question for HC

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May 6, 2015
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you have a very good 14u team (80% in the fall, playing against some of the better teams in our area), team added one P to the rotation at end of last fall, otherwise same exact team, 12 girls now. team is expected to move to 16u in fall (currently mix of 06 and 07 girls, fairly even), probably losing one of the 07 girls who will stay down (but in same org, dad is AC).

most of the girls have settled into a role, and most probably play 60% or more at their primary positions other than the Ps (4 girl rotation, all get used pretty regularly, mixed staff of flamethrower, movement pitcher, and a couple of location pitchers), most of whom play OF when not pitching. HC currently bats lineup when allowed, and most of the time all the girls deliver at the plate in some way.

do you try to add or upgrade this coming summer, at the possible cost of team chemistry? girls and parents for the most part get along, stuff crops up, but it is just normal teenage girl crap, and it shifts, there are no real cliques it seems (ie who is on the outs shifts every week or two).
 
Sep 19, 2018
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What are the team goals? What would bringing in new players accomplish that the current team does not?
 
May 6, 2015
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113
lol..teenage girls ughh :LOL:
yeah, but as long as it is always shifting, to me that is best you can hope for team dynamic wise. does not seem to be clicques.

there are a couple of girls who sometimes do not always have best attitude, but everyone, including girls, can see that it is mostly a matter of them being so hard on themselves, so everyone mostly tries to lift them up when things are rough.
 
Jun 8, 2016
16,118
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yeah, but as long as it is always shifting, to me that is best you can hope for team dynamic wise.
I guess. These kids spend a lot more time together then I did with my youth sports teammates growing up so I guess it is inevitable that the bickering happens. Teammates were just that when you played. You saw them for maybe 5 or 6 hours a week and that was it, in particular if you didn't go to school with them or live near them. Your friends were the kids that lived near you that you threw eggs with on Halloween :LOL: No cell phones or social media probably helped too..
 
May 6, 2015
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yeah different now, DD has so many group chats to keep track of (SB, winter swim team, summer swim team, school groups).

and she sees here teammates now more than she sees a lot of her classmates (just went back 5 days, but still half days, they have not figured out lunch yet), compared to say 4-5 games each weekend plus warmups, practices, etc.
 
Dec 2, 2013
3,410
113
Texas
I would like to see a minimum of 14 girls on a rising 16U roster going into the fall. You will be extremely lucky if all 12 of those girls are still playing on your team or even playing at all. DD's 9th grade played on a 16U team with 3 catchers and 5 pitchers. At the beginning of summer, we lost a catcher and 2 pitchers and a SS. All for various personal reasons. Pitcher didn't want to pitch anymore, Pitcher's mom was dying, SS got pulled up to another team, C moved teams. ABR, Always Be Recruiting!!!
 
Oct 4, 2018
4,611
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I agree with the thought above that the roster size should probably increase, which does mean new girls. But could certainly keep all the existing ones.

Any girls have college softball aspirations? HC want to help with that, or just have a fun team of girls who love to play?
 
May 6, 2015
2,397
113
probably some of the girls want to play in college, some still play other winter and fall sports as well as softball.

my thought unless some of the Ps accept a P only role (which may very well happen), tough to find PT for everyone if you increase much.

HC has never really come out and declared a team (nor has org for that matter) goal, mainly giving girls a place to play. org kinda grew out of TB team started up a couple of years ago to see what a core of some rec all stars could do in tournaments, and took off from there (now 4 or 5 teams in 3 or 4 age divisions). this team is the core from that original team (about 5 girls).
 

Strike2

Allergic to BS
Nov 14, 2014
2,044
113
12 committed players is a good number. I know some will push for more, but experience says that 13 or more is very difficult to manage when they all show up. Unless you're a top team that everyone wants to be on and that plays all the best tournaments, you'll lose people because somebody won't be playing enough.
 

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