younger and had a bad tryout her first year at 14U. She worked so hard that summer to prove she belonged on the #1 team that they invited her to come to Nationals with them at the end of the year and she made such progress that year and the following off-season that she's become a much better player. There were times playing on that #3 team that were agonizing, but in the end, I'm not sure that my DD would be the player she is today without that particular burr being put in her britches back then.

 

[justwannaplay]

Yes, Snocats I was thinking the same that the poor kid thinks she needs to practice after practice just because this idiot makes her feel less of a player for not playing them. I guess same as what you said about thanking the coach for making her put in more time " that which doesnt kill you will make you stronger " But its a shame kids have to go thru garbage like this.
I do agree with bigblue that all middle school kids should be playing at the very least one inning. One damn inning a game.

thanks to all the responses

 

[Amy in AZ.]

"I do agree with bigblue that all middle school kids should be playing at the very least one inning."

Of course, but in IL. there is a state tournament. (I don't know where the OP is.) So, all teams aspire to that tournament. My sons team placed 3rd and 1st when he was young. We still have the pictures.