PC had a talk with DD about wearing a mask in the circle....

[grcsftbll]

I'm very curious what the status of all this will be when my 9 year old is college aged. Masks are by far the rule and not the exception in our tournaments. Every girl on our team wears one in the field, even outfield. Same is true for most of the teams we've faced. This is what they've grown up with and it doesn't affect their performance.

 

[29dad]

There's the fallacy...you're assuming that a player will fracture her face if she takes a scholarship.

He made no such assumption. Your quote above is a non sequitur.

 

[Strike2]

My DD is verballed to a D1 school as a catcher, so she doesn't worry about the mask controversy. But I did ask the coach how he feels about infielders who wear masks. His response: "I don't have a problem with anybody wearing a mask if they want to wear one. But I will say that I personally wouldn't look at a player who wears one."

Right or wrong, the stigma is still out there.

That coach's comment doesn't even pass the logic, much less the comment sense test. "I don't have a problem...but, I won't look at anyone who wears one."

I suppose that would apply if she was the best defensive player in the state and would hit 30 HRs a season.

 

[RetiredCoach]

One fastpitch softball evolution that I've seen in recent years was the transition from wearing shorts to wearing long pants. Long pants are the norm now and for very good reasons. I have also seen an evolution from masks are unnecessary and for wimps to they are a good insurance policy. In fact, that seems to have been a distinct trend that I have noticed on this board and well as out on the field. So, I think that that's where this mask discussion is going.

 

[ScottyDont]

He made no such assumption. Your quote above is a non sequitur.

His statement was "If the difference is between a college scholarship or a non-fractured face, which would you take?"

Sounds to me like he's saying it's one or the other, at least in that scenario. It's not so cut and dried.

I've been coaching for 12 years and have never once told a girl not to wear a face mask. My younger DD wore one for the first six years she played and recently stopped because of the stigma of "what will a college coach think?' Say what you will, but the sentiment exists.

I'd be perfectly content with a rule that states corner infielders and pitchers must wear a mask. At that point the stigma is gone and college coaches can return to evaluating based on talent. Until then? DD2 will wear her mouthguard when she's not catching, and aim for the big scholarship.

 

[Strike2]

There's the fallacy...you're assuming that a player will fracture her face if she takes a scholarship. At the end of the day, facial injuries due to batted balls make up an incredibly small percentage of all softball-related injuries.

I'm not arguing for or against the mask...but it's not an either/or scenario. 99% of players who don't wear mask never have a facial injury. The mask protects against the 1% chance.

My kid isn't a pitcher, but she plays school and 14U now, and always wears a mask. She's never been hit (on the mask) during a ball game. However, several have bounced off the mask during practice over the years that were hit by ME. Invariably, they were hard hit and took a bad hop. She's got a very good glove, but even the best reactions sometimes aren't good enough. Not only has that $30 mask saved us from a costly and possibly career-ending injury, it's gives both of us the confidence to work at a high enough level during practice that there's little that she can't handle during a game.

 

[29dad]

I've been coaching for 12 years and have never once told a girl not to wear a face mask. My younger DD wore one for the first six years she played and recently stopped because of the stigma of "what will a college coach think?' Say what you will, but the sentiment exists.

I'd be perfectly content with a rule that states corner infielders and pitchers must wear a mask. At that point the stigma is gone and college coaches can return to evaluating based on talent. Until then? DD2 will wear her mouthguard when she's not catching, and aim for the big scholarship.

Fair enough. Meanwhile my DD will continue to wear a mask while playing third base. She is committed to a big time school in the ACC. You can watch her on ESPN in a couple of years.

 

[chinamigarden]

A

I know this topic gets beat to death, and not really trying to revive it so much, but it occurred to me that I've never heard anyone say that a batter loses favor for wearing a shin guard or an elbow pad or the obvious batting helmet. Maybe someone here has mentioned it before. Has anyone ever heard a college coach address this notion? Seems like someone who's afraid to take a shot in the batter's box might be too skittish to hit effectively.

Pleased to say that PC was not advocating that DD stop wearing a mask. He thinks they are important. But also wants her to be aware of the recruiting environment, saying she will soon need to make a decision about it. I find it's a lot easier to make pejorative statements like "my DD won't cave to that pressure" before it starts to affect hopes and dreams on a personal level.

Have you ever noticed that some college teams not a single girl wears a mask on her batting helmet. Every single one of those girls grew up wearing one. What does that tell you about that coach?

 

[ScottyDont]

Fair enough. Meanwhile my DD will continue to wear a mask while playing third base. She is committed to a big time school in the ACC. You can watch her on ESPN in a couple of years.

I look forward to it, and wish her the best of luck. Some players are good enough that they could wear a tutu on the field and still get a scholarship. Others need every advantage they can get.

Hopefully mine will have her share of ESPN time as well.

 

[RetiredCoach]

Hopefully mine will have her share of ESPN time as well.

Good Luck to you and your DD!