Opinions please

[Quake Softball]

We are in a sticky situation. We are short a couple of girls for this upcoming spring. We are currently at 7 due to some injuries and cutting two girls. I find out through the grapevine that one of our girls, who has been with us for a couple of years isn't going to play anymore. The mom is "too busy". The girl wants to play and we have always taken her to practice and tournaments the whole time she has been with us.

My question is if "she" does quit and drops our numbers to 6 what do I do. Options are break the team up and find other teams for our girls or wait it out. Our hitting instructor hols an open house at his place in a couple of weeks and he thinks we can find 1 or 2 girls there, but if we go back to 6 he thinks it will be hard. Also, I don't want to wait too long so these girls don't have anywhere to go. Most of us have been together at least 3 years and they are like my family. This is a very tough decision. Any thoughts would be great.

 

[FPMark]

Need more info like...

What age group?
What type of Ball do you play (Rec, TB A or B, LL, etc.) ?
Where are you located (large city, small town, etc.)?

There are many options, but most would depend on the answers to these questions.

 

[ArmWhip]

We were in a similar situation 2 years ago, we were largely a school team that played local travel and summer ball. Been together since LL. We were down to 9 but lost our one and only catcher, she had delusions of grandeur. We ended up talking to the rest of the team and parents about the possible outcomes, finding a catcher on short notice was a long shot. Several girls were good enough and interested enough to try and find other teams. Several were not good enough or did not want to play anywhere else. We broke up. It depends a lot on what the remaining players and parents think.

 

[Quake Softball]

Need more info like...

What age group?
What type of Ball do you play (Rec, TB A or B, LL, etc.) ?
Where are you located (large city, small town, etc.)?

There are many options, but most would depend on the answers to these questions.

We are a 12U travel team and there are no shortage of teams around. But most teams will be finalizing their rosters by the end of the month.

 

[starsnuffer]

One of the things that's always bothered me about California travel ball is that you have a constant "watering down" of talent because you inevitably have a team where an assistant or parent "thinks they can do better", splits off, builds their own team, takes a few girls with them, ect.. .. repeat this a few times and you have a lot of scrounging around for players and convincing rec ball players to move up to travel ball.

There is a HUGE talent discrepancy between a lot of ASA A teams in the greater Bay Area, for instance, because of this. There are about 4-5 true A teams and a bunch of teams that should really be playing B ball.

For this reason, I think it might be best to let them move on to other teams. The problem is that, if you're an A ball team, most teams already had tryouts. Rosters are still open for private tryouts but it doesn't give kids a long time to explore their options.

The flip side is that there may be more available players after Jan when the procrastinators realized they missed tryouts and don't have a team for the spring.

-W

 

[Greenmonsters]

We are in a sticky situation. We are short a couple of girls for this upcoming spring. We are currently at 7 due to some injuries and cutting two girls. I find out through the grapevine that one of our girls, who has been with us for a couple of years isn't going to play anymore. The mom is "too busy". The girl wants to play and we have always taken her to practice and tournaments the whole time she has been with us.

My question is if "she" does quit and drops our numbers to 6 what do I do. Options are break the team up and find other teams for our girls or wait it out. Our hitting instructor hols an open house at his place in a couple of weeks and he thinks we can find 1 or 2 girls there, but if we go back to 6 he thinks it will be hard. Also, I don't want to wait too long so these girls don't have anywhere to go. Most of us have been together at least 3 years and they are like my family. This is a very tough decision. Any thoughts would be great.

Your first obligation is to do what's best for your DD, followed closely by your obligation as coach your other players. Regardless of your decision, make it known what direction you're headed in sooner rather than later when options may be more limited.

 

[sluggers]

12YOA is when kids start quitting softball. Even if you make it through 2011, it is doubtful the team will be together in 2012. Perhaps you need to consider whether it is time to hang up the whistle and clipboard.

 

[PEPPERS]

i would do as much as possible for the kids. One thing is to look for another team that does not have enough players and try and form one team.

A few years ago a coach was trying to put together a team and could not get enough players she then put her daughter and her best friend on another team the other players were not told by this coach leaving them to try and get on another team at the last minute. So be honest with the kids and parents and make an honest effort to help the team.

 

[Quake Softball]

Thanks to all that replied. I got more bad news today. I now find out that one of my players that was in a custody battle and the parent that won won't be letting her play softball. WOW!!!! When it rains it truly does pour. I have found potential spots for all of our girls. All to one organization (they have 4 12U teams), but separate teams. Sad to see it end but at least we will still be kind of close.

 

[PEPPERS]

Thanks to all that replied. I got more bad news today. I now find out that one of my players that was in a custody battle and the parent that won won't be letting her play softball. WOW!!!! When it rains it truly does pour. I have found potential spots for all of our girls. All to one organization (they have 4 12U teams), but separate teams. Sad to see it end but at least we will still be kind of close.

Believe it or not, we live in a small town in GA (Mayberry USA) and this has happen to me as a coach or teams my daughter played with 3 times. It seems that it always one of the better players when it happens. The kid wants to play then the court hearing a change of custody and then the new custodian won’t let the kid play because they think it hurts the other parent when it really hurts the kid.

If any of you reading this are going through custody battles please do not hurt the child for revenge or to get even with a former spouse.