Playing time based on cheering

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Jan 10, 2022
43
8
Long Island NY
i find it crazy playing time is determinned by loud cheering. if he thinks she is not supporting the other kids it is one thing, but that does not seem to be the case. this is baffling. kids should play
 
Aug 3, 2018
17
3
This was my first question that was never answered. a 14U Coach surprised that only 9 players can be on the field has me wondering.
This was for Sunday bracket play, roster batting was allowed for pool, but only 9 in bracket play. But, the coach didn't realize this until the start of the game on Sunday & was super flustered because she had never just batted 9 or done DP/flex before. This definitely says something about the coach's experience.
In my opinion this conversation about this particular team is lacking some detail. And that is their previous experience and level of play including the coaches.
The coach is a parent, had coached high school, and most recently an assistant coach for an organization (she was only AC for 1 fall season, so this probably should have been a red flag). The AC is also a parent, daughter is out with an injury, so the AC has not been at practices or games. The core group of girls have played together since little league (with this coach). The team played local 12B tournaments last year, moved up to 14B this year. As I said in a previous post, DD picked up for the team last year & had a good experience. When her team unexpectedly folded in the winter due to the coach moving (he owned a gym, & financially couldn't withstand the next round of shut downs), she joined this team. In hindsight this was a mistake.
 
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Jun 20, 2015
848
93
thankfully you have learned your lesson and hopefully moved on to better team. play time based on cheer volume has to be top 5 of dumbest things ever said by a coach.
 
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Jan 25, 2022
880
93
Pre game music is so irritating. We shouldn't have to yell while making the lineup or trying to put lines down.
I have coached games with these kinda 3 steps down cinder block dugout with a roof. They are great until the cheering starts. So Loud!
I guess I am getting old. I also detest the wanna be DJ dude with the super amp blaring crude music between innings too. LOL
.
 
Jul 13, 2019
54
8
I agree with the person that said to have your daughter try and talk to the coach. If that doesn't work I aslo agree with the person that said RUN. Is this a rec. team or a travel team? Between you and me I kind of think that maybe the coach chose the wrong sport. Maybe she should be coaching competitive cheer
 

PDM

Jun 18, 2019
165
43
NJ
Looking for advice for my DD, she is 13 so will be the one talking to the coach and deciding what to do about the situation. She has been getting progressively less playing time this season, now at about 50% of innings on the bench. Pick up players have been at every game & are playing every inning of every game. Fielding and batting are going great, good attitude, goes to practice, works on her own. At a game last Sun. coach didn't realize she could only play 9 until game time. She had never made a line up of 9 or done DP/flex before so was really flustered. DD ended up on the bench (no fielding or batting). She had been playing & hitting great all weekend so was confused and disappointed (pickup players did play). The coach has a rule that players cannot ask about playing time which is why DD has been hesitant to bring it up. At the beginning of the next practice the coach told the team that DD did not play because she was not cheering loud enough. Secondly, she also did not play because the coach wanted each girl to do a short dance (for fun while waiting) and DD didn't do a dance (she's an introvert & felt super uncomfortable, but had fun laughing & cheering for the girls dancing). DD does have a quiet personality (& voice) , her cheering is clapping, saying nice hit, lets go, etc. The team is LOUD, they do every chant, sing every song at max volume the entire game & warm ups too. I did notice the coach is constantly yelling at them to be louder. DD tries to be loud & felt like she was being loud (for her). Talking to DD, the team hates having to be so loud all the time.
DD's thoughts are she wished the coach would have talked to her before benching her. This past weekend DD was getting over a cold & had lost her voice by Sunday. But even without a cold she just doesn't have a voice that carries. She also doesn't think all the cheering benefits the team, the girls are all tired of yelling for hours, and are only doing it to get playing time.
She is deciding on 2 options:
1. Talk to the coach & let her know that she is trying her best to be loud and will do whatever she can to get playing time, but she is a quieter person with a quiet voice. This is what I think she should do, but I may be biased, because as an introvert it would be a nightmare for me to be told to do a dance or yell & sing for hours.
2. Not talk to the coach, she already told the team why DD didn't play. Try her best to be loud.

Thanks for any advice on this situation!
First off, is this a softball team or a cheerleading team? This is ridiculous. Frankly, if I was the parent I would be looking for a new team. I have no respect for a coach who would base anything on cheering and doing dances. I'm very sorry your daughter has been forced to deal with this nonsense.
 

PDM

Jun 18, 2019
165
43
NJ
There are 2 moments that stand out for me. The first I was assistant coach and I jumped on dd after the game about not be totally into the game while she was in the dugout with her team batting. It was a difficult ride home. Finally dd said "dad I am not the same player you were. I will never be the same player you were. You need to let me be mine own player." It hit me like an 18 wheeler. I realized she was right and I was the person in the wrong.
The second time she was dancing in the outfield to the music between innings. I grumbled to another dad I always sat with that she should be serious and warming up the whole time. He looked at me said she is 2-2 with a homerun and a double you need to chill out and let her have a little fun.
For your situation every girl has to be coached a little differently to get the most out of them. Your coach may not realize this and be trying to coach everyone the same. This is a hard lesson for a coach to learn and takes a lot of experience. Even then as a coach you sometimes make a mistake in the correct approach to get the most out of a player.
Some coaches just treat every player as an identical clone and refuse to acknowledge that these are a collection of individuals that are all different. If your coach is like this your only choice is to find another team.
If I was her coach I would appreciate her coming to me to discuss things. It would give me a better understanding of her. Hopefully this would lead to a better coach player relationship.

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk
Did you miss the part about the coach not allowing anyone to question him/her about playing time? This coach is an idiot. I am guessing that the reason why they have "pick up players" playing entire games is because they can't keep girls on the team.
 
Oct 3, 2011
3,478
113
Right Here For Now
The coach is a parent, had coached high school,
Red flag #1. Supposedly coached HS and doesn't know the DP/Flex rule or how to do it?!
The AC is also a parent, daughter is out with an injury, so the AC has not been at practices or games.
Red flag #2 HC allows this. Even if my players are injured, they still show up at practice to learn what we are teaching that practice for the most part. If school sports interfere, so be it but being injured kind of takes that excuse off the board.

Red flag #3. AC is MIA. Wrong. Just wrong. They made a commitment to help coach and should be there. Once again, the HC allows this.

Red flag #4. HC was taken by surprise by only allowed to bat 9 during bracket play. Didn't she read the rules of the tournament? I've never gone to a tournament where my AC's and I haven't read and known the rules of every tournament my team has entered. I don't know of any competent coach who wouldn't do the same.

RUN!!! Don't walk, don't jog, full out sprint from this team!
 
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